Bess looksup when I walk into her small office off the kitchen, where she appears to be boxing up paperwork from her filing cabinet.
I don’t hesitate to pull her in my arms and plant a kiss on her.
“Hey,” she mumbles against my lips, before pulling her head back slightly.“I did leave you a message.”
I smile at her.“I know.Savvy told me, and I saw once I got to my vehicle where I’d left my phone.My bad.”
Aware of Emmet right outside, I reluctantly let her go.
“How did it go with the adjuster?”
“Well…” She sighs, making it clear the answer isn’t exactly favorable.“Did Savvy mention the insurance won’t pay out on my claim until the investigation is finalized?”
“She didn’t, and that really sucks.I’m sorry.”
I’m not really surprised; most insurance companies aren’t in a hurry to pay out if they can help it.
“Yeah.But the good news is, I can pull together just enough money to pay the remedial cleaning company the adjustor recommended so I can get the apartment and the coffee shop in shape.Once the insurance pays out, I’ll be able to tackle the kitchen and hopefully replenish my retirement savings.”
She delivers it with a big smile, appearing pretty pleased with herself.
“And,” she adds, “I’ve figured out a way to open at least the coffee shop.I’m going to seal off the kitchen with heavy duty plastic and tarps, and I can do some baking upstairs in my apartment once that’s done.We’ll just have limited pastries and won’t be able to serve actual lunches, but the shop could reopen and bring in some revenue to keep itself afloat.”
I have a lot of thoughts on the subject, but I wisely keep them to myself until I can properly process them.One of them is that she shouldn’t be wasting money paying for a room in a B&B when she could be staying with me.But I sense now may not be a good time to address that.
“Sounds like you’ve got things covered,” I observe instead.
“I think I might.”
“How long are you gonna stick around here?”
“A couple more hours to get ready for the cleaners; they’ll be here tomorrow.”
“And Emmet is gonna stay here with you?”
“Yes!”Emmet himself calls out from the other room, confirming the lack of privacy.
“Okay, in that case, I’ve got a few things I need to get done, but I’ll swing by here when I’m finished.”
Chapter15
Bess
We gota surprising amount of work done for one afternoon.
Courtney, the woman I had on the phone at Cleaning Restorations earlier, had been super helpful when I explained my situation.She mentioned she’d just processed a cancellation for next Monday and would be able to have a crew here then.She also went into some detail about things I could do myself to make the process a little easier and faster.Saving them time would save me money, so I happily took her advice.
Basically, Emmet, Lola—she showed up later—and I removed everything of importance that could not be run through a washing machine or hosed down.That was important paperwork, pictures, a few paintings my mom left me, books I treasure, and some odds and ends.
At Courtney’s suggestion, we packed everything into a few sturdy storage bins I asked Lola to pick up from Ginny at the Nuts & Bolts hardware store.I also tasked her with checking the self-storage place on the south side of town to see if they had a small rental unit available, where I could temporarily store the stuff we’re packing up.
Next, we moved on to shoving pillows, throws, towels, linens, all my clothes from my closet and dresser, and even my curtains into large plastic bags.Most of those—except some clothes I may need in the short term—will also go to the storage unit until I have a chance to take the bags to the laundromat.
Lola just left with four bins and five garbage bags thrown in the back of her rusty old pickup.I would’ve dropped them off at the storage unit myself, but it would’ve taken a few trips.Also, as Lola pointed out, it would’ve left my car reeking of smoke for heaven knows how long.
As it is, the pungent odor is sticking to my clothes and in my hair, despite the fact we’ve had windows and doors open to air things out most of the day.I’m about ready for a nice long shower, but after I ask Doug or Arno if I could perhaps use their washer and dryer.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”Emmet asks, pulling down his mask.
