“Afraid not. I’m here for a surprise follow-up inspection. It won’t take long.”
“A follow-up inspection on a perfect score?”
“Just routine. I’ll be out of your way shortly.”
The muscles tick in Silver’s jaw. She knows as well as everyone else at the table who sent him.
“Routine. On a Saturday night during Harvest Fest. Right.” She pulls out her phone and opens the video camera. “Just so we’re clear, I’ll be filming. For documentation purposes.”
Hal stiffens but he doesn’t argue. Without a word, I stand up and follow them when they head toward the kitchen. “What are you doing?” Silver pauses to ask.
“Consider me your witness.” The nervous look on Hal’s face when I step up closer to him doesn’t escape Silver, and she nods. This little guy is no threat to her but he’s here tointimidate in his own way and I’m happy to give a little of that back.
The kitchen is chaos with steam hissing, fry baskets dropping, the two cooks and the assistant weaving in and out of each other’s paths to work. It’s clear they’re overwhelmed but keeping things together.
Camille approaches, and Silver tells her it’s an inspection. “I know you’re lying.”
“No, I’ve got this. Can you keep an eye on things out front for a minute?”
“Of course.”
Silver points her phone camera at the kitchen area. “As you can see, the cooks and food preparer are gloved, the sinks have soap and paper towels, and there’s no food sitting out.”
“Hmm,” Hal says, and she follows him to one of the coolers. He peers inside and mumbles, “Temperature is borderline.”
Silver points her phone at the thermometer. “Actually, it’s thirty-seven degrees. Well within code. Don’t worry, I have it on camera.”
The kitchen staff continue to work but they’ve fallen silent, hanging onto every word and casting glances in our direction. Hal doesn’t respond.
He moves on, checking under sinks and opening drawers while Silver stays on his heels. She films every single thing he looks at, narrating along with it.
He pauses at the mop bucket in the corner. “Improper storage of cleaning supplies.”
Silver sweeps the camera over the neatly labeled bottleson the rack above the sink, then back to the bucket. “Temporary placement during rush. Not a violation. No worries, I caught that too.”
His jaw tightens. He opens his mouth to say something I’m sure wouldn’t have been professional, notices me standing there, reconsiders, and moves on quietly.
I wonder if Silver notices the change in the staff. Their shoulders square. Their movements are sharper. They see what she’s doing, the defiance of it, and they’re proud.
Hell, so am I. Watching her stand up to these losers is a bigger turn on than that witch costume.
Finally, Hal tucks his clipboard under his arm. “I’ll file my report with the county.”
Silver gives him a smile that would be at home on a shark. “And I’ll be requesting a copy the second it’s finished. To make sure it matches this inspection on video. For accuracy.”
For a heartbeat, his eyes flick toward her with annoyance, maybe even a flicker of guilt, but then he fixes his face and strides out.
I look over at Silver when she takes a deep breath. “I don’t think that went how he thought it would.”
Her lips tilt into a small smile. “Definitely not. Scared little worm will probably run back to see what they want him to do. If they can pile up violations against me, they can shut me down. But I’ve covered my ass. Everything’s up to code.”
“Outsmarted by a sexy witch.”
“Come on,” she laughs, grabbing my wrist. “I need to say goodbye to the others and get back to work.”
It’s a good thing she won’t be home until later. I mighthave to beat off twice to get the memory of her in that costume and outsmarting the guy out of my head. I’m not hitting on her while she’s staying with me, but if she starts something, I can’t be held responsible for fucking her into next week.
Rogue races up to me when I get home, and I sit on my back deck to pet her. My phone beeps with a text and any thoughts of sex drain away. The darkness around me seems to waver as I read and reread it.
