“Go, you need to get that thing out of here now.”
He picked up the cage. “And we’ll be discussing payment soon.”
I stepped out into the hallway, hoping to block him from view, at the very least block what he was carrying from the view of anyone who happened to glance down the hallway.
Seriously, we needed to put that curtain back up that obscured the view back here. But Mom likes her open and honest floor design, or so she calls it.
Today, it’s just annoying.
“Whatever, just bill me.” I shoved him down the hall toward the back door.
Hopefully out of sight of the inspector.
He got to the back door, paused, and turned back to me. “Have dinner with me.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Have dinner with me. For doing this…” He raised the container and the little monster started wiggling around in there, making noise.
“No. Bill the shop.” I stared into his eyes.
He was serious. He totally was serious.
“I can just let him back out.” His hand went to the cage door.
“That’s blackmail.”
He raised his eyebrow.
I was about to give him a piece of my mind when I heard the inspector’s lecture winding down.
“Whatever. Just get that thing out of here!”
A big smile spread over his face as he walked out the back door.
I shoved the door shut behind him and turned to face the inspector coming out of the wax room. “Hello, Marla. So good to see you. I hope Autumn’s been taking care of you?”
“I’m almost done, but she said your break room needed to be readied? I don’t like the sound of that,” Marla said. “You know the importance of proper procedure, Winter. Everything must be in perfect working order.”
I held up my hand. “That is what was keeping me. Our dryer was acting up. We have it pulled out from the wall at the moment.”
Autumn raised her eyebrow at me from behind the inspector.
“Come, we’ll check the Barbicide and the bleach.”
“What is wrong with your dryer,” she asked as she followed me into the mostly perfect-looking break room. Aside from the washer and dryer pulled out from the wall.
“It’s not drying very well. I am sure the vent line needs to be cleaned out. I’ll take care of it this weekend,” I said, smiling at her.
“Oh yes, those things happen. It is important for everything to be in tip-top shape,” Marla said.
I nodded. “Of course. Come this way,” I said as I walked her over to inspect all the disinfectants and sanitation products we kept in the shop.
Meanwhile, in the back of my mind, I was plotting some way to get out of dinner with the exterminator.
6
Saturday night
