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To say that both of them were surprised by what they walked in on would have been grossly understated.Not only were the employees smoking while baking the small cakes that had made the place famous years ago, but they weren’t wearing the proper attire, no gloves, masks or even shoes on a couple of them.
“Mr.Lemon, is this normal for this place?”He said he’d not made it to the kitchen as yet as the people stopped working just long enough to look to see who was coming in and blow them off.With her voice even lower than before, this time, it wasn’t filled with humor but anger.He was sure it was only topped by his own anger by a few degrees.“I’m going to have to shut this place down.Right now.”
He nodded and walked around the kitchen with her.No one stopped them or even bothered to hide what they were doing wrong.Barton watched ash from one of the worker’s cigarette drop into the pan he was currently filling with batter.It nearly made him sick to know he’d had one of these cakes just this morning.
He kept an eye on Tessa as she told the workers to stop what they were doing and to back away from what they were doing.Not one of the twenty or so people in the room moved, not even when she threatened to call the police.The man who had dropped the ash told her that they had a deadline and they had it hit it or not get paid.Pulling out her phone, she called for backup, she called it.The police, she told the people were on their way.Barton called Trevor.He was the one that had sent him here.
“The police have been called in.This is a mess, Trev.Not only are they smoking, but two of the people are barefooted.When asked why, they said that they worked better that way.I’m about to puke my guts up.This is so nasty.”He asked if he thought that was why they were losing money.“If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say this is the main reason for the returns he was telling us about.Also, the loss of a great many stores.I wouldn’t buy one of these cakes if it was the only morsel of food left in the world.”
“I had no idea that Tessa was a food service inspector, did you?”Barton told her younger brother that had he known, he might have called her in himself.“Yes, me too.I’m guessing you’d not made it in the kitchen until now.Why?”
“We, as you know, thought that it was the lines that were screwing up orders.This is the reason for a lot of the feedback we got from not just store owners but the customer baseline as well.”He had to get out of the kitchen while the idiots were still doing their job.“They act like this is an everyday occurrence, Trev.Do you suppose that someone is paying off the inspectors that come in here usually?”He’d not thought to ask Tessa if this was her regular route but did so when she came out.She told him, and then he relayed it to his brother.“Tessa is here because the one that usually comes here is in the hospital.She said she picked up four of his places while the rest had been distributed to other inspectors.I think that someone needs to hit the other places with a police escort.This place is—oh holy Christ, Trevor.I just saw a rat the size of that cat we used to have as children.I’m going to recommend that this place be condemned right now.Oh, I’m going to be sick.”
Passing his phone off to Tessa, he ran to the closest trash can and emptied his stomach.He was sick with the thought that he’d eaten several of the cakes over the last few days, trying to decide if he liked them or not.He most assuredly wasn’t ever going to like them or perhaps cake again.When he felt his belly was empty, he sat down on the cool floor just as the police arrived.
“Are you all right?”He told Tessa he wasn’t sure.“Yeah, I can understand that.You ate some of them—”
“Don’t say it.”She giggled, and for whatever reason, it made him less grumpy about being sick.“What happens now?I mean, you must know that this place is going to close up and never reopen again.”
“The place will be inspected from top to bottom, and then after the rating is put in place, it will be up to the owners of the building to decide what course of action they want to go with.”She looked at him with a cocked brow.“Do you guys own this place?I mean, it’s a little out of your zone, isn’t it?Being in another state.”
“We own the land, not the building.I know that sounds weird, but that’s about all our involvement in what they produce here.But I’m going to recommend to Dad and the others that they tear it down.”He told her about the rat.“I swear to you, it was as big as a full-grown cat.”
“More than likely.If you see one, you can bet your sweet ass there are more.”She didn’t seem the least bit upset about what had happened.He asked her about it.“You sort of get jaded after a while.I mean, I sort of like my job, but more often than not, I see this sort of thing too much.”
“Don’t tell me where.I want to remain blissfully unaware.”She told him that, more than likely, he didn’t want to know.Tessa also told him that most of the public didn’t either.“I can well imagine.”
He looked around as the people in the kitchen were brought out in cuffs.Barton didn’t understand why they were being arrested, but he didn’t ask.The less he knew what was going on in the kitchen right now, the better he’d feel.Standing up, he went to the fountain to get some water and decided against it.Looking at Tessa, he asked her what she was going to do now that the place was closed up.
“A team will come in tomorrow and go over the entire building.The kitchen won’t be the only place that is in violation of codes.Then after that, it’ll be determined, as I said, if they’re shut down forever or not.”She handed him his phone.“Your brother said he’d talk to you later.He was going to get with the others to make decisions about the land.He asked me my opinion.No one has ever done that before with me.”
“Trevor is like that.He will gather up as much information as he can before he makes any kind of decision.”He watched as the police started going around the building to get the rest of the employees out.“Do you know of a good place where we can get a good meal?I’m suddenly hungry.”
“My place.If you want clean food.”He said he did and followed her out the door when they were asked to leave.“I didn’t drive here.So can we ride to my home together?I was dropped off by my mom.She was going to pick me up later and take me home.”
“Yes, of course.How is your mom?”Tessa told him she was doing much better now that she was working with a specialist about her belly issues.“Mom told me that she’d found someone to help her out.It must be taxing to have an illness for that long, and no one has helped out with it.”
“More so than you can imagine.She’s a wonderful person, but when she’s in pain, it hurts me to the point where I want to pull out a gun and make them find out what is wrong.But this doctor that she’s seeing, he’s been running his own tests since we got home.I think she’s just happy that someone cares enough now.”They were in the car and putting on their seat belts when her phone rang.After asking her if she wanted him to give her privacy, she told him it was her mom.She put it on speaker and told her briefly what had happened.“I’m leaving now.Barton Strong was here when I got here, working undercover.We’re going to my house for some food.What to join us?”
“Oh, that would be lovely, but I have a meeting with the women’s league tonight.I haven’t any idea why they call it that.It’s just a bunch of old women fussing about how things aren’t getting done as quickly as we’d hope they would.No, you two have a nice dinner, and I’ll see you in the morning.We’re still on for breakfast at my place, correct?”Tessa told her mom that they were still on.“All right, Darling.I’ll see you then.Have a good time, Barton.”
“I will, Mrs.Brown.”As they left the parking lot, Barton saw that the police were putting someone at the gate.Also, he’d noticed that they’d put chains on the doors as well as had an officer at each exit of the building.“Do you need anything for us to pick up?Any kind of food?”
“No.I have it all at home.Unless you would like a bottle of wine.I have a couple of bottles left from New Year’s, but there is a reason that I’ve not polished them off yet.”He said that he’d see about finding a place to get some.“I know of a place that sells good wines and bad ones.If you don’t mind, we’ll head there first.”
He was game and told her so.As soon as they pulled up in front of the small building, he knew that he was going to have to make a trip here with his brothers sometimes.The Wine and Cheesery wasn’t the only specialty place on the street.
He was glad that she’d suggested this place when he left with not just a bottle of wine for dinner but four bottles that he was taking home for himself.They’d also gotten a cheese and meat platter to have while they were there.It was just the kind of place that he loved to find, just for something different.
“They have olives as well.I’m not a big fan of black olives, but I can eat anything else they have.My favorite is the ones that have stuffing in them.”He ordered a small plate of them, too, so they could try them.Tessa was a great tour guide, and they ended up having dinner in one of her favorite places.The Regency Hotel.
When asked, he told her to order for him.There was very little that he didn’t like, and Barton was a huge lover of trying new things.When their salad arrived, she pointed out the different items on it.He thought his favorite was the onions that had been pickled.
“They make their own croutons here too.As well as a lot of the breakfast items.Sometimes when I’m feeling a little sorry for myself, I stay the night in the hotel just so I can be pampered a little.It’s about the most fun I allow myself.”She laughed when he did.“This hotel has been here forever, I guess.Recently they have updated the rooms but left the splendor of the nineteen thirties too.There are even rooms that have dumbwaiters in the rooms for those who like to dine in their rooms.”
When they left, both of them stuffed and sated, he asked her what she wanted for dessert.As they passed an ice cream shop, she told him that she’d never been in the shop before.They both ended up with a dish of three different kinds of the treat, sharing it while they sat outside on the chairs and tables that had been provided.He asked her about herself.
“Nothing much to tell.I’m an inspector.I’ve had a good life, mostly thanks to my grandparents and mom.When my father died or was killed by my uncle, I guess, it was just myself and Mom for a long time.Grandma came to stay with us when my step-grandda died, and we had some good times.”He asked her if she had a steady boyfriend.“I don’t have one.Do you want that title, Mr.Strong?I mean, we’ve spent an enjoyable evening together.Should we become an item?”
Instead of answering her, he leaned over and kissed her.It was only meant to be a quick peck on the lips, but as soon as his mouth touched hers, he wanted more.When he pulled back, or she did, he wasn’t sure.Barton thought about all the things that he wanted to do with her.None of them were for the public view.
“I’m not easy.”He said that he never thought she was.“Good.But I am going to ask you back to my place or your hotel where we can take up where the kiss left off.No strings attached, but I would like to have sex with you.”
He nearly raced her to his car.As they we pulling up in front of her home, Barton nearly asked her if she was sure about this.But as soon as she undid her seatbelt, she came and sat on his lap.Barton hoped they made it indoors before he took her on his front seat.
