Part 40 (1/2)
Mich.e.l.le wasn't going to mention the rats. Helen wasn't a young woman and she didn't want shock causing a seizure of some kind.
Helen stared at the health inspector. She bristled visibly, but only said, ”I'm unprepared for your visit, Mr. Vaughn, which is apparently how you planned it. Very well. Feel free to do what you must.”
While the inspector put on gloves, Helen went back to dicing cooked chicken for her famous sandwiches. She looked cool and in control, which was d.a.m.ned impressive.
The next forty-five minutes pa.s.sed painfully slowly. Mich.e.l.le went into the hallway and sat on the floor next to Chance. He watched the inspector, as if prepared to defend her against the man.
Mr. Vaughn opened cupboards, used some kind of temperature gauge on food in the refrigerator and on the stove. He looked at the dishwasher, in the cupboards, checked their license and storage rooms. Finally he stripped off his gloves.
Mich.e.l.le scrambled to her feet and rejoined him. ”Well?”
”Impressive,” Mr. Vaughn said, looking chagrined. ”I've never seen a kitchen this clean before. At worst, everything is to state requirements, and in nearly every area, you exceed them. The complaint was received only a few days ago, and from what I can tell, these practices have been in place for some time.”
Mich.e.l.le wanted to stick out her tongue and remind the man she'd already told him this wasn't a legitimate complaint but didn't think that would be helpful.
”So we pa.s.sed?”
”Yes, and I'll note in the records that this might have been some kind of nuisance call. We at the Department of Health take our work very seriously. People's health is at stake. We can't afford to have our limited resources wasted with this sort of prank.”
Mich.e.l.le smiled. ”I think I know who did it. I'm going to have a little talk with her.
She shook hands with Mr. Vaughn, then made her way back to the front of the inn.
Ellen was still there, sitting on the sofa. She looked toward Mich.e.l.le as she entered. Apparently Mich.e.l.le's satisfaction showed on her face, because there wasn't any smiling and winking now.
Mich.e.l.le walked up to Ellen.
”Hey,” she said. ”Thanks for calling in the complaint. Now the Department of Health loves us and thinks you're an idiot. I kind of like that.”
Ellen stood, her blue eyes sharp with annoyance. ”Be careful, Mich.e.l.le. You don't want me against you.”
”You already are. I nearly bought the whole 'let's be friends' thing. You're good-I'll give you credit for that. I don't know how much of this game is about what happened in high school and how much of it is you think you can get this prime waterfront property for cheap. Let me address both points.”
She found it difficult not to smile. Yelling at people was fun.
”On the high-school front. Grow up. It was years ago. Get a life and move on. As to the property, that so isn't going to happen. I'm current with my loan. We're doing better than expected, so I can pay off even more of the principle. Maybe consolidate the loans. Probably not with your bank, though.”
”There are other considerations,” Ellen snarled.
”Those silly rules? I have it on good authority you can't do that.”
”Says who?”
”Says me.”
Ellen rolled her eyes. ”Seriously, Mich.e.l.le, don't get involved in things you don't understand.”
”Like banking? Rules of disclosure and loan modification? You're right. I should stay out of that. But I think it's time I found a good lawyer to go over everything. Carly's in deep with the island's Women of Business a.s.sociation. At least one of them should be able to give me a recommendation. Maybe somebody tight with your bank's board.”
”That's not going to change anything,” Ellen told her, but Mich.e.l.le had a feeling the other woman was more nervous than she let on.
”You should probably go now,” Mich.e.l.le said.
Ellen turned on her heel and left.
Mich.e.l.le watched her go, then reached down to pat Chance. ”We're a very weird species.”
He leaned his head against her thigh, as if to say he wasn't one to judge.
Carly dug into the warm, rich soil of the inn's garden. With beautiful flowers came weeds, she thought, pulling one out by the roots and tossing it onto the growing pile on the lawn. Perhaps gardening could be a metaphor for life, she thought happily. Do a little digging and get rid of everything that's bothering you.
Chance lay next to her, stretched out on the gra.s.s. The sun was warm, the morning quiet. It was going to be a good day.
”Carly!”
The call came from the other side of the inn, but the voice was distinctive. So much for a good day, Carly thought, sitting back on her heels and watching her mother approach.
So far they'd talked about everything unimportant. The weather, shopping, her mother and Frank's travel plans for the rest of the year. But except for Carly's attempt to find out what Lana had been thinking when she'd left, they'd avoided anything too personal.
Probably better that way, Carly told herself. Some things couldn't be fixed.
Her mother dropped to the gra.s.s beside her and patted Chance. ”We're all packed up and ready to go. Frank's saying goodbye to Mich.e.l.le right now. If it's all right with you, we'll swing by Gabby's day camp on the way out of town.”
”Sure,” Carly said, hoping her relief at the news didn't show. ”I'll call them and let them know it's okay for you to see her.”
”Thanks.” Her mother sighed. ”This has been wonderful. Reconnecting like this. Frank and I should have come back years ago. Of course, there would have been problems with Brenda. She's not one to forgive and forget.”
”You two were so close,” Carly said. ”Did you miss her when you left?”
Lana shrugged. ”I suppose. We were friends. Brenda was difficult, though. She only thought about herself. She never worried about hurting anyone around her. I was always the sensitive one, worrying about others.” Lana smiled.
Yes, Carly thought. Abandoning one's only child to run off with a lover showed tremendous worry. ”Yes, there was deep concern.”
”I'm glad we got everything straightened out.”
So much for sarcasm, Carly thought, not sure whether to laugh or surrender to the madness.
Lana leaned in and kissed her cheek. ”We were thinking of coming back for Thanksgiving.”
”Lucky us.”
”I'll miss you,” her mother said, hugging her. ”Be good.”
”The best.”
Then Lana was gone.
Carly attacked a few more weeds, pulling them out by the roots, finding the task even more satisfying than before. She waited for a sense of regret or loss, but there was only the knowledge that she had everything she needed already. A relations.h.i.+p with her mom would be nice, but not necessary.