“I thought checking the status of inspections was part of myjob.” She softened her tone. “Can’t you see that someone’s trying to manipulate the department to do his dirty work? This is a grudge complaint, and it’s bogus.”
“You act as though you have a dog in the hunt. And what exactly do you mean by a ‘grudge complaint’?”
“I mean, Bruno Keating wanted to buy the Miners Tavern, and he’s pissed because Noah, um, the owner, got it instead. From the very beginning, Keating has been trying every trick in the book to throw the competition into disarray, like calling out permit violations and slowing down their opening.” She bit back the urge to list the numerous building violations in Dell’s that were obvious to even an untrained eye. “He plays dirty pool. Now he wants to plant doubt in people’s heads about the restaurant’s cleanliness. They were inspected two months ago, and they passed! In fact, they’ve passed every inspection as far back as the records go.”
Cliff’s eyes hardened into dark beads. “How do you know so much about the Miners Tavern and its owner?”
Whoops! Dial it back, Hail.“I’ve been spending time with some of the locals, and you pick up things. You know, town gossip and all that.”
“Whichlocalshave you been spending time with?”
“I don’t see where that’s any of your business, Cliff. What I do in my spare time—”
“Fine. Unless your fraternizing interferes with your job.” His eyebrow dipped. “Don’t mix your work and social time, Hailey.”
She spluttered a protest. “What aboutyougetting friendly with Keating? Aren’t you the pot calling the kettle black here?”Except I’m not a pot or a kettle. Am I?
He threw his door open. “Let’s get this over with. We still have a long day ahead.”
As they marched to the restaurant, Hailey’s heart migrated up to her throat and lodged there. She muttered a prayer that Noah wouldn’t be at the tavern. There was a chance … but only a slim one. He wasalwaysthere. Helivedthere. Literally.
God wasn’t listening today—the fact that she hadn’t struck up a conversation with the Big Guy in a while might have been the difference maker—because the tavern’s owner stood in the empty dining room talking to Dixie when she and Cliff walked in. Hailey couldn’t avoid hearing their conversation.
Dixie threw out an arm. “But we always get the regular M&Ms from Costco. Why are you having me order bags ofblueM&Ms? They cost way more. It don’t make sense, unless you’re getting orange too so we can goall in on Broncos Country, but that’s not cheap either. And who likes blue M&Ms anyway? They taste funny.”
“Just do it. Please.” Noah sighed right before taking notice of Cliff and Hailey.
He and Dixie turned toward them with widening eyes. Noah perused Hailey from top to bottom before fastening his gaze on hers, and the confusion reflected there left her hopes sagging. This wasn’t going to end well.
Just kill me now.
The barkeep’s gaze moved from Hailey to Cliff, and recognition flared. Pleats formed between his dark brows. “Something I can do for you?”
Using his most officious tone, Cliff pulled out his credentials. “We’re with CDPHE, and we’re working with your local county government.” Noah’s creases deepened. “We’ve been called in to perform an inspection of your establishment.”
“When?”
“Now.”
To Noah’s credit, he didn’t flinch. “But we just went through an inspection two months ago. And we passed. You can look it up.”
“Timing isn’t the issue here,” Cliff pontificated.
Noah’s gaze transformed from bewildered to flinty as he turned it on Hailey. “Doyouhave some kind of ID to show me, miss?”
“Show the man your ID, Hailey,” Cliff snapped.
Trying to douse the charges exploding in her stomach, she extracted her credentials with deliberate movements so she could control the tremor in her fingers. Noah scanned the tag that identified her as a Montrose County food inspector and raised those gorgeous emerald eyes to hers. Confusion, hurt, and anger danced in their depths. Then he shuttered them.
He swiveled those eyes to Cliff. “Since timing isn’t what brings you here, do you want to tell me exactlywhatthe issue is?”
Cliff’s chest seemed to inflate with pomposity. “We have complaints of a very disturbing nature that we’re compelled to investigate in the name of the public’s safety.”
“Whatkindof complaints?”
“Vermin.”
“Vermin?”Dixie spat.
