by Fiona Grace
“Thanks,” she said, waiting until he’d closed the door to toss the business card in the trash and murmuring under her breath, “Just like a used car salesman. Probably trying to sell me a lemon.”
Then, thinking better of it, she grabbed the business card from the empty trash can and tucked it in her purse. He’d paid for those business cards, after all. It seemed like a waste of a perfectly good tree to just toss it. If anything, she could use it as scrap paper. She never had a spare piece of scrap paper when she needed it.
She looked at her schedule and realized she had a block of open time. Perfect. Those bunnies were calling for their care. Time to get some things done.
*
After getting the bunnies—Peter, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, which wasn’t much more original than Nessa had been, but hey, she was too busy to be creative!— set up in a nice warm nest with a heat lamp, Audrey checked her schedule and realized she didn’t have another appointment until two. So she decided to take the time to rush back to the house and make a list of things that needed to be done right away, just in case the inspector should come by. On the way, she picked up some maccu di fave from Pepe.
Already tired and still a little defeated after her conversation with Nessa, she sat down at her kitchen table with Nick at her heels and began making that list. On top of the paper, she placed the big things. The roof, for instance, which she’d patched a little, really needed to be entirely replaced, and she’d have to price the slate at the hardware store. The toilet in the upstairs bathroom had never worked right. And there was still a massive hole in the floorboards between the first and second floor. She’d placed a plank of wood over it so she wouldn’t unwittingly fall through, but that was a stopgap measure. She kept tripping over the uneven place where the plank met the actual floor. The whole floor and subflooring probably needed to be replaced.
By the time she’d scooped the first spoonful of soup into her mouth, the list was already two pages long.
Thank goodness for the soup. It instantly made her feel better. Calmer. She took a few more hearty spoonfuls, savoring the garlicky taste of the broth. Okay, yes, things are not going so well with the renovation. But all in good time. It will get done. Remember what Dad said? One thing at a time is all we can do.
She clasped and unclasped her hand to get rid of the cramp from writing so much, and smiled, her strength renewed. As she was about to start again on the list of smaller, more cosmetic things she’d have to look into, someone knocked on the door. Immediately, Nick hissed.
“Oh, calm down, little fighter. Since when have we ever had anyone show up at this door who warrants that kind of response?” she said to him, wondering who could be knocking in the middle of the day. Pretty much everyone she knew, knew that she worked all day at the clinic. Well, maybe Nessa. Sometimes even I feel like hissing at her.
She went to the door and opened it to a short, bald man with a mustache.
She was about to tell him he had the wrong door when she noticed the clipboard in his hand. In Boston, kids were always around her apartment building with clipboards, selling magazine subscriptions. Did they have that in Sicily?
But …she’d seen him before, somewhere … oh, right.
With Nessa.
Her heart shuddered to a stop inside her chest.
Oh, no, she thought. He isn’t … he can’t be …
The man frowned down at the clipboard and said, “Miss Smart? I am Vito Cascarelli. I am the city building inspector.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out some credentials, and flashed them to her. “May I come in?”
Oh god. He is.
Audrey’s stomach dropped, and she grabbed hold of the door jamb for support. She no longer had an appetite. Not even for that delicious maccu di fave.
CHAPTER FOUR
Audrey stared at the man, wide-eyed, for at least ten seconds, before she realized this was her cue to say something, and it would probably not be polite to sit there, gaping at him for the rest of the day.
It didn’t matter. The man was clearly intent on coming in, regardless of what she did. He took a step closer, and she moved away just as he walked through, scanning the place like it was a new planet he’d just landed on.
“Hello,” she said, several beats too late. “Of course, Mr. Cascarelli. How are you? Can I get you a cup of tea?”
He shook his head brusquely. “That will be unnecessary. This is a quick visit. I’d just like to take a look around, if you have a few minutes?”
“Uh … sure …” she said, now scanning the place as critically as he was. She realized that she’d probably left her underwear on the bedroom floor this morning in her haste to get ready, but now that was the least of her problems. “I didn’t expect you. I really wasn’t able to do very much, considering it’s so short notice—”
“Fine, fine. Just … lead the—” He stopped short when he caught sight of Nick, sitting on the Travertine tile in the kitchen, but did not comment. Besides, she had a license to keep him, so it was cool, right? She hoped. The way he was looking around, eyes slitted critically, she felt as if she was violating laws, just by existing. “Uh, lead the way. Please.”
“Oh. Okay. You should probably know,” she tittered, “that I’m actually a vet in the center of town. So I’ve been spending a lot of time doing two renovations, which means I really haven’t had as much time as I’d like to—”
“You’re Dottore Smart?” he asked, flipping pages on his clipboard.
She nodded.
He pulled a pencil from behind his ear and tapped the page. “I have the vet center on my list, too. I’ll get there. It’s a long list, as you can imagine, so I’d like to get this underway as quickly as possible.”
Audrey groaned inwardly. Great. “Well, I guess we should get started,” she said, planting her feet in the kitchen. “Here, you see, is the kitchen.”
He walked around, scratching the side of his temple with the eraser end of his pencil. Flipped on the lights. Ran the water. Got down on his knees and checked under the cabinets. Made a few noncommittal mmmhmm noises that could’ve been either bad or good.
Then he turned to her, expectant.
She led him to the small bathroom off the kitchen. She’d renovated that, too, mostly with Mason’s help, and while at first she’d thought the shower was possessed, lately, it’d been very well-behaved. From the door, she heard him reach into the shower and turn on the faucet. She gave herself a mental fist-bump when it didn’t moan in protest as it started up.
He ducked out of the shower and nodded at her. “Great light fixture.”
Wait, was that a compliment? That was actually … not the This place is unfit for swine! comment she’d been expecting. “Thanks …” she said carefully, half-expecting a “but” to come on the end of it, like Great light fixture, but it’s actually not up to code.
Surprisingly, it didn’t come. Pride swelled in her chest. He likes my taste in lighting! We’re on the same level. Practically best friends!
She wished desperately that he would say, “I’ve seen enough! This place is glorious!” and give her a bright, golden stamp on her record that she could show happily to Nessa and everyone else. That didn’t happen, though.
When it didn’t, she hoped that something—a phone call, a swarm of killer bees—would come in, pulling him away from his set course before he had a chance to get to the worst areas of the house.
That did not happen either, unfortunately. Instead, he said, “Next?”
So reluctantly she led him up the short set of stairs to the first landing, which included the giant living room. It was a beautiful room, a room that made people see possibilities, but unfortunately, her renovations hadn’t touched it. The wallpaper was peeling, there were giant pits in the floor right down to the dirt subflooring, and the old furniture inside was moth-eaten and dusty.
She was pretty sure he cringed when he looked around it. He flipped the lights, which worked, scribbled something on his clipboard
, and motioned for her to continue the tour.
She brought him upstairs, and as she did, she felt the need to explain. “Yeah, well, you’ll see that I really haven’t touched the second floor. I haven’t been able to get as much as I—”
“Well, you’re a busy woman. All those pets need you.”
Audrey turned back and was surprised to find him smiling kindly at her.
“Um, yes … right. Thanks.”
She turned the corner and opened the door to the bathroom for him. When he went to flush the toilet, Audrey broke out in a cold sweat, a drop of which trickled down her rib cage. She hugged herself as it made a sick, loud choking noise that sounded like an animal drowning. “Sorry. That toilet gives me a little trouble.”
He shrugged. “It makes the typical glug-glug-glugging sound it’s supposed to when the bowl is emptied, which is fine,” he said, scribbling more notes. “No problems.”
“Really?” she said, shocked.
“Yes, that’s right,” he said as she stepped aside to let him into the guest bedroom. He looked around and nodded. “Looking good, looking good. I understand it’s a work in progress, but you are making positive changes, so I’m definitely impressed with what you’ve done so far.”
“That’s right,” she repeated, relief sweeping over her as she led him into the final room, her bedroom. “I’m so glad you—”
“What’s that?”
She followed his outstretched finger to the floor. Sure enough, she’d left her red lace panties right there, near the foot of her bed.
She blushed and rushed ahead to scoop them up and throw them in her laundry basket. “Whoops. Forgot to—”
“No. Not that,” he said, his bushy eyebrows coming together. “That.”
Audrey realized he’d been pointing about a foot to the right, where she’d placed the plank of wood so she wouldn’t fall through the ceiling. She tittered again. “Oh. That. I sometimes forget that’s there, I’ve grown so used to it. There’s a pretty big hole in the ceiling. I almost fell right through it the first day I came here! But I put that plank over it until I have the time to—”
“Mmmhmm,” he said, scribbling something on his paper.
Before, she hadn’t been able to tell, but this one? This one was definitely not a “good” Mmmhmm.
“The rest of the floor is really stable, though.” She jumped up and down a little to prove it. “Obviously I plan to fix it once I have the money and the time. Is there a problem?”
He nodded, and when he looked up from the clipboard, his brow was tented in sympathy. “I’m sorry, but a hole like that, no matter how big, can affect the structural integrity of the entire floor. It needs to be rectified right away.”
“Oh, well of course I will. But I think I’d need to do the whole floor. It’s obviously a big job so it’ll take the money and manpower —”
He wasn’t listening. He scribbled some more, ripped off a small piece of paper from his clipboard rather harshly, and handed it to her. She stared at it, unable to make heads or tails of the Italian words, written in red, at the top of the page. She wasn’t sure she wanted to. “What is this?”
“I’m sorry I have to do this to you. But I’m going to have to revoke your CO.”
“My … what?”
“Your Certificate of Occupancy,” he said, his voice soft, full of regret. He sniffled a little.
“Oh.” That didn’t sound good. She stared at the paper as understanding slowly dawned on her. “Wait. Are you saying that I can’t … you mean that you’re forcing me out? I can’t even live here anymore?”
The next time he spoke, it was grainy, as if he had a frog in his throat. “Well, you can, once it’s fixed, of course, and reinspect—”
“But that’s going to take forever!” She started looking around for somewhere to sit, because she felt a little faint. Finally, she collapsed on her bed. “I don’t even have the money to handle a repair that big right now. Not to mention, I can’t do something that big myself. I’d need …”
She stopped when she looked up and realized that the man’s face was starting to crumple. He took a couple big gulps of air, and his face reddened. For a second, she thought he might cry.
“I can’t tell you how sorry I am. It really breaks my heart to do it.”
“Oh. Okay.” She swallowed the protests, knowing they’d do no good. “Thanks, I guess?”
With that, he did start to cry. No, not just cry. Weep. He dropped his clipboard, buried his face in his hands, and let out a big, heart-wrenching sob that sounded almost like a cow in distress.
For a moment, Audrey just stared. Then she reached over to her night table, found her tissue box, and offered one to him. “Are you okay, Mr. Cascarelli?”
He accepted the tissue, dotted it at his eyes, and blew his nose into it in one big honk. “Yeah, it’s just that … I really hate this job. It’s not what I expected at all! I thought it would be good. Nice. Getting to see the inside of homes, meeting people. But they all hate me. You see, it’s not easy. It’s never easy going around and being the bad guy. But that’s all I have to do, day in, day out.” He hung his head and let out several more big sobs.
She stood up and patted his back. “But you’re just following the city’s ordinances. That’s what you have to do. To keep people safe. You’re a good guy, really.”
He didn’t answer her. He probably hadn’t heard her, considering how loud he was weeping. The poor softy. How could Mason have said he was a hard-ass? He was just doing his job.
She rubbed his back soothingly. “And don’t forget, you get to make people happy when they pass inspection. That’s a good thing. Right?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I guess.”
She folded the slip of paper and tucked it in her pocket, then helped him downstairs. “Don’t you worry about me,” she said to him as she guided him to the door. “I understand completely. I’ll get it taken care of.”
When he turned back to her, eyes glassy with tears, he said, “But you don’t have anywhere to stay!”
Trying to nudge away that awful truth, she somehow managed a smile. “Thank you for coming by. Don’t worry about me, Mr. Cascarelli. I’ll survive.”
She closed the door and leaned against it, facing Nick, and the accommodating smile disappeared from her face. Somehow.
Audrey went to the table and picked up her soup. It was cold now, and her appetite was definitely gone. As she closed up the container, she checked her phone. Great. She was late for her appointments.
She ran upstairs and grabbed her bag, throwing everything she could think of inside. She’d likely have to stay at the clinic now… somewhere. Then she ran down to the kitchen, grabbed her carton of soup, motioned to Nick, and the two of them rushed outside.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Thanks for coming in. And thank you for adopting. If there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask!” she told a young mother and her daughter, who were holding a gray cat they’d named Sorellina. She waved excitedly at them. “In bocca al lupo. And ciao!”
The moment the door was closed, she sighed and scanned the area, wondering what she could repurpose to make a comfortable bed. When they’d begun the renovations of the place, Mason had asked her if she wanted to make one of the back rooms into a bedroom, so she could stay overnight if necessary, but she’d opted for more storage and space for the animals, instead, since her home was only a couple blocks away.
Now, she was really regretting that decision. And regretting ever thinking that working on the clinic was more important than making sure she had a place to live. Without a home base, she was pretty much screwed.
As she looked around, she rubbed her back, already anticipating how sore it was going to be tomorrow. Aside from putting a few uncomfortable plastic chairs together, she didn’t have much of a choice when it came to her comfort. Sadly, she’d been in such a rush to get back to work for her two o’clock that she’d packed hastily. She’d forgotten a blanket. He
r favorite pillow.
And—ugh—her toothbrush.
This was her late night at the clinic. It was after nine. As she went to the window to pull down the shade, she heard a whimpering outside. She opened the door and saw Nick on the stoop outside, ready and waiting to escort her home.
Home.
That word, a word that used to conjure such warm and cozy feelings, sounded so sad to her, now. Who knew how expensive that floor repair would be, and how long it would take? She had a feeling she wouldn’t have a real home for a long time.
“Sorry, bub,” she said to her fox, letting him inside. “But I guess this place is our home for now. Come on in. I think I have something in the fridge for you to eat.”
She went to the back of the building, where she checked on all the animals, including the bunnies, giving them their evening care. A couple of them had opened their eyes and were interested in the formula. That was a good sign. And now they looked very comfortable. She gave Bruno a couple of badly needed extra cuddles, as usual, and turned out the light.
Audrey may have forgotten her toothbrush, but she hadn’t totally lost her mind. She went back into the break room and pulled out her leftover soup. Lacking coins for the vending machine or anything resembling silverware, she had to resort to a plastic fork and a paper cup of tepid tap water. Luckily, she found an apple in the back of the mostly empty fridge for Nick.
“So,” she said to him as she sat down to eat. Because she hadn’t eaten much all day, her appetite had returned. She crumbled a few crackers into the soup. “This isn’t so bad, is it?”
He was too busy with his apple to answer.
“I think it’s really going to be great in here. I can feel it. I mean, this is like heaven, right? Me and a slew of pets. I always dreamed of a life like this, growing up.”
Nick licked his paws, uninterested.
Then she went to the front reception area and tried to arrange the plastic chairs in the waiting area into something similar to a bed. She failed magnificently. The chairs were stiff and hard as rocks. Not to mention that she slipped all over in them. Fine for waiting fifteen minutes in, but definitely not okay for sleeping in.