Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

#Chapter 9 – Shut Down
Abby

I stand with my hands on my hips, watching a group of law enforcement officers pour into my

restaurant.

One of them approaches me, a stern expression on her face. “Mam, you need to shut down this

restaurant immediately and straighten out your practice.”

“Pardon?” I say, looking around with wide eyes. I can’t believe my ears.

“The restaurant needs to be closed for the month.”

I lower my hands. “Please, I can’t do that,” I say. “I have customers with reservations, and regulars that

are expecting to be seated. I can’t just close for a month.”

Just the thought of doing so makes me feel a little sick. The last thing I want is to let my customers

down, and who knows what negative effects it could have on my business long term.

“Please, officer–” I start, but she waves me off. She looks completely unmoved by my pleas.

“You have a food safety problem here.”

“No.” I shake my head. “That can’t be right. We’ve gotten an S+ in sanitation every time.”

The officer rises to her full height, that stern expression unwavering. “If you disobey the order again,

the police department will detain you.”

I stare down at the cease-and-desist notice, desperately trying to wrap my head around what it means,

but even holding it in my hand doesn’t make it seem real. How can this be happening? I’ve never failed

a health inspection. Now my restaurant is closed for a month and there’s nothing I can do about it.

“I can’t think of anything that would warrant this,” Olivia says. She’s the only one I didn’t send home

after the police raided the place.

“Can you think of any recent hygiene problems?”

She thinks for a moment, then shakes her head.

“Did we offend any regulators?”

“No, I don’t

“Any customer complaints?”

that I

my forehead. “Great, so there’s nothing.

of business for a

to freak out, especially not in front of Olivia, but it does sort of feel

I worked so hard to build relationships with my customers. Now I’m going to have to call them

can’t come in for the reservations some of them made months in

somewhere else to go?

a pinched look on

“What?”

here the other night didn’t look too pleased when they couldn’t get

table.”

me a minute to register who she’s talking about, then my hands curl into fists. Karl. I

by not letting him make a reservation, and now

on the people who’ve offended

I turned him away, in full view of the packed

get

was just the sort

the power to make something

probably right,” I say.

the back, my muscles tense. I will not let him get away with this. It’s

come in here and mess with my business. I yank

number

“Hello?”

you to put me in touch with your

was silent for a moment. “He’s on the phone right now. I’ll tell him to give you a call

hangs up before I can respond. I cross my arms over my chest and sit down in my office

calls. I don’t care how long it takes. I don’t care if I have

to fix

for the phone to ring, and I force myself to take a calming breath.

it to my

voice sounds a little

“Karl.”

“Are you ready

I say coldly. “I want to talk

speak for a moment. “I didn’t expect you to change your

silence. “I thought it would

what you want,

I put the phone down a

when I walk back out, my

I say. “I’m going to take

She nods.