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?”

I can

rub my forehead. “Great, so there’s nothing. We haven’t done

of business for

out, especially not in front of Olivia, but

with my customers. Now I’m going to have to

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

find somewhere else to

Olivia starts, a pinched look

“What?”

were here the other night didn’t look too

table.”

takes me a minute to register who she’s talking about, then my hands curl into

not letting him make a reservation, and now he’s taking it out on

should have known. He’s never gone easy on the people who’ve offended him. His pride

away, in full view of the packed restaurant and

him get

was just the sort of thing

he certainly has the power to make something like

I say.

muscles tense. I will not let him get away

in here and mess

number

“Hello?”

“I need you to put me in touch with

right now. I’ll tell him to give you

respond. I cross my arms over my chest

it takes. I don’t care

to

doesn’t take long for the phone to ring, and I force myself to take a calming breath. I pick it

it to

sounds a little

“Karl.”

“Are you ready

say coldly. “I want to talk

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

“I thought it would take

what you want,

phone down a little harder

I walk back out, my purse thrown over my

Olivia, you can go home,” I say. “I’m going

She nods.