Page 39 of A Bright Winter Season

“Hey, Jacob?”

“Yes, Hazel?”

“I don’t want you to feel rushed or pressured or anything, but if we don’t start making progress soon, I think I’m going to call my mom, okay? I think she should know about this.”

Jacob sighed. “No, you’re right. That’s the right thing to do. Give me a few more minutes here, and if I don’t get it fixed, let’s call Vivian and tell her what’s going on.”

Jacob was staring intently into the vent, and Hazel was staring intently at Jacob, when there was a knock on the front door of The Lighthouse Grill. In the next moment, both Jacob and Hazel were staring intently at the door.

“Who could that be?” Jacob asked. “It’s pretty clear from the sign that the restaurant is closed. Besides, it’s got to be after ten o’clock. Who would be out and about this late on a weeknight in Rosewood Beach?”

“Only one way to find out,” Hazel said cheerfully, and walked across the room to the front door.

She opened it, and blinked in surprise when she saw Terrence Rawlins, the health inspector, standing there. He was bundled up in a coat, hat, and scarf, and frowning as if something was the matter.

“Mr. Rawlins!” Hazel cleared her throat, wondering if the pub was in trouble for some reason. She felt surprised and a bit apprehensive to see the health inspector since her mother had made it clear that he was very particular about things being done correctly. “Hi, can I help you? The pub is closed for the evening.”

“I know,” Terrence said gruffly. “That’s why I stopped to knock. I was just walking past, and I saw that the lights were still on. I wanted to make sure that everything is all right.”

“Well, it’s not really.” Hazel bit her lip and glanced at Jacob, who still looked as though he was trying to burrow into the vent. “I was about to call my mom, actually. Vivian Owens. I’m her daughter.”

Terrence nodded. “That sounds like a wise move. Mind if I come in?”

“Um, sure. Of course.” Hazel cleared her throat, feeling worried that the health inspector was suspicious that Jacob wasrepairing the vents in a way that wasn’t above-board. “Come on in.”

Terrence smiled at her as he stepped inside the pub. “I’m not here to get you in trouble. I just want to help.”

“Thank you.” Hazel smiled back at him as she shut the door of the pub. “We appreciate the help, for sure. Let me just step to the side quickly to call my mother and let her know what’s going on.”

“Sure thing.” Terrence nodded, and Hazel watched him with interest as he went over to Jacob and began to talk to him in a friendly manner.

He doesn’t seem nearly as ogrish as the way Mom described him, she thought.He actually seems really nice. I like that twinkle in his eyes—I bet he’s a really kind man under that stiff exterior.

She sat down in one of the booths and dialed her mother’s number, wishing she didn’t have to be the bearer of bad news.

“Hello?” Vivian sounded a little sleepy.

“Hey, Mom! I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

“No, don’t worry, dear. I was just reading in bed, about to turn out the light.”

Hazel sighed. “I’m afraid I’m about to disrupt your sleeping plans. I stopped by the pub to drop off the Christmas decorations I bought, and I found Jacob still working here on the vents. I guess there’s an issue with the way they’re heating up, and he wants to address it tonight to make sure there’s no chance of a fire.”

“Of a fire? Oh my goodness. Should I come down there, do you think?”

“Yeah, probably. If you?—”

“Okay. I’ll change back into street clothes and be back there in a few minutes. I’ll see you soon, sweetheart.”

Vivian hung up hurriedly, and Hazel bit her lip. She hadn’t gotten a chance to warn her mother about the fact that Terrence was there, and she hoped that Vivian wasn’t too perturbed when she showed up and found him there.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Vivian hurried along the sidewalk toward the pub’s front doors, feeling flustered. She had been sitting comfortably in bed, warm and sleepy, when she’d gotten Hazel’s phone call. She was glad that Hazel had chosen to call her under the circumstances, but it made her feel as though something was very wrong, having to go back out in the night when she’d thought she was going to be asleep.

She yawned, reminding herself that she had nothing to worry about. Jacob was more than capable, and she had no doubt that he’d be able to fix the issue. After all, he’d been astute enough to catch the issue before it became a hazard, and she felt immensely grateful for that.

She stepped inside the pub, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man stand up from a booth to greet her. She turned toward him, expecting to see Jacob, but to her shock, the man was Terrence Rawlins.

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