Page 62 of Christmas at Cozy Holly Inn
Julie must have looked awful because Ivy and Myrtle—the new arrival—were hemming her in on either side. Ivy had a grip on her elbow like the claw of a lobster. Myrtle was rubbing Julie’s back.
“What happened? Is it Ida?” The old woman sounded so worn, so fearful, that it snapped Julie out of her panic.
“No. No, Gram is fine. That was Ted, the inspector. He’s… stuck in Boston. He can’t do the inspection. We can’t have the party.” Julie raised her hand to her mouth and tried hard not to picture the disappointment on Gram’s face when she came all this way for nothing. And Julie had worked so hard, too, to make this year extra special. “What am I going to do? I’ll have to call Gram. Call the guests—”
“No,” Myrtle snapped. “Don’t. Don’t do anything hasty.”
“She’s right,” Ivy said. “Surely there’s another way. Maybe you can get some kind of extension or variance due to extenuating circumstances. Or you could do the inspection via video call? This is the twenty-first century.”
“Let me find out.” Myrtle was already punching in numbers on her phone. She put the call on speakerphone and laid the cell on the counter as it rang.
Ted picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Ted Thorndike, what on earth are you doing in Boston?”
Ted gave a gusty sigh. “News travels fast, I see. Look, Myrtle, I’d be there if I could. There’s just no way. I’d be risking my neck to drive in this.”
“What about something else? A video inspection?”
He gave a chuckle that sounded entirely without humor. “I wish our policies were that up to date. No, it has to be in person. And I checked before I called. There’s no one else who can do it. I’m so sorry.”
“Why did you even drive all the way up to Boston knowing there was a storm on the way?”
“I didn’t know! I swear it.”
“All you had to do was turn to the weather channel.”
He sighed. “I know, Myrtle. Believe me, I know. But I had some time off, and Klaus gave me these tickets to a Bruins game as a thank-you for some work I did for him earlier this year, and…”
“So, this is Klaus Miller’s fault?”
Ted stammered on the other line, trying to correct her, but Myrtle mashed the button to end the call. She was fuming so visibly that smoke might as well have been billowing out from her ears. She snatched the phone away and put it in her pocket.
“I’ll pick up the food later, Ivy. Julie,don’t do anything. I’ll fix this.”
Baffled, Julie asked, “How?”
Myrtle’s mouth tightened into a determined line. “I’m not sure, but I have an idea.”
* * *
“Isit even possible to throw the Christmas party without serving food?” Julie sighed as she piled groceries into the fridge. On another day, she would put more effort into it, making sure everything was in its proper place and easy to find. Today, she just shoved it in there and closed the door, leaning her weight against it.
Kringle patted at the bag of cat treats she’d placed on the countertop. He was clearly of the opinion that food was a necessity.
“Stop that. I’ll give you one later. And you shouldn’t even be up there.”
Looking her in the eyes, he pushed the bag of treats off the counter. It thwacked onto the floor.
Julie rolled her eyes. “Classy.” She retrieved the bag and returned it to the counter before unceremoniously dumping Kringle on the floor in place of the treats.
So, she couldn’t throw the party without the catering. Gram would be heartbroken. No—Julie refused to wallow. She just didn’t have the time. Instead, she thumbed through the recent calls list on her phone. It was time to think out of the box.
The caterer picked up on the first ring. Before Jessica even finished with her greeting, Julie jumped in and said, “This is Julie from the Cozy Holly Inn. We can’t get the inspection—Ted is indisposed. Is there any way we can find a workaround?”
“A workaround to the permit?” The woman on the other end of the line sounded skeptical. “The town is strict about these things. I’d be risking my business if I went ahead with the catering without your permit.”
“But what if we can find another way?”
