Jane turned to see Sandee Harris stomping up the beach toward them.
“What’s going on up here?” Sandee demanded.
“We’re building a dance floor and an arbor for the new wedding venue,” Sally said.
Sandee raised a perfectly plucked brow. “Wedding? You’re having weddings here? You have to have permits for that, you know.”
“I know.” With all the excitement, Jane had forgotten about permits, but she wasn’t about to tell Sandee that. She made a mental note to check into permits.
“And if you’re doing anything on the beach, you need a special variance,” Sandee said.
Jane crossed her arms over her chest. “That won’t be a problem.”
“How many guests?” Sandee asked.
“Small weddings, around fifty.”
Sandee assessed the inn with narrowed eyes. “How many bathrooms do you have in there?”
“Each room has its own bathroom. My grandparents had it renovated that way for guest convenience decades ago.”
Sandee clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth and looked at Jane as if she’d just said something very stupid. “Not theguestrooms, the public space. If you’re going to have weddings with fifty people, you’ll need three bathrooms in the public areas of the venue.”
Was that true? Jane jerked her gaze toward the house. “We only have one…”
“Well, that’s going to be a problem.” Sandee’s voice held an air of superiority that grated on Jane. “And you won’t be able to add more until the town meeting the middle of next month.”
Jane’s hopes plummeted. The wedding was before that.
“I suppose you could always bring in porta potties.” Sandee wrinkled her nose, indicating her opinion of porta potties. “Well, good luck.” She flounced off back toward the ocean, leaving them all staring after her.
Sally made a face at Sandee. “Don’t listen to her. She’s a killjoy.”
But Jane was already starting to panic. She couldn’t use porta potties—the client had specifically stated she didn’t want that. Jane could’ve kicked herself. Why hadn’t she thought about the bathroom situation?
The inn had ten rooms. If ten couples stayed here, that would be almost half the guests that would have their own private bathrooms. Would that waive the three-bathroom rule if several of them had their own? Would ten couples from the wedding even stay at the inn?
“Look, I wouldn’t put much stock in what Sandee says,” Shane said soothingly. “But even so, maybe you should go down to the town offices tomorrow and find out what the real story is.”
Jane’s phone pinged, and she pulled it out to see a text from her bank. “The wedding client made a deposit. I guess we’re having a wedding.”
“Holy smokes.” Sally picked up her hammer and nails and headed toward the arbor. “We better get cracking. We only have a few weeks to get this place in shape.”
Only a few weeks to line up caterers, tents, tables, flowers, and lord knew what else. Jane rushed back to her computer and got to work, assuring herself that the toilet situation was only a minor worry. Sandee probably just made all that up because she was mad that Jane didn’t list Tides with her. At least now that she had some money, she could pay the food service. Of course, she’d need some to use for a deposit for the caterer and tent rental, but hopefully there would be some left she could funnel toward other bills. And if some of those wedding guests booked rooms, she’d get a small deposit and know that more was coming.
She was more than ready to take a break when Mike showed up with Cooper. As they set off down the beach, Jane was surprised to discover how much she’d been looking forward to their walk. She was really starting to get attached to Cooper, and Mike was good company.
They walked at a slow pace, and the conversation with simple and easy, like old friends’.Justfriends, of course. Jane was sure that’s all Mike was interested in. She actually felt embarrassed that the thought that he might have been asking her on a date had even crossed her mind. What was she thinking? She was old enough to be his… older sister. And that’s probably exactly how he thought of her.
She glanced over at him as they walked. Sure, he was attractive, and she liked that he was tall—not many men were taller than her—but Mike didn’t live here. He would be going back to Seattle, probably sooner rather than later. Jane had had enough of people that she cared about leaving her. She didn’t want to get attached to someone else who would only be around for a short while. But being justfriendswhile he was here couldn’t be a bad thing, and besides, it was better for Cooper to have Mike around.
Mike watched Cooper bound after the piece of driftwood he’d just tossed. The sea air was invigorating, the sun warm on his back, the water cold on his feet, and the company enchanting.
He and Jane walked along the edge of the surf, letting the water rush over their feet and up to their ankles. A shell caught his eye, and he bent to pick it up. It was a somewhat unusual shell—a squat brown-and-white spiral with a wide opening.
“Look at this. A basket whelk.” He held the shell out in his palm.
“You know what that is?” Jane seemed surprised. “Most people just call that a snail shell.”
