The next day, Jane helped Brenda with breakfast. Even though they only had two guests and Mike to feed—and Brenda could surely manage that on her own—Jane sometimes liked to help, as the familiar task of cooking breakfast helped her think.
“We might have a full inn again with this wedding. I’m going to need a lot of eggs and bacon.” Jane took care not to splatter her hand as she flipped over the pieces of bacon that sizzled in her grandmother’s cast-iron pan. “I’ve booked the Lobster Bay Clambake Company for the wedding, so we don’t have to worry about cooking food for that.” Good thing, too, as the kitchen was much too small to provide the types of meals that a wedding would require. If they were going to do weddings, they would all have to be catered.
Brenda soaked a thick piece of bread in the egg mixture she’d just mixed. “I might come up with some different dishes for breakfast. Maybe something fancier.”
Jane glanced at Brenda. New dishes? Tides had served the same things for breakfast for as long as she could remember. Then again, maybe fancier dishes would bring in more people. She thought back to Mike’s comment about getting out of her comfort zone. That applied to the small things as well. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. Eggs Benedict, quiche, breakfast sandwiches.”
“That does sound good. Maybe I should do some research and see what other inns offer.”
Brenda sliced off a chunk of butter and put it in another cast-iron frying pan, watching it melt. “Andie has already been down to eat. I told her to wait for a hot breakfast, but she grabbed a muffin and took it back to her room.”
Jane frowned. “Really? Was she not feeling well?”
Brenda picked up the egg-soaked bread with tongs and laid it in the puddle of butter. “She didn’t say much. Seemed a little down in the dumps.”
It was probably that job she’d lost. Maybe Jane should’ve gone to her and said something to make her feel better. But now Jane had to wonder… if Andie’s job wasn’t so good back in New York City, would staying in Lobster Bay appeal to her?
Andie had offered to help with the inn, but were those just hollow words? Jane battled the urge to ask her sister to stay. What if Andie said no? Jane wasn’t quite ready to open herself up to disappointment. Still, maybe she should run up there and see if Andie was okay. But Mike would be here any minute to show her the website. Maybe after that she could talk to Andie.
Jane’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the kitchen door. Outside stood a man in a suit holding a clipboard.
She went to the door and stood on the threshold. “Can I help you?”
The man stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Bob Grover from the Lobster Bay town offices. No one was in the lobby, so I figured I’d find you out back in the kitchen anyway.”
Jane’s stomach tightened even as she smiled at him and motioned for him to come into the kitchen. “What can I do for you?”
“I heard you’re planning a wedding here, and I’ve come to check your facilities and make sure you have the appropriate permits.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“I got a note on my desk.” Bob smiled. “It might seem a little informal, but that’s the way things happen here in Lobster Bay. Is this a bad time?”
Jane doubted someone randomly found out about the wedding and put a note on Bob’s desk. No one knew about it except her friends, Andie, Mike, Shane, and Sally. None of them would go to the town hall. Jane knew exactly where the information had come from. Sandee Harris. It was no coincidence she had been blathering on about permits just yesterday. But why would Sandee try to ruin things for Jane? Was she purposely trying to make it so that Tides would fail so she could scoop it up at a cheap price?
“Not at all. What do you need to see?”
Jane walked Bob through the inn, showing him the main gathering area, the porch, and where everything would be set up outside.
“So, you won’t be cooking for the guests in the kitchen here, then?” Bob asked.
“No. We’re not set up for that. It’s going to be a catered lobster bake.”
“And the only structures are the portable dance floor and arbor?”
“Yep.”
Bob jotted something on his clipboard. “Okay, then. Looks like you don’t need a building permit, and since you’re not using the kitchen, there’s nothing to inspect there.” Bob pressed his lips together. “I’m not sure why this landed on my desk. I think you just need a variance for the clambake and gathering on the beach, but that’s no problem. You can see Mary down at the town offices and get one today.”
Jane had an idea why it had landed on his desk. Sandee was trying to make trouble. But that had backfired, as Bob had given the inn his blessing, and it wouldn’t be any problem to get the variance.
“Great. Thanks for coming.” Jane started walking toward the driveway, but Bob paused and turned. “How many guests did you say this wedding was going to have?”
Jane’s hopes sank. “About forty to fifty.”
Bob turned toward the inn. “And how many public bathrooms do you have in there?”
“Well, there are ten bathrooms, but those are with the rooms. The common area has one because every room has its own private bathroom.”
Bob rifled through a battered codebook. “That doesn’t matter. Even if the rooms are booked. Page fifty-six, section seventy-three, subsection A of the beach-gathering code says you have to have one toilet for every thirty guests at a gathering.” He looked up from the book, apologetic. “So that means you’re going to need another toilet. Of course, you can get Clean Day to bring some porta potties.”
Shoot! Porta potties wouldn’t do. “Maybe I could add a real bathroom…” She glanced around over at the inn. Where could she carve out some space for another bathroom? Off the living room? Maybe close off part of the porch? “How long would it take to add a bathroom?”
Bob shook his head. “I don’t think you can add one. That takes a special meeting with the town sewer-and-water committee. Because the property is on the beach, there are special considerations, and they don’t meet until next month. No exceptions there. Sorry, but you’re only allowed as many bathrooms as the house originally had or were added before 1953.”
Jane wanted to cry. She’d been getting her hopes up, thinking this wedding could solve all her financial problems, but now it looked like she might have to refund the deposit money that she’d already spent.
“I’m very sorry,” Bob said.
“It’s not your fault.” Jane walked him up to the driveway, her hopes sinking even further. As if sensing her mood, Cooper pressed himself against her for comfort.
“Morning!” Jane turned to see Mike coming up the beach toward them. Cooper ran to him and did his tail-wagging routine.
Mike petted the dog, then his eyes filled with concern as he looked at Jane. “What’s wrong?”
She told him about Bob’s visit and the distressing news about the bathrooms.
He put his hand on her arm. It was warm and comforting. “That can’t be right. There’s got to be something you can do.”
Jane sighed. “I don’t know. It seemed pretty cut-and-dried. He made it pretty clear that the committee doesn’t meet until next month, and the wedding is supposed to be in almost four weeks. Even if the meeting is the week before, it’s not enough time. I can’t keep the client hanging on, as they’d need to find another venue as soon as possible. It’s almost impossible to get something last minute.”
Mike pressed his lips together. “Let’s not give up. There’s got be a way. We just need time to think about it.”
“Maybe.” Mike’s words gave Jane a little encouragement. Maybe he was right and there was a way to work this out.
But what was this “we” stuff? He didn’t need to make this his problem. Determined to think positive, she brightened. “Either way, I’m going to need a website, so let’s go inside and see what this thing looks like.”