Lisa changed clothes several times Monday night, trying to decide on the most appropriate outfit for the board of selectmen’s hearing. She finally settled on charcoal gray dress pants, a crisp white shirt and a navy wool button down sweater. Matching pearl earrings and a necklace completed the look.
Kate rode with her to town hall where the evening meeting was going to be held.
“Don’t be nervous,” Kate said as they walked toward the entrance.
But Lisa couldn’t help feeling jittery as they entered the room and looked around to find seats. It was early, but the room was filling up fast. Rhett was already there in the front row and waved them over. There were two empty seats next to him, and Kate started walking toward him. Lisa wasn’t sure she wanted to sit in the front row, but she was glad for Rhett’s support. They sat, and she introduced Kate to him.
“This is my first time attending one of these meetings,” Kate said.
“First for me too,” Rhett said and then added, “The crowd is bigger than I expected. It might make for an interesting evening.”
His comment didn’t help Lisa’s nervousness any. Did a large turnout mean people would be more likely to object?
In the next fifteen minutes, the room filled completely until there was standing room only. Lisa was relieved and grateful to see that all of her children were there, though seated in the back of the room. And both Paige and Sue were back there too. She recognized quite a few familiar faces, people she knew or knew of.
At seven o’clock sharp, the selectmen took their places at the front of the room and the chairman called the meeting to order. They talked for nearly an hour, going over old business and pending issues before they finally got to the two requests for approval.
First up was Rhett’s restaurant. Tom Goodwin, who was also an attorney, gave a summary of the request, the history of the restaurant and Rhett’s plans to improve the building and transfer the liquor license. When he concluded, he asked the crowd, “Does anyone have an objection to voice about this request?”
When several people raised their hands and then stood to speak, Lisa worried for Rhett’s chances, wondering how much weight the objections would carry. One was from Ben Hardy, who ran the nearest restaurant, which was in the next village over, more than five miles away. She could understand his concern as a lot of his business likely came from Beach Plum Cove. Yet, as a resident, she welcomed a new restaurant closer to home.
The other person objecting was Gladys Monroe who owned a summer home a few doors down from the restaurant. She was worried about noise and the impact on traffic. The selectmen allowed Rhett to respond, and he did so eloquently.
“Mr. Hardy, I can appreciate your concerns, but there already was a restaurant at this location, so the precedent is there, and I’ve talked to many local residents who welcome a place to go closer to home.”
He then addressed Gladys Monroe, “This will be a family restaurant, not a nightclub. We won’t have entertainment, so there shouldn’t be any noise issues as we’ll also close by ten at the latest. Regarding traffic, I’ll speak again to precedent. My research shows that there was never a negative impact on traffic when the restaurant was open previously. I hope this addresses your concerns.” He looked around the room and back at the selectmen before taking a seat.
Tom Goodwin addressed the room. “We will have a short discussion and then a vote on the matter.” They spoke for just a few minutes before voting and unanimously agreed to approve Rhett’s restaurant.
“Congratulations,” Lisa said softly.
“Thank you. Your turn now.”
“Next up we have a request from Lisa Hodges to operate a bed and breakfast out of her home. The name of the business would be The Beach Plum Cove Inn, with four rooms to rent. She is planning to be open year-round. She has no experience in hospitality and has not worked in over twenty years. There are no other such businesses in Beach Plum Cove. Are there any objections to granting this request?”
Lisa was surprised and dismayed to see three women raise their hands. One of them was Lillian Hardy, wife of Ben Hardy, the man who objected to Rhett’s restaurant. Lillian ran a bed and breakfast out of their home, which was located next door to her husband’s restaurant.
“There is no need for another bed and breakfast. Ours is right over the town line, and we are more than able to meet the demand for this area. Adding another bed and breakfast would be too much. It’s simply not needed, and it’s not fair to existing businesses.” Lisa had never particularly cared for Lillian. She was one of those people who seemed to know everyone’s business and had an opinion about it.
“Thank you, Lillian. Dawn Jacobs, it’s your turn to speak.”
Dawn was Lillian’s mother and lived with them. She was in her eighties and had perfectly coiffed white hair cut into a chin-length bob. She was beautifully dressed and tiny, barely five feet tall. But she had a presence about her, and she wasn’t the least bit shy or afraid to state her opinion.
“I have to agree with my daughter. There’s simply no need for this business in Beach Plum Cove. There are plenty of fine hotels and lovely bed and breakfasts that already exist. Why should their businesses suffer?”
“Ms. Jones, you have the floor.” Violet Jones, a stunning woman in her late thirties with long, blonde hair stood and looked around the room.
“I’m against this business. I live a few doors down from Lisa Hodges and I’m not keen on the idea of more traffic on our street and strangers coming and going at all hours. Beach Plum Cove is a lovely village and there’s simply no need for this kind of thing here.”
“Mrs.Hodges, you may have the floor to address these concerns.”
Lisa stood slowly and hoped her nerves wouldn’t get in her way. She took a deep breath and looked around the room.
“Part of the reason I decided to do this is that there is no place to stay in Beach Plum Cove. The nearest hotel or bed and breakfast is Lilian Hardy’s business. But that’s five miles away, and it’s a long walk to our beach from there.” Lillian sniffed and glared as Lisa spoke but Lisa didn’t back down.
“My home is on the water with a private beach. Guests that stay with me will have access to that and there are very few bed and breakfasts that are actually on the ocean. Most of them are downtown. I believe that there is a demand for what The Beach Plum Cove Inn could offer. Regarding Violet’s concerns, I am only planning to rent four rooms, that should have little to no impact on traffic.”
“Is there anyone else with any concerns or who wish to speak in support of this request?”
Lisa was surprised when Rhett raised his hand. When told he could speak, he stood and addressed the room.
“I’m in favor of granting this request. I’m currently renting one of Mrs. Hodge’s rooms and it’s lovely. Her breakfast is wonderful and you can’t beat the location. Another thing to consider is that she doesn’t need your permission to rent her rooms out. She can do that simply by listing them on Airbnb. She would like to be able to put a sign up and advertise her business which she cannot do unless you approve her request. Thank you.”
“All right. Thank you all. We will discuss and have an answer for you shortly.”
Lisa waited, on pins and needles while the board discussed her request. When they voted, it was three for and four against. Kristen looked distressed and reached over to grab her hand and gave it a squeeze. Lisa was frustrated and confused. How could they vote against her business?
Tom Goodwin stood and addressed the room. “The board has decided at this time not to grant Lisa Hodges request. Since, as Rhett stated, she can still operate her business via Airbnb, the board feels that would be a good first step, to see how that goes before granting full approval to make her home an official bed and breakfast. Thank you all for attending tonight and for making your voices heard.”
“So, that’s it then?” Kate said. She looked furious as they stood to leave.
“They’ll grant it eventually,” Rhett said. “My guess is a few of the board members are friends with the Hardy’s and while they agreed to my request, it looks like they are listening to the Hardy’s by denying yours. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Even without the official sign, I expect you’ll do just fine by listing with Airbnb. As you said, you’re one of the few bed and breakfasts that is actually on the beach.”
“I suppose so,” Lisa said. It wasn’t the outcome that she’d hoped for. But she wasn’t ready to give up yet. With Rhett staying for more months and any other business Airbnb might send her way, she still felt as though her bed and breakfast might still be a good thing.
“Well, this is a disappointment. But I have an idea,” Kate said.
“What is it?”
“I don’t want to say too much, in case it doesn’t work… but I may have a way to get the word out without actually advertising.”
A week later, Lisa was feeling a bit discouraged that there had been no further reservations or even inquiries from Airbnb. She’d checked her email every morning. But she reminded herself that it wasn’t exactly the high season on Nantucket. Still, she thought she would have received at least one inquiry, even if it was for future dates during the Summer.
So, she decided not to check her email before settling down to breakfast. She didn’t want to start the day feeling disappointed. Instead, she would enjoy sharing her morning meal with Rhett. She ate with him most mornings now. He was an early riser and was usually in the dining room a little past eight am. And he always asked her to join him. He said he welcomed the company and truth be told, she enjoyed talking to him too.
This morning, she’d made an egg white scramble with peppers and onions and chicken and apple sausage. It was healthy and tasty and Rhett went back for a second helping, which made her happy. While he was refilling his plate, she turned on her phone and it beeped indicating that she had new emails. She clicked and read through them and was pleasantly surprised to see not one but three reservation requests from Airbnb. Two were for Summer dates, but one was for the following week. A couple that was going to be arriving from England.
“What do you look so happy about? Some good news arrive by email?” Rhett teased her as he sat down.
“Yes, actually.” She told him about the new reservations and then laughed as her phone beeped again with another reservation for the following month.
“I’m not sure where all this is coming from,” Lisa said as Kate walked into the room and made herself a coffee. She had caught her mother’s comments and looked pleased as she sat down to join them.
“You’ve gotten some interest?” she asked.
“Yes. Is this from something you’ve done?”
Kate nodded. “I wasn’t sure if it would work, but had a feeling that it might. I wrote up a press release and a blog post and emailed some friends I know in the Boston area. They helped to spread the word, publishing the press release and sharing the blog post where I told all about your Nantucket bed and breakfast and how you were denied by the board, yet had oceanfront rooms available to rent. And I included a link to your listing on Airbnb.”
“Thank you. Whatever you did worked.” She told Kate about the flurry of reservations that had come in.
“Good, I’m glad to hear it. I also looked into this a bit more, and you can bring this up again in a few months. So, you might still be approved before the busy season hits.”
“That would be ideal.” Lisa laughed. “And maybe by then, I’ll know what I’m doing. I’ll have more experience.”
“I think you’re doing just fine. You’re a natural.” Rhett said and Lisa felt warm inside. She was growing to enjoy his company, and she’d noticed that he didn’t wear a wedding ring. She’d googled him again and learned that he’d been married twice. He divorced his second wife about five years ago and had two adult children that both lived in New York City.
“What are you up to today, honey?” Lisa asked as Kate got up to take a cinnamon raisin bagel out of the toaster.
“I’m heading to the library to work on a new project. I’m going to look through some of the old newspaper archives to research the island’s history of murders.”
“Murders? Is that for a new assignment?” Lisa knew that Kate had turned in her feature on the film festival just the day before.
“No, though Amanda said she will have something else for me by the end of the week. I thought that I might try my hand at writing a murder mystery.”
Lisa knew that Kate had always wanted to write a book.
“I think that’s great! Will you set it on Nantucket then?”
“Yes. They say you should write about what you know. I thought I could maybe find an interesting old murder and base a story around it.”
“Stories set on Nantucket seem to sell pretty well. I’ve bought a few myself,” Rhett said. “I like to read the occasional mystery.”
“I do too. I’m excited to see what you come up with, Kate.”
“What are you up to today?” Kate asked.
“Laundry. I’m meeting Sue for a late lunch and I’m going to try to make a yoga class at four.”
“You don’t have to do laundry right now, do you?” Rhett asked.
“I could do it later, I suppose. Why do you ask?”
“You asked me about the renovation yesterday, and I’m heading over there now to see how the hardwood floors are coming along. I’d love to show you what I have planned, if you feel like taking a ride.”
Lisa hesitated for a moment until Kate spoke up.
“That sounds like fun. You should go, Mom.”
Lisa stood quickly, “Of course. I’d love to.”
She followed Rhett to his truck and climbed into the passenger side. It was a work truck, but it was nicer than most, with soft, leather seats, and she caught a sweet hint of vanilla from the air freshener dangling from his rear view window.
It was a beautiful day, sunny and clear though cold. Typical January weather on the island. The restaurant wasn’t even a mile away, and they pulled up just a few minutes later. The building was classic Cape Cod style with weathered gray shingles and white wooden shutters on all the windows. Lisa was impressed by the new deck which was very big and according to Rhett was just finished two days ago
“It’s beautiful. I can’t believe it went up so fast.”
He grinned. “I was pretty optimistic about my chances and had these guys all lined up to start working the next day. Come inside.”
She followed him in and looked around, trying to picture how it might look when it was finished. The room was large and open. Three guys were finishing laying the hardwood floors and she and Rhett were standing on the section that was already finished. The dark wood looked to be of high quality and glistened as the sun came through the windows and fell upon it.
“The flooring is lovely.”
“Isn’t it? I have this same wood at my Boston restaurants too.” Rhett walked her all around the room, explaining what his plans were.
“I’m going to make these windows bigger, to let in more light and capture more of these gorgeous views. This is really a great spot, don’t you think?”
Lisa smiled. His enthusiasm was contagious. “It is. I was sad when it closed.”
“Once people try my food, this place is going to take off. The location is great, but it’s the food that will bring them back.” He was confident and Lisa believed him. She looked forward to the restaurant opening.
“How soon do you think you’ll be ready to open?” It still looked a long way away from being done to her. But, she knew that things often moved fast as they got near the end.
“The goal is April. I want to be open for Daffodil weekend.” The Daffodil Festival was held near the end of April and many viewed it as the official kick off weekend to the summer season. There were events all weekend, among them the antique car parade and tailgate picnic. It would be a big weekend on the island and if word got out that the restaurant would be open, Lisa imagined that they might be quite busy with both locals and visitors who were curious to check the new place out.
“That’s a great idea.”
“I have an antique car I’ll bring over for it too and park it right out front. It’s a real beauty. A 1966 Jaguar roadster. My daughter said she’d drive it down for me.”
“Oh, it will be nice for you to see her.”
“Alex is a great girl. She manages my flagship restaurant in Manhattan.”
“Does your other daughter work there too?” She knew that they both lived in New York City.
“No, Jess is an attorney. She just got engaged a few weeks ago.”
“How exciting.” Lisa liked how Rhett’s face lit up when he talked about his daughters.
“I like the guy she’s engaged to. She’s known him since law school and he’s already almost part of the family. She might have the wedding here, if I can talk her into it. I’d give my chances about fifty-fifty,” he said.
A half hour later he dropped her off at the house and was going to head back to the restaurant. Before she got out of the car, Lisa impulsively invited him to join her and Kate for dinner.
“If you don’t have plans of course. I have a beef stew simmering in the crock pot and it’s much more than Kate and I can eat.”
“You had me at beef stew.” Rhett grinned. “Thank you for the invite. I’d love to join you both.”