Chapter 1

"I just want the record to show that I was against this from the beginning," Grace announced to the room.

"Duly noted," Grant replied. "Unfortunately, none of that matters right now. We have a wedding to prepare for and less than twenty days until our first guests arrive."

"There is no way we can remodel the hotel in less than twenty days," Grace protested. "Even if we had the money to hire round-the-clock contractors, which we don't, it still wouldn't be possible."

"We don't need to remodel the entire hotel," Molly refuted. "Just the first floor and maybe part of the second. That should be doable."

"Just the first floor? The floor with the foyer, dining room, and kitchen?"

"The foyer and dining room are in excellent shape, remember? We should be able to get away with a good cleaning and some fresh paint, something we could easily do ourselves while the contractors work on the more labor-intensive parts."

"What about the kitchen? There is no way we can get that up to code in a couple of weeks. How on earth am I supposed to feed fifty guests without access to a commercial kitchen?"

"You didn't have a problem cooking for almost a thousand people during the murder mystery dinner last Valentine's Day," Molly reminded her.

"Um, yes, I did. I spent days preparing for that, and that was only one night. This will be at least three meals a day for several days."

"Look," Grant interrupted. "Your concerns are valid, and I completely understand where you're coming from. But this is too good an opportunity to pass up. Now that we have a mortgage, utility bills, and contractor expenses to pay, we need any and all income we can get. We simply must find a way to make this work."

Grace sighed in frustration. "What happened to the big Halloween opening we were planning? That date was much more realistic and manageable."

"You already know what happened. An opportunity presented itself, and we took it; it's as simple as that, Grace," Grant replied.

"Evie was supposed to elope," Grace muttered under her breath.

Molly reached over and put her hand on Grace's arm. "I'm sorry; I know you're upset, and I don't blame you one bit for that. Your much-needed break has been replaced with seemingly impossible goals that will have you running around like a chicken with its head cut off. But I have to believe it will be worth it in the end."

"I promise I will help as much as possible," Rebekah said from the other side of the room. She had been working on her computer while the three of them were arguing.

"I appreciate that," Grace replied. "But you don't have any more experience painting than I do. Besides, you barely have time yourself now that you're Ms. Wedding Planner Extraordinaire."

Rebekah beamed at her. "I like that title," she laughed. "In all seriousness, though, part of my job as a wedding planner is ensuring the wedding goes off without a hitch. In my opinion, that includes making sure the wedding accommodations are up to snuff. So, I will make time to help you get things ready."

"I'll help, too," said Molly. "Does that make you feel any better?"

"Not really," Grace mumbled. "But since I have no choice, I will just have to do my best."

"That's the spirit," Grant said enthusiastically. "Don't worry, Grace, everything will work out in the end."

"If you say so."

Grace stayed where she was seated as Grant and Molly got up to leave. Things were moving way too fast for her liking. Right after they had signed on the dotted line to purchase the old hotel downtown, a decision Grace still wasn't sure about, Evie and Jake had informed them they had changed their mind about eloping and were now planning a Fourth of July wedding. Sensing an opportunity, Grant and Molly had volunteered the hotel to host the out-of-town guests from Jake's side of the family. Grace had tried to intervene, but the group's excitement had caused her protestations to go unheard.

Not that she was unhappy about helping out her friend, quite the opposite; she was terrified of letting her down. After what happened to Evie at her first wedding, Grace felt she deserved the absolute best, something she was afraid she could not deliver. Regardless, it was out of her control. Agreements had already been made, and deposits accepted. All that was left to do was try her best to fulfill her end.

"Why don't we make a list of what needs to be done? Then we'll have a better understanding of where we stand and where to start," Rebekah suggested.

"I guess that makes sense," Grace agreed.

Rebekah got out a notebook and a pen. "Okay, let's get started."

"Kind of old-school over there," Grace laughed as she gestured toward the notebook.

"You'll thank me later once you've had the satisfaction of crossing some of the tasks off the list. It's all about your mindset," she replied seriously.

"Should we add life coach to your list of job titles?" Grace asked. She was only half-kidding. The way things were going, twenty-four-seven access to a life coach didn't sound so bad.

"If that's what it takes," she said. "This is important to me too, Grace. I know Evie isn't a friend yet, but she is my first client and one chance to make a good impression in the community. We're in this together."

Grace nodded sheepishly as Rebekah finished her pep talk. "That's why I'm so stressed; there's so much riding on this for all of us. I'm worried I won't be able to do my part and I'll let everyone down."

"I have personally witnessed you pull off miracles under the most daunting circumstances. Give yourself some credit, okay? Even your enemies wanted to stay at your b&b; that must mean you're doing something right!"

"Okay," Grace took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Time for whining is officially over. Let's get started and see what we can do."

Rebekah beamed at her. "See, I told you you'd be fine. Now, what's first on the list?"

"Molly estimates that we'll need twenty rooms for guests at the hotel, and none of those rooms are habitable. We might be able to get away with fresh paint, new carpet and drapes, and new furniture."

"Okay, the contractors can do the carpet and painting. We can order new mattresses and, if we have to, shop at a local home store for drapes and bedding. Furniture is pushing it both time and money-wise, so we can give it a fresh coat of paint as well.

"I suppose that's possible. We'll have to see what condition it's in; it was so dated-looking I didn't bother to inspect it that closely. Regardless, that's a lot of furniture. Are you sure we'll have time for that?"

"No, but it might be time to ask the community for help again. The kids are out of school for the Summer and are probably driving their parents crazy. This could be something fun for them to do."

"You want to put our furniture in the hands of school kids? That seems a little risky.

"I'm sure there are some adults that could help steer things in the right direction," Rebekah sighed. "I realize this usually requires skill, but in the absence of time, we will have to make some concessions. Besides, it will give the rooms some character since no two pieces will be identical. What's next?"

"The bathrooms," Grace grimaced. "There are two per floor, all outdated and, more importantly, gross. The plan was to remove them and install a bathroom in each room, but there is no way we have time for that."

Rebekah made some notes before looking up. "From a financial perspective, remodeling rooms we plan to demolish later seems wasteful. Is it possible the bathrooms could be made usable with a good cleaning?"

"I don't know…" Grace trailed off. "At this point, we're not even sure the plumbing still works; it's been so long since anyone has used it. The last time the hotel was in operation was in the sixties."

"So, lots of blues and pinks?"

Grace nodded. "One bathroom is covered in powder blue tile, presumably for the boys, the other, light pink. We're talking floor to ceiling."

She pursed her lips as she thought of a response. "We'll have to hire plumbers to address the plumbing issues. Luckily, instead of twenty bathrooms, we only have 4 to worry about, which works in our favor. As to the style and design, we'll just have to play into the retro theme. I'll start looking on some of the online auction sites to see if I can find some vintage décor."

"You heard Molly say the foyer and dining room only need a fresh coat of paint, so that leaves the kitchen. I fear that no matter what we do in there, it won't matter because we won't be able to schedule and pass an inspection in time."

"Does it count if the hotel isn't officially open for business?"

"If we allowed the guests to stay for free, then no. But, since they're paying…."

"What if we just never said anything?"

"If we got caught, we risk permanently losing our license. Our county is very lax when it comes to building codes, not so much when it comes to health codes. Apparently, they don't care if the building caves in on you, but God forbid someone comes down with a case of food poisoning."

"Fair enough," Rebekah laughed. "In that case, we'll have to see if we can schedule an emergency inspection. Maybe that's something Mayor Allen can help with?"

"Probably, but that's assuming the kitchen can be brought up to code in the next two weeks. Again, it's been fifty years since anyone cooked in there. We're looking at a major overhaul of appliances, and that's best case scenario."

"How important is the kitchen? Could we just have Addie and Bea cater?"

"If there's no other choice, then yes. But they're already scheduled to cater the wedding. They may not have time for that."

"Could you cook here and bring the food to the hotel?"

"Again, I suppose I could try if there's no other choice. Honestly, though, I lack the space and the resources to cook that many meals for that many people. The most I have cooked for consistently was around twenty people. Usually, it's less than that," she waved her hand. "I know what you're about to say; yes, I cooked for a lot of people during the murder mystery dinner. But again, that was one night, and it was only appetizer-style food. It took me days to cook that much, and I was forced to store part of it at Gladys's, which is against the rules, but I had no choice."

"Good thing I didn't know that then. I was so mad at you I might have reported you to the health inspector."

"Yeah, good thing," Grace muttered. She had forgiven Rebekah for how she had treated her in the past and even considered them friends, but reminders of that time still hit a nerve.

"What about renting a commercial kitchen?" she asked, oblivious to the turmoil her comment had caused.

"That seems like the most reasonable of the options. I could forgo sleeping for a few days.

"Why would you need to do that?"

"Because the only commercial kitchens around are Bea's and Addie's. And they will be in use during the day…"

She took more notes, her writing fast and furious. "Let's see what we can do with the kitchen before we take drastic measures. If Mayor Allen can pull some strings, we can get the health inspector out first and see what he says before we do any work. Maybe we'll get lucky, and he'll surprise us. Is there anything else?"

"Evie and the rest of the wedding party will be staying here starting a week before the wedding. So, we'll need to plan a menu and ensure the rooms are clean and ready."

"Why is she staying here?"

Grace shrugged. "I didn't ask. She just moved in with Jake a few weeks ago, so, who knows, maybe she wants space before the wedding. All I know is that I need to plan to serve meals here and at the hotel once guests arrive there."

"When will that be?"

"The first guest is set to arrive three days before the wedding. But that could change as more people RSVP."

Rebekah consulted her notebook. "As far as I can see, this looks doable. You talk to Mayor Allen about the health inspector, and I'll make arrangements with the contractors, then we'll meet up and compare notes and see where that leads us."

"Sounds good to me," Grace replied. It was somewhat reassuring to have a plan deemed 'doable' though she still had concerns. Luckily, Rebekah had taken charge, which helped to relieve some of those concerns. With only twenty days to go until the wedding, she would need all the help she could get.

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