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“Of course. You must know I love the idea of three women working together to put a little shine on your place.”
“Why do you think The Beach House Hotel is such a success?” Charlotte said, reading off a list they’d put together.
“Rhonda and I believe that each guest is important and should be greeted with genuine warmth. Unfortunately, we don’t always have the time, but when we do, we welcome our guests in person.”
“Yes, my grandmother believes the same. What about including the local residents? Your restaurant is open for both hotel guests and locals. Is it worth the effort?”
“Yes,” said Ann. “It’s important for us to welcome everyone for both the revenue it produces and the goodwill it generates in the community. There are some people on the neighborhood association board who think we overdo it at times, but we’ve managed to avoid any real interference.”
“I see,” said Charlotte. “We’re lucky to have the support of the other four families who live in the cove. Normally, we wouldn’t provide dinner, but it’s an idea we’re working on. First, we have to take care of a few other things. How about your rooms? Do they all look alike?”
“While they have some of the same soft goods like bedspreads, we add different touches to each room to make it unique. Each room is tasteful without overdoing the beach theme, if you understand what I mean.”
“Oh, yes,” said Charlotte, echoing her cousins. “What about cleaning the rooms? Do you do anything special?”
“We like to make sure each room is clean, of course, but again, we do something special in each room—fresh flowers, turn-down service, and chocolates on the pillows at night, the usual.”
After completing their list of questions, Charlotte said, “Thanks a lot for your help. The Sanderling Cove Inn has had an exceptional reputation in the past. Rather than allowing it to become something less, my cousins and I want to make it something more.”
“Oh, yes,” said Ann, with a smile in her voice. “Never be ashamed to state you have a high-end product. But if you advertise it that way, you must follow through to make sure it lives up to its reputation. It’s something Rhonda and I work for every day with our staff.”
“You both are an inspiration to us. Thank you for your time,” said Charlotte, thrilled with Ann’s answers. It was everything she’d been thinking all along.
“Good luck to the three of you,” said Ann. “We’re wishing you the best. Let me know when you’re in town. We’d love to meet with you. We women have to stick together.” She chuckled. “Rhonda’s here. She says, ‘Damn right’ on sticking together.”
Laughing, Charlotte said, “Thanks again,” and ended the call.
She turned to Brooke and Livy. “What do you think? She answered all our questions and that’s exactly what we had in mind. Right?”
“Yes,” said Brooke. “I like the idea about adding meals when the time is appropriate.”
“It will be a lot of work, but I think it’ll be well worth it,” said Livy. “But only when we’re completely ready to do it.”
“Now we need to get to work on our upgrade budget,” said Brooke. She turned to Livy, “Are you sure Austin will do all the consulting for free and provide equipment and products at his discount?”
“That’s what he said, and I believe him,” Livy replied smiling. “Should we draw up a contract with him anyway?”
Brooke added something to a list in front of her. “Oh, yes. That’s exactly what we’re going to do. We need to document any free labor and supplies. Adam Atkins is a contractor and has offered to help with any projects.”
“Fantastic” said Charlotte. “I haven’t seen him yet. I heard he’s here with his little girl.”
“Yes,” Brooke said. “Her name is Skye. She’s four and is adorable.”
Charlotte noticed the way Brooke’s eyes lit but didn’t say anything. She was getting as bad as the grandmothers trying to match up everyone.
“By the way,” said Livy, refilling her glass of water from a pitcher of water, “I ran into Morgan. Guess who she has a date with tonight?”
“Shane,” said Charlotte, careful to keep her voice even. Though he was doing it to be nice to Morgan as his grandmother had requested, the thought of Shane with Morgan made her unhappy.
###
The next morning, after Charlotte had greeted three couples staying at the Inn, she went into the office to work on some ideas she had for the non-profit. Brooke was working with Beryl and the cleaning staff, and the office was quiet.
Charlotte had thought a lot about the Family First program, liking it more and more. She wanted to make it easy for anyone interested in volunteering to have a single number to call, a website to go to, and an easy way to text a message.
She lifted the business card Shane had handed her and punched in the number for his office.
A musical voice answered. “Ensley and Jenkins. How may I help you?”
