The grant committee rejected the hotel's original application but gave the board three months to submit a revised plan. The hotel kept the building, though the restoration slowed. The board hired an outside manager. The couples whose deposits had been used were repaid in stages, and the ones who moved their weddings received their money first.
Cal resigned before the internal review ended. I heard it from Peter, not from Cal. I didn't ask what he did next.
Vale & Vine lost the hotel's regular event business. We also lost two customers who thought I had embarrassed Cal. The shop's income dropped, and I had to cut back our hours. I postponed replacing the greenhouse roof until spring.
The cost was real. So was the space it left behind.
Iris and I didn't become easy with each other overni
