Page 31 of Unexpected Entanglement

“Okay,” he indulged her. “Rowan, why don’t you fill me in on the tasks on your list, and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Now you’re telling me what to do. Who’s the boss here?”

Chris laughed. “You’re impossible.”

“I can be. My father and Kieran told me that all the time.” A smile emerged on her lips. “All right. Let’s head to the gray barn. I’m meeting with Frankie’s garden staff to finalize the flower arrangements and garland count. While we’re there, I’ll tell you the reception details.”

She turned the cart toward the large barn next to the main house.

“How many of these little carts do you have?” Chris asked.

“We currently have five. The older ones are for maintenance, cleaning, or other internal purposes. We allocated three new, larger ones for guest services—taking the guests to the cottages with their luggage, things like that. But they’re not meant for guests’ use.”

“How do you see your guests moving around the property? It’s humongous.”

“Well, they can walk. It’s not that far from the main house to the water’s edge or from the cottages to the main house. But they also have bicycle access, and anyone who needs it can call for a lift. I don’t have a lot of budget at the moment to buy more carts.”

“How about transportation to and from town or the ferry?” Chris asked further. “It’s difficult to get here if you’re not a local with your own vehicle.”

“We purchased a used shuttle van. It’s been cleaned up, tuned, and decorated with our logo. All we need are a driver and the guests to be picked up.”

“Can I see it?”

“It’s in the utility barn with the carts and our other equipment.”

“Do you have generators here in case of power loss?”

“Of course. It was one of my father’s first investments when we started this project. He spared nothing, but that’s when we still had all the funds we needed.”

This wasn’t the first time she mentioned funds, or lack thereof. “Are you out of funds?”

“No, just limited,” Rowan answered. “That’s why the wedding is important. It’s income.”

“It looks like you’re mostly ready for operation. Why didn’t you do a soft opening this spring as you planned?”

Rowan sighed. “The place wasn’t ready by spring. I didn’t get my head around it until then. Everything we planned last year kinda went out the window when my father died.”

Right.Chris cringed as he forgot about that. People grieved in their own way and in their own time.

“Then there are complications that his will created.” Rowan shook her head in frustration.

Chris gave a quick nod. “Right.”

“Tell me about my sister. Rae. What she’s like?” Rowan asked, changing the subject altogether.

It was the first time one of the Kelly siblings showed interest in Rae, and Chris was glad for the question.

“She’s kind, but she also takes no bullshit from anyone. She’s a hard worker, a loyal friend—to a fault—and a wonderful mom. And she’s made my friend a very happy man.”

“You think highly of her.”

“I do. She has this positive outlook whenever you see her talking about her travels on her channels. It attracts people.”

“Or it can be irritating,” Rowan quipped.

Chris chuckled. “Or that. But I can assure you, Rae is more sparky than perky. If you understand the subtle difference.”

“I guess I’ll have to take your word for it until I meet her in person. Will she come to meet us, eventually?”

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