Page 1 of One Sweet Day is Never Enough

One

Eyes on the prize, Stewart. I need you to get this right.The voice of Gia’s boss, Noreen Jenkins, echoed through her brain.

A bundle of nerves, Gia Stewart leaned in to study some merchandise at the market situated on the Pederson Cherry Orchard and Winery. She’d arrived too early for her afternoon appointment with the owner.

Feeling restless, browsing the charming little store seemed like the only sensible option. Gia read a label on a jar of jam three times, failing to recall what it said, and set it back on the shelf, too preoccupied to care.

Maybe her eyes were a littletoofocused on the prize? She needed to settle down, for crying out loud. She scolded herself and took a deep breath.It’s just a meeting. You’ve done this before.

The meeting concerned a fiftieth wedding anniversary party that she’d be running at the orchard for her event-planning agency in four weeks’ time. The guests of honor were icons of the local sport-fishing industry and Gia had just been given the account. But it was actually a bit of a demotion. Gia had been taken off of a wedding account she’d been working on and switched to the anniversary party—a so-called easier assignment. She’d have to prove herself before she’d be given another wedding of her own.

She wasn’t surprised her boss had downgraded her responsibilities, however. Gia had botched a few aspects of the wedding she’d run this weekend, resulting in what could only be called minor bursts of pandemonium, at least in the world of an event planner. She flushed even now, just thinking about it.

It had been Gia’s first wedding assignment since she’d started working for the Jenkins Agency in April. A more senior planner, Tara, had put the initial arrangements in place for the wedding, and then Gia had been in charge of the rest of the details as they’d counted down to the date.

Somehow, Gia had miscalculated the final headcount and ordered a cake that was too small for the number of wedding guests. Last-minute sheet cake orders had saved the day, but the bride had been extremely disappointed when it came time to take her photos in front of her pint-sized pastry.

Based on the mistaken headcount, Gia had also ordered too few chairs for the ceremony and reception. The venue had scrambled for more seating when the discrepancy was discovered, and it had been a nightmare. A Saturday in July meant every folding chair and white slipcover on the peninsula was basically spoken for. They’d eventually come up with enough, and no one had been without a seat, but the bride had been hit with the additional, eleventh-hour charges that she hadn’t budgeted for.

The young woman had called Noreen from the airport en route to her honeymoon on Sunday afternoon to raise the devil about it. And wow, had Noreen brought the rant to Gia this morning.

Gia was on shaky ground, and Noreen didn’t parse words. It was time to find out if Gia would “sink or swim.”

Gia switched her weight from one heeled, sandaled foot to the other and transferred her gaze to another shelf. She tapped a jar of apricot chutney with her perfectly manicured pink nails and checked her watch—twenty more minutes.

Her gaze wandered around the orchard’s shop. Colorful scented candles gave the room a fruity aroma. Soft instrumental music played in the background. Very soothing.

Gia had worked in event planning for over two years. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t met with venue owners to go over party details before.

Still, this appointment doubled as a sales call, and she wasn’t very savvy when it came to sales, even if she’d be pitching to someone no more intimidating than a hardworking cherry farmer.

Noreen hadn’t outright demanded it; she’d only strongly advised that Gia talk the farmer into hosting more events on his property. Orchards like this one, especially here in picturesque Door County, Wisconsin, were becoming increasingly popular for outdoor and countryside weddings in the Midwest. If Gia could bring Mr. Pederson on board with holding nuptials on his property consistently, from May through October, it would be the first step toward reinstating Gia in her former role, in which she’d be given the full range of events to work on. She sighed.One step at a time.

Because, if she could get him to agree, it would mean the agency could take on more brides looking for this type of wedding venue, and thus, she’d help the agency to generate more revenue.

Whatever the case, Gia had better start earning her keep. She took another deep breath. It wasn’t a cold call—she was only being asked to beef up the relationship with an existing business partner while she familiarized herself with the venue.

It could have been worse.

Still, pulling off the sales pitch would take some doing. Gia strolled around the market. Decorative roosters and barns brightened up the place with a cozy-but-modern feel. The orchard setting really was perfect for countryside weddings. Noreen had that right.

It was time to stop being such a nervous Nellie. She picked up a jar of fiery-hot salsa from a shelf and turned it over to glance at the ingredients.You can do this.

Still, even if she could talk Mr. Pederson into hosting on a regular basis, then the anniversary party would have to go down without a hitch, or he might change his mind for the long term. Noreen was not kidding around when she said that Gia must “get this right.”

“Can I help you?” Startled, Gia set the salsa down as she heard a friendly male voice. She spun around to face the clerk and felt a flutter in her stomach. The guy was ruggedly handsome, tall with broad shoulders and closely cropped, brown hair.

She straightened her long green skirt and white ruffled top, switching the folder she held under one arm to the other. “Oh, hi. Sure, that would be great.”

He must’ve just come in because she would’ve spotted him if he’d been there for a while. He wasn’t the type of guy who walked across a room unnoticed. Hewasthe type of guy who made her forget everything she’d just been thinking about. Quick—what to say? She made her voice sound casual. “I, uh… I thought I’d send something local home to my parents in Minneapolis. What do you suggest?”

He glanced at the shelf. “Oh, okay. Let’s see. Maybe some jam? My mother’s a big fan of this one. He pulled down a jar and held it out for her to see. “We do our own canning right here on the farm.”

Gia nodded, trying to keep from staring at his perfect jawline. She took the jar from him and smiled politely. “Okay, thanks. This is great.” It would also be great if she could keep the dumb grin from taking over her entire face.Get it together, Gia.

The last thing she needed right now was a distraction, no matter how good-looking, especially when she had so much on the line. But one look into those piercing brown eyes and she could hardly look away. She forced her gaze back to the jar of jam. “Cherry apple. Yes, they’ll love it. Thank you.”

He nodded, and she stole another glance at him. In a short-sleeved gray button-down, black denims, and work boots, he had the look of a man who could take an axe to one of the cherry trees outside and not even break a sweat. Yet the way he carried himself lent him an air of sophistication, too. Very appealing.

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