Page 3 of One Sweet Day is Never Enough

That makes one of us.

He gestured for her to go first as they entered a tailored lawn surrounded by a wall of short, well-kept hedges and set off by rows of pink impatiens and white alyssum. An arbor festooned with climbing roses stood at the far end in full bloom. Two leafy trees shaded one corner of the spacious yard.

Seth held out his arms. “So this is where we hold our events.”

Gia strolled across the yard to get a feel for the size of it. It was perfect. Large enough to accommodate a big event but still, intimate enough. She nodded with satisfaction.

A gleaming red barn and a silo stood on the other side of a wide driveway that led to a second parking lot. A vineyard stood just past the lot, and beyond, fields of cherry trees on three sides. But only the portion of the orchard nearest the barn looked leafy and green.

She gazed at the setting, trying not to reveal her concern at the withered appearance of so many of the trees farther off in the distance. “Quite an operation you’ve got here.”

Seth grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Gia flashed a smile. “Yes, I meant it that way.”

He sighed. “Thanks. And you’re right. My dad’s had his hands full. Seventy-five acres of cherries, five acres of berry patches and apple trees, and twenty acres of grapes.” Seth pointed to the vineyard and then motioned toward the barn. “The wine-tasting room and the barrel room are inside. So yeah, there’s always something that needs doing around here.”

“I can imagine. It’s stunning, by the way. I can’t wait to see the lawn all dressed up for the party.”

“Thanks. Me, too. My parents put a lot of money into renovations for the barn and a few other things last fall after the harvest. A lot of it still looks new.”

“It really does.” Gia pulled some documents out of her folder and studied them. “I’ve got Jackie’s plans here.” She pointed across the yard. “It looks like the catering tent will go over there, the stage and the dance floor, over here.”

Seth moved closer to look over her shoulder. She could smell the fresh-but-subtle scent of his cologne—a tantalizing ocean breeze. She inhaled deeply and hoped he didn’t notice.

He glanced at the plans and out at the yard. “Okay, so yeah, the setup looks good. There’s plenty of room for all the dining tables and the service aisle. And the client hired a band, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, great.” He walked out farther into the grass. “So I’ve been thinking. I’d like to start looking at doing weddings and other big events here, at full capacity whenever possible, which is just over four hundred guests. I have another event space inside the winery, too, for smaller gatherings.” He pointed at the barn then turned to Gia. “Can you can talk to Noreen about that, or should I give her a call?”

Gia’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait—you want to do weddings on a regular basis? Big ones? And you have space in your barn, too?”

“Yeah. Do you think that’s possible? I can talk to another agency if you’re not in the position to take on more—”

“Oh no. No, don’t do that!” Gia stopped him. “It’s completely possible.” She let out a heavy breath. “It’s funny, because I was going to ask you if you’d be interested in something like that today. Noreen was hoping you might be.”To say the least.

It was time to lay on her full sales pitch, and get it over with, especially while her subject was warm. She pasted a smile on her face. “We’ve always got a lot of brides looking for outdoor spaces like this, especially in the summer—wineries, cider mills, orchards. We can keep you fairly busy with events if you’re interested?”

Could it be that easy? She held her breath.

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m very interested.”

“Fantastic.” She nodded exuberantly. Itwasthat easy! “Would you be open to some last-minute scheduling this season, seeing as it’s already July? Now and then an overly ambitious client comes along who wants to plan an event in a few weeks, and it would be great if we could offer them your space. I can’t promise you anything immediately, but it’s good to know if you’d be ready and willing?”

Seth nodded again. “Absolutely. I want to go big. Whatever we can do.” He looked out into the distance and pointed toward the orchard. “We suffered some serious losses this spring with the cold snap that came through late in the season. The trees were already blooming—and that’s a terrible time to get hit with subzero temperatures.”

“Oh, that’s awful.” So that explained the unhealthy look of a large part of the orchard.

She did remember the arctic blast that hit the area right after she moved to Door County, after everyone thought the winter was over. That, on its own, wasn’t unusual for this part of the country, but the extreme temperatures it brought, which lasted for days, had done a number on the agricultural industry across the region.

Still, she was having a hard time keeping a handle on her excitement. Noreen was going to be thrilled. He’d not only agreed to do weddings, he wanted to do bigger ones, and he had a winery space in which to hold even more events! Furthermore, she was going to be spending more time with this charismatic gentleman—lucky break.

Gia frowned at herself. Theirs would be strictly a professional relationship. No distractions.Eyes on the prize, Stewart.He went on and Gia refocused her attention.

“In the meantime, I’m hoping we can make up for those losses as quickly as possible with events. I need to lock down some new sources of revenue as soon as possible.”

Gia nodded eagerly. “That’s music to my ears. You know, we might be able to squeeze in some family reunion dinners or corporate picnics fairly soon, if you’re open to those, and then get some weddings on your calendar for the fall. And next summer, of course.”

Seth held up a fist. “Bring it on. Let’s see what we can do.”

Gia smiled big. “Absolutely.”

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