Page 26 of An Inconvenient Plan
Phillip: Bah. Those are the riffraff with diluted bloodlines, my Brooklyn cousins. They’re not invited to the Villroy wedding because their dad married a commoner against the wishes of the family and abdicated the throne. Silvia’s such a bleeding heart she invited them. Apparently, she’s spent a lot of time with them since starting Yale. She likes gruff and grumbly men, says they’re charming.
Can I call you? I’m too tired to visit with you, but I sure would like a friendly ear.
Eep!She typed back a cheeryOf course!Her phone rang a moment later. “Hello,” she said warmly.
“Ah, that sweet voice just made my day. I’ve had nothing but rejections all day from stuffy suits.”
“What kind of business are you working on, if you don’t mind my asking?”
He blew out a breath she heard loud and clear through the phone. “I’m not supposed to talk about it, but if you swear to keep it in confidence…”
“Absolutely. I’m the queen of discretion.”
He laughed. “Queen Hailey of Discretion, I love it. So I’ve been in talks with the top brass of hotel chains because we’re considering building a resort back on Villroy. We’re losing the young people, who’re heading off for more exciting jobs in England and France. The hope is that we’ll bring in tourism money and keep some of our young workforce. We can’t be an island made up of just the older generation. That’s the beginning of the end. Of course Gabriel, the heir, doesn’t agree. That’s my older brother stick-in-the-mud. He thinks we should keep on as we have been, the traditional way with fishing, but I had to put some feelers out. Someone has to think modern around here. I want to put together a resort proposal with hard numbers and convince him.”
She thought for a moment about a resort and what people might do there. “You could have a resort that included taking tourists on fishing expeditions. It would be a unique experience and allow you to keep your traditional way of life.”
“Thank you! This is what I’ve been saying to Gabriel.”
“Though if I was on vacation to a nice resort on an island kingdom, not that I’ve ever travelled that far, but if I did, I would most like to tour the royal castle. Ooh! You could have destination weddings at the castle. Give brides the total fairy-tale experience.”
Silence.
“Just an idea,” she quickly added.
“No, I see the appeal. It’s just that it’s a private residence. Quite a few of us live there still. It’s so big we don’t get in each other’s way.”
“Completely understand the need for privacy.”
“Tell me more about your business. I’m curious how you’ve built it up so quickly in such a short time. Silvia tells me your feature article inBride Specialputs you in an elite league of wedding planners.”
She smiled so big her cheeks hurt. Pride warmed her through and through. She’d worked so hard for everything she had, and she rarely got any compliments on her hard work. Most clients took her for granted, as she stayed in the background making sure everything with their wedding went smoothly. Clients expected the wedding to be perfect—that was what they paid a wedding planner for—but it took a lot of work to take it to that level. “Thank you, Phillip. That means a lot to me. You really want to know the nitty-gritty of my wedding planning career?”
“I really do. Maybe it’ll help me think up some good business ideas for back home. Maybe a resort isn’t the answer.”
“It’s not a bad idea at all,” she assured him.
“So how does it work? You own that mansion? Do you live there too?”
It seemed like he really did want to know how things worked, and it pleased her to talk shop. She talked and talked and talked. Phillip kept up a steady stream of questions and was such a good listener that it was easy to do.
“You’re incredible,” Phillip said when she’d finished.
She flushed and sat a little straighter in her seat. “Thank you.”
“I know this might sound completely out there, but I’d like to make you an offer.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you rent Ludbury House from the town. For the stability of your future business, you should own it. I’d like to buy it for you.”
She gasped. She’d looked into buying it last year, and the cost was way out of her league—two million plus hefty property taxes. Even figuring out a scenario where she lived upstairs to save on rent and rented the mansion back to the town for community events didn’t bring it close to her budget.What a princely offer!“It’s much too expensive. I could never ask that of you.”
“In return you could consult with me on the resort or any other ideas you conjure to help Villroy. I’m truly impressed with all you’ve accomplished single-handedly.”
She was speechless.
He went on. “Would a ten-year loan with two percent interest work for you?”
