Page 47 of Wild Nights

"I guess this is why most conferences are held in November. No one wants to deal with the weather in December."

I nodded. "I would think so. What do you need me to do?"

"I can send out an email to everyone and make an announcement. The vendors aren't going to be happy."

"If they want to send me their websites, we could share them with the guests who bought tickets. They can still buy online."

"That's not the same as taking things home today, but it might placate them."

"It's something and free advertising."

"That would go a long way to soothe the vendors. Thankyou for doing that." She was looking around the room, probably listing all the things she'd have to do.

"Of course."

Then she looked at me. "Let me deal with this. Will I see you later?"

I frowned. I planned to pick up Joey from school and bring him back here so I could be at the lodge during the storm. I'd send most of the staff home too. There was no point in keeping the restaurant or bar open when there were very few guests. I'd have one chef, Marcus, on hand to serve the guests that were staying, but that was it. "I have to deal with the storm."

Carolina nodded. "Of course."

"But let me know if I can help with anything related to the conference."

Her forehead creased. "I have to take care of this."

She walked away, already tapping at her phone. I hated to shut down the conference, but I didn't have a choice. The possibility was outlined in the contract, even though it was a rare occurrence. The rest of the day, I was dealing with the early shutdown and helping guests get rides or flights out of town.

Thankfully, we didn't have any reservations for the next few days. So I didn't have to worry about delaying anyone's arrival. I wasn't able to check in on the conference again until six. By then, Joey was tucked away in my office playing on his tablet.

The room was bare again except for the tables. There was trash that Carolina was picking up: empty water bottles, cups, and discarded boxes.

"You don't have to do that. I have a cleaning service that comes through, and we don't have another conference scheduled until February."

"It's not a problem," Carolina said.

I crossed the room, helping her to pick up the stray waterbottles and packing materials left behind. "How did everyone take it?"

She smiled sadly. "Not everyone was happy. I'm not sure I'll be running this particular conference in the future."

I frowned. "You can't control the weather."

"The vendors are asking for half of their table fee. So my client's out the money. When anything goes wrong, it's my fault."

That didn't sit right with me, but there was nothing I could do. It was Eli's call, and I agreed with it. As the day went on, the forecast just got more worrisome. "Are you planning on heading out? You could probably try and catch a flight."

Carolina's shoulders raised. "I don't have anything to rush home for."

"I would think you'd want to get home for Christmas with your family."

Her face pinched. "Everyone has their own plans this year."

My stomach dropped. She was planning on spending the day by herself?

"That's that. I'm going to scrounge up some food. Is the kitchen open?"

"Everything's shutting down, but you can ask Marcus in the kitchen for a sandwich. He's sticking around through the storm so that the skeleton staff and the few guests are fed."

"I'll see you around then. Let me know if you need any help around the lodge."

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