Page 19 of Sunshine

“I could give you ten different ideas right now, but you’ll reject most of them because anything I come up with off the top of my head won’t have the same care and effort as strategic planning.”

“What are some of those ideas?” Mrs. Cullen took a sip of her water. “I don’t have weeks to go back and forth with you only to decide it’s not going to work. No offense.”

“None taken. You want to see if we’re a good fit. That’s a smart move.” I pulled some more books out. “Here are some good options for charities. You could do something elegant and understated, with a royalty theme. You could pull in the colors of the charity and showcase some of the charity’s recipients, connecting your guests to the personal element. You could go completely to the left and give your guests a Vegas theme.”

I pulled that idea right out of nowhere, maybe because Luna had just gone to Vegas. “There could be raffle events, showtunes, live music, and slot machines.”

Mrs. Cullen wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sure such…a relaxed atmosphere is right. None of those sound right.”

I wanted to strangle her. She asked for my ideas and then she shot them down. Like I told her would happen. But what did I know? I had only been planning events for six years officially, since I was sixteen unofficially.

“Exactly my point. I could draw up twenty plans right now and none of them are going to fit what you’re looking for. Give me a week to put together some proposals.”

She looked like she wanted to argue, so I held up my hand. “I’m doing three events as we speak, we’ve got a booth at the First Responders’ Festival, and I need time to research your charity and locations. I also want you to fill out this questionnaire.”

I handed her a massive questionnaire I used for my clients.

“I am not entering your matchmaking database. If you think this is another way of getting notable clients in your matchmaking business, I will have no part of this.”

My temper was almost gone. I really should replenish my Snickers stash in my drawer. I was bordering on hangry. I was just so very tired of the same tedious complaints.

“Mrs. Cullen. That is illegal, first of all, and unethical second of all.”

“Don’t get offended.” The older woman sat back on the couch. “I was simply explaining my position.”

“And if this is something that concerned you, I need to make sure it’s very clear.” I took a breath and gestured at the questionnaire. “Our matchmaking database asks completely different questions. Those are simply about your preferences, events you’ve attended and enjoyed, and personal interests.”

Mrs. Cullen glanced at the thick ream of paper without reading anything. “This is a waste of time.”

I shook my head. “You need time to put thought into your response. You can either fill out the questionnaire and we can see if we find something that works, or you can choose other designers.”

She looked at me and then down to the questionnaire. “I don’t see the point.”

“You’ve gone through four planners already.” I took a sip of water. I needed breathing room, or I was going to raise my voice. “It’s not working out because they’re planning what most people would come up with for a charity gala. If you’re truly going to find something unique, you have to do something differently. That starts right now, in the planning process.”

Mrs. Cullen paused, giving me a shrewd look. Finally what I was saying sank in.

“I’d rather if you emailed me the questionnaire rather than do this the old fashioned way.”

“Certainly.” I pulled up my phone. “What’s your email address?”

She told me and I sent her the attachment.

“I’ll have this back to you by the end of the day.” The older beta stood up. “But I want Talk of the Town to cater the event.”

As if she could just slide that in. I stood up, giving her a smile. “It would be quite presumptuous of me to book a client without checking Chef Kahele’s schedule. I will mark them down as your top choice, and I’ll make sure working around any conflicts they might have is a priority.”

“Very well.” Mrs. Cullen gave me a short nod. “Thank you for speaking with me on such short notice.”

“Of course. Have a wonderful day.” I walked Mrs. Cullen back out to the lobby.

The lobby was a boho paradise of overstuffed couches, pillows in purples, blues, teals, and greens, and lots of houseplants.

Mrs. Cullen couldn’t have looked more out of place if she tried. There was a reason why I didn’t meet most of my posh clients at the Welcome Center. I preferred meeting them for lunch in town, or maybe the lodge where we hosted events. But Mrs. Cullen ambushed me, and I lost control of the situation.

I headed straight back to my office, feeling like I’d just gone ten rounds in the boxing ring.

My phone was buzzing. It was Logan.

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