Page 33 of One Sweet Day is Never Enough

Nine

The Jenkins Event-Planning Agency rented space in a lovely, historical two-story home situated in what had become the commercial district of Anderson Cove. The building had been repurposed into office space, and it was only a stone’s throw from several charming shops and restaurants. Gia sat at her desk on Monday afternoon and read a text from her mother.

Her mother checked in on each of her three daughters about once every week. Gia’s older sister lived near their parents in Minneapolis with her husband and young children, and Gia’s younger sister was still away at college in Michigan. Her mother kept tabs on all of them and shared their news with each other if they hadn’t found the time to chat with each other. Gia loved hearing about what was going on with everyone, but right now wasn’t the time. Noreen wasn’t a fan of personal calls at the office unless it was on a lunch break. Gia tapped at the phone.

Doing fine, Mom, but I’ll call you tonight. Have to get back to work.

The bride with the October wedding had called. Gia swiped over to Seth’s number and let it ring.

He picked up. “Gia. This is a pleasant surprise. How are you?” It was great to hear his voice.

“Good. Thanks! Yourself?” She shared a spacious workroom with Tara and Jackie, each with a sectional desk, and each within earshot. Better not sound too excited to talk to him or they’d wonder what was up.

“Good,” Seth said. “I’m taking a quick lunch break at the house. The cherry harvest started today so it’s been busy around here.”

Seth had explained the other night that on Monday morning the tractors and heavy equipment would arrive at the orchard to start the industrialized process of shaking the rest of the cherries off of the trees. Even after the U-Pick on Saturday, there would still be a good amount of fruit left to harvest.

“Oh, yeah? How’s it going?”

“These guys know what they’re doing. I’m basically just standing back and watching. It shouldn’t take as long this year since only a third of the orchard has any significant fruit, anyway.”

“Oh right. Well, that’s great.” Gia crossed her legs. “So hey, that couple who’d like to tour the winery tomorrow is hoping to be there around noon. Would that work for you?”

“Sure, that’s perfect.” He sounded more relaxed than usual. He must be doing better now that the stress of the festival was behind him.

“Okay, great. So how’d the business do with the festival? I’m guessing you’ve gone through the numbers by now?”

“Yes, I actually did, and they were good! I’m very happy with it. Thanks for asking.”

“That’s great! I’m so happy to hear that. So we’ll see you tomorrow. Oh, and Noreen finished the paperwork for you. I’ll bring it with me.”

“Okay, great. Looking forward to it. Just text me when you get here and I’ll come out.”

Gia hung up and set her phone on the desk. She couldn’t wait to see him, and what a relief the festival had done well. Seth deserved a break. She returned her attention to an open document on her computer. She’d have to invite him to the bonfire when she saw him tomorrow. Jackie and Tara would overhear if she mentioned it now.

* * *

It was refreshingto receive a text without the follow-up sense of dread or anxiety. Midday Tuesday, Seth sat in his office going through the payroll numbers when his phone buzzed. It was Gia—she was outside with the bride-and-groom-to-be. He headed out.

After the introductions were made, they all shook hands and Seth gave the young couple a short rundown on the property. He actually loved this part of the job—talking to people and sharing what he thought he could do to serve their needs and make them happy. His mother always swore he’d been born a salesman.

If signing up brides and grooms got to be a regular thing, Gia could use his sales pitch and take people around by herself so he wouldn’t have to be here every time, but for the first few clients, he wanted to be a part of things.

They walked the grounds, and he showed them the patio and the lawn with the arbor. The bride agreed that holding an outdoor wedding was not a great idea in October in that part of the world, because as beautiful as the setting was, it could be too chilly or it could rain. But they loved the look of the red barn and silo for their big day.

Gia started in on suggestions after they’d entered the facility. “So what if you did the ceremony here in the tasting room?” She mapped it out by walking the area, gesturing where the aisle and the altar could be. Seth watched as the bride’s face lit up.

Gia led them into the barrel room. “And then, what if you did the reception in here? There’s room for everything with the size of your guest list.” She went through some possible placements for a dance floor and the tables.

The bride nodded but looked uncertain. “It’s very intimate.”

That was usually code fortoo small. Seth nodded. “The catering company could probably turn the tasting room back into a bar and lounge for your reception after the ceremony is over, too, so your guests would have more room to mingle.”

“Right, that’s an excellent point,” Gia said. “I’m sure it could be turned back into a lounge once everyone’s seated at the dining tables. And actually, if we could start much earlier in the day you’d have more hours of daylight? Maybe around one or two p.m. Would that be possible, Seth?” He nodded.

“Not a problem. We can close the tasting room entirely that day—it’s not an extremely busy time of year for wine tasting guests around here, anyway. Oh, and you’d have full access to the entire barn and the grounds while your event is going on. The orchard store stays open until five on Saturdays but the parking lot’s never crowded in the fall.”

“Okay, that’s great. Do you like it, honey?” The young bride waited for her fiancé to respond.

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