Page 22 of Love Off-Limits
Perry stuck his head into my office after a quick knock. “Hey, you got a minute?”
I sat up and tried to look like I’d been doing something important. “Sure. What’s up?”
He came all the way in and sat down in the chair opposite my desk, dropping an event binder onto the polished oak between us. “Were you the one who booked this wedding?”
I twisted the binder and opened it, nodding as soon as I saw the names written across the top of the first page. I’d hoped to approach Perry about this very thing before he figured out what was happening, but he’d beat me to it.
“Vestry and Bradshaw.” I didn’t remember every couple I worked with, not by name alone. But this couple had been particularly entertaining. They’d had me rolling from all the jokes they’d told as we’d toured the farm. Plus, they’d been a last-minute booking, snagging a Saturday at the end of the summer after a cancellation had come through.
I sighed. All that didn’t change the fact that I’d gone behind Perry’s back to make a big decision for the farm in order to make the booking work. “Yeah. I remember them.”
“Their wedding party is enormous.”
I squared my shoulders, readying for a fight. “It is.”
Perry’s jaw tightened. “Where are you going to put them all, Olivia? The agreement says it includes lodging for thirty-three people. Where are the extra eight people going to sleep?”
Fully utilized, the farmhouse only slept twenty-five. But having their entire wedding party on site had been so important to the couple. I’d been loath to disappoint them. And loath to lose the enormous deposit they’d put down, a fraction of what the wedding would bring in when all was said and done. The food and beverage budget alone was triple what most events cost.
I bit my lip.
Perry wasnotgoing to like what I’d done.
“Olivia,” he said sternly, apparently noticing my hesitation.
“I’m putting them in the carriage house,” I finally blurted.
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re...what?”
“In the loft above the carriage house. We’re finishing it out and turning it into a bunkroom.”
He stared for a long moment, then pressed the heels of his hands into his temples, accentuating the lines that creased in between his eyes and across his forehead. He really would be so much more handsome if he didn’t frown so much. “I don’t understand.”
“A bunk room,” I repeated. “Similar to the staff lodging, just nicer. Two bathrooms, one on either end. And eight twin beds, four on either wall, with a mini kitchen in the corner next to the door. It’ll be perfect for bridesmaids or groomsmen. We could even rent it out for bachelorette or bachelor parties.”
“I understand what a bunk room is. What I don’t understand is how this happened without me knowing about it.”
I opened my desk drawer and pulled out a folder that I passed across to him, ignoring his comment. “This is what it will cost,” I said. “I know it seems like a lot, but not when you look at how many weddings we weren’t able to book, or that we booked without lodging because the bridal party needed more space than what the farmhouse provides. By finishing this additional space, we’ll be able to say yes tomoreweddings. And weddings are definitely the cash cow of Stonebrook’s business. You know that.”
Perry’s expression was tight as he looked through the folder. It wasn’t just a list of expenses. I’d also included a projection of the increased revenue that larger wedding parties would bring in. If we managed to book the space even half as frequently as we booked out the farmhouse, we’d make our money back in less than six months. My numbers were solid; if Perry used even a fraction of his business brain to give them a fair shake, he’d see that.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t still be pissed.
Because decisions like this one? He was supposed to approve them.
“It’s a good idea, Perry.”
He shook his head. “Even if itdoesmake sense, you can’t make unilateral decisions. That’s not how this business works.”
“Isn’t it? Because you make unilateral decisions all the time,” I shot back.
“I’m the CEO,” Perry said simply.
He had me there. No matter how much it stung.
“Thanks for reminding me,” I said, not even trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice.
He winced and his expression immediately softened. “Liv, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...” He loosened his posture, unfolding his arms.“Look. You’re right. Thisisa good idea. But you have to talk to me about stuff like this first.”
