Benny angled the screen and narrowed his eyes. “Looks like an influencer who goes by the handle of ‘aisle files.’”
“What?” Cindy choked the word.
“It’s aisle like A-I-S-L-E,” he explained, misunderstanding her reaction. “That’s a wedding thing, I guess.”
The others laughed, but not Cindy or Nicole. They’d been buried in wedding research this year and knew exactly who this influencer was—and what she could do for Snowberry Weddings if they got on her radar.
“Aisle Files?” Nicole whispered, pressing her hands on the table like she had to contain herself. “What’s the message? No,it doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, the answer is yes. The right content from them could…” She looked at Cindy.
“Could book the Starling Room for a year,” Cindy finished. “They have a massive YouTube channel with a million subscribers, a wedding planning podcast, and are famous for making a venue take off.” She heard her voice rise with every word. “What did she say, Benny?”
“Oh, so now I can look at Grandpa’s phone at the table?” he teased.
“Give that to me, honey.” Gracie eased the device from his hand.
“Please,someoneread it,” Cindy said, trying to keep her voice steady.
Gracie sucked in a breath as she skimmed the note. “Brace yourself, Aunt Cindy. Dominique Parrish, owner of Aisle Files, says, ‘Hello. We’ve been following your renovation and absolutely love the cozy mountain aesthetic, the family story, and?—’”
“Of course she does,” Jack murmured, squeezing Cindy’s leg under the table, his excitement as real as hers.
“‘—the heart your beautiful Starling Room will bring to small weddings. We heard that you have a ceremony planned on December tenth to debut the venue.’”
“How did she hear about our wedding?” Cindy rasped the question, still in disbelief.
Benny made a guilty face, and Red cocked a white brow. “Told you not to put that in a video.”
“It’s okay,” Cindy said. “Keep reading, Gracie.”
“‘If so, we would love to feature the event with a small film crew and interviewer as part of our ‘Intimate, Intentional, Incredible’ winter series on spectacular venues. But we only do it as part of a wedding, not just a commercial. Think behind-the-scenes prep, ceremony details, and a short interview withthe couple and venue team. No cost to you, full rights to use the footage, and we’ll amplify across our channels with promos on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram for a week before airing in January. Let me know if your bride and groom would be amenable and we can hop on a call this week.’”
For a moment, no one said a word until Cindy turned to Jack. “Are we amenable?” she asked in a high-pitched whisper.
He just laughed. “I’m gonna say it looks like the guest list for our wedding just grew.”
Cindy put her hand over her lips to keep from squealing. “And so did our gratitude list. Put Benny at the top! Honey, you are a rock star.”
“And rock stars definitely have phones,” he said. “Ahem, Mom, Christmas is around the corner.”
Everyone talked at once, but Cindy sat in stone silence, trying to believe what just happened.
The break she needed, that’s what. The launch pad that would catapult the Starling Room and Snowberry Weddings to massive success.
And it was her very own wedding that would make it happen!
“Are you sure?” she asked Jack as it all sank in. “It might…be a little distracting from the day.”
“If you could see how happy you are right now”—he put his hand on her cheek, holding her face to his—“you wouldn’t even ask.”
She inched closer and kissed him right on the lips. “Thank you.” Then she turned to Benny. “Please give her my name and number.”
“I already did,” Gracie said, handing Red’s phone back.
Somehow, they got back to the gratitude lists, but through it all, Cindy felt like she might float to the ceiling.
Later,while they cleaned up, Gracie set out an array of desserts that proved why Sugarfall was the most popular bakery in Park City.
While everyone talked and laughed and nibbled the pumpkin tarts and apple pie, Cindy slipped around the corner of what used to be the mudroom, following a short hall to the double doors that opened into the back of the Starling Room.
