I didn’t expect her to do anything out of the goodness of her heart, because I wasn’t convinced she had any goodness in her heart. Even if she did, I sure as hell didn’t want to owe her anything.
She looked me over, seeming to consider the offer.
“Look,” I said, “my immediate goal is the same as yours: to give one of my best friends a memorable wedding. To do that, I need to be able to renovate this barn in such a way that it’ll serve as a sought-after venue for years to come. Bill me for your services, and let’s get this over with.”
“You want me to trust you to send payment,” she said with a touch of disbelief in her tone.
“I do what I say I’ll do,” I bit out. “Do you want the job or not?”
Seconds ticked by as she considered. All the while, I thought through a plan B in case she told me to fuck myself and walked out. If I was going to pay someone, I could contact another planner for input. Or combing the internet was still free, minus the time it would take.
“I’ll answer your questions,” she finally said. “My rate is two hundred an hour.”
That was a racket, but fuck it. I’d have her out of here in one hour, have my plans, and move on.
“Fine.” I led her farther into the cavernous room, which I’d cleared of the rest of the junk and debris since her last visit. “We’re keeping the arched beam details of the ceiling intact. We’ll keep this double door as the main entry”—I pointed to the door we’d come in—“and the far end will serve as an altar for couples who have the ceremony here.”
“With the window centered above and some kind of portable arch that could be removed, in addition to decor options like draped fabric, greenery, or string lights, that would make for stunning ceremony photos.”
“We intend to wall off both sides from the point where the roof angles out.” I walked over to show her what I meant. “So we’d have the main open area stretch the full length. On the far end, we’ll keep the full width open so it’s a T shape. Besides close-up photos of the wedding party and altar, a photographer could get shots of the entire space from this end and capture the architecture as well as the wedding.”
“String lights along the arched beams…” She nodded, her eyes lighting up as if she’d forgotten who she was helping.
It momentarily took me back to nights in her driveway, in the dark, just the two of us, when something I said would light her up the same way.
I shook my head to rid myself of the memory. That was a lifetime ago with someone I thought was a different person. I was no longer the naive teenager who fell for the act.
“The issue we’re up against is a limited number of square feet for the extra spaces,” I explained. “Restrooms are a necessity. They’ll go here. The service area for caterers, with refrigerators, running water… I’d like to put that next to the restrooms so the plumbing’s all in one area.”
“What do you think of putting a window from the service area to the main room? Maybe one that could be closed if it’s not in use.”
“I could do that.” I strode farther down. “With winter events, we can’t skip the coatroom. And if we need two rooms for getting ready, that doesn’t leave much for a gift room, a utility room, storage…”
“You’ll want a bigger room for the women, with well-lit mirrors, plenty of space for changing, sitting, photos. Men require less space. Although putting a couple of video games in or a pool table wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“We don’t have room for that.”
“Fine. It was just a thought.” She paced away from me, glancing up at the ceiling, then eyeing the area that would be walled off. “The gift room could be a closet within one of the prep rooms. It doesn’t have to be large. Most people give money or send gifts to the couple’s home these days.”
“What about the first look?” I asked.
“During the warmer months, that can be outside. Do you plan to create any outdoor spaces for weddings?”
“Like what?” I was so concerned with the barn itself that I hadn’t considered the outside yet.
“Like a paved terrace or covered dining area for spring or fall when it isn’t unbearably hot. Some photo-op areas. Sitting areas. The sky’s the limit, really. Or rather, how much space you have.”
We had the space. Budget, well, I’d have to figure that out later, as my priority right now was for indoor events.
“And have you thought about parking?” she asked.
“Still working on that, but if nothing else, we have a lot of parking for the pick-your-own areas and could shuttle people to the barn. But back to the barn. I’m thinking the larger prep room over here and a smaller one there.”
“Have you considered separate entries for those? That helps couples avoid seeing each other before the ceremony or the first look.”
I made a note on my phone because, no, I hadn’t considered that, but it wasn’t a bad idea. “Okay, so what about storage? There’s no room left for it.”
“Don’t you have like a hundred acres of land?” Her tone said I was an idiot.
