“Okay, but it’s your funeral. They’re in the back room of the bar.”
Addy nodded and strode forward. It was three in the afternoon on a Saturday in early November. She was exhausted and still had at least twelve hours of work to do that day. She heard the two women behind her and strode into the room. Before she looked up, she started her opening statement.
“Forgive me for being late, I apologize. I’m Addy Murphy and this is my assistant Beth. And this is Heather, the coordinator for the hotel. So how can I help you today?” She finally looked up at the total silence and saw eight men and two women sitting there. “Um, I’m sorry, I thought I had an appointment with Mrs. Hall. I didn’t mean to barge in on your party.” She picked up her briefcase and started to turn.
“Wait!” a woman called out as she jumped to her feet to stop Addy from leaving. “I’m Mrs. Hall. You are to meet with me.”
“Then why them?” she asked, and couldn’t take her eyes off her husband as he sat there with some of his patch holder brothers. “If this is for the club, I’ve been told in the past that my services were not needed, nor were they wanted when it came to them.” She was glad her dig hit when Lincoln winced.
“It’s for our parents. I did some research and you’re the best in town. Can we sit down and talk? I invited the guys for input and secrecy.”
“I don’t understand,” Addy said, but she settled into a seat.
“I’m Ashley Hall, and this is my husband, Ben. This is my sister, Ainsley and her husband, Frank. Ainsley and I are Burt and Mary’s daughters. Mom told us that she visited your shop a few weeks ago, and my sister and I talked it over and decided to throw our parents a surprise anniversary party. I invited the officers of the club to give their input and to keep Mom and Dad occupied, and to act as spies.” She grinned at the six men wearing their colors.
Addy chuckled and looked at the woman in charge. “Okay, first tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll tell you if we can doit or not.” She looked at Heather and Beth and got their nods of approval.
“As I said, it’s Mom and Dad’s twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. I hope we have time to plan for it.”
“What date are you looking for?” Addy said, and grabbed her planner and Heather opened hers.
“Luckily their actual wedding date is available this year and it’s on a Saturday. It’s February 29th.”
“They were married on a leap year?” Lincoln asked in shock. He looked at Addy, then mumbled, “Sorry.”
“Yes,” Ainsley said. “We brought some pictures and want to try to recreate their reception. But we’d like to have it on the 29th.”
Addy conferred with Heather. “It happens that day is free for both of us. Before we go any further, I have to ask, are you looking for a meal? Buffet? Sit down? Dress code? Invitations?”
“Damn, didn’t think it was going to be this complicated.” Ashley sighed and looked at her sister.
“But the biggest thing is money. How much are you willing to spend?”
“How does that work?” Ainsley asked. “I know when Ash and I got married, we had to have deposits for everything, then a balloon payment at the end. We’re not uber rich, but we can come up with fifteen thousand between the two of us.”
“Why don’t you let the club members chip in?” Greaser asked.
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking. We, Abe and I can call the brothers to a meeting at our garage and throw it by them.” At their looks, he shook his head. “Your parents don’t have to know about it.”
“That’s something you guys can work out, but let me tell you how my company works. We’ll draw up a contract and in that contract you agree to the terms. What my company does is wepay the deposits up front, from our funds. On the night of the event, you give us a check for the deposits and the balance of the bill. Instead of nickeling and diming you, you have only one bill. We take care of all the little stuff that’s stated in the contract, and we pay for it along the way. If there’s anything you think of, or want after the contract is signed, you can reach out to us to ask, and if need be, then we can renegotiate, or add an addendum to the original contract.”
“Really?” Lincoln asked in shock.
“Yes. But we’ll have a lot of planning to do if you want this in a little over three months. Do you have any ideas?”
“What’s the difference between a buffet or a meal?”
“Heather?”
“About five thousand dollars. Or depending on the time you want to have it, we can have hors d oeuvres if you don’t want a full menu.”
“If we have it at say, seven at night, then we can have people walking around with trays of little finger foods to eat?” Frank asked.
“Yes,” Heather and Addy said as one.
“I like that idea. Now, I don’t want people to come dressed as they normally do.” She pointed to the bikers. “No offense, guys.”
