He gave the place a second glance. Nope. Wasn’t seeing it. “Um, have you had your eyes checked recently?”
“See the way the sunbeams flood through the windows? And those rafters—the high ceiling. Ooh, there’s a hayloft.”
“Also, there’s a hundred years of junk in this place.”
“Just imagine what we might find.”
He’d never seen this Pollyanna side of her. “Like an extended family of rodents perhaps?”
That swept the joy from her face. For all of five seconds. “It needs a grand fireplace over here. And there should be lots of twinkle lights overhead and some draped white tulle to soften the space. The floor is awesome—what we can see of it—but it’s pretty uneven, which would make it a tripping hazard. The walls seem good and sturdy, though, don’t you think? We’d need a furnace, of course, and air-conditioning. A kitchen and bathrooms.”
“Sounds very expensive.”
“But do you know what this place could rent for—for one night?”
She named a sum that made him rear back. “Really? That much?”
“People pay a fortune for wedding venues. And this place would seat a ton of people.”
“But wouldn’t we need someone to run a venue like this?”
“It could really be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Minimally, you’d just be scheduling the use of it, and the renter would be in charge of everything else. Or you could actually hire someone to oversee it all: the tables and chairs, decorating, catering, all the way up to planning weddings.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“If that’s overwhelming, you could just keep it simple. I checked with a local wedding planner. There’s only one other barn venue in a forty-mile radius. She said a lot of people choose to be married outside in the summer, but the winters here are long and there are few options. That’s a slow time of year around here. It would give the resort a nice income during low season.”
Good point. He hadn’t realized she’d already done so much legwork. If the place could rent for as much as she’d suggested, one night would earn more than all eight cabins during high season.
Lauren’s phone buzzed an incoming text. “It’s your mom. She needs me back at the lodge.”
“All right. I’m gonna stay and sift through some of this stuff.” He walked her over to the barn door.
“So you’ll think about it? The venue?”
“Tell you what. Get a contractor over here to check the structural integrity. If that pans out, you can get some estimates on what this place needs, and we’ll go from there.”
Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Really? Thank you, Jonah!”
If she kept looking at him like that, he might just sign the whole property over to her. Putting a happy flush on her pretty cheeks made his day. But he only said, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’re just getting bids.”
“I know. But thank you! I’ll get back to you with some answers.” On the other side of the brambles, she turned, her pretty hair swinging around her shoulders as she beamed at him. “See you, Jonah.”
At the sight of her beautiful smile, his heart stuttered, possibly interrupting blood flow to his brain for he went mute for a second. “Uh, yeah. See you, Wentworth. Keep up the conditioner.”
With a wave, she was off.
Keep up the conditioner?“Idiot.” He thumped his head on the doorframe.
Chapter 19
Present day
“Ahoy matey!” Mr. Cavendish called as he pulled the resort’s motorboat up to the dock.
“Ahoy there!” Lauren smiled at the couple as she walked the pier, Graham at her side, his tail swishing at the new arrivals. Lauren caught the lines Mrs. Cavendish threw and tied up the boat. “Have a good ride?”
“It was just beautiful,” Mrs. Cavendish said. “Perfect temperature, and the trees are just gorgeous this morning.”
