by Nicole Ellis
He’d never thought too seriously about his wedding before, but now he could see it as clear as day. In his vision, the barn doors opened, and there was his bride, illuminated by the sunlight behind her. She walked toward him, her curly red hair shimmering below the veil. When she reached him, she touched his arm. He opened his eyes. Maggie stood before him, not wearing a wedding dress, but looking as beautiful as she had in his vision.
He breathed in sharply. His daydream had been so clear. He focused in on her face. She smiled at him now, with an expression of joy.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yes, yes it is.” Her face glowed and he knew in that instant that he wanted to marry her and be a father to Alex. Was there any chance she felt the same? Was he being crazy and this was guilt over not taking care of them earlier? What would Brian think?
“I’ve got to get some fresh air. I think the hay is bothering my sinuses.” He coughed for emphasis. Maggie nodded and continued to pace the room, probably plotting where each dining table would be placed.
He walked past Gretchen in the doorway, who looked at him with a knowing smile. She joined him outside.
“You’ve got a thing for Maggie, don’t you?” She wore a mischievous smile.
“Is it that obvious?” He toed the dirt and then looked her in the eye.
“Well, if that dreamy expression on your face whenever she touches you is any indication, you’ve got it bad.”
He grimaced. “Do you think she knows?”
“She has so much on her mind right now, I don’t really know. What are your intentions though? Are you planning on staying in Candle Beach? Maggie shouldn’t have to be disappointed by any man after what she’s gone through.”
“I agree. And I have no intention of starting anything with her that I can’t follow through on.” A thrill of excitement rose up from his stomach, paralyzing his throat for a moment. Was he committing to asking Maggie out?
Gretchen smiled and nodded. “Good. Maggie needs someone in her life that will care about her and Alex. I think you could be that person.”
“I hope so.”
He heard footsteps behind him.
“What are you two gabbing about out here?” Maggie picked a piece of hay out of her hair and twisted it in her fingers before tossing it on the ground.
“Oh, we were just discussing the history of this property,” Gretchen said innocently. “Jake was fascinated by the fact that this farm was one of the first settlements in the area.”
“Oh. Yes, that’s one of the things I love about it. I think customers will be interested in the history as well.” Maggie sounded giddy with excitement. She grabbed Jake’s arm again and Gretchen winked at him.
“Did you two want to see the farmhouse?”
He checked his watch. “I have a little more time. Let’s do it.”
The entered the house and Jake was more assured of the investment. The inside of the house’s condition matched the outside. It wouldn’t take much to make it livable.
“I like it.” He ran his hands over the wooden railing leading to the upstairs. It was solid, the way houses used to be constructed. The house was simple—three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs and a living room, kitchen and bathroom downstairs. “Would you want to live here?”
Maggie shook her head. “No, it’s too big for just Alex and me. I thought I’d rent it out nightly, either to guests at the events or in the Candle Beach nightly rental pool.”
They exited the house and Gretchen locked the door.
“I’ve got to get back to the office, Maggie. Let me know if you want to put an offer in on the property.”
“Thanks, Gretchen. I need to think about it for a while.” She turned to Jake. “You think it’s a good business investment, right?”
He turned away from the farmhouse and viewed the barn again. It hadn’t gotten any better looking. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he didn’t want to shatter her dreams either.
“It could be beautiful, but it will take a lot of work—and money. Do you want to take this on with everything else in your life?”
She stared at him. “I thought you’d be more supportive.”
“Maggie, I am, but I don’t want you to take too much on. You have the café and Alex. That’s a lot for anyone.”
She bristled visibly. “I know I have a lot of responsibilities. Don’t tell me I’m not making Alex a priority.”
He tried to touch her arm, but she brushed him away. He held his hand up in the air. “I’m not. I’d better be getting back to work now anyway. I think my lunch break is over.”
“Fine.” Maggie drove them the few minutes back to town in silence and dropped him off at the police station.
“I’ll see you later this week, okay? I promised Alex I’d play a board game with him.”
“Sure. I’ll see you then.” She drove off, leaving him wondering how everything had soured so quickly.
Maggie surveyed the side room at the Bluebonnet Café. It seated thirty if you really squished people into the small space. For Dahlia’s rehearsal dinner, that was what would need to happen if they wanted everyone to fit. She sat down at one of the tables with her notebook, ready to go over her lists for the party. The wedding couple would sit at the head of the table, with their parents on either side of them. Maggie and Gretchen would be at the other table with Garrett’s groomsmen, his best friends from college.
She frowned. The space was really tight. Candle Beach desperately needed an events space. Dahlia’s wedding would be held in heated tents on the Marina Park grounds, but that was expensive and less than ideal for most gatherings.
Was the old Sorensen farm the right venue though? It had potential, but Jake was right—it needed a lot of work. She’d never been afraid of hard work before, but with Alex and the café, she’d be overextended.
Who was she kidding? She’d arrived at her breaking point a long time ago and had somehow clung to the precipice. On one hand, it felt right to branch out from the catering business and have a venue to use for events. On the other hand, there were so many reasons not to buy the property. It would be expensive. She’d be tapped out on savings. It would be a huge risk.
She was usually risk averse, but this seemed like something the town could really use. And it could bring in more tourists, which would benefit everyone in the long run. It wouldn’t hurt to see what the bank said about a loan.
At lunchtime, she stopped off at the bank. She pushed the door open and inhaled the smell of paper and money, a scent she’d loved since her mother took her there to open her first savings account when she was five.
Lars Johnson, the bank manager, wasn’t busy and immediately ushered her over to his desk. “Ah, the old Sorensen farm. I remember when they had horses out there. We used to go riding with the Sorensen kids.” He smiled as he reminisced about the good old days.
“I want to make it into a premier location for wedding receptions, reunions, and the like. You know Candle Beach needs something like this.”
“Yes, it does. I completely agree.” He folded his hands in front of him on the desk. “So what type of loan amount are you looking for?”
Maggie told him the amount she needed. She lifted her bag and pulled out a folder with the business proposal she’d finished that morning. She pushed it towards him. “As you see, I’m projecting one hundred percent capacity on summer weekends and about fifty percent for winter weekends, not to mention the weekday events we’d have. I’ve been hosting events at the café, but demand is exceeding what I can provide.”
“I see.” He reviewed the stapled pages, then tapped some numbers into his computer and frowned.
“I’m sorry, Maggie, but while we can offer you a loan to purchase the property, the interest rate isn’t optimal. Unless…do you have anything you can use as collateral?”
Her heart sank. She didn’t own a house or anything. The only thing of value that she owned was the Bluebonnet Café. Bile rose up from her stomach. Was it wo
rth mortgaging the café?
“I might be able to get some collateral for a loan. Can I think on it?”
“Sure, Maggie. Let me know when you decide. I know whatever you try, though, you’ll succeed.”
Maggie smiled. “Thanks, Lars.”
She exited the bank deep in thought. Losing the Bluebonnet Café wasn’t an option. She couldn’t risk it, but she didn’t want to give up on her dream either. Buying the farm property wasn’t a decision she could make on a whim.
12
The day of Dahlia’s rehearsal dinner came quickly.
“Maggie, this is lovely,” Dahlia’s mother Vanessa said, gesturing to the long dining table in the side room of the cafe. “Those flower arrangements are gorgeous.”
“And the food is amazing.” Garrett came up from behind Vanessa and shook Maggie’s hand. “Again, Maggie, thanks for doing this.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled. This was why she loved the hospitality industry. Her efforts paid off in happy customers.
“How are arrangements for the wedding tents going?” she asked Garrett.
“Not as well as I’d like. I had to get permits from the town to put up the tents in the Marina Park and there was a snafu in the permit process.” He frowned. “But I think we finally got everything worked out.”
“Good.” She straightened a pitcher of water on a nearby serving cart.
He regarded her critically. “Have you ever thought about opening your own place to host events? You’d be good at it.”
She laughed. “Actually, I toured a place yesterday. I’m not sure about it though. It was expensive and would be a lot of work.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” He winked at her and waved at someone across the room. “I’ve got to go say hi to Dahlia’s cousin. Her little boy is going to be our ring bearer.”
Maggie edged toward the kitchen, more focused on her role as café owner than bridesmaid.
Then a loud crash and gasps came from inside the party room. She rushed back in to see what the commotion was about. Velma stood at the side of the room, holding an empty tray, her face sullen. Glass shards and soda pop intermixed on the floor and a sweet smell filled the air. One of the guests was dabbing at her pants and the rest were trying studiously to ignore the mess. Maggie smiled at them and then turned to her employee.
“What happened?” she asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
“What happened?” Velma gave her an incredulous look. “Someone moved their chair out as I was passing by with a full tray of drinks.” She glared at the poor woman with the stained pantsuit. “I told you this was going to happen.”
“You weren’t even scheduled to help in here. What happened to Lily?” After Velma’s rant about the party room’s size, Maggie had made sure to keep her out of there for Dahlia’s rehearsal dinner.
“Lily went on break. Someone had to cover for her.” Velma glared at her now.
Maggie closed her eyes for a brief second before taking charge.
“Okay. Please go back to your regular tables. I’ll have someone clean this up.” She brushed the mess aside with a napkin as best as she could. Velma huffed at her and left the room.
She approached the woman with the stained pants. “I’m so sorry about this. I’ll get you some club soda for that, alright?”
The woman nodded gratefully. Maggie returned to the kitchen and instructed one of the busboys to clean up the broken glass, then brought some club soda and another type of stain remover back to the woman.
“The bathroom is that way. Let me know if you need anything else.” The woman nodded.
The mess was soon taken care of and the party guests seemed happy to be there. Maggie couldn’t help hovering around the fringes, ready to manage any potential crisis that popped up.
Gretchen tapped her on the shoulder. “Relax. Your staff has this. You should have a little fun—enjoy yourself.”
Maggie looked around. “There’s so much to do though. Did you see what happened with the spilled drinks?”
Gretchen laughed. “Those things happen. Trust your staff. If you want to open an events venue, you’re going to need to let go of things at the café a little.”
Maggie forced herself to relax. “I guess so,” she said reluctantly. Gretchen gave her a little wave and walked back to join her boyfriend Parker at their table.
A waitress carrying a tray of drinks came by and smiled at her. She watched anxiously as the woman handed each customer their drink.
Dahlia came over and hugged her. Her face was flushed and she handed Maggie a glass of white wine.
“This is great. Everyone loved their entrees.”
“Thanks.”
“Gretchen mentioned you were thinking about buying a farm to host events. Is that the one overlooking Bluebonnet Lake?”
She nodded. “It is. It comes with a farmhouse and a barn, which is what I would use for the events space.” She frowned. “But it’s so expensive. I’m not sure I can afford it without jeopardizing the café.”
“Can you get an investor?” Dahlia asked.
“I thought about that, but I want to have control over the space. If I rent out the farmhouse, I may be able to make it work.” She forced herself to smile. “Enough about me. I heard from Garrett that your tents are ready to set up. Your wedding is going to be beautiful.”
“I hope so. I constantly think about how nice it would have been to elope and not have to worry about any of this other stuff.”
Maggie laughed. “Believe me, I get it. For my wedding, I had three binders full of contact information, charts and lists.”
Dahlia made a face. “I haven’t gone quite that far, but I do feel pretty organized.” A proud smile crossed her face. “And I think you should go for the events center if you can. I’ve noticed an increase in tourist traffic, so I think you could make a success of it. What does Jake think?”
“Why would it matter what Jake thinks?” Maggie asked testily.
“I thought you said he was going to see the farm too.”
“Yeah, and he doesn’t think I can make it work.”
“Hmm.” Dahlia sipped her wine and eyed Maggie.
“I think your mom is calling out for you.” Maggie pointed at Vanessa, who was waving at her daughter from across the room.
Dahlia hugged her again and whispered in her ear, “If anyone can do it, you can.”
Maggie nodded, but she now felt more conflicted than ever.
Two days later, Maggie was in a tizzy trying to finish preparations for Dahlia’s wedding. A crew from the rental company had set up two large tents in the Marina Park. One contained rows of white wooden chairs and a stage for the ceremony. After the nuptials, they’d clear the chairs off to the side to allow room for dancing.
The other had been set up with round tables and chairs. Long tables for the buffet lined one side of the tent. The supplier had made good on their promise to bring the additional quantities for her order and her staff at the café had been up since five a.m. preparing the food. So far, everything had gone off without a hitch.
Jake was watching Alex, so she didn’t have to worry about a babysitter. She’d invited him to be her date to Dahlia’s wedding before they’d toured the barn together. She’d thought she’d felt something brewing romantically between them, but now she didn’t know if she’d imagined it. Tonight would be interesting, that was for sure.
A few hours later, Dahlia, Gretchen, and Maggie gathered together at Dahlia’s house to get ready for the big day. Dani at Candle Beach Cuts had done Dahlia’s hair in an ornate bridal updo.
“Your hair looks gorgeous.” Maggie admired the tiny pearls threaded through Dahlia’s auburn hair.
“Thanks, I was pretty happy with it too.” Dahlia applied mascara and blusher and viewed herself in the mirror before turning around. “What do you girls think?”
“You look beautiful,” Gretchen said. “That dress looks even more perfect today than it did when you had y
our fittings.”
Maggie leaned over Dahlia’s voluminous wedding dress and hugged her.
“And I love our bridesmaid dresses.” The violet dresses Dahlia had chosen were comfortable and stylish, something Maggie appreciated.
Someone knocked on the door. “Honey, are you decent?” Vanessa called out.
“Yeah, Mom. Come on in.”
Vanessa pushed the door open and came in, then closed it behind her. “Oh, honey.” Tears slipped out of her eyes.
“Mom, you’re going to make me cry.” Dahlia swiped at her own eyes with a Kleenex.
Maggie and Gretchen exchanged glances. “We’ll leave you two alone.” Maggie stood. “I’ve got to go check on some things for the reception.”
Dahlia waved goodbye to them.
The round tables were set up and her staff had already covered them with white tablecloths. One-third of them had been set with violet napkins encircled with silver-hued napkin rings, and her crew was placing pitchers of water on each table.
Lindsay, her lead server for the catering business, approached her. “Maggie, we don’t have enough silverware.”
Maggie stared at her. How could they possibly not have enough silverware?
“What do you mean? I ordered new sets for the catering business. There should have been at least 150 place settings. I checked them off when they arrived in the latest shipment.”
“The box said 150, but there were only fifty sets in there.”
Maggie closed her eyes for a moment. “Fifty? So we’re short one hundred sets?”
Lindsay squirmed. “Sorry, Maggie. I can see if we can spare any from the café.”
“Thanks. Let me know what you find out and I’ll try to think of something.” She stared at the empty tables. Where the heck was she going to get one hundred sets of silverware from in the next two hours? There wasn’t time to drive to Haven Shores to purchase more, even if they had that many sets available at the stores. She could wrangle some from the café, but it was a Saturday night and they’d need most of their silverware.