16. Jaxon #2
She pulls up a collage of photos, other comparable venues in Kentucky—old barns with exposed beams, round tables set for dinner, and an arch of flowers just like she described to me.
“Agritourism is a booming business,” she explains, “especially through unstable farm seasons. A wedding venue is one of the most popular, not to mention lucrative, ways for a farm to bring in tourists.” She pulls up an image of another wedding barn.
“The closest comparable barn venue to us is two hours away. We have no direct competition within an hour radius, which means we could pull couples from all over who want a real Kentucky farm, with horses and stunning views, and we wouldn’t be fighting anyone for that market. ”
Grady frowns. “Who’s getting married in Golden Springs? No offense, but it’s not exactly a hot spot for weddings.”
“It wouldn’t only be for people around here,” she says. “Couples from Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati. All those places are within driving distance. People who want to get out of the city and have the full country experience—that’s your market.” She glances between us.
“How much does a wedding bring in?” Rhett asks.
“Depends on the package. But we’re talking a minimum of ten thousand dollars per event. With catering, flowers, full venue rental, we could charge up to thirty thousand.”
Wyatt’s eyes widen. “Per wedding?”
She nods, and I realize how good at this she is.
Her proposal has all the projected numbers on paper, along with a brief business plan. Combined with our farm income, this could make a real dent in the debt.
“I’d handle the bookings and event coordination,” she continues. “Plus, flowers, of course. We’d need to find a catering partner and someone to handle the renovations.” She glances between my brothers. “But the barn doesn’t need as much as you might think.”
“Have you run these numbers by anyone?” I ask.
“Not yet. I want to have James look at the spreadsheet this week.”
“This looks really exciting.” Wyatt stares at the photos. “Can we look at the place?”
“I’m glad you asked,” she says, waving for us to follow her.
When we reach the barn, she makes us wait outside the closed doors like we’re about to get the big reveal on a home renovation show.
Summer gives me a smile—an unspoken thank-you for how I helped her—that makes my heart buck against my chest. Watching her stand there, about to bring new life to an unused barn, I can’t stop looking at her.
I wish I could pick her up and kiss that smile right off her pretty mouth.
But I can’t, not when we’re about to go into a new business together.
In high school, I wanted to kiss her more times than I could count.
But I knew she’d never let me, and I was too scared of her rejecting me to try.
Maybe I could be brave on the ice, but when it came to Summer Daniels, she was the opponent I always lost to.
“Ready?” she asks, pulling me back to my senses.
She doesn’t wait for an answer before she slides the door open.
Inside, fairy lights are already glowing over a table decorated with flowers.
She’s added a few more vases and a wedding arch as a focal point.
It’s enough to give everyone a sense of the barn’s potential.
“This…doesn’t look like I remember,” Grady says as he steps inside. “Who cleaned it up?”
“Jaxon did most of it,” she says, her gaze finding mine.
“Really?” Grady asks.
“It was raining,” I say. “I needed something to do.”
Summer shows us where every part of the wedding day would be: the ceremony at the west end, the dance floor on the opposite side, tables for eating in the center.
“I still need to create a signup list for interested couples,” she says.
“Then I want to get people inside the barn for a preview night. Let the community walk through and see the space for themselves.” She straightens a snapdragon and adjusts a dahlia.
“Word of mouth in this town would be the best advertising and it costs us nothing. If the right people see it, we won’t need to chase couples down. ”
“What do you guys think?” I ask my brothers.
“It’s a great idea,” Wyatt says immediately.
“I agree,” says Rhett.
“Grady?” she asks.
He sets his hands on his hips and studies the place. “I say, why not?”
“Then it’s decided.” I clap my hands together. “We can talk about it more over dinner tonight. But we’re starting an event venue.”
“Speaking of dinner, I’m starving,” Wyatt says, moving toward the door.
My brothers drift outside, and for a moment it’s just Summer and me left in the glowing lights of the new wedding barn. She moves closer and I catch her floral scent.
“You did all this last night, by yourself,” she says.
I pick up a bouquet, turning it around to admire her work, which looks far better than the little flower display I left on the table. “I didn’t put together this one.”
She lays a hand on my arm, the heat of her touch working its way up to my shoulder. “Thank you,” she whispers, so close I’m dizzy from staring into the deep blue pools of her eyes. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
I nod, careful not to think too hard about the adrenaline flooding through me, traveling all the way to my toes. I’d like to lean forward and cup her face with my hands and brush my lips over hers, telling her in a whisper that I’d do it all again.
She steps back, and I find enough willpower to do the same, even though I want to thread my fingers through her hair, feel the taste of her mouth on mine. Her kiss could become my favorite drug.
She gives me a look over her shoulder before walking out, and I wonder if we can survive working together with this unresolved tension between us.