“Oh, I didn’t ask,” I said sweetly.
“Aurora,” he laughed but nothing was funny. He did that laugh parents did before they told you to get the belt. Then he swallowed.
“Aight. Let’s hear it,” he said.
That was my cue. I stepped closer to his desk and turned my iPad toward him, swiping to the first slide.
“So,” I started, “the vineyard is boring.”
His eyebrow lifted.
“I bet it is to you,” he said.
“No boo-boo. It is to everyone.” I turned to Hartland. “Right?”
“I really don’t want to participate.”
“Coward.” I turned to Marlon. “He said so earlier. I swear.”
His eye twitched under those frames.
“Okay moving along,” I pivoted. “It’s beautiful, but boring. There’s no experience. No reason for people to stay, spend, or come back.”
“That’s because this is a winery. Not a sip and paint.”
I swiped to the layouts, notes, my pinterest board and project timelines.
“We can fix that,” I said. “We turn the vineyard into an event.”
He leaned forward slightly now, elbows resting on the desk as he scanned my Ipad screen. Good, he’s interested.
I kept going.
“Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’m thinking wine tastings, guided tours, and wine-making classes. Limited entry so it stays exclusive. Late afternoon into evening so it doesn’t interfere with your regular operations.”
Swipe.
“People come in, they tour, they learn, they drink, they spend money, they leave happy.”
“That’s the goal of any business,” he said.
“Yes,” I said. “But you not doing it.”
Hartland coughed behind me again but I continued. “We gotta get more people interested in this place, Marley. It’s a good source of extra income.”
He pondered it.
“And transportation?” he asked.
“Handled,” I said immediately. “We will partner with local services. Shuttle them in, shuttle them out. Keeps traffic off your property and makes it feel intentional.”
“And what about the shed? Did you figure out how to make that work yet?”
“Final stop,” I said. “We clean it up, turn it into a tasting lounge. Open seating. Views. Something people actually post about.”
I let him see it. Let him picture it.
He didn’t speak right away. Just studied the screen, tapping once, scrolling slightly.
