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“Maybe we could move the meeting over to the Farmhouse Resort since it’s just us? I’m starving and those cookies aren’t cutting it. You just know there’s already steaks sizzling on the grill over there.”
I could see how much she wanted to go, but wouldn’t let herself out of loyalty. She was as in love with Silas as when they were inseparable in high school, maybe more, and it seemed to cause her physical discomfort to be apart from him.
“Fine,” I said. “But only if you promise to stop trying to set me up with Raylen. He’s clearly not interested and neither am I.”
I wasn’t about to tell her I was interested in Jax, or at least attracted to him to the point he consumed my thoughts at work that day. No, she didn’t need to know that. It would be like putting chum in the water and the matchmaking frenzy would never stop. It was all I could do to keep from casually bringing him up in conversation so she wouldn’t suspect anything.
At the farmhouse, we settled ourselves apart from the guys at a round table, our notes spread out between us and fresh drinks and tasty potato puff appetizers at our elbows.
“So we know we’re going to charge a cover fee,” Harper said, glancing to the side and looking mildly irritated. I followed her gaze to see Jax had pulled up a lounge chair a few feet away, but I studiously ignored him. “But what if we gave away some tickets? You know there will be people who flat out won’t pay, but they could still buy the raffle tickets or bid on the auction if we get them there.”
“Good idea,” I said.
“Bad idea,” Jax said at the same time.
“Why?” I asked.
“Sets a bad precedent. The people who paid will be pissed. If they find out their neighbor got free tickets before the event. They’ll be pounding on your door demanding a refund. Also, you can never count on people paying for anything once they’re in the door. They’ll eat and drink and leave. Free date night, nothing for your charity. Happens all the time.”
“You sound like you know a lot about charity events,” Harper said, because I couldn’t find my voice, or lift my jaw off my chest at his know-it-all display.
He shrugged and pulled his chair closer, raising the back so he was no longer lounging. “I do. My mother has a foundation for a children’s music school.” His serious face turned into a slightly embarrassed smirk. “And when I was in college, I might have weaseled my way into a few events for a free meal and the open bar. Oh, that’s another thing, don’t have an open bar.”
He made some good points, and I glanced at Harper. She nodded, and I sighed. “Do you want to join us and help plan?” I asked.
“Not if it’s going to make you suffer.” His grin told me he was teasing, and I tried to loosen the reins a little. Hadn’t I just been complaining about getting no help? Well, here was a self-professed expert offering help.
I motioned for him to take a seat at the table, and he looked over our notes and offered suggestions. They were all great ideas, but for New York, not Loblolly.
“Ten dollars is the highest we could possibly ask,” I said, shaking my head firmly at his suggestion that we double the entry fee, and offer a fifty dollar ticket that included a special table and free raffle tickets.
“No, trust me, it makes it more exclusive. And it’s basically the price of a movie ticket and a soda anyway, but they’ll get so much more.”
“People here work for a living,” I said. “A Virginia living, not a Manhattan living. It costs four dollars to see the matinee at the Dante, and that includes a small popcorn.”
He rolled his eyes. “That’s probably part of the reason it’s going under.”
I huffed and Harper slid her chair back, trying to pretend Silas was calling her over. I barely noticed as I stared at Jax, who was crossing out some of my best ideas.
“Like I said, no open bar, not even beer. And—”
“The beer will be donated,” I argued. “Why not give it away?”
“You’re trying to raise money, right?”
His tone suggested I was an idiot, but he didn’t know the people around here like I did. There was no better draw than free beer. To make people pay to get into the event and then charge them for drinks would practically cause a riot. I calmly explained as best I could, growing tired of his condescension.
“Why don’t you try to get interest from the bigger towns?” he asked.
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes, as if this was some revolutionary suggestion. “I’ve tried. They all have their own things to worry about. The historical society in Roanoke wasn’t interested, either. Even though the place is almost a hundred years old, nobody famous ever went there, so it’s just not a draw for tourists.” It was difficult to keep my frustration from showing, especially now that he looked at me with a touch of pity in his eyes.
“Maybe it’s time to let nature take its course, then?”
Ugh, I was so sick of that argument. “As if strip malls are natural?” I snapped, then took a calming breath. “The Dante is important to me. A huge amount of my best childhood memories are there. Don’t you have a place like that? That would kill you if it got torn down?”
The pity was gone as he looked at me, replaced with something that made me start to get a little warm the longer he kept searching my face. “I guess I don’t,” he finally said a bit wistfully. He took my hand and pried the pen out of my death grip. “I think you’ve planned enough for tonight. It’s time for some dancing.”
He turned and hollered for Raylen to turn up the music, pulling me up and into his arms. A second later, we were whirling across the open part of the deck and, as he swung me around in time to the raucous tune, I quickly forgot about everything except how much fun I was having.
