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Emmett finally sat in the chair at the end of the table, which was telling for me. As the eldest, he was the one who’d make the final decision.
“Do you work the farm year-round?” I asked them, curious if the holiday season was their sole moneymaker.
“Sebastian is an accountant and our bookkeeper. Emmett has a furniture business on the side, Knox has a landscaping business, and Talon is an artist of sorts; he makes things out of metal.”
“Are you the one who makes the metal trees that are displayed in the shop?” I asked Talon.
“I do those because my mother wants me to provide something to the store, but I usually create lighting and other decorative items for the home. They have an industrial feel.”
“I’d love to see them sometime.” I wondered if there was something we could use for weddings in Lily’s barn.
“Heath bartends in the off-season, and a few of their cousins work here during the busy season too.”
“The business isn’t sustaining the family year-round?” I asked, needing a better view of what I was working with.
“That’s none of your business,” Emmett interjected.
“It’s okay, Emmett. We make a good living those few months, but with all of us working here, we need more. That’s why they have side businesses. I think there are ways we could increase our income, and that’s why we agreed to meet with you today.”
Irritation flitted over Emmett’s face. “Say whatever it is you have to say.”
His gruffness didn’t get to me. Yet Silas never failed to set me off in conversations. With a professional expression and tone, I said, “Ireland’s getting married, and she would love to have the wedding on your farm. It’s her dream.”
Emmett arched a brow, his entire body stiff as he looked at Ireland. “You’re engaged?”
Ireland smiled and lifted the sparkling diamond on her finger. It was huge, probably a testament to her fiancé’s bank account. Ireland came from money, and her fiancé came from the same social circle. I had a feeling once they were married, she’d quit working for me. She probably wouldn’t need the income, and working as an event planner was beneath her social status.
Emmett shifted in his seat. “You want to get married on my farm?”
I had a feeling that Emmett was attracted to Ireland, and his reaction only confirmed that suspicion.
Ireland was thoughtful for a few seconds. “It’s my dream to get married on a Christmas tree farm. I think it would be romantic.”
I believed her when she said she wanted to get married on a Christmas tree farm. I wasn’t so sure her fiancé would agree with the venue. But my job was to secure the farm for future Happily Ever Afters weddings, not inquire as to Ireland’s relationship with her fiancé.
Emmett leaned his elbows on the table. “Weddings are a one-day party. Marriages are forever.”
Her cheeks flushed. “What are you saying?”
Emmett waved a hand in her direction. “Brides don’t understand what they’re getting into. They get so caught up in the one-day party, they forget they are pledging themselves to someone for life.”
Ireland leaned forward and asked shrewdly, “Are you talking from personal experience?”
Emmett flinched at her comment, and Lori looked uncomfortable.
I’d bet anything that Emmett had been jilted by an ex. Was he left at the altar? What would that do to a person? Was that why he was reluctant to allow weddings on his property?
Desperate to get this back on track, I continued as if Emmett hadn’t revealed anything. “I’m proposing that Ireland’s wedding be held here as a trial. We can have it early in the season, maybe Thanksgiving weekend.”
“That’s one of the busiest weekends of the season,” Emmett bit out.
“Is there a quiet weekend we can hold it in December?” I asked sweetly, already knowing the answer.
Talon shook his head. “It only gets busier.”
“That’s why I’m proposing Thanksgiving weekend. It will be holiday themed for Ireland, but it allows you to have most of the season without any weddings, if that’s what you choose. Then you can decide if it’s worth it to hold more. It doesn’t make sense to say no until we give it a shot. We have ways to reduce parking issues and crowds.” I slid my proposal across the table to Emmett. It was a power move, one acknowledging that I knew he was the one making this decision, not his mother or even his brothers.
“You’re used to getting what you want,” Emmett said.
