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“I’m happy to hear that.” Although I wasn’t surprised. Those with money always wanted the best, and in this area, that was me.
“They haven’t made any decisions yet, so you’ll need to start from the beginning.”
“What are the options you provide for the ceremony?” I asked, and he went through the various locations. There was a large indoor ballroom, a room overlooking the water, a few spots by the water—some more private than others—and the gardens. All were amazing locations, and it was a dream come true to offer all of them on the same property. Most venues had one option, not all of them.
We spent the morning going over the offerings, any limitations, and his personal policy—no request was denied. I limited that with my brides because I didn’t want the wedding planners overworked unnecessarily, but Silas’s policy was to meet every expectation of the bride and groom, no matter how big. “Are there any boundaries with your couples? Times when Hannah isn’t available?”
“That’s up to Hannah to set.”
“That’s good.” I’d be setting very clear boundaries at the first meeting. I worked hard for my clients, but not every hour of every day. I wasn’t Silas’s employee. I was more of a consultant he’d brought in. I’d set my own boundaries and hours.
“If you feel comfortable, we can go to lunch. Then John and Emma are scheduled to meet with us this afternoon.”
“Will you be involved in the planning?” I asked him.
“I’ll let you do your thing. I trust that you’re good at your job.”
“I’m more than good.” There was a reason I was the number-one wedding planner in Annapolis. But I’d been struggling with the number of high-budget clients choosing Silas’s venue. Harper recently came up with the idea of advertising to out-of-state couples with the pitch that Annapolis was a destination wedding. It had added new clients to the mix, but I wasn’t satisfied we’d solved our cash flow problem.
This arrangement with Silas could be the answer, and I didn’t want to do anything to mess it up.
“That’s why we’re working together. I only work with the best,” he said smoothly.
I smiled, pleased he was complimenting me, and we weren’t fighting like we usually did.
Silas stood and rounded his desk, offering his hand to me. “If you’re going to be working here, you need to sample the food. I have a table reserved for us overlooking the water.”
I put my hand in his, wondering why I was letting him cross this boundary when we were merely working together. The warmth of his palm seeped up my arm and straight to my heart.
He held my hand as he led me through the resort and into his five-star restaurant. Silas nodded at the hostess as he headed straight for a table overlooking the water, where it was relatively private. Silas pulled out my chair. “We’re working, so I didn’t order any wine.”
“That’s fine,” I said as he sat in the chair across from me. There was a vase of fresh flowers in the middle of the table. It was a nice touch. I had a feeling Silas added details like that to separate his resort from others.
I perused the menu as Silas mentioned the most popular dishes and the ones that were his favorite. I settled on the salmon, and he ordered the chicken.
When the waitress took our order and left, Silas said, “Everything is good. You won’t be disappointed.”
“I assumed it would be top-notch, and the view is incredible. I can’t believe you get to look at this every day.”
“My favorite view is the one at my house. It’s tucked behind the woods, but the rear of the house is open to the water. I spend most of my time on the deck when I’m there.”
“I would too.”
He raised a brow. “Maybe you can see it sometime.”
“Silas, we’re working together now,” I chided softly as my heart thumped harder.
“Are you saying that we can’t be intimate because of our arrangement? I can be professional and keep things separate.”
What he wasn’t saying was that he could keep his emotions out of it, but I’d already proven that I couldn’t. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Silas nodded but didn’t push. “You’ll like it here, and you’re welcome to stay at any time. Even if you’re not working.”
“That’s very generous of you,” I said, and meant it.
“I’m a generous guy.”
Normally, I’d have a sarcastic comment to make about that, but as I’d gotten to know Silas, I’d suspected he was a good guy. Generous with both his time and money. I was starting to see that I’d judged him on a surface level, which wasn’t fair. But then again, I was protecting myself. I knew if I drifted too close, I’d be sucked into his vortex. I still wasn’t sure I’d come out of this unscathed.
