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“This is exactly why I want you to work with Jane on this one, Austin. She’s a pro and she is familiar with all of the aspects of hosting all sorts of weddings. If we want to start attracting more celebrity weddings, we need to show that we can make anything happen. We’ve had some pretty high-profile weddings, but nothing to this degree in terms of social media and press. You’ll help her strategize with the wedding planner and make things happen. You’re the family face on this one, and this is something that seemed important to them. I need this planner to know we’re here for anything, and that we can handle anything that comes up. Security is a big issue for Kat Kay, and I want her to know that she’s got a family representative present who will attend all meetings and reassure them that we’re on top of that. Got it?” he asked, looking directly at his son.
Austin just sat there and nodded.
“I will say,” Jane chimed in, “security was the one thing Kat talked most about when she toured the place. Money doesn’t seem to be an issue as far as security is concerned. They just want this to be an intimate family affair.”
“We’re closing down The Oxford for the entire day of the wedding—at their request,” Mr. Drew interjected as he looked over at his son. It was something he had gone back and forth on with Jane, but ultimately he decided it was the best decision. The loss of revenue would be covered by the cost of the wedding. He had never done this for a guest before, but this was a special case that seemed to warrant it.
“You’re willing to miss out on all that revenue for a day? Over this wedding?” Austin asked, surprised. He’d never known his father to shut down The Oxford.
“Yes, I am. When I told them how much revenue I would be losing by closing the place down, they matched it with an extra 15% to ensure that the place wouldn’t be crawling with paparazzi.”
Austin sat back in his seat, not quite sure what to say.
“It was the only way we could secure the booking,” Jane added, seeing that Austin was surprised by his father’s decision.
“To be honest, Son, they’re actually excited to meet you. I spoke with Kat’s manager yesterday when I sent along your NDA. I can tell they felt comfortable having an actual Drew on the wedding team,” Mr. Drew added, looking over at his son with a smile. “They didn’t realize I had four sons to groom to take over at some point,” he winked, not caring that Jane was present to hear it.
It was obvious that Austin didn’t find his father’s rhetoric very funny. “Is that your new sales pitch now?” he asked.
“Sales pitch?” Mr. Drew replied, unaffected by his son’s comments. “No. I just want everyone who works for The Oxford to be aligned with what I’m trying to do, and part of that is bringing the four of you into the business.”
Austin took a deep breath and cocked his head to the side as he looked over at Jane, “So, what do you actually need me to do?” Looking directly at her, he added, “Does everything require us to tag-team, or am I going to be able to do things on my own?”
It took all of Jane’s composure to maintain her cool. The rumors seemed to be true. Austin Drew was an arrogant ass. Did he not understand that she wanted to be in this position even less than him? She looked over at Mr. Drew calmly, and then back at Austin and said, “Given the workload, anything we can do separately would be a time saver. I’ll be sure to discuss this with you. However, I have the impression that your father wants us to try to work together as much as we can at this wedding. Am I correct on that one, Sir?” she asked, looking back over at Mr. Drew, praying that he would sense the resistance from both of them and find something else for Austin to do.
“Yes,” he nodded. “That’s the whole point of you working with Jane, Austin. I’m looking to attract more celebrity weddings, and I want you involved in them. I’m looking for you to be the marketing and PR guy for the family on these kinds of special events.”
Still not happy at having to put up with hand-holding from Jane, he looked at her again and asked, “Are we supposed to call the wedding planner now? How does this work? I’m a little tied up later today.”
Jane paused and took a deep breath, not caring if Mr. Drew thought it was rude or not. This behavior was ridiculous.
“God forbid we interfere with your plans,” his father huffed. “Jane, if this afternoon is the only time their event planner can talk, book it,” he stated, looking over at his son. “You can cancel your plans.”
Seeing his father’s frustration, and not wanting to push him any further, Austin glanced over at Jane and politely said, “If we can possibly do this tomorrow, that would be great.”
She looked down at the piles of folders and notebooks in front of her and pulled out her planner. “What’s your schedule like tomorrow?” she asked as she fanned through her day. “I will call her to see about getting onto her calendar. I have between 1 and 4 pm open. Does that work for you?”
Austin looked over at Jane and nodded his head with a slight smile. “I’m open tomorrow at the moment, so whatever works for her and for you, count me in. I’ll make sure I’m here to take the call with you,” he said as he looked at his father and not at Jane.
Jane really felt like asking him how nice it must be to have an open schedule, but she restrained herself. She didn’t know what that even felt like. Her days were packed with to-do lists a mile long, along with calls, emails, tours of The Oxford, and client meet-ups. “Sounds good,” she replied, trying not to sound annoyed with her new babysitting job. “How should I go about getting in touch with you?”
“You can text me,” he answered and pulled a piece of a scrap of paper off one of the papers in his green file and scribbled his number down.
“Thank you, Austin,” Jane replied as she took the paper and tucked it into her planner. “You’ll hear from me later today with a confirmed time. She’s usually good at getting back to me, so you can expect a text from me this afternoon. I would plan to be on the phone with her for about an hour or so.”
“Great!” Mr. Drew said. “We’re making progress. Just do me a favor, Austin,” he said, looking at his son with a serious look. “Don’t be late.”
“Me, late?” he asked with a cocky tone, as he stood up from the table and headed for the door. Before he left, he looked at Jane and said, “Nice meeting you.”
