Teresa shrugged. “But we can’t force them to work with us.”
“So what do we do in the meantime? The phones are barely ringing. If clients keep jumping ship...” Corinne’s cheeks flushed.
“We won’t let it get to that,” Teresa said firmly. “I’m trying to drum up business with some new clients. The kind who don’t run scared at the first hint of scandal.”
“Reality stars?” Corinne asked, then rolled her eyes when Teresa confirmed with the nod of her head. “God, they’re the worst.” She heaved a sigh. “But hey, I get it. We have to do what we have to do. For now.”
“The other key element of weathering this storm is that we hold on to as many current clients as we can. Keep reassuring them that this has all been a big misunderstanding and it’ll blow over soon. Speaking of holding on to the clients we have now, have you heard from Matt Richmond?”
Limitless Events had planned an elaborate business retreat on behalf of Matt Richmond—the incredibly handsome and fabulously wealthy CEO of Richmond Industries—at The Opulence last week. The hotel was extravagant and luxurious, the food was going to be delectable, and the guest list was to include the rich and powerful. The event was the talk of the town, but for all the wrong reasons.
Torrential rains caused a mudslide that had knocked out the power and damaged the hotel before the retreat could take place. Matt Richmond’s event should’ve been Limitless Event’s pièce de résistance. Instead, it descended into a chaotic catastrophe for the dozen or so guests who’d arrived early. Though she obviously didn’t control the weather, Teresa felt responsible for the calamitous party.
Thankfully, Matt Richmond hadn’t blamed her for the disastrous nonevent. Undeterred by the incredible fail, he’d been determined to reschedule the retreat. Yet he hadn’t called, as he’d promised, to initiate the planning.
Had he not returned her calls because of the scandal hitting the airwaves? Or had Liam, Matt’s best friend, discouraged him from working with her?
“I haven’t heard from him and whenever I’ve called, his assistant can’t get a hold of him.” Corinne shrugged apologetically. “Maybe we should call Nadia. After all, she does work for you.”
“As an independent contractor,” Teresa clarified. “And I don’t like the idea of leveraging her marriage to Matt. That isn’t why I asked her to work with me.”
“Then maybe I should visit his office.”
“No...don’t.” Teresa waved off the suggestion. She could imagine Corinne’s friendly visit to Matt going wrong six ways to Sunday. “I’ll try him again later. How is the search for a new venue going?”
Corinne’s frown deepened and she blew a puff of air between her plump lips. “Not well. Not if Richmond is determined to schedule the retreat anytime soon. The venues with openings in the next couple of months don’t meet our standards of elegance and luxury.”
“I was afraid of that.” Teresa heaved a sigh. “I know it’s a tall order, but keep trying. Ask our top choices to call us first, in the event of a cancellation.”
“Will do.” Corinne popped up from her seat, her red curls bouncing. “Anything else, chief?”
“No.” Teresa riffled through papers on her desk, knocking over a small four-by-six photo of her and her brother, Joshua, on a trip to Mexico together a few years ago. She picked up the photo. “Have you heard from my brother? He left me several messages when my phone went dead last week, but I haven’t been able to contact him since then.”
“I haven’t taken any calls from him.” Worry lined Corinne’s forehead. “Should I try to raise him for you?”
“No, you have enough on your plate.” Teresa set the photo back in place. “It’s probably just Joshua being Joshua. I’ve left him several messages. He’ll resurface when he’s ready.”
Corinne nodded, closing the door behind her.
Teresa relaxed in the comfy leather executive chair she’d splurged on when they’d opened the office. Now she only hoped she wouldn’t be forced to shutter her doors and sell it along with everything else.
She was trying hard to keep it together, but it was a lot to ask when her entire world was imploding. The ill-fated weekend extravaganza, the false rumors, her brother’s disappearance. But the thing that made her heart ache was Liam’s rejection.
Amid the craziness of bad weather and a tree falling through the hotel that had nearly taken her out were moments that had taken her breath away. Her cheeks flushed and her entire body filled with heat whenever she thought of their steamy encounter in that spa room. And her heart stirred when she recalled the worry in his eyes when he’d rescued her from beneath that tree and tended to her ankle.
Without thought, Teresa rotated her ankle, still a little sore.
She’d been grateful he’d confided in her that night, explaining to her why he had such difficulty trusting people. But after all they’d been through and the moments they’d shared...how could he still not trust her?
Her desk phone rang and she picked it up. “Yes?”
“I tried Richmond’s office again. His assistant was out and he answered,” Corinne said triumphantly. “I have him on the line now.”
Teresa smoothed a hand down her pant leg. “Thank you, Corinne. Please put him through.”
“Hello, Matt, I know you’re busy, so I’ll only take a moment of your time,” Teresa said cheerfully. “Last week, you indicated that you’d like to reschedule the retreat as soon as possible. I wanted to touch base so we can move forward with the plans.”
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Teresa’s pulse raced.
Oh no. He’s going to cancel, too.
“When will The Opulence be available again?” he asked finally. “I know Shane Adams has people working around the clock, but...”
“Not anytime soon, I’m afraid. And once they do reopen, they’re booked solid for several months. Would you like to wait until then?”
“No. It’s for our fifth anniversary, so I’d like to keep the event as close to the anniversary date as possible. I realize not all of the people who were originally invited will be available if we reschedule with such a short timeline. So we’ll need to expand the guest list based on how many from the original list will be able to attend.”
“Just have your assistant pass those additional names on to Corinne and we’ll take care of the rest.”
“So then you have a venue in mind?” His tone was doubtful.
“Not yet,” she admitted. “But my staff is working tirelessly to find a venue that’s available on short notice and meets our standards and yours. I’ll be in touch as soon as I have a few good options.”
“And what about a headliner? Would Jessie Humphrey be willing to perform at the rescheduled event?”
Embroiled in a scandal and bleeding clients, Teresa hadn’t considered whether Jessie would be willing to fly
