“She’ll calm down.” Porter promised.
It was interesting that she’d called Porter to talk about it. “I didn’t know you two were all talky talky these days.”
“I wouldn’t say we are. She just remembered why we used to be friends while she was here for the wedding. Speaking of, promise me you’ll wait a bit to plan yours. I think another in a hurry wedding might send Maggie over the edge.”
“I can promise I won’t be planning a wedding any time soon.” There. A piece of truth. “Now, why are you here?”
“Flynn called me.”
“He did?” She glanced at the culprit for some kind of an explanation.
“I did. C’mon. You, too, Abbey. Your input would be useful for this.” Flynn took Pru’s hand and towed her toward the back door.
“Useful for what?” Pru asked.
“You’ll see.”
They all trooped out to the barn.
“What do you normally use this space for?” Flynn asked.
“It’s been mostly storage for years. We cleaned out a lot, got rid of stuff to make room for the wedding.”
“But there’s not farm equipment that’s coming back or anything?”
“No. This land hasn’t been farmed in near to a century. Why?”
“Because I think that this could be your new day spa.”
“A barn,” Pru repeated.
“Bear with me. You’ve got mostly unused space out here. Now unless you plan on turning it into an event venue for more weddings like Kennedy’s—”
“Please, God, no.” Pru shuddered.
With a smile, Flynn squeezed her hand. “Then you have an opportunity here. You said you need space to set up for the kinds of services you and Abbey discussed. That means either adding onto the house or building something new elsewhere on the property, both of which would be of considerable expense. But if you were able to convert an existing space, then the idea comes back within reach. It’s why I called Porter. To see what it would take to renovate the place.”
Pru didn’t even ask how Flynn knew Porter was a contractor. She could only suppose it came up at some point during the wedding. “You think we should turn the barn into a spa?”
“I think you want a spa, and it’s a space you haven’t considered.”
Porter turned in a circle, his face assessing. “It’s not a half bad idea. This thing was built back when things were built to last. Structure’s solid, and I helped put on that tin roof myself about eight years back, so it’s got decades more life in it.” He began to pace. “The walls would need to be insulated and covered in drywall or maybe shiplap. You could either totally empty out the hay loft and make a second floor for treatment rooms or office space, or keep that for storage and just close it off. It is a barn, but you could absolutely play on that vibe. Sort of a rustic chic. Lots of reclaimed wood and stone accents.”
As he talked, Pru began to see his vision, how it could be done. And she felt the first shoots of excitement begin to bloom.
“The beams could be left exactly as is—exposed. We’d add some better lighting for a sort of central atrium, with individual rooms off all sides. And I’m totally taking over your design without even asking what you’d want. What do you want, Pru?”
She took a few steps and looked at the space with fresh eyes. “I hardly know. This was mostly in pipe dream territory for way down the line. Everything you just said sounded awesome.”
“What would you actually need for a day spa?” Porter asked.
“Abbey, this is more your territory than min
e.”
Face bright with interest, Abbey began to pace from one end to the other. “At least half a dozen treatment rooms. There’s room for more on this first floor.” She began to reel off prospective services, the necessary space and equipment requirements.
“How would we staff all of that?” Pru asked.