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tulle.
    “This place is gorgeous,” Lauren commented, taking off her winter hat while admiring a large floral centerpiece on the table in the lobby.
    As Ivy walked over to Lauren, Jonathan came around the corner to meet them. “Good afternoon, Ivy.”
    Ivy gave a generous smile. “Jonathan, I’d like you to meet Lauren Kabins. Lauren, this is Jonathan Damon, one of the owners.”
    Jonathan offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Kabins. Congratulations on your engagement.”
    Lauren accepted Jonathan’s hand. “Thank you, Mr. Damon. This is a lovely place.”
    Releasing her hand, Jonathan glanced back and forth between Ivy and Lauren. “Ladies, follow me and we can get started.”
    Ivy walked behind Jonathan and Lauren. As she watched Jonathan interact with the client, she noticed the swagger in his walk.
    She admired the way his shoulders fit his gray suit jacket, and his posture was that of pride and professionalism. He exuded confidence, and there was nothing about his body language, eyes, or the way he spoke that indicated a personal relationship between them. He was all business. And she liked it.
    Jonathan stopped in front of the ballroom door. “I thought we would have our meeting in the ballroom that’s available for your date.”
    Lauren looked over at Ivy for approval. “That’s fine with me. You come highly recommended by Ms. Hart,” Lauren said innocently.
    Jonathan gave Ivy a big smile. “Thank you, we try to please.”
    Once he opened the double oak doors, Ivy heard Lauren gasp.
    Even empty, the Embassy ballroom was stunning. The high vaulted ceilings projected a sense of openness and comfort. Shiny brass chandeliers throughout, two marble bar areas and a hardwood parquet dance floor that covered the entire length of the room.
    The lonely table in the large space had been setup with a diamond white pin-tucked table cloth and paired with diamond white, brushed satin bag-style chair covers and a purple sash with a diamond chair cover brooch to hold it together.
    Jonathan assisted Lauren out of her coat and placed it over one of the other empty seats at the table. He offered her a seat, pulling it from underneath the round table. Once she was seated, he did the same for Ivy, before taking his own seat next to her.
    Lauren looked around the room, and then inspected the table that had been set with clear charger plates with gold beaded trim, Waterford crystal, beautiful flatware and white bone china.
    “This is gorgeous,” Lauren said, gently rubbing the see-through gold lamé table overlay.
    “We keep a display table to give the clients examples of table setting styles. We change the look every other week to give it some variety.” Jonathan explained picking up several leaflets about the facility, handing them to her. “All of our events come with butler styled passed hors d’oeuvres, so we can check that off the list.”
    Since Lauren had a short timeline, Ivy wanted to find out her plans and expectations. “Lauren, how many guests are you anticipating?”
    “About one hundred.”
    “Do you have a budget?” Ivy needed to know how much money she had to work with so she could make smart decisions when planning the wedding.
    “My fiancée told me to get what I wanted?” Lauren giggled and then pulled out a folder with a protective cover.
    She handed it to Ivy. “I’ve written down my wishes and gathered photos of dresses, cakes, flowers and wedding favors.”
    Ivy placed the folder between her and Jonathan so that they could scan through it together.
    Flipping the pages, Ivy gave Jonathan a quick glance to make sure she he was keeping up.
    Closing the cover, she turned her attention back to Lauren. “Wow, this is a very detailed plan. Are any of these requests negotiable?”
    A big grin grew on Lauren’s face as she moved her head from side to side. “No. I want every one,” she said with certainty. “My fiancée said I could have what ever I wanted, so I’m going all the way. You