Page 74 of Flippin' Cowboy
“I’ve met Mike’s type before,” Autumn said. “They try to steamroller you with a false sense of urgency. They want to rush you into making a decision before you remember you have some power in the situation.”
“And what kind of power doIhave?” Winnie shook her head.
“How about a proven track record on a popular show?” Autumn asked gently. “Think of it this way: Mike, Geoff, and this Donna Morris person wouldn’t be pushing you so hard if you weren’t the star power they needed to get their project off the ground.”
Winnie gaped at her. Now that Autumn mentioned it, it made sense. And it had never even crossed Winnie’s mind.
“Think about it,” Autumn continued with a smile. “If Geoff was really a star in his own right, why do they needyouso badly? Why not just pair him with a new general contractor?”
“So, you’re saying I can fight them?” Winnie demanded. Hope sprouted and blossomed on the rage-scorched plain inside her.
“Sure. But first, figure out whatyouwant,” Autumn advised. She sat back and sipped her cappuccino.
Winnie didn’t have to think about it very hard. “I want to stay in Snowberry Springs and work with Nick on our new show.”
Autumn beamed at her. “Good answer. Nick’s a keeper, Winnie. We all love him, and it would be great if he became part of our family for real. And Kegan is such a sweetie. It’s been really good for Jayden to have another boy here his own age.”
“It’s funny, you know,” Winnie said. “All those years of Nick ripping my work apart on social media—who would’ve thought I’d end up falling for him? But that still doesn’t solve my problem.”
“Now that you’ve defined the outcome you need, your next step is to come up with a compromise that gets you what you want, and that Geoff and the others will accept,” Autumn said. She frowned at her sister. “And don’t youdareback down just to make your creep of an ex happy!”
Suddenly feeling lighter, Winnie laughed. “Thanks for having my back, sis.” She raised her cup in a toast and drained the last of her coffee, licking the foam from her lips.
“And thanks for having mine. This job has been a lifesaver for me and Jayden,” Autumn replied, raising her cappuccino in turn. “And now, Grandma Abigail wants me to organize the Vintage Railroad Festival, so I’ll have two recent big accomplishments to list on my revamped website.”
On the drive back out to the job site, Winnie and Autumn brainstormed possible solutions to The Geoff Problem, as Autumn had named it.
By the time Winnie parked her truck, she knew what she needed to do.
“Autumn, you’re the best. Thank you!” She hugged her sister, then strode off to find Karla.
∞∞∞
“You didwhat?” Nick roared, aghast at what he’d just heard. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”
He’d been stewing over that video meeting all day, agonizing over how to fix this mess and saveReviving Snowberry Springs. Therehadto be a way! He just couldn’t see it right now.
And now, here was Winnie, telling him that she’d agreed to invite Geoff-Fucking-Dickweed-Schaefer to work on their show.
Even worse, Winnie and Karla hadn’t bothered asking Nick for his input, just decided they were going to let Dickweed design the library-cum-saloon area.
Winnie spread her hands. “Look, I did my best! This was the only compromise Donna Morris was willing to consider if I wasn’t moving back to Seattle to work on a new season ofRestoring Seattle. At least I managed to cut out that douchebag Mike.” She sounded pleased. “After the way he called me ‘honey,’ there was no way I was going to let him come back here.”
“Oh, great,” Nick said sarcastically. “And hurrah for you. But you still gave in to the dickweed who left you at the fucking altar.”
“But—” Winnie began.
“And you did it without talking to me first!” That part really stung.
“But Ihadto—” she tried again.
“We’re supposed to be partners,” Nick interrupted ruthlessly. “And you single-handedly went ahead and hired the guy who paints over original woodwork. Onourshow. The one where we’re supposed to be preserving Montana’s heritage!” He shook his head. “Un-fucking-believable.”
Winnie suddenly looked like someone had kicked her puppy.
He turned his back on her. He didn’t want pity to soften his righteous indignation. “I won’t have it. I won’t let that fucking dickweed touchmyrestoration!”
“I’m sorry, Nick.” She sounded defeated, and that made Nick hate Geoff even more. “I tried my best. I really did, but I couldn’t make everyone happy.”
