Page 41 of Flippin' Cowboy
Nice attempt at derailing the conversation, sis, thought Winnie as she turned left on Main Street.
“Are you asking whether I still hate his guts? I think we’ve moved past that and are now cooperating like professionals.” Winnie paused as she stopped for a completely unnecessary red light at the town’s one traffic signal. “Though I question whether he’s actually going to show up on time tomorrow.”
“Don’t give me that, Winnie!” Autumn exclaimed. “Don’t pretend you aren’t interested in him.”
“What?” Winnie yelped. “Are you kidding me?”
“Oh, please.” Autumn’s tone was dry. “You guys can’t keep your eyes off each other. And don’t think I haven’t noticed how he’s always touching you!”
“You seriously think Nick and I are an item?” Winnie rolled her eyes and scoffed loudly. She added defensively, “And he isnotalways touching me!”
Against her will, she remembered the comforting feel of his arm around her shoulders yesterday. And then there were all those times he’d clapped her on the shoulder or accidentally brushed against her… Her face heated. She hoped her blush wasn’t visible in the pickup cab’s dim lighting.
“Well, okay,”she reluctantly admitted. “Maybe he is sort of touchy-feely. But that doesn’t mean I want to date him or anything!”
“So, you’re telling me youdon’thate his guts?” Autumn teased. “Even after all the times he trashed one of your renos on his social media feed?”
Winnie blew out a breath. “Well, he isn’t quite the arrogant jerk I first thought he was. I mean, okay, he’s plenty arrogant, but he’s also got a sweet, thoughtful side to him.”
“Mm-hm,” Autumn said encouragingly.
“But nothing’s going to happen,” Winnie declared. “Even if he’s interested in me inthatway—which he’snot, by the way—I’ve learned my lesson about getting involved with men I work with.”
After way too long with absolutely no other traffic on the cross street, the traffic light finally changed to green.
As she put her foot on the gas, Winnie added bitterly, “There’s nothing like being left at the altar while the TV cameras are running and your ex-fiancé is down at the courthouse marrying your ex-best friend.”
“It could’ve been worse,” Autumn said in a monotone. She turned her head to look out the passenger side window at the darkened storefronts flashing by. “You could’ve married Geoff and then found out what kind of person he was after it was too late.”
Winnie seized on the opportunity to shift the conversation away from her and Nick. “So, what the hell happened between you and Phillip? Everyone’s been giving you space, but I can see it’s eating away at you, Tum-tum.” She hadn’t called her sister by her childhood nickname in a long time.
Autumn’s fingers clenched convulsively around the strap of her designer purse. “I-I just realized that things weren’t working out.”
“Somethingmust’ve happened,” Winnie insisted. “I mean, you’ve been putting up with his bullshit for years, Autumn. Why leave him now?”
“I was trying so hard to make our relationship work.” Autumn’s expression crumpled. To Winnie’s dismay, tears began flowing down her sister’s cheeks. “Last week, I found out what wasreallyhappening on all those business trips that Phillip was taking to his company’s headquarters in New Jersey.”
“Oh, no,” Winnie breathed. “He was cheating on you?”
“You could say that.” Autumn sniffled, and dug into her purse for a tissue. Her hair fell forward to hide her face. “He has another family. With two kids. His—his other wife lives in New York City. I—I found out about her when I opened one of Phillip’s credit card statements and found a bunch of charges—”
Winnie reached for her sister’s free hand in wordless sympathy.
Autumn began sobbing. Her next few words came out in muffled bursts. “—I hired a private detective… p-paid that other woman’s apartment… private s-school… vacation in Hawaii. A-all the things Phillip said we couldn’t afford!”
Winnie squeezed her sister’s hand hard. “I’m so sorry.”
Autumn clung to her in a death grip and sobbed harder. Winnie kept hold of her but let her sister cry it out in the relative privacy of the darkened truck.
They left the town and drove down the deserted highway. Snow blanketed the pastures on either side of the road, glowing silver in the moonlight.
They were nearly back at the ranch when Autumn finally regained control of herself. Her eyes red-rimmed and watery, and her eyeliner hopelessly smeared, she said in a muffled voice, “When I confronted him with the evidence, he said it was my fault. He—he said I’d let myself go after Jayden was born, and that’s why he wasn’t attracted to me anymore.” Her voice rose with indignation. “You see, it wasn’t his fault that he had needs. Oh, and I should be grateful that he was paying for me to laze around as a stay-at-home mom!”
“Thatasshole!” Winnie gasped in disbelief. “You know that’s all BS, right?”
Growing up, auburn-haired Autumn had always been the most beautiful of the three Snowberry sisters. Now in her late twenties, she was still drop-dead gorgeous.
Autumn blew her nose with a loud honk. “I feel like such a failure right now, Winnie.”
