Dusty picked up the partnership agreement, papers creased from being carried around yesterday. “Yeah. Let's do this.”
Vincent's smile when we walked into his office told me he'd already clocked the way Cord and I were holding hands. That knowing, pleased expression of his, the one that said he'd orchestrated this exact outcome. He probably had.
His only objection had been to me taking two weeks off. “Consider your contract for the season fulfilled, I won’t hear any argument about it. You’ve given us years of great service, and there’s nothing more that I want than success for you both.” He winked. “And maybe some new artwork for my bedroom, when you find the time.”
After Vincent set up his laptop for a video conference with Cord's lawyer, he stepped out to give us privacy. I picked up the partnership agreement Gail's attorney had drafted, fingers tracing the letterhead.
“Fifty-fifty profit split,” he read aloud. “After operational expenses.”
“Yeah.” I pulled the financial projections closer. “These are conservative estimates—renovation costs, operational expenses, projected revenue.”
He studied the numbers, blue eyes moving across columns of carefully calculated figures. “Why partnership, Cord? You could structure this as an investment, take a smaller percentage, less personal risk—”
“Because I don't want to be your investor.” The words came easily now, shaped by weeks of thinking about how to say this right. “You told me I was trying to fix you instead of listening. You were right.”
Dusty’s jaw tightened, an acknowledgment of that fight, of the hurt that had driven us apart.
“This isn't me fixing your problem,” I continued. “It's me asking if you want to build something together. You manage the gallery, handle curation, work with artists. I handle business operations, finances, legal stuff. Equal partners.”
His eyes widened as he read through my projections. “You really thought about this.”
“Remember at the cabin when the roof leaked? How we worked together to fix it? We were good at that, figuring things out as a team.”
Something softened in his expression, warmth replacing wariness.
“What if it fails?” His voice was quieter now. “The business, I mean.”
“Then we have a partnership agreement that protects both of us. We pivot, adjust, find new approaches.”
Dusty was quiet, fingers drumming softly against the glass table. “I'd need creative control over the gallery. Artist selection, curation, presentation.”
“That's your expertise. I wouldn't dream of overriding it.”
“And involvement in business decisions. Real involvement, not just being told what you've decided.”
“That's what partnership means. We make major decisions together.” I smiled. “Though I'm handling contractor negotiations solo. That's boring as hell.”
That earned me a small smile. “Deal.”
I turned Vincent's laptop toward us and opened up the video conference with Gail. “Gail, I've got you on speaker. Dusty Miller is here with me. We've reviewed everything. We're ready to move forward.”
“Excellent. Have you both signed the partnership agreement?”
We looked at each other. Dusty reached for the pen, and I watched him sign his name in neat, careful script, each letter deliberate, significant. Then I signed below his signature.
“Done,” I said.
“Perfect. Scan those documents and email them to me, and I'll contact the realtor this morning with your formal offer. You should hear back within forty-eight hours.”
After we ended the meeting, we sat in silence. The partnership agreement lay between us, our signatures binding us together.
“We're really doing this,” Dusty said softly.
“We really are.”
Back in my suite, packing took ten minutes. I'd only arrived yesterday with a single duffel bag. Everything fit easily, leaving me with hours before meeting Dusty at the studio.
The main courtyard glowed in afternoon sunlight, Mexican pavers still holding warmth despite the autumn chill. We were a week away from Thanksgiving, but someone had already started stringing Christmas lights and candy canes along the pergola, and I had to laugh—a little early, even for The Ranch's enthusiasm.
