I hang up before he can finish the lie.
Derek, who's been pretending not to listen, gives me a sympathetic look. "Big offer?"
"Huge."
"You turned it down?"
I nod.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." And the surprising thing is, I am. "I'm exactly where I want to be."
Derek nods, going back to sanding the display panel we're building for my next gallery show. After a moment, he says, "You know, Leo was good for us back in the day."
"Yeah, he was," I agree. "Got us our first big bookings. Taught us how the business worked."
"But those days are behind us now." Derek looks up with a grin. "Look at us. All grown up."
I laugh. "Running our own businesses. Making our own choices."
"Being boring and responsible."
"Speak for yourself. I'm very exciting."
"You're building a display panel right now."
"An extremely display panel," I correct him.
Derek laughs, and we get back to work. The call from Leo already forgotten.
Chapter 29
Snow
Yesterday's Preston article could have derailed me. A few months ago, it would have sent me spiraling with doubt and fear. But yesterday morning, I looked at that headline and felt... nothing. Well, not nothing — annoyance, maybe a flash of anger — but not the crushing panic I used to feel.
Because I'm done giving him headspace.
I'm still riding that high when Nico calls.
"Snow?" Nico's voice is bubbling with excitement. "Are you sitting down?"
"I'm always sitting down when I'm working. What's got you so—"
"Wyatt turned down half a million dollars."
My pen slips from my fingers. "What?"
"Leo called him yesterday. Remember that offer from a few months back? The one Wyatt turned down. The mysterious major brand Leo wouldn't name."
My stomach drops. "Yeah?"
"They came back with an even bigger offer." She takes a breath. "Two-year exclusive contract. Five hundred thousanddollars, plus bonuses and international exposure. It would have set him up for life."
My heart starts hammering against my ribs. "And he turned it down?"
"Turned it down flat. Again." She pauses, and I can practically hear her grinning. "And according to my sources, when Leo pulled his usual 'we are done' threat, Wyatt called him out on it. Reminded him that he said the exact same thing a few months ago. Leo tried to backtrack, claimed he never said that, told Wyatt not to be so dramatic."
