Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“I get it. Some men think that if they hide the crap under the rug, you’re not going to notice. But then you trip over the lumpy carpet and… guess what, you’re hurting, and the stuff still comes out in the end.”
I smile, draw a steadying breath, then take a generous gulp of margarita to jump-start my engines. There’s a reason why I asked her to meet me, and it wasn’t just to vent about the Sweden debacle.
“I actually asked you here to run a proposition by you,” I begin, hoping she won’t refuse. “I know you hate your job, and I’m grateful every day that at least two managers buffer you from the creep who used to be my boss. I just hope you’re not dealing with the same level of crap I did, though I know the environment there is still toxic.”
“You’ve got that right,” Janet agrees.
“So, what do you think about switching to remote work and coming to Napa Valley with me?” I ask, holding my breath just in case she says no.
“Napa Valley?” Janet repeats. “Like… to your family farm?”
“It’s a piece of land,” I correct her, “and I’m going to turn it into a vineyard. It’s actually perfect for growing grapes. It sits right on the eastern lip of Wine Country. The soil is good, the weather is gentle. And we haven’t had a wildfire out there in years. I’ve got a business plan already put together, some idea about the starting costs… I’m still brushing up on the bottling and distribution side of things, but I know I can handle it.”
“You want to open a winery, huh?” A broad smile dances across my friend’s glossy lips as her eyes search my face.
“I truly believe it could work, and if it does, we could make a lot of money. You could work from the farmhouse and still bring in your regular income. You’d only need to pop into the office for the occasional in-person meeting, and the rest of the time you’d have total freedom. Plus, the views out there are worth making the leap, I promise.”
She thinks about it for a moment. “It’s a big deal, Mac—moving out of the city, leaving everything behind. I don’t know anything about farming or growing grapes.”
“But you know graphic design and product development,” I say. “That’s your jam. I’ll need help designing the labels and marketing the product.”
“But not for a while,” she cautions.
“True. But I don’t want to do this alone… Janet, you could switch to working with me when I’m ready to roll the product out. It’s why I suggested you go remote. I admit, I would need your help there, but I wouldn’t keep you from your own work. I just…” I lower my head for a second. “I can’t do it alone. But I believe in that place, I believe in what we could do with it. And you know what? If you agree, if you decide to invest any time in developing my winery… I’ll make you a partner. You’ll have a stake in the company, you’ll get a cut from the sales.”
“You really believe in this dream, huh?”
“With all my heart.”
Janet glances around, taking in the raucous atmosphere—colorful lights, questionable fashion choices—and giggles.
“We won’t have bars like this once we’re out in the country,” I add. “But we’ll have each other, and we’ll be surrounded by nature. Clean air, less stress, just enough hard labor to help us sleep like babies at night. Plus, we’ll be working on building a future for ourselves and our future families. I see it as a win-win.”
“Okay,” she finally says. “I’ll think about it.”
“Think quickly,” I warn. “I’m moving out of my apartment at the end of the month and need to arrange a U-Haul for my stuff.”
“Wow. I do appreciate the enthusiasm, I really do. But while I ponder this, let me just ask you one thing.”
I give her a curious look. “Shoot.”
“Why are you doing this, Mac? It’s a risky leap right after quitting your job—and I’m pretty sure you just got your heart broken, too.”
“I wouldn’t go that far as to say I got my heart—”
“Save it. Can it. Sell it to someone who believes it,” she cuts me off with a raised eyebrow, giving me no choice but to shyly concede. “So, is this whole winery thing a knee-jerk reaction to keep your mind off the things that hurt you, or is this a true passion project?”
Taking another long sip of my drink, I gather my thoughts and emotions into a single, well-crafted and genuine argument. “I’m doing this because I’ve wanted to do it for a long time. When our parents died, and I learned that they left me the land in Napa, I knew I was going to do something special with it. Granted, I was a little too young to figure out the details, but now… it’s different. And the dream has only grown bigger.”