Page 11 of Headstrong Cowboy
“Yes, I’m sorry.I’m just thinking.”
“I know it’s not the news you wanted to hear.But I felt you needed to be told of all the consequences before you submitted the forms.”
“No, I appreciate the call.I’ll get back to you with a decision.”
“I’ll wait for your call.Have a good day.”
Chrissy didn’t bother answering because her day wasn’t good.Not anymore.With the loss of that money, it would make getting a business loan even harder.Realistically, she’d looked at the rodeo winnings as the icing on the cake, because that wasn’t guaranteed.
Now nothing was.
The bank wasn’t going to look too favorably at her application now if the amount she was going to provide herself was potentially fifteen thousand lower than what she’d projected.
Chrissy pushed away from the desk.The walls were closing in on her.She had to get away from the depressing paperwork.The plan she’d worked on was slowly disintegrating, like a fall leaf crushed under the heel of her cowboy boot.
The sale idea was now even more appealing than it had been ten minutes ago.She walked into the greenhouse and found Sunny, headphones on, busy working with the roses.Spraying them with an organic bug killer.Chrissy had no idea what was in it, but it didn’t smell as bad as some non-organic sprays did.
Sunny’s smile was serene and she looked so happy that the pressure from Chrissy’s headache that had formed while on the phone increased.
No, she wasn’t going to give up.She would see if she could negotiate with the bank for a higher loan.The money from Beau’s insurance and the sale proceeds from their house in Buffalo would have to stay there a little longer because she wasn’t going to lose the profit it had made, nor any of the principal.It was going to be hard and would take some clever budgeting, but they could do it.The farm had been profitable for years.This downturn could be a blip in the radar and, with her accounting brain and Sunny’s skills with plants, they’d be able to operate through this rough patch and come out stronger than before.Maybe even Tilly could try to get some new businesses to take their flowers.She had a natural charm that had people forgiving her easily when she let them down.She really needed to call Tilly.
Whatever happened, the Blooms would come out on top and the flower farm would stay in the family.Convincing her mom to believe in her and hold off from putting the farm on the market was going to take some swift talking, but she was going to make it happen.
“To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”Sunny’s voice had Chrissy looking up from the plant she’d been studying.
“No reason.Came to see how you were doing.”Chrissy injected enthusiasm she didn’t feel and ignored the way her head hurt.She’d get some headache meds soon and then she’d get back to filling out the forms.
“Uh-huh.You do know I knew the moment you came in.You were staring at that plant for a good ten minutes before I spoke.So, how about you tell me what’s going on?”
As much as she wanted to try to keep the farm’s issues to herself, she couldn’t.Sunny was already aware of their financial situation, so there was no point trying to do everything on her own.“I just got a call about the money I was going to use to boost the farm’s finances.The penalties are too high to consider redeeming it early, so we might have to ask the bank for more money.”
Sunny placed the bottle she was holding on the workbench.“Will they give it to us?You have to provide financials to show the state of the business, right?They’re going to see that we aren’t doing as well as we were three years ago.”
Nothing Sunny was saying wasn’t the truth.“You’re right.It’s going to be a harder sell, but we also have years where the farm was making a healthy profit.That shows the bank that it’s a solid business.”
“But we need something extra special to make it stand out.To show that we have the potential for growth?”
“Ideally.That’s why I’m going to increase my efforts to see if we can expand our network of businesses we supply.Maybe reach out to wedding planners in Bozeman, hotels or other businesses that deal with florists, get an in with those places and supply them with their blooms for table settings, bouquets, etc.”
Sunny chewed her bottom lip.Chrissy had pulled the wedding planning business idea out of thin air.She didn’t have any idea if it was feasible, but she had nothing to lose and the farm had everything to gain.“That’s not a bad idea.I’ve been working on cross-pollinating some roses to see if I can come up with a new variety of flower.It takes time, but I’ve been working on it for a while.If it works out, we could make them an exclusive flower for weddings.”
Doubts clouded Chrissy’s mind, but she didn’t want to break Sunny’s spirit by dismissing her idea.What would be so special about this bloom that would make florists clamor over themselves to get it for their brides?“What’s special about it?”
“The scent, size, and color variations.A healthier, disease-resistant plant.”
“Sounds like a lot of work and time for them to grow and flower.Time we don’t have.”
Sunny deflated, and Chrissy wished she could take the words back, but she also had to be realistic.They needed something that would work now, not in a year’s time.
“I know it’s not a quick solution, but as we aren’t growing them to sell plants to market, we can use the blooms.We won’t have a lot to start off with, but it will grow over time.”
She went over to her sister and hugged her.The idea had merit.Chrissy wished they could magically grow them faster than Mother Nature allowed.“I do love this idea.Keep working on it, Sunny, because I can’t wait to see it.We’ll figure something out in the meantime to boost the bank account.”
Sunny returned her hug, but didn’t agree or disagree with Chrissy.After a few seconds, they broke apart.“You know I get paid a wage working here,” Sunny started, and Chrissy waited to see where she was heading.
“Yes, I did.And I’ll make sure you still get paid.You’re not working for nothing, Sunshine.”
This time, Sunny smiled at the nickname.“I’m happy to take a reduced amount.I live at home.I don’t have a lot of expenses.I’ve got some savings that I want you to use.It’s not a huge amount and won’t cover what your investment would’ve given us.But it’s something.And I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.We’re the Bloom sisters, and we have each other’s backs.”
