I had no idea what pack life would be like in the long haul, but as I was working a few days after my talk with Mariella, it became clear she was keeping everyone busy. She had Charles and Adam evaluate the girls' fighting skills, then used Salvatore's to teach them how to fight and improve, all while leaving me in peace.
I had my lunch with me, and since I was away, I had no idea what was actually going on at home. Once again, I assumed and got it wrong; I'd figured that since Number One was pissed off at me, he would keep his distance, remain stubborn as always, and not bother to interact with me.
Most of us were working during the day, and while the kids were in daycare, there were others tasked with watching the youngest ones. They made sure the children ate, played, and maybe took a nap upon returning home. My days were long, so I was usually home after 5:00 p.m. and pretty worn out.
Consequently, I'd typically take time in one of the lounges to drink some wine before eating. Since the men were so busy, they prioritized the kids' meals, meaning there wasn't always much fresh food left. After eating, I usually spent time in the kitchen cooking for the upcoming days, and sometimes the kids helped me out, even if it took more time.
"Hello, what can I do for you?" I asked a couple who had just entered my flower shop.
They looked hesitant and sad, and I recognized that expression on the woman's face—it was the look of someone who had lost a child.
"I… I… well, we need funeral flowers," she sobbed softly.
The man hugged her, hushing her, and when he looked at me, there was such raw sorrow on his face that it almost took my breath away.
"We lost our baby," he said. "Well, according to the doctors, it was a miscarriage, a loss of pregnancy, but she was almost to term. Her heart just stopped."
I nodded and said, "Well, come this way, and let's see what we can make for your baby girl."
I kept my expression and voice neutral as I led them to see the flowers I could use to make a bouquet.
The woman spoke again, saying, "She was perfect, even with... she was dead inside me for five days, and then they cut her out because my pelvis is too narrow."
I nodded in response. They chose gentle, pastel-shaded carnations, a few roses, and a few other stems, as they didn't have much money left after paying hospital bills, funeral costs, and the gravesite fees.
As I was starting to make my arrangements, Greta—one of the crones—came in. She had lost a very dear nephew in the same accident that had hit us, so she had recent experience with loss; since she had no children of her own, the nephew had been almost like a son to her. Moreover, the nephew's wife kept little contact with Greta, and both she and their children had moved out of town to live near the wife's parents.
Greta sensed, or perhaps saw, something in the couple, so she went to talk to them and led them to have some cake and coffee on her. The couple was very grateful. It was certainly sad that they had lost a baby, but then again, they were young and could try again; it sounded a little brutal, perhaps, but it was just the facts.
Humans sometimes tended to make victims of themselves, refusing to let go of the past or their losses, and instead wallowed in them until they were more or less hollowed out. I knew this from having done what I've done for over a century, meeting many people and hearing tons of stories and tragedies. I'd seen those who lived in the past, refusing to move on because they feared that letting go meant forgetting—even though it isn't so—but that is just the way humans think.
As I was crafting my creation, I aimed for it to be sensible, kind, and gentle. I didn't throw everything but the kitchen sink into it; rather, I kept it contained and didn't use the maximum volume I could have, as this was not that kind of bouquet. After I had finished, the couple was most impressed and could not believe it was so cheap compared to other places, especially since the funeral house they had used was asking three times the amount for something smaller than half of my creation.
I knew just how greedy some florists were; one might price their stems by multiplying the cost by four, then adding profit, transport, and care. This meant that if roses cost less than a dollar per stem, they might cost a client well over five dollars. That was not how I worked, and despite our cheaper prices, we were doing wonderfully because the lower cost brought us many more clients, which in turn brought in more money. Personally, I might have set even lower prices, but since this was the pack's business and several financial geniuses had taken over, there was not much for me to say.
I was busy almost the entire time. I had to make five arrangements for Greta's book club; she brought big vases and a generous budget, and since she took her time choosing the flowers, I had to represent different themes. Because it was horror and tragedy week for them, she gave me a list of books, and I had to choose five to base the arrangements on, which wasn't easy.
On top of that, I had to keep making ready-made bouquets because they were always selling. Even though I had prepared ten that morning, they were all gone by 3:00 p.m., and since I was planning to keep the shop open until 5:30 or 6:00 p.m., I needed more.
My houseplants were selling just as well, so I had to make sure my stock was replenished, cuttings were taken to grow, and the selection remained versatile and colorful. Orchids were almost always the first to sell, followed by hibiscus, a few smaller roses, and hits like passionfruit vines, though plenty of more mundane species were popular, too. I was just occupied with my clients most of the day and didn't notice the time passing.
In front of me, I had thirty long-stemmed roses—ten each of three different colors—and their scent filled the air. There were also pretty alstroemerias, gerberas, eucalyptus, baby's breath, and a few grasses.
I was planning to start one of the centerpieces that had been ordered a few hours ago, as the customers were hoping it would be ready as soon as possible and had even paid for delivery. I had one of my fancier vases on the table and was just about to begin when I heard the door open again. I took off my apron and prepared to greet whoever was coming, but to my surprise, Mariella and Number One walked in.
His frown deepened as he took in my appearance—my light mauve tight t-shirt, skinny black low-cut jeans, and the way my snug shirt left a bit of my waist bare. I was also wearing moderate heels, specifically a pair of Louboutins, and my hair was hanging loose down my back, reaching well below my waist, held only by a hairband to keep it out of my face.
"We came to see what is holding you up; the kids want you home, you know," Damon snapped tersely.
I was taken aback, as I thought he wasn't going to interfere with my kids, but it seemed new winds were blowing once again.
"Really, Mimi, you look tired," Mariella added, looking at my half-empty tables. "It is past 4:00 p.m.; there is no need for you to slave away quite so long."
I hadn't had time to restock the houseplants after a couple snatched up half of them because they'd just bought a bigger house and wanted to fill it with greenery.
"Well, I still have orders to finish, so I'll be here for another hour or an hour and a half before closing," I said, attempting to keep my tone neutral rather than snappish.
I was tired as shit and wasn't in the mood to defend my choices or my work hours. It being Wednesday, the kids were naturally cranky and needy after spending the day in daycare, but work was important, and I knew the girls would handle them just fine.
Damon walked behind my station, looked at my prepped flowers, and asked, "Is this all I can use? You start with Mariella, fill those tables while I do this, and no arguments—this is our business, I'm the pack leader, and I will help. Now, what is this all about?"
I rolled my eyes and walked over to him. Leafing through the multiple orders waiting on the counter, I handed the correct one to Damon and said, "I'll get the rest of the flowers to you soon. Here is your assignment; it's a paid delivery, so as soon as it's ready, I need to call the company and arrange a time that works for the client."
He just grunted while reading the assignment and started placing stems however he saw fit.
After I brought him a few lilies, a bunch of freesias, and some more fillers, he added, "I'll clean them, no worries. Now go fill those tables while I get this done; I'll review the prices and signs."
Thank god I wasn't pregnant and still had my patience, so I kept my mouth shut and headed to the backroom with Mariella following me like a lost puppy.
"Wow, so much stuff, what do we need?" she pondered out loud.
I simply grabbed one of the trolleys holding a decent selection and started pushing it onto the shop floor.
Damon was busy with his work, and just as I got the trolley in place, the door opened. About eight women and five men stepped inside, all looking at my shop with awe.
I went to greet them, "Hello, welcome, how can I help?"
The first woman spoke up, "Well, we're on holiday from Texas, and we were hoping for a few arrangements and houseplants. I have my 30th birthday coming up, as well as a gender reveal party."
She placed a hand over her slightly distended tummy; she was pregnant, and one of the men draped his arm over her shoulders and kissed her.
I nodded, asking, "Now, what kind of arrangements were you thinking, and what's your timeframe?"
They were a bit unsure, so I gave them my catalogue; it featured photos of my various works, along with price estimates and the time it took to make each piece.
A couple started looking through it, and one girl said, "Well, I am looking for houseplants—flowering and green ones. I just moved into my first own place, and I am here on holiday for three weeks. I could take plants now or later before I leave, as I have the space, but I don't want to stress them too much."
Before I could say anything, Damon glided next to me and remarked, "Worry not, my dear. I am a wizard, and I can place a spell on your plants that prevents them from getting stressed and lets them thrive. Come this way and see these crystals..."
His voice was almost hypnotic as he explained how he could imbue a crystal with a spell to make it last for years.
The next couple came to me, smiling as they looked at the others, and said, "We are celebrating an anniversary of sorts. Our birthdays fall on the same day, so our combined ages total 67 years. Since we married young—we've been married for 13 years and wed on our birthday—when you combine all of that, we have an 80-year anniversary. We are planning a big celebration, and since both of our families are around here, we need a lot of flowers."
I was more or less groaning in my mind, knowing I would be very busy and would have to work long days, but I gave them one of my catalogues, as I had several printed, along with an order form for them to note what they wanted, their budget, and the delivery date.
The next girl said, "I am looking for flowers for my outside flowerbeds. I live here, actually; I just graduated and was planning on opening a wellness spa about 10 miles from Roseau. However, the winter was nasty and left gaps in my flowerbeds, so I need new plants."
I nodded and asked, "What are you looking for? I have a selection outside; you can take a look and pick and choose, and I will get them to you."
I had a spell placed on my flowers outside so no snatching was possible, but I would have to be the one to give the flowers to the client. She nodded and went outside to take a look. As the next girl approached, Damon was once again next to me, ready to charm her, while the girl he had spoken to previously was now conversing with Mariella about stones and spells as Mariella told her about her shop.
This was also couple and they were looking for flowers or boquets for their Nana's 90 th birthday what was just five days away. Damon took them looked at stems I had in my display case and showed them too catalogue and price list and order form. I was chatting with another couple as Mariella came to me and gave me order form what had been filled. She too started to chat this couple and asking this and that, she loved to talk, as usual, and I went to put order form in my evergrowing pile.
As Damon was handling the last couple and they had left their orders, the girl who was looking at the flowers outside came up to me and said, "Well, I have quite a list of what I want."
I nodded and went out to join her, handing her a variety of flowers ranging from petunias to geraniums, pansies, marigolds, and a few evergreens as well. While we were still browsing and the girl was pondering her choices, Sheila and Harold saw us and walked over.
"Hello dear," she said, and I asked, "Well hello, what can I do for you today?"
Harold replied, "We need flowers like these outside, but I think we'll go in to have a cuppa and something to eat; your baking is sublime."
Sheila just rolled her eyes; by her own admission, she was no baker or cook, though both of them could make enough food to survive. Sheila started looking through my plants too, as I had only gotten them less than a week ago.
Meanwhile, the girl was still deciding which color poppies she wanted, what kind of aquilegias to pick, and whether she should have some snapdragons as well. Sure, it was early spring, but the sun was shining on this side, keeping it warm enough that I only kept the flowers outside when the temperature allowed. People were eagerly buying them after a long, dreary winter.
Standing there, I felt a bit bewildered; Damon had not said a word about where we actually were or what his feelings for me were. I wondered if this had been a happy accident, just his way to try to dominate, or if he had actually grown a brain in his thick skull. I kept my expression neutral while my mind pondered different scenarios.
Somehow, Damon had become harder for me to read—my cuddlebugs were even harder to interpret with my pretender skill—but then again, pheromones usually told me so much. In my shop, however, there were just too many smells and scents for me to get a decent whiff of him, leaving me in the dark about his motives and intentions.
But what could I do? For now, nothing; all I could do was focus on my customers, and at some point, close the shop, drag myself back home, drink some wine, eat something, and maybe watch a movie with the kids if they weren't too tired.