Page 34 of Forget-Me-Nots and Apricots

"Christ," Jamie mutters. "And you're sure you're safe where you are now?"

I glance at Gabriel, who's pretending not to listen while examining a broken display case. "Yes. Very safe."

"As long as you are safe. I take it I shouldn’t come to the shop then.” He askes, voice filled with worry.

"I think that would be best for now," I tell him, hating how this whole situation is affecting our lives. "The insurance adjuster is coming soon to assess the damage. Once we have a better idea of the timeline for repairs, we can figure out a plan."

"What about our orders?" Jamie asks, ever practical. "The Sullivan wedding is next weekend, and Mrs. Hoffman's anniversary arrangement is due Monday."

I rub my forehead, the logistics of running a damaged business suddenly overwhelming. "I'll talk to the detective about setting up a temporary workspace. Maybe we can operate out of the back room once it's cleaned up, at least for the standing orders."

Gabriel catches my eye and nods, confirming this might be possible.

"Okay," Jamie says, though he sounds unconvinced. "Just... be careful, Viv. And call me. Often."

"I will," I promised him and he gave another goodbye and stay safe before I ended the call with a deep sigh. As I thought of everything that would need to be done. I wouldn’t take any new orders, but I wanted to finish the ones I could…if I could. I may have to give refunds…My head was spinning at what needed to be done.

"I've scheduled a cleaning crew for this afternoon, after insurance comes in and assesses and takes pictures of what they need. " Gabriel says, his voice breaking into my thoughts. "And the window replacement company will be here by three."

"Thank you," I say, genuinely grateful despite my conflicted feelings about his help. "I'll need to call the customers whose orders were destroyed. Reschedule deliveries."

Gabriel nods, pulling out his phone. "Theo can help with that. He's already compiled a list of affected orders from your system."

I raise an eyebrow. "He hacked into my business records?"

"He accessed them," Gabriel corrects, though there's a hint of amusement in his tone. "With official authorization, given the circumstances."

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "This is all happening so fast. My shop is destroyed, I'm staying with a pack of Alphas, and now you're telling me your tech guy has been going through my business records."

"It's for your protection," Gabriel insists, his tone softening as he takes a step closer. "I know this feels invasive, but we're trying to help."

"I know," I concede, suddenly exhausted despite having slept for twelve hours. "It's just... a lot."

I turn in a slow circle, taking in the full extent of the damage once more. "This is going to take weeks to fix."

"Not necessarily," Gabriel says, moving closer. "With the right resources, we could have you operational again in days, not weeks."

"The right resources meaning your pack's connections," I say, not quite a question.

He nods, unashamed. "We take care of our own."

The implication sends a jolt through me. "I'm not 'your own,'" I remind him, perhaps more sharply than intended.

Something flickers in Gabriel's eyes—frustration, perhaps, or determination. "You're under our protection," he says after a moment. "That makes you our responsibility."

"I didn't ask for your protection," I counter, though the words lack conviction even to my own ears. "I was doing just fine on my own."

"Were you?" Gabriel challenges, gesturing to the destruction around us. "Because from where I'm standing, you were seconds away from becoming the next dead Omega in this case."

His bluntness stings, but I can't argue with the truth of his statement. If Lucas hadn't been there, if Gabriel hadn't arrived when he did... I suppress a shudder.

"Fine," I concede reluctantly. "But that doesn't make me 'yours' in any sense of the word. Once this is over, once you catch whoever's behind this, I go back to my life. My shop. My independence."

Gabriel studies me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Of course," he says finally, though something in his tone makes me wonder if he's humoring me rather than arguing with me. I shake my head, not wanting to fight right now. I just wanted to fix my shop and hope whoever is behind this is caught…and soon.

Chapter Fifteen

Theinsuranceadjusterarrivesjust as we finish going the document a rough inventory of the salvageable items and orders. He's a middle-aged Beta with salt-and-pepper hair and sympathetic eyes that have clearly seen their share of disasters. Gabriel introduces me, then steps back, giving us space while remaining close enough to intervene if necessary.

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