I sighed, forcing a smile onto my tired face. "So, do you want this arrangement to be more vertical or horizontal?" I asked the Canadian couple who had just walked in, hoping to finalize their table arrangement for their Thanksgiving feast.
The woman replied, "Well, our table is quite large, and our party is about 35 people. Of course, I want it to be flashy, but if it's too high, people won't be able to see each other. If it's too large, it'll be difficult to arrange the food."
I smiled and showed them a few examples I had prepared the previous Sunday. The girls had taken pictures of the arrangements, so I had something to show my clients, and they could point out what they liked. The woman pursed her lips while the man pointed at a few of my ideas. However, the woman always found an issue, often concerned that certain guests would be unable to see each other if the floral placement wasn't perfect.
After 45 minutes of debate, she opted for several smaller arrangements, which I began to work on. It wasn't easy, but I finished them, and she finally paid, praising my shop and buying all the potted orchids. Fine, I could get some more, I hadn't anticipated such a demand. I should order more, but I wasn't sure if they would arrive before Thanksgiving.
It had been a fun Sunday, and now everyday life was starting. To my surprise, everyone had come to work for these three days, curious to check the placement of the flowers and see what the work entailed. This meant we spent three hours sorting out logistics, figuring out who would drive with whom.
Ultimately, I had to drive myself, as others had carpools arranged. That was fine with me, as I had come in early and knew I would have to keep the shop open longer. Adam and Demon had arrived early in the morning and gone straight to sleep, exhausted. I wasn't sure how long it would take them to recover, so I had my car and would drive back home.
Of course, it was now snowing heavily and constantly, but my shop would be open for another five hours. After that, I would have to go to the shop to buy butter and cream, as our supply was running low. More people were drinking coffee, and the barbecue had used up most of our butter.
The girls wanted to bake croissants and other pastries for Thanksgiving, so they needed butter today. Since they were carpooling and wouldn't be near the shop, I promised to go once I closed up my own shop. Frankly, there was no other choice.
I had no company during the night, and the "filling service" was unavailable. I had fallen asleep after a long, relaxing bath before my movie night even began, so no one wanted to wake me. I woke up once at 3 AM, adjusted my position, and slept soundly until my alarm woke me at 5:30 AM for work. It was a little strange to see everyone already running around, getting dressed, and ready for work, but it was a new experience for all of us.
I ate a light breakfast. Because the Salvatores were so focused on their work, eating wasn't a priority, at least not right now. After all, we were in good shape, and perhaps they would focus on it more later, as this week only had three workdays. I wasn't sure how our daily lives would unfold, but only time would tell.
Things were also becoming a little more exciting, as our snake eggs were getting ready to hatch, and many were eager to see the baby snakes. We had reached an agreement on how many snakes would be sold, and I hoped things would progress smoothly, meaning all the snakes would eventually be sold.
Not that I hated them, but they were assets, and money was needed. We could always get more, but I was pretty sure we wouldn't sell all of them, especially since most of the Salvatores, Mariella, and even the girls loved them.
But right now, as the Canadian couple finally left, I had to make a few more bouquets ready before someone else arrived. I also needed to see if I could get orchids in before Thanksgiving, although I wasn't sure about that, as the flower wholesalers were busy too, and I wasn't their only client.
Even though I had no visible bump yet, I could feel the strain of pregnancy. I had the expected nausea, of course, but my body also seemed to use a lot more energy, meaning I would get tired faster, and my hormones were all over the place.
At 3 PM, a single thought popped into my mind: that Damon was actually more mine than Mariella's. After all, I was the alpha female, the pack leader, and I could just take him and make him pay attention to me, not Mariella.
This thought wasn't normal for me. My hormonally laden mind was messed up, and it irked me. I didn't want to lose control or be like this, but there was little I could do. Other weird, jealous thoughts also rolled through my mind, including a smugness that I was carrying five babies while Mariella only had three. "I won." Fuck, I hadn't won. Five would mean more work, more stress, but I couldn't help my brain.
I rolled my eyes as the other thoughts flooded my mind: "Yeah, my maternity benefits are way better than hers. I get packs and money and can be home for almost a year, plus the children get benefits all the time."
Wulfe's amusement bled into my mind, as he had picked up on my crazy ideas, but I remained silent. This wasn't me, goddamn it, it wasn't me. I was tired and sore; my back ached, and my breasts felt tight and tender. This was just the beginning.
I rolled my eyes, wondering just how hard working might be in a couple of months. Perhaps things would be easier, but worrying didn't help.
"Shit!" I cursed aloud as I stabbed my thumb on a rose thorn.
Sucking the drop of blood brought on a headache, a throbbing pain between my eyes that spread to my fangs. Oh great, my fangs wanted to give me something, but I couldn't just bite my lip, as it could be anything, even a sedative or sleeping agent, and now wasn't the time to sleep. I reached for a small plastic jar with a lid and bit through the lid.
To my surprise, I was flooding a heavy, thick, multicolored substance into it. Oh great, I'd need to have this analyzed once I get home. What the fuck was wrong with me now?
Finally closing the shop, I walked to the front door and locked it. I noticed a heavy snow had fallen, and knew I'd have to dig my car out, since I had no garage here. I hoped I could get it out, that there wasn't too much snow for my car. My back ached, and I had made five more jars of the mystery substance. While fascinating, it wasn't really useful and it drained my reserves, and God knows what I was doing.
It was already dark outside, with the lights of the nearby shops and streetlights providing their own illumination. But it wasn't time to go home yet. Nope, I first had to make five more bouquets, call the suppliers to ask for more flowers, and then go into another shop to buy what was needed. Only then could I go home. God, I needed a shower, a bath, or something.
Having just finished arranging my bouquets while waiting for the florist to answer, I ran a hand through my hair, feeling tired. Finally, a heavily accented voice picked up, saying, "Fenner and Sons. How can I help you?"
"Hello, this is Mimi Salvatore," I replied, "and I was wondering if you could deliver some orchids, roses, alstroemeria, and button carnations to my shop before Thanksgiving?"
The reply was terse. "I am not sure, but if you give me the product numbers and amounts, I can take your order and put it into our system. Our management team will send you an email in the morning about the delivery date."
Rolling my eyes, I placed my order and arranged for prepayment, hoping it would expedite things. I wasn't sure, though. I called three more places, each unsure of their ability to deliver, but I ordered anyway. If I didn't get the flowers, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but it was better if I got some. It would give me more options.
The clock was well past 6 PM when I finally had my jacket, hat, gloves, and my tools to dig my car out of the snow. The snow was falling constantly, and the wind was blowing nastily. Despite my clothes, my fingers felt stiff and frozen ten minutes later. It took 25 minutes to clear my car and the driveway so I could drive to the shop.
"Fucking shop," I muttered.
I mean, probably everyone was already home, waiting for me to get supplies when they could have gotten them hours ago. I was starting to lose it, even more pissed off than usual, meaning I needed to drain my poison into jars as my teeth reacted.
We hadn't gotten the protectors cleared yesterday; it had just slipped our minds. So we had no clue who was whose protector, except I was a Salvatore, and they were mine. Mariella was at least Wulfe's and Charles's, and so on, but it wasn't my problem, not yet.
As I got to the shop, I had to park my car quite far away, as the parking lot was so full. I walked to the shop, my heavy fur-lined boots covered in snow. I had to stomp and try to get the snow out of their bottoms, or else I would have slipped on the shop floor.
I grabbed a cart and started walking through the shop. I took out my phone, noticing five emails from the girls, each listing more supplies needed.
I replied, "In the shop, coming some time."
Britney replied, "Oh, Jaffa is needed, as well as heavy cream in those big jars, and yogurt. Number five used it to marinate turkeys; bring more."
Fine, I just sent the okay message. Soon, Ashley sent me more of what was needed, as did May and Lily, and Mariella too. I was truly getting pissed off; I was tired and was probably the last one home.
Now Damon, number one, put a message to me: "Hurry, we need those supplies, no time for window shopping!"
Oh really? Oh, fucking really! Window shopping. My mouth was pursed as I finally got all the crazy things that my lazy pack was demanding. I got my now-heavy bag packed and dragged it again through the dimly lit parking lot, only to see my car almost boxed in by some idiots, covered in snow. Fucking hell, I was furious.
I got my bags in, used the groom to get most of the snow out of my car, and then started backing away carefully. I hated backing; I was not good at it, and it took a lot of maneuvering for me to get my car out. The way home, in this damn weather, took 25 minutes, during which my fingers were still stiff and cold, as I had not gotten my car loaded fully, so I had to keep the heat mild, or else I would have run out of electricity.
I finally drove into our yard, or near it, as it was covered in thick snow, and my car would have gotten stuck. So I had to leave my car further away, walk out, get the snow shovel, and clear a way to the garage to get my damn car in. I was seething, I truly was, but I kept it inside.
I got my heavy bags out and went in through the garage, as there was a door inside too. As I got in, I almost slipped again, as my boots were so snowy.
Damon walked up to me, saying, "Please try to shake your boots before entering; now the floor will be wet, and as you see, you almost slipped."
I was close to exploding, and properly, I truly was.
I put my bags down, walked to the atrium to take my outer garments off, and as I had gotten my jacket, my boots, and my thicker pants off, and I was trying to see where my slippers were, number six said, "Oh, Mariella loaned your slippers; she put them in your room, but I put them in the machine; don't worry, they can be washed."
I swallowed, and Six asked, "Can you bring the groceries to the kitchen? We're in the middle of cooking."
In a cold voice, I replied, "No. You carry them. I'm going to my room to change, have a shower, and then maybe eat something."
He shrugged, seemingly oblivious to my annoyance, and took the bags. "Well, you weren't the only one working, but fine, I can take these so you can go change, as you seem a little tense."
I didn't say anything. A knot of frustration tightened inside me, and I wanted to explode, but now wasn't the time. I was just furious and needed to cool down; perhaps a shower would do the trick. I walked to my room, still seething and muttering to myself.
There was no warm bath waiting for me, no loving husband to pamper me. It felt like I was surrounded by needy children who couldn't do anything for themselves. Oh, this was draining.
After my shower, I'd chosen my clothes and let my hair down, only to notice emails from two vendors who couldn't deliver. Great. I had some flowers at home, but I'd have to check if I could take them. There was still a chance someone could deliver the order to me. Well, at least I'd have them after Thanksgiving. Shit.
I walked into the kitchen, only to find it almost empty. Oh, great. Everyone had already eaten, and the food was in the fridge; no need to wait for me. I took my meals and ate alone in the dim kitchen, shoveling food into me like a starving person, which I was, drinking coffee and Coke as much as I could. Oh, what a glorious life I had, fucking glorious!
I was still so angry as I ate. I felt like I needed to go to the gym and beat something, but at the same time, I didn't want to lose calories, as I had very little food today, and I needed every damn gram of food in me. But hey, it was a new lesson for me: sometimes some days are just full of shit, and you can't do anything about them but bite through it and hang on. Shit happens. It makes one angry, and it's a lesson of life to be learned.