Page 43 of Frostbite & Mistletoe
“We’ve been keeping up with what’s been happening at the club,” her father said, confirming what Kymberlie had feared.“That was a tough break with all those extra renovations.”
“Gabriel was just doing his job,” she said fiercely.
Her father nodded.“That’s as it should be. Safety first, always.” He glanced at Gabriel with approval.
“We’d better head downstairs, honey,” Mom interjected.“Everyone’s waiting for you.”
Kymberlie’s anxiety, which had eased a little in her parents’ warm reception, ratcheted right back up to Red Alert levels.
As she followed her parents down the stairs to the underground space where the pack held its monthly meetings, Kymberlie took comfort in Gabriel’s reassuring presence right behind her.
The ranch house’s basement, with its comfortable furniture and warm lighting, was surprisingly full. Alpha couple Bill and Mandy Jacobsen occupied their usual spots on one of the big sofas at the head of the room, in front of a large whiteboard.
Police Chief—and pack beta—Mary Jaconbsen-Swanson and her mate Tyler sat next to Bill and Mandy. A dozen other senior pack members sat in chairs scattered around the room.
All eyes turned to Kymberlie as she entered. She was surprised in a good way to see several people give her a thumbs-up and encouraging smiles.
“Kymberlie,” Bill Jacobsen said, his voice neutral but not unkind.“Welcome. You too, Mr. Egan. Please have a seat, both of you.”
Kymberlie perched warily on the sofa placed across from the alpha and beta couples. Gabriel settled beside her.
Her wolf calmed down for the first time in days, comforted by the alphas’ presence and Gabriel’s arm around her shoulders. Her conflicting instincts—her wolf’s serene submission to pack authority versus her human half’s worries about this meeting—made her head swim.
“Bill, Mandy, Mary, Tyler: I appreciate you all taking the time to meet with me,” she began, proud that her voice didn’t waver.“I’m sure you’ve heard about my situation by now, but I wanted to explain it personally.”
Bill nodded for her to continue, his silver hair catching the light.
Drawing a deep breath, Kymberlie forced herself to speak calmly and clearly, laying out the situation with The Hair of the Dog—the building’s structural issues, the previous owner’s negligence, Great-Uncle Jack failing to note the numerous fire code and building code violations, and her resulting financial straits.
“I’ve been trying to handle it all myself,” she admitted.“I thought I could fix everything without help, and prove to you all I didn’t make a mistake buying the place. But I was wrong.” Each word felt like shards of glass scraping the inside of her throat, but she pressed on.“I need a loan from the pack fund. Just enough to reopen my club and keep it running until Valentine’s Day. If I can just reopen, I know I can book enough events in January and February to return to solvency. I wrote up a business plan—”
She opened the folder she held and pulled out the plan and financial spreadsheets she’d spent the past two days preparing. Her hands shook as she rose and passed the papers to her alpha. He accepted them with an impassive expression. His scent betrayed nothing.
“I know I can bring the club back to profitability soon,” she continued, the words coming faster now.“The Hair of the Dog has excellent reviews and a loyal customer base. This is just a temporary setback.”
Bill and Mandy exchanged a long look before Bill cleared his throat.“We appreciate you coming to us, Kymberlie. And your honesty about your situation.” Bill glanced at the folder in his hands.“Mandy, Mary, Tyler, and I need to review your plan and numbers, and discuss them privately before we can give you an answer.”
Kymberlie felt her heart sink. That wasn’t the immediateyesshe so desperately needed.
In fact, it sounded like a politenobecause the pack leadership didn’t want to see her cry.
She glanced at Tyler, the one pack member she hoped might be on her side, but he avoided her gaze.Oh yeah. I’m fucked.
“I understand,” she said, her voice wobbling despite her best efforts. She rose to her feet before anyone could see the tears threatening to spill.“Thank you, everyone, for your time.”
Then she turned, and all but ran up the stairs. Gabriel was a half-step behind her.
She held it together until they reached the front porch, the front door closing behind them with a soft click.
“You okay?” Gabriel rumbled.
“N-no.” A sob tore out of her throat.
No, I am not fucking okay.
I haven’t been okay since my place nearly burned down.
I’ve been faking it, and I just can’t do it anymore.
