Page 39 of Frostbite & Mistletoe
She stepped back to let him in, suddenly self-conscious about her unkempt appearance.
“I wasn’t exactly expecting company,” she said, tucking her messy hair behind her ears. She tugged at her pajama top.“Let me just go change into real clothes.”
“Kymberlie.” Gabriel set the coffee and pastry on the kitchen counter, then gently took her hands.“Stop. You don’t have to dress up for me. I’m not here to judge you.”
She met his gaze and found only understanding. Something inside her cracked open.
“I don’t know what to do, Gabriel,” she whispered, her voice breaking.“Everything’s gone. The loan officer at the bank practically laughed at me when I called this morning. The insurance money didn’t cover even half of what I needed. When I lost that wedding reception booking, I lost it all.”
He led her to the couch and sat beside her, keeping one arm around her shoulders while he reached for the coffee and pastry with the other.
“First, you’re going to eat something,” he said, opening the bag and pulling out a chocolate croissant and a napkin.“Then we’re going to talk options.”
“Options?” She gave a bitter laugh.“What options? The Hair of the Dog isdead, Gabriel.”
“No,” he said firmly, pressing the warm coffee cup into her hands.“It’s wounded, not dead. There’s a difference.”
She took a sip of the latte, the spicy warmth spreading through her chest.“Easy for you to say. You haven’t lost everything you’ve worked for.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Gabriel’s past losses were far greater than hers.
But he didn’t flinch.“You know I have,” he responded calmly.“And I know exactly how it feels when you think your life is over. But you’re not alone in this, Kymberlie. The whole town is rooting for you.”
She scoffed.“The whole town is probably placing bets on how long it’ll take before I have to move back in with my parents, tail between my legs.”
“That’s not true.” Gabriel broke off a piece of the croissant and held it to her lips.“Eat.”
She took the pastry, the buttery layers melting on her tongue. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until that first bite.
“You’ve been through hell this past month,” Gabriel continued.“Between the fire, all the code upgrades, and now this cancellation. But I’ve seen how you handle challenges, Kymberlie. You’re not a quitter.”
“There’s a difference between quitting and accepting reality,” she said, taking another bite of the croissant. It tasted so fucking good.
Gabriel shifted to face her more directly.“Have you considered asking your pack for help?”
She tensed.“No,” she said flatly.“No way.”
“Why not? Tyler told me that the Jacobsen Pack has helped other pack members with interest-free loans for their businesses in the past.”
He talked about this with Tyler?
Kymberlie stood, setting her coffee down so forcefully that some sloshed over the rim.“I can’t.”
“Kymberlie—”
“You don’t understand,” she said, pacing in front of the couch.“My parents, the pack alphas, the senior pack members… they were all against me buying the club from the beginning. They told me I was throwing away my money, that I’d never make it work.” She wrapped her arms around herself.“If I go to them now, hat in hand, it’ll just prove they were right all along. That I’m a failure.”
Gabriel rose from the couch and sank to his knees in front of her. He reached up and took her face in his hands, his green-gold eyes fierce.
“Listen to me, Kymberlie Tringstad. Bad luck isnotthe same thing as failure. Working yourself to the bone to bring that club up to code, turning it into a place where everyone loves to go? That’s a success. Having a fire that was completely beyond your control? That’s just shitty luck.”
Her eyes stung with tears.“They’ll never loan me the money. All I’ll get by crawling to them is a big, fat no.”
“Maybe,” he conceded.“Or maybe they’ll respect that you’re doing whatever it takes to save your business. And think that you’re showing strength, not weakness, by asking them for help.”
She drew a shaky breath.“I—I don’t know if I can face them.”
“You won’t have to do it alone,” Gabriel said simply.“I’ll come with you. I’ll be right there watching your back.”
