She nodded and we headed back to the shop to properly assess the damage.
42
Willow
The police had come and gone, and now it was just us three, Caleb, Sandra and I, left trying to see what we could salvage in the store.
“Maybe it was a burglary,” Sandra said. “Maybe whoever it was thought they’d be able to find some cash lying around. But then when they broke in and found nothing, they got pissed and took out their anger on the entire store.”
I couldn’t respond.
All I could do was step over destroyed plants and flowers, shattered vases, and overturned shelves. They had attacked almost everything they could, and the entire floor was covered in soil and rubble. Even my little office had been destroyed, my desktop shattered, the folders torn open, and my carefully filed receipts strewn all over the floor.
Two years of my blood and sweat, and it had been turned into nothing overnight. And I had taken my parents’ money to start this shop. I was waiting for the moment my heart would give out. I could already hardly breathe, each breath felt like I was sending shards of glass through my system. How was I going to tell them? What was I going to do?
“Willow,” Sandra called.
“Yeah,” I responded gruffly.
“We have a few online orders to fulfil this morning. Should we wait to handle this mess first and then deal with those later?”
I cleared my throat before I spoke again. “‘No, let’s try to fulfil the orders we have. This mess can’t be handled that easily.”
“Alright,” she replied. The last thing in this world I wanted to do right now was to work, but I couldn’t disappoint the customers who had already placed their orders for the day.
“I’ll call Bradley to quickly deliver what we need again.”
I nodded and then turned towards Caleb. He was standing in the corner, and although it seemed like he was just watching what was going on, I could tell, like me he was racking his brain to decide on what the next course of action would be.
I knew he was having a tough time and the last thing I wanted was to trouble him any further. I walked over and he shifted his gaze from the carnage on the floor to me. He pulled his hands out of the pockets.
“You should go home,” I said. “You have your own troubles.”
“I’ve evaluated most of the damage, and I think we can get things somewhat back to normal at the latest in a week. A few days earlier if we’re faster.”
I frowned. “Babe, we can’t handle this mess that quickly. These things cost money. I estimate it will take us a few weeks to recover. I think we’ll just start with the windows and doors and then slowly work our—”
“No, I’ll pay for it,” he said, pulling my hands into his. “Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll pay for the entire renovation so that you can be up and running by the end of the week.”
I was surprised. “Why? Why would you want to pay for it? You’re not the one who destroyed the shop.”
I pulled my hand away from his, and took a step backwards.
I saw a slight panic flash through his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair, as he briefly looked away in contemplation. Although he still appeared fairly calm, as was his usual demeanor, I could tell he was also quite worried about something else.
“Babe, please go home.” I stepped forward and lightly held onto his shirt. “I don’t want to feel guilty for keeping you here. I already feel guilty enough for all of this damage.”
His voice turned cold, and so were his eyes as they bored into mine. “Why would you feel guilty for this? You’re not the one that destroyed the place either.”
I tried to alleviate the concerns that I knew he felt for me. “It happened under my management,” I replied. “My Dad told me to set up an alarm system, but I didn’t think it was necessary. I figured no one would be interested in a tiny florist and I preferred to keep the cash just in case I ran into trouble. I can’t help feeling inept.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said. “It’s mine.”
The conviction in his tone took me aback. “What do you mean? How is this your fault?”
“Willow.” He sighed deeply. “I need to tell you something.”
I stilled, my eyes on his. In all the time I had known him, I had never seen him this serious before. There was nothing casual about his stance or gaze, and most definitely not his tone.
“Let’s go out to the back,” I said, and I went with him.
43
Caleb
We didn’t need to sit down. I went over what I wanted to say in my head, and wished with all my heart that I didn’t have to say a word, but things had changed and were potentially about to get worse. I couldn’t keep her in the dark anymore.