the past is in the past

elsa. 27 any business inquiries must be directed to my secretary

[elsawolff-blog]

krisoutofwater‌:

“Oh permanent position? I mean, we can talk about that. But I don’t mind what we’re doing now. I get to help you and other people.” Plus he would cut his money pool if he just handled Elsa’s family’s business. “I think you’re doing a great job. Seriously, you could have sold it or something but you keep it going.”

“Are you sure? I feel bad you’re not getting benefits like health insurance or dental or the discounts... Though, you kind of already get a five finger discount at the bakery,” Elsa pointed out with a sly smile. “Could I have sold it though? I feel like Anna and Oscar would have never forgiven me... Or at least, I wouldn’t have.”

[elsawolff-blog]

krisoutofwater‌:

“Oh I could get behind that. If you need a taste tester I am your man.” he told her with a bit of a grin. “Oh um, yeah.” he said looking up at her. “I am good with numbers. I’ve told you that.” He shrugged a little looking at another page. 

“I know you’re my man. Why do you think I’m telling you about the new flavor I want to make?” She asked with a small nudge to his shoulder. “Really, I should just offer you a position at the company full time since you keep having to go over numbers with me. Expedited myself through business school and... Don’t tell investors, but it sometimes shows.”

[r-handymanderson-blog]

elsawolff‌:

She nodded one last time before finally grabbing her things from where they sat on a nearby table. “I suppose I should take your word then and… Try not to think of any of this until tomorrow. I’m sure Anna and Oscar will be surprised to see me home but… Where else do I have to go?”

“I’m sure they’ll be thrilled that you’re home.” he nodded, moving towards the door and opening it “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car. We can meet sometime tomorrow to discuss what you’re wanting from this bakery remodel. “

[elsawolff-blog]

@oscartheantigrouch: I found this, so that means she’s mine, right?

@iannaknowwhatloveis: @oscartheantigrouch ...bring her by the store and we'll pick some stuff out for her. don't tell elsa.

@elsawolff: You two assume I'm heartless. I'll puppy proof the apartment while you're out.

[hungrylikethe-wolff-blog]

elsawolff‌:

“Let me just go get my stuff,” she sniffled, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. It was so unusual for her to be vulnerable that she was already trying to make it stop. When she got back to her office and grabbed her bag, she paused to pull a flask from the draw and take a long drink. Then, returning to Oscar, Elsa just pulled out her keys and motioned for him to follow, “Can you drive? I think I’m too emotional right now.”

Oscar took the keys, nodding. He wasn’t sure he was in any better shape than Elsa, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “Yeah. I can drive. Come on.” he moved towards the door, gesturing for him to follow. 

[elsawolff-blog]

hungrylikethe-wolff‌:

He tensed at first when Elsa hugged him, but then settled into it, pulling his arms from his pockets to wrap them around her gently. He wondered what would have happened. If their parents had never died. If he’d succeeded in trying to join them. If they didn’t all have each other. Suddenly, Oscar was it with overwhelming guilt as he pulled away from Elsa, nodding. “Yes. Home.” Where he could take this out on himself how he wanted to.

“Let me just go get my stuff,” she sniffled, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. It was so unusual for her to be vulnerable that she was already trying to make it stop. When she got back to her office and grabbed her bag, she paused to pull a flask from the draw and take a long drink. Then, returning to Oscar, Elsa just pulled out her keys and motioned for him to follow, “Can you drive? I think I’m too emotional right now.”

[elsawolff-blog]

r-handymanderson‌:

Ralph smiled gently, nodding “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get to work tomorrow after my shop closes. Then, if I hire employees soon I’ll be able to come even more. I’ll get this place back on its feet, Elsa. You have my word.”

She nodded one last time before finally grabbing her things from where they sat on a nearby table. “I suppose I should take your word then and... Try not to think of any of this until tomorrow. I’m sure Anna and Oscar will be surprised to see me home but... Where else do I have to go?”

[elsawolff-blog]

r-handymanderson‌:

“Yes, I see what’s been done. I would repair it for free. After all , I’m nearly family now. You’d still have to buy all of the appliances and parts that need replaced, but I can put everything in and fix what is broken. It’ll give me something to do with my time. And I won’t accept money from you, Elsa, so don’t even try.”

“Nearly family now?” She quirked a brow and crossed her arms but decided against pursuing that subject. After all, that wasn’t important. What was important was this kind man was offering to help her repair her bakery for free. “Seriously, thank you so much. It really would mean a lot to the family, and I can give you free treats for life, I promise.”

[elsawolff-blog]

krisoutofwater‌:

Kris just nodded along a bit. “Yeah of course, I can keep it all good for you.” He said and licked over his lips as he tried to go through some of the papers and organize them. “Oh cotton candy is great. I definitely can see that being a hit. And your numbers didn’t go too much. At least from what I could see.”

“A cotton candy toffee, or maybe cupcake icing. Oscar always says I need to bring my recipes more up to date,” she stated. When the other suddenly said something about her numbers, Elsa stopped her walking and looked over to him, “Wait, you already got all of that from one glance? Kris, you are some sort of math genius because I took one look and had to look away immediately. Numbers make my head hurt after the incident.”

[elsawolff-blog]

hungrylikethe-wolff‌:

Oscar sighed, setting his jaw as he looked away from his sister. “I didn’t actually mean burn it, Elsa. And you aren’t a shitty, selfish sister. I just can’t….I can’t watch you destroy yourself over a building. I already…” a sob caught in his throat and he swallowed it away. This was precisely why he never talked about his parents. Because this is what it brought up in him. “I already lost them” I already lost myself “i’m not losing you, too.” He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, feeling the denim brush against the freshest of the scars at his hips and thighs, his face stinging with tears. Some man of the house, he thought to himself. How great I am at protecting my family. “Elsa…let’s just….go home.”

As he spoke, she realized how much of him she was missing. His sadness, his grief, and it took a building to realize that. A building and her own attachment to it being jeopardized. After all, her parents had left her more than just a company to take care of. They left her two little siblings. With a loud sob, the woman finally stopped holding herself to instead hug him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered once more, closing her eyes tight. “I’m sorry... You’re not... You’re not going to, okay? Please, let’s go home.” Where she could drink away the pain of the day.

[elsawolff-blog]

hungrylikethe-wolff‌:

With that, something in Oscar snapped. Their parents were an incredibly touchy subject with him “I don’t understand?! “ he leaned in as she recoiled. “You think I don’t remember this place? You think I can walk in here and not immediately picture dad and his stupid songs and mom covered in flour and you and Anna bickering over who gets to ice things?! Why do you think I never come here? Because it hurts, Elsa. And news flash, I had even less of those memories to pull from than you did. This isn’t just your grief to have, it’s all of ours. And honestly, maybe the bakery getting destroyed was the best thing that could have happened to it. Because now we can stop pretending that everything is just how it used to be and realize that this place will never be what it once was. And that isn’t your fault, Elsa, it’s life’s fault. There is nothing you can do about it but pick yourself up and rebuild the bakery. or don’t. Sell it. Set it on fire. I don’t care what you do with it, but do something because I am not going to watch you mourn this goddamn bakery like it’s our parents all over again.” He wiped his face angrily as tears had begun to fall

Her brother snapping sent Elsa from barely collected to shambles in no time. As he spoke, she tightened her hold onto herself, crossing her arms and staring. There was genuine guilt on her face, and the rarely soberly seen: sadness. Don’t let him see, she willed herself, shutting her eyes and trying to shut him out. However, a shaky and sharp inhale was enough to reveal what was really happening. Her baby brother was yelling at her. Her parents were gone. It’d been nearly ten years. Why couldn’t she move on? No, she knew why. She was standing in the reason she couldn’t move on. A shaky exhale, a sharp inhale. Don’t let him see. The tears were already falling. Pale fingers made their way to her mouth as she bit down onto her nails. Finally, when he had finished, she spoke, “And what if I need it, Oscar? What if I’m tired of life doing this to us? What if I’m tired?” She gasped out. “I tried so much so that you and Anna could live your lives and move on. I tried so hard not to ask you to come here, to stay here alone. I tried and I tried, and... I’m so tired. So burn it, Oscar.” Just leave me here too. She had to force herself not to say. There was no anger in her voice, only defeat. Nearly ten years of defeat. “I’m sorry, I’m a shit, selfish sister. I thought we all... Needed this piece of them.”

[elsawolff-blog]

hadamandlostem‌:

Adam let out a soft chuckle at her response, nodding slowly. “I’ll take what I can get, honestly. If you do a little work, you do a little work. As long as you relax in the process, that’s really all I care about.” Feeling his phone vibrate, Adam took it out of his pocket and cursed under his breath, standing quickly. “I gotta go meet my trainer at the gym. I completely forgot.” He leaned over the table, catching her in a quick kiss before he started moving backwards. “I’ll look for some places we can go, okay? Weight our options, send them to you, all that jazz.” He paused again, grinning over at Elsa. “I’m really looking forward to this.”

There was a slight feeling of disappointment when he revealed that he had to go, but of course she understood. After all, how many times had she done this exact thing in a relationship? She returned the chaste kiss and smiled up to him, “I’m holding you to that. If I don’t have my vacation itinerary on my desk in the morning, you’re in big trouble... Joking if it wasn’t obvious.”

[elsawolff-blog]

hadamandlostem‌:

“It’ll be pretty easy for you to find someone to take over the bakery. My only concern is that you’ll be on your phone the entire time, checking in and making sure everything is running smoothly.” He was only half-joking as he said this, knowing that Elsa was more than a workaholic. But Adam still managed to smile at her, nodding slowly before he reached across the table, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “You are rambling, but I adore it.”

She nearly promised she wouldn’t be, but Elsa was thankfully self aware. “I will try my best to not live up to that concern, but you know, they say distance makes the heart grow fonder so... I might become a little homesick.” The blonde nodded her head towards the bakery; it was home after all. She returned the squeeze of his hand, finally looking back and nodding. “But, it’s decided. We’ll take a weekend spa trip. Just the two of us.”

[elsawolff-blog]

r-handymanderson‌:

“Just keep that in mind. And if anyone tries to mess with you, you’ve got me and Adam both in your corner. That ought to be enough threatening power to shut anyone up.” he joked, chuckling gently as he turned, fixing the crooked picture behind him. “Also, if  you need any help getting this place back together, fixing things is kind of my gig. Just let me know. Plus I’m cheaper than the corporate guys. Cheaper as in free. I’m not going to charge you.”

“Well, thank you, Ralph,” she started to reach for the picture, but before she could, he already had it hanging straight. There was another mumbled thank you then. “Wait, you would repair this bakery for free?” Elsa asked, unsure if she’d heard him right. “You... You see what was done to the place, don’t you? It’s a lot of money. I can afford to pay, I promise.”

[elsawolff-blog]

hungrylikethe-wolff‌:

Now that the picture wasn’t as visible, he leveled his gaze at Elsa. “What you messed up? Elsa, none of this is your fault. A band of jackasses picked your…our bakery to ransack. You had nothing to do with it. And don’t even try to say you should have fought them harder or something because you know that is not true.” He reached for her arm, tugging her towards him gently. “Come on. We’re getting out of here.”

The touch made her recoil as she pulled her arms close to herself. “Oscar, you don’t understand,” she stated bluntly. “I... This was... This was my last piece of them.” Elsa pointed to a corner of the room, “That’s where we used to sit while they worked, now it’s a broken table.” She pointed to the kitchen, “That’s where Dad used to sing all those stupid songs and now... It’s broken equipment.” The woman sniffled and closed her eyes for a moment, “It’s all my fault somehow and I just know it. I ruined something that was yours and Anna’s just as much as mine.”

[elsawolff-blog]

r-handymanderson‌:

“You just have to remember that you’re the one in control here. Or at least, the things you can control. You are doing a great job of getting the place back on its feet, you had all the necessary insurance and precautions in place just in case something like this ever happened. And, there is no real evidence for anyone to be able to justify removing you from your position. If they did, you could take legal action. After all, the name on the building is yours and your siblings, not theirs.” he reached to gently rub her shoulder, not letting it linger. “Just try not to beat yourself up over this too much. You had no way of predicting this would happen or stopping it and you’ve done everything in your power to make it better.And I promise you that no one that actually matters thinks you are a failure.” he took a small step back, giving her space 

“My parents put the insurance in place. They kept their four babies safe all of their lives,” Elsa laughed sadly and crossed her arms. Thankfully, she seemed to be losing some of her icy exterior when she glanced up to him. “Thank you for the pep talk, Ralph. I’ll have to keep it in mind the next time executives come to chew me out... I’m the boss.” Even if it was thrust at her at such a young age, this was her family’s empire. “I’m the boss, and they can deal with it.”

[elsawolff-blog]

r-handymanderson‌:

He faked zipped his lips “You’re secret is safe with me”. Ralph sighed gently, sliding his hands into his pockets as he listened to her. “It’s easy to think like that, but you did everything you could have done. And honestly, what would you and one taser have done against a group of thugs? You did the best you could and you came out safe and alive. That’s what matters. That’s what your family cares about. Money can be made back. Appliances can be fixed. Elsa’s can’t be replaced so easily.”

She sighed in relief at the childlike gesture before taking a few steps closer to him. If Anna could trust him, maybe so could she. Plus, he was standing beside a painting that needed straightening amidst this hell. “It’s still going to eat me alive. The what-ifs of what I could have done differently. I got into two very different types of trouble for being in the store when it happened. One kind for being hurt, the not real trouble from my siblings and the other... For not doing a better job. Here I was thinking I was the boss, but... So many people want to buy us out. Too much risk in little mistakes... Somebody waiting to replace me at least in the corporate sense.” Though, Elsa did offer him a small smile, “But, what my siblings think matters more than the boogeyman corporation after me.”