Page 5 of Horn in My Side
“A-accounting?”Wait, was he implying she was doing something underhanded?Cooking the books?“I assure you, everything’s in order, accounting-wise,” she said, her tone chilly.
“I—what?No, I wasn’t implying—” He let out an impatient snort.“I—”
“Vrig promoted me to manager two years ago.Since then, I’ve been running everything, both in the front and back office.”Except the store’s bank accounts and payroll, of course, but thankfully all their suppliers had been paid up until the end of this month, and her salary had hit her bank account just yesterday, which meant Vrig had signed off on it before he passed away.“I assure you that everything is in order when it comes to the shop’s finances.”
“I’m sure they are.”
“Margins are thin, but your uncle said this was more of a side hobby for him, something to do in retirement to stave off the boredom, so he didn’t care about money as long as he wasn’t completely in the red.”
“I didn’t mean to imply anything.”More awkward silence stretched between them before he spoke again.“Look, I’m grateful for your help and staying on.But the shop isn’t your problem anymore.Since Vrig died here and didn’t leave a will, this whole thing has been a headache to deal with.I have a meeting at the law office down the street so I can get some help and hopefully we can get all this sorted out sooner rather than later.They’ll be in touch with you for anything.”With that, he turned and walked toward the door.
Jasmine could only stare at his large, flannel-covered back as he exited the shop, the door closing behind him slowly in an anticlimactic manner.
Here it was, the axe falling, burying straight into her chest.
Numbness took over her, and for a few minutes she didn’t move.It was only the sound of the chirping baby oozlums demanding their midday meal that knocked her out of her trance.Instinctively, she grabbed the bag of birdseed from under the counter and sauntered over to the large cage in the corner.
“Patience,” she cooed as she pulled out the feeder.
The colorful little birds flew backwards in circles as they waited for their meal.As soon as Jasmine drew closer, they slowed their flight and flitted toward the front of the cage.She pressed her palm against the bars, and they hovered next to her fingers, warbling a high-pitched tune.Once she’d replaced the feeder, they dove right in.
With a satisfied sigh, she took a step back and glanced at the other creatures around her—the cerberus pup with its three heads on its paws as it snoozed in the corner of its pen, the pairof fenrir cubs play-fighting, the phoenix chirping happily in its cage—and her heart sank further.
Vrig had been selective with his customers and it truly wasn’t about money for him.He made sure that potential owners had the right temperament and lifestyle for the pet they wanted; after all, these were living creatures and someone who, say, lived in an apartment and worked eighty hours a week would not be able to handle the responsibilities of training a griffin hatchling or a wily kobold.He refused to sell to anyone who wouldn’t be a good owner, and he had a generous return policy for customers who changed their mind, as he’d rather take the loss than risk the poor creatures becoming neglected.
Vrig’s nephew didn’t mention what he had planned, but he didn’t seem interested in anything about the business aside from the books, which meant he would likely close the shop.And if that were his plan, the most logical thing to do would be to sell the remaining creatures to one of those soulless, big-box stores who would give them to just anyone who walked through the door.
I can’t let that happen.
While she had been undecided all these weeks, Jasmine knew what she had to do: she had to convince Vrig’s nephew—Mal, she reminded herself—to sell Fantastic Tails to her.
If she could afford it.
She lived frugally and so she had some savings, but that would not be enough, so she would have to take out a loan.The idea of having to pay back an enormous sum made her break out into a cold sweat, but there was no way she could buy the shop outright.
Jasmine straightened her shoulders.She had to at least try.If she didn’t, she would surely regret it.It was another daunting task, but thosewereher specialty.
She didn’t know how long Vrig’s nephew would be in town, so she had to act fast.Grabbing her phone from the counter, shetapped out a message to Tracy, the manager at the Dewberry Falls Credit Union.She and Tracy went to the same spin class on Thursday nights, and often grabbed a late drink together afterwards.
Got a minute?Can I swing by your office?
Grabbing her purse from under the counter, she gave the shop a once-over before marching toward the door, flipping the Open sign to Closed, then activating the alarm system.As she exited, she spied the stool and broken concrete block outside, reminding her of her unfinished task.
I’ll definitely have to ask Kap to come by later.She’d make him a batch of her sinigang soup in exchange.
However, as she picked up the stool, she glanced up at the sign and, to her surprise, theTwas the right way up.
Huh.How did that—
Her phone’s ringtone shook her out of her thoughts.Seeing the familiar name flashing on the screen, she quickly picked it up.“Tracy?Hi.Thanks for calling ...Yeah, I’m good.”She gave the sign one last glance.“Do you have a few minutes?I need to ask you something ...”
Chapter Two
MAL
Mal’s entire body sagged in relief as he finally reached his room at the Dreametime Motel.As the door shut behind him, he leaned back and closed his eyes.It had only been his second day in this little town, and he was ready for all of this to be over.In truth, he’d had longer, grueling days working on various construction sites over the years, but there was something about spending hours lining up at government offices and signing papers all day that was its own personal brand of hell.
Lumbering toward the bed, he stripped his clothes off and placed them on top of the covers, then headed to the spacious bathroom.When he had asked the front desk if they had any vacancies, he didn’t even think to request an oversized room, yet they automatically gave him one.Thank Vorlak, because oftentimes when he had to check into a hotel or furnished apartment, he would have to crouch just to fit through the door, or had to put two beds together to get a decent night’s sleep, and never mind the usually cramped bathrooms.Though this room was by no means five-star lodgings, he appreciated that he could move around easily and the furnishings could actuallyhold his weight and size.And after a long day like today, he was glad he could take a hot shower without later paying for it with a crick in his neck.
