Page 7 of Horn in My Side

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To: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Following up Re: We have received your bid

Dear Mal,

Thank you for your follow-up email.I just wanted to confirm that the elders have still yet to decide on the bids for the construction of the new historical center.Please do be patient.We will contact all the bidders once the final decision has been made.

In glorious victory,

Grok of Harvik Horde

Coordinator-in-charge

Orc Historical Society

Mal closed the lid with an audible huff.It had been nearly six months since the Orc Historical Society had closed the bidding andstillno decision?How could that be?

What in Vorlak’s name were those doddering old orcs doing all day?Twiddling their claws and drinking hemlock-root tea while discussing the Barcid Wars of 1024?

Scrubbing his palm down his face, he calmed himself.Renovating the old lodge into a brand-new historical center would be a major undertaking, so it made sense that the elders wanted to choose the right contractor.Mal’s patience, however, grewthinner by the day.If this were an ordinary job, he wouldn’t care; he had dozens of offers at any given time and many of them paid much more and could be finished in a shorter period.

This was, however, an incredibly prestigious contract.This wasn’t just any old building, but, rather, the place where their ancestors had gathered and prepared for battle, as well as celebrated their victories, back when the world was new and war the norm.There had been talk about renovating the old central lodge into a historical center for what seemed like decades, but it had never really materialized until now.

Mal knew that if he were alive, his father would have jumped at the chance to work on the job.Competition was fierce among the builder hordes, and Mal worked on his bid for weeks and weeks, tweaking and adjusting numbers and timelines.Every day, he checked his email, his phone, and even the online notifications from hisPObox where he had his snail mail sent, hoping to hear word.He delayed starting new projects that were too complicated or would take too long in case the Historical Society picked him and wanted him to start right away.

Mal never put his work life on hold for anything.Perhaps it was his builder nature, but he liked plans.One couldn’t simply start any build—from the simplest kitchen renovations to the most complex architectural marvels—without planning.There had to be structure and blueprints and schedules.A plan guaranteed that all would run smoothly and exactly as intended.

Yet this job meant so much to him that he was willing to wait.He’d spoken to Karak about it several times, and his stepfather only urged him to be patient.“These things take time,” he had said.“And I wouldn’t worry—you crafted a competitive bid.I’m sure you’ll get it.”

But each passing day he didn’t hear back chipped away at Mal’s confidence.

What if his bid was too expensive?

What if itwasn’texpensive enough?

What if—

A knock from outside broke into his thoughts.

Who the hell could that be?

No one knew he was staying here, except the people at the law office, and it was after five o’clock.Besides, they had his phone number and email if they needed to get hold of him.

Maybe I forgot to sign something.

Mal must have read a hundred pages of legal papers and forms today, so it was likely he’d missed one or two.The lawyer had said they had to file a couple of things at the court first thing tomorrow, so that was probably why they were here, after hours.Pushing himself up off the chair, he marched over to the door and yanked it open.

“What did I ...”A familiar flowery scent tickled his nose.“It’s you.”

Vrig’s manager at the pet shop—Jasmine—smiled sheepishly up at him.“Yes, it’s me,” she said in that melodic tone of hers.“I—”

She stopped short, her eyes bulging out of their sockets.At first, he thought she was having some kind of seizure, but when he followed her gaze, he realized it was fixed on his chest, bare as he still only wore a towel around his waist.She visibly swallowed as her gaze moved lower.

She was checking him out.

And that twinge down south came back with a vengeance.

He couldn’t think aboutthat.Besides, what did he expect?He was practically naked in front of her; if the roles were reversed, he too would find it hard to stop himself from checking out her luscious curves—