Page 28 of Horn in My Side
I can do this.
Her feet somehow made the trip all the way to the back office without retreating or stopping.With a hesitant knock, she called out, “Hello?Mal?”
“Come in.”
The hinges creaked as she pushed inside.“Hey, Mal.Uh, good morning.”
“What is it?”He sat behind the desk, eyes glued to the computer screen.
“I need your code.”So, this was how it was going to be for the next few months.No pleasantries, all business.She told herself she preferred it that way.
“Code?”His head turned toward her, his purple gaze pinning her to the spot.“What code?”
“Your master code for our ordering system.I can’t finish up because it’s over the usual monthly amount.”
Mal frowned.“Why do you need to order more stuff this month?”
“It’s for the Founding Day Festival.”
“And?”
Oh right.He had no idea what that was.“Every year Dewberry Falls has a big festival to celebrate the founding of the town.During that weekend, there’s a big parade and Main Street is closed to cars and the businesses go all out.It’s one of Fantastic Tails’s biggest weekends in terms of sales, so I have to make sure we have enough stock to keep up with the demand.”
“I see.”Rising from the desk, he circled it to lumber toward her.“All right, let’s get you that order.”
He followed her as she led him to the counter in front.“Just enter it there.”
Bending down, he tapped the keyboard.“There.”
The bright chirp from the computer told Jasmine the order had gone through.“Whew.Thanks, Mal.Today was the last day for me to order to get everything in on time.”
“You’re welcome.”He drummed his claws on the table.“Jasmine, I—”
Ding ding dong!
Jasmine immediately shifted into customer-service mode as the familiar bell rang out.“Welcome to Fantastic Tails and—Oh.”She smiled at the woman who strode in.“Good morning, Mrs.Howard.”
Ellen Howard was the principal at Edith Hamilton Elementary School.Petite and middle-aged, she was a pleasant woman and Jasmine enjoyed chatting with her whenever she and Vrig had gone to the assemblies at the school.
“Good morning, Jasmine,” she greeted.“And you must be Mal, Vrig’s nephew.”
The orc eyed her suspiciously.“How do you know who I am?”
“Small town, I’m afraid,” she said with a chuckle.“We all loved your uncle and he’ll be missed.He was so active in the community.I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” Mal murmured.
Sensing Mal’s discomfort, Jasmine switched topics.“To what do we owe this visit?You’re not looking for a pet yourself, are you?”
“Goodness, no.”She placed a hand over her chest.“I’m much too busy for that.Maybe when I retire.I’m here for an entirely different reason.The school assembly.”
Jasmine glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall behind the counter, noticing the big red circle around one of the dates.“That’s on Friday, isn’t it?I’m sorry, I completely forgot about it.”Mrs.Howard would be disappointed with what she was about to say, but Jasmine had no choice.“You’re going to have to cancel, I’m afraid.I can’t do it on my own.”It would be too much work for one person, trying to handle the animals and talking to the kids.
“That’s understandable given the circumstances.”Her eyes darted to Mal.“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to help, Mr.Mal?”
“Just Mal, ma’am,” he said.“And how would I help, exactly?”
“Vrig used to come to the school assemblies at Edith Hamilton Elementary,” Jasmine explained.“He would bring a couple of the animals and talk to the kids about them.He loved it.It was his favorite thing.We would even close the shop for the morning just so we could go.”
