Page 29 of Horn in My Side
“And the children loved him,” Mrs.Howard said.“They’ll be disappointed if we cancel.They look forward to it every year.But I suppose it’s understandable.”
“Yeah,” Jasmine said.“I’m sor—”
“We can do it.”
Jasmine’s head snapped toward Mal.“What?You want to do the assembly?”
“If you do the talking, I’ll handle the pets.”
“Me?T-talk?”She swallowed.“Vrig always did that, and I just helped out.”The thought of speaking onstage in front of about a hundred people made her palms clammy and her throat seize.
“You talk to kids all the time,” he pointed out.
“As customers.”
“Think of it like that, but a lot of them at the same time.”
Mrs.Howard clapped her hands together.“It would mean so much to the children if you did come.The parents too, as we do invite them to come to these presentations.”
That was, of course, one of the benefits of doing these assemblies.Parents, after all, were the final decision-makers when it came to purchases and it wasn’t unusual for a couple of them to show up days after the assembly to shop for a pet, their little ones in tow.
Two pairs of eyes looked at her expectantly.How was she supposed to say no?“I guess I could do it.”
“Wonderful.The children will be thrilled.”Mrs.Howard beamed at them.“So, you already know the place and time, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jasmine said.“We’ll be there.”
“Thank you so much.I will see you both then.”With a last grin and wave, she headed out.
“Oh Mother Goddess, why did I agree to that?”Jasmine wrung her hands together.“How do I even begin to prepare?”
“You’ll do fine.”His intense purple gaze caught hers.“I’ve seen you around kids.You’re a natural, just like with the animals.”
“Vrig was the one who was onstage while I stayed in the back, handling the pets.I’ve never been good at public speaking.”
“Never been good or never tried?”
“Well, I never had to, except at school when I was a kid maybe.”
He grunted.“Look, I don’t like being the center of attention either, but how about I stand next to you through the entire thing?Would that help?”
“Y-you would do that?”
“I have to be there anyway to assist you in handling the animals, right?”
“Yeah.”
He inhaled sharply.“I think Vrig wouldn’t want us to cancel.”
A tightness in her throat formed.“I agree,” she whispered.“All right, let’s do it.”
“Okay, how does this work?”
“Work?”She cocked her head to the side.“What do you mean?”
“Like, how do you choose which creatures to take and how do you transport them?”
“Transporting them is easy,” she said.“We have extra crates for them, and Vrig and I used to put them in his truck and drive to the school.”
