Page 30 of Horn in My Side
“Gotcha.I’ll bring the truck over tomorrow.Which ones are you taking?”
“I don’t know.Vrig usually chooses.”
Mal walked around the counter to stand next to her.Despite his towering height, she didn’t feel crowded at all.“Well, you’re the boss.Or you will be in a couple of months, which means you have to make the decisions.”
He was right.Once she owned Fantastic Tails, she would be making all kinds of decisions.“All right, I’ll think on it.I’ll have to figure out what I’m going to say.”A kernel of doubt planted itself inside her.“What if I pick the wrong ones?Or what if I choose a boring pet and the kids tune me out?”
He gestured around them.“You’ve been in charge of choosing and stocking the pets here for the last couple of years.You know each by heart, what they need, what makes them tick.I’m sure the young ones will love whichever ones you show them.”
“I’ll try.”
“You’ll do great,” he said, sounding much more confident than she felt right now.
“Thanks.”She smiled up at him, and to her surprise, he returned it.Her pulse did a little dance, as this was the first time she’d seen it, and it made him look even more striking.But then again, he also looked handsome when he frowned, and that tiny line appeared between his eyebrows.And when he did that thing when he was thinking hard and his brows furrowed.
Jasmine averted her gaze, hoping he hadn’t noticed her staring.
Get a grip, Jasmine.And stop crushing on your boss.
Clearing her throat, she averted her gaze.“Uhm, I should get back to work.”
“Yeah.”He took his phone out from his pocket.“And uh, I actually need to go run an errand.I’ll see you later.”
Oh Mother Goddess, she couldn’t possibly still be attracted to him?His shifting moods left her dizzy, from his anger at the cockatrice incident, to his coming to her door to apologize, then treating her coldly the last few days.He’d done so many one-eighties that she wasn’t sure which way he was facing now.
He was just being nice, she told herself.Mal had offered to help her because he didn’t want to disappoint the kids at the school and Vrig.She had to stop assigning meaning to the things he did, as their relationship was strictly professional and nothing more.In any case, she had more things to worry about, like getting over her stage fright.Just the thought of being up there with all those little faces staring up at her had her sweating bullets.Butshe’d already promised Mrs.Howard they would come, so she would just have to suck it up and get through it.
“Nervous?”Mal asked as they waited in the wings of the Edith Hamilton Elementary School auditorium.
“Yeah.”Jasmine wiped her damp palms down the front of her slacks, then adjusted the hem of her white blouse.Hopefully, her outfit was okay, as she usually wore jeans, a shirt, and sneakers to these things, but she would be onstage today, so she wanted to look presentable at the very least.To her annoyance, a lock of black hair had escaped from her chignon bun, and no matter how many times she tucked it back, it kept slipping out.
“Don’t be,” Mal assured her.“You’ll be fine.”
Easy for him to say, since he wasn’t going to be speaking in front of a crowd.Jasmine took a calming breath, reminding herself this was just like talking to a customer in the shop.Besides, she’d seen Vrig do this about half a dozen times by now.All she had to do was copy what he did.
“...and now let’s give our guests a warm welcome!”Mrs.Howard announced from the stage.
“All right.”She straightened her shoulders.“Here we go.”
Jasmine’s knees wobbled as she took her first steps onto the main stage, but fortunately, she managed to get to the middle without embarrassing herself.Mal, meanwhile, pulled a cart that held the three carriers they had brought in from Fantastic Tails.
The students, who came from the second and third-grade classes, cheered and applauded, their excitement palpable.
Mrs.Howard raised a hand and a hush fell over the auditorium.“Everyone, this is Miss Jasmine, and this is Mr.Mal.He’s Mr.Vrig’s nephew and he’s helping out today.”
While most kids who first saw an orc might have been intimidated by Mal’s size and fierce tusks, they all clapped when Jasmine gestured to him.After all, they knew Vrig as a gentlegiant, so it was no surprise they offered a warm welcome.Mal, on the other hand, had the most adorable, bewildered expression on his face.Unsure what to do, he did a little wave.
Mrs.Howard handed Jasmine the microphone and gave her a thumbs-up sign.Slowly, Jasmine turned to face out into the audience.“Good mor—” The screech of the feedback cut into her greeting, and she cringed visibly.Clearing her throat, she tried again, but sound refused to come out.
What felt like hundreds of pairs of eyes—though in reality there were maybe about forty kids in total—looked up at her eagerly.Sweat formed on her palms, and she gripped the mic tighter, praying it wouldn’t slip from her grasp.Her breath turned loud and heavy to her ears and she resisted the urge to curl up into herself.
As panic rose up in her chest, she turned to Mal.As if sensing her discomfort, he gave her an encouraging nod, then mouthedyou can do this.While this didn’t get rid of the butterflies in her stomach, they did cease fluttering madly.With a grateful smile, she turned back to the audience.
“G-good morning.”
Okay, Jasmine, first two words out.
“As you know, Mr.Mal and I run the pet shop on Main Street, Fantastic Tails and Magical Scales.”
