Page 47 of Horn in My Side
“Oh yes.” Her smile faded. “One of Karak’s old friends passed away down in San Francisco. He’d been ill for some time now and took a turn for the worse a couple days ago.”
“Came to say our last goodbyes,” Karak said. “The funeral finished this morning.”
“And we realized, well, you’re only a couple of hours’ drive away, so why not come by for a visit? We tried to call you yesterday but you didn’t pick up.”
“Your mother was worried,” Karak admonished. “And I said we should just come here and see what’s going on.”
“I didn’t have reception. Jasmine and I were camping up at Twin Peaks.”
“Understandable, then.”
“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” Jasmine said. “It was my idea to go.”
The couple looked at each other knowingly. “I figured. But please, Jasmine, call me Morlak, no need to be so formal. You’re my son’s girlfriend, after all.”
Her cheeks heated at the mention of the g-word. “Er, sure. Morlak.”
“I hope we’re not interrupting,” Karak said. “And we should be the ones apologizing for stopping by unannounced.”
“It’s not a big deal, really. I’m glad you guys came. But we’re actually heading to the shop.”
“The shop?” Morlak cocked her head to the side. “You mean the pet shop Vrig owned?”
“Mal owns it now, Morlak,” Karak reminded her. “And remember, he told us a couple weeks ago that he was staying to get it ready for sale.”
“That’s right, how could I forget?”
“Jasmine’s the one buying it. She used to manage it for Vrig,” Mal said. “I’m helping her out while we’re waiting for all the paperwork to go through.”
Jasmine’s mouth pressed into a tight line at the reminder. While the idea that she would own Fantastic Tails still held a thrill, there was an underlying current of unease. Once Mal had transferred everything to her, he would be out of here. She had to keep reminding herself of that.
But he called me his girlfriend. In front of his parents.
Why would Mal do that? Was it a slip of the tongue?
Jasmine didn’t want to put any meaning into it, but they never talked about what they were, because really, what kind of label could they put on their relationship?
They were much more than friends with benefits, but not really committed long term.
Still, his calling her his girlfriend had to mean something .
“Would you like to see it?” Mal said.
“That would be wonderful, Mal. If that’s okay with Jasmine?”
“Of course it is.” Her voice sounded much too bright, so she pulled back a little. “And you have to meet Clawdia.”
“Clawdia?”
Mal patted his mother’s arm. “Come, it’s only a few minutes’ walk. We can tell you all about her.”
Since Morlak and Karak could only stay one night before they had to drive back to San Francisco to catch their flight home, Mal invited them to spend the day at Fantastic Tails.
Jasmine wasn’t sure the couple would want to hang out at the shop while she and Mal worked.
She tried suggesting that they do some shopping on Main Street or even drive out to a few interesting spots around town, but they insisted on staying.
To her surprise, the older couple didn’t mind being stuck inside.
In fact, Karak, who Mal mentioned had retired a few years ago, even seemed to enjoy himself as he helped install the brand-new filtration system for the tanks.
While the men were working upstairs, Morlak stayed in the office with Jasmine as she entertained Clawdia.
“She’s gotten so much better at fetch.” Jasmine picked up the ball Clawdia had dropped at her feet. She tossed it across the room, which sent the hatchling scampering off to chase it.
“Oh yes, dragons are so highly trainable and eager to please,” Morlak remarked.
“I feel guilty keeping her in here all the time.”
“Don’t be, you’re doing her and everyone a favor.
” When Clawdia returned, the orc bent down to give her a scratch between the ears, which had the dragon purring in delight.
“She doesn’t have complete control of her fire.
One stray sneeze and she could burn an entire house down.
That and she’s still vulnerable to disease. ”
“I hadn’t even thought of that.” The vet she consulted never mentioned if Clawdia needed shots.
“In the wild, mother dragons kept their hatchlings inside their lairs for at least two years while naturally building their immune system.” She picked up the ball and threw it. “Nowadays, and with domesticated ones, one year is usually long enough.”
“You sure know a lot about dragons, Morlak.”
“My grandfather used to raise them on his farm.”
Jasmine’s head whipped toward her. “Really? Mal never said anything.”
“I’ve only mentioned it a handful of times, and of course, that was back in Ghalad-Dur, the orc homelands. In fact, my relatives still keep a few to guard their farms.”
Clawdia came back with the ball, but instead of letting go, sat down on her hind legs and began to chew at it.
A vision of soft blankets and a sudden feeling of drowsiness came over Jasmine.
“She’s done and wants a nap.” She picked her up and cuddled her to her chest, and Clawdia lay her chin on her shoulder.
“My, you’re getting heavier.” She was at least twice the size she was when she first hatched.
“You know, it’s said dragons have a special bond with their owners.”
Jasmine smiled down at Clawdia. “I can believe that.”
After putting the hatchling back in her pen, Jasmine turned to Morlak. “Do you want to stay in here and sit for a while? I should head back outside. Clawdia won’t be waking up until her dinner.”
“Am I getting in your way?” Her eyebrows drew together, which, Jasmine realized, looked very much like the way Mal did when he frowned, including that tiny line appearing between them. “I apologize.”
“No, no,” Jasmine reassured her. “But it must be boring for you to watch and follow me around. Wednesdays are pretty slow for us in terms of customers coming in. I use this time to do stuff like packing orders and posting on social media.”
“I don’t mind,” she said. “Maybe I can help. When Mal’s father passed away, I took over his construction business.”
“That must not have been easy.”
“No, it wasn’t.” Sadness briefly crossed her face. “It was harder on Mal, though. His father’s death kind of upended our lives and he lost that stability children need while they’re growing up.”
She knew what that was like. “But you both managed.”
“I floundered. A lot . I was from a farming horde, so I knew nothing about building. But I did my best and got the hang of it. If anything, I would say running the business helped me with my grief. And of course that’s how I met Karak.
He also owned his own construction firm and we attended the same trade show.
I didn’t think I would marry again, but he was quite insistent. ”
“That sounds romantic.”
“It was. I mean, as romantic as it gets with orc men.” She chuckled, then sent Jasmine a sly smile. “I would ask you where you and my son met, but . . .”
Jasmine’s cheeks bloomed with heat. “Yeah. Things just kind of happened between us.”
“I understand. When you know, you know, right?” Morlak winked at her. “Maybe in a year or two, Mal can bring you to visit the orc homelands with him. Clawdia would absolutely love it and she can socialize with other dragons.”
Anxiety pooled in Jasmine’s stomach. She didn’t have the heart to tell Morlak that that would never happen. That in about three months, Mal was going to leave the shop and Clawdia.
And her.
“Are you okay, Jasmine?”
She snapped to attention. “Yes,” she said in that too-bright tone again. “If you don’t mind helping, I do have some orders to pack up. They came in while we were camping and so I need to get them out right away.”
She and Morlak spent the rest of the morning catching up with orders, as well as ordering new stock of Clawdia and Fantastic Tails merchandise.
The older orc even made a few suggestions for new items, like stuffies for kids and caps for adults.
Upstairs, Karak and Mal took a break for lunch, and they all ordered food from the nearby café and ate at the shop.
“I think we’ll go check into our motel,” Karak said after they finished eating. “Unless you need me to stay and help you with the rest of that installation?”
“No, I got it. Thanks for helping me. The pumps were tricky. It would have taken me hours to figure them out.”
“No problem, Mal.”
Morlak yawned. “I need a nap. We left San Francisco so early. But we should have dinner tonight.”
“I already made reservations at Blackbyrd,” Mal said. “It’s right here on Main Street. Seven thirty.”
“We’ll see you both then.” He clapped Mal on the shoulder, while Morlak gave him a side hug.
“Thank you for letting us stay and hang around, Jasmine.” Morlak pulled her into another embrace, this one less bone-crushing. “I really like this place. Vrig would be so happy to know that the shop will be in good hands.”
“And he’d be proud of you, Mal,” Karak added. “For the work you’re putting in. Now, let’s get going, Morlak. We were lucky they even had a room last minute. I don’t want them giving it away because we’re late.”
“All right, all right, hold your water horses, Karak.” She smiled and waved at them. “See you later.”
“I like your parents, Mal,” Jasmine said once the couple had left. “They’re super sweet. I mean, your mom is.”
“And Karak is Karak,” he said with a snort. “But don’t let that exterior fool you—he’s all mush inside.” Mal grunted. “I hope this surprise visit didn’t rattle you too much.”
“Not at all, and it’s nice they get to see you.” She paused, hoping he would bring up what he had said earlier.
The g-word.
“Well . . .” He scratched at the back of his head. “All the animals are still in temporary holding tanks. They’re probably getting antsy. Gonna head upstairs and finish up.”
Disappointment flooded her, but at the same time, she was relieved. Maybe she shouldn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure she wanted to have that conversation with Mal.
“Uh, yeah, I should start my inventory anyway.”
A hand landed on her shoulder. “Are you okay? You sure you don’t mind having dinner with my parents tonight? You could always skip—”
“No, no.” She patted at his hand gingerly. “It’ll be great. Just try and keep me away from that burnt Basque cheesecake,” she said, trying to sound lighthearted.
He grinned. “All right. We’ll head over around seven fifteen.”
“Sounds good.” Averting her gaze, she hopped over to her computer behind the counter, then switched the program to their inventory system. “Can’t wait.”