Page 6 of Horn in My Side

“He really was a great boss, and everyone around here thought he was a nice guy. He’d been here over twenty years.

Did you know that? He was a pillar of the community.

Joined the Volunteer Fire Department. Participated in all kinds of activities, especially at the elementary school.

He always contributed to fundraisers, plus he would bring the pets to the assemblies.

The kids loved it. His death is a big loss to Dewberry Falls. ”

“Uh-huh.” He wondered if she would get to the point before their dinner arrived.

“I know you must have a lot of things going on right now, with his estate and his house and all . . .”

Ah yes, that was another headache he had to deal with, and he hadn’t even seen the house yet.

“And they say you shouldn’t make rash decisions while you’re under emotional stress . . .”

You’re the one giving me stress with all this beating around the bush , he wanted to say, but held his tongue, lest she turned those wounded brown eyes on him again.

“But if you don’t think it’s too soon—a-and I completely understand if you do and you need more time, but I was wondering if . . . if you had thought about what you were going to do with Fantastic Tails?”

Finally. “I have. And, Jasmine . . .” He prepared himself mentally for what he wanted—needed—to say to her.

Folding his hands together on the table, he focused his gaze on his intertwined fingers, afraid to look at her.

“I have no choice but to close it down. Like I said, I can offer you a generous severance, which should help keep you afloat while you search for another job.” Carefully, he lifted his head to meet her gaze, realizing he at least owed her that. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you, face to face.” She inhaled deeply. “I want to buy the shop from you.”

Now that he didn’t expect. “You do?”

“Uh-huh,” she said with a determined nod, her fingers continuing their steady rhythm on top of the table.

“Great,” he said, relieved that he didn’t have to worry about her losing her source of income. Why, if she could afford to buy the shop, then she probably wasn’t hurting for cash in the first place. “That would really help me out.”

“But . . .”

He snorted. Of course there was a but. “Yes?”

“Er . . .” Her fingers drummed faster. “I can’t quite afford it. Yet,” she added quickly. “I just need some time to get the paperwork for a loan together and, uh, save up more money.”

“How long?”

“About . . . six or seven months?”

“Six or seven months ?” he echoed.

“Yeah.” She blew out a breath. “I do have some savings, but the loan officer at the credit union said I’d have a better chance of getting approved if I had a bigger amount set aside. Plus, I have to get my business proposal done, then all the paperwork at City Hall, the permits . . .”

Mal was not liking the sound of this. “And how would this work, exactly?”

“Well . . . I would keep managing Fantastic Tails, of course, and you can stay on to sign off on the paperwork, paying invoices and my salary. Vrig also approved any purchases and upgrades, plus made repairs and helped with stocking the shelves.”

He shook his head vehemently. “No, absolutely not.”

“It’s not a lot of work,” she pointed out. “You can stay in the back office all day if you want. I can do most of the stuff out front, like ringing up customers. I’ll stock the shelves and, if you don’t feel like doing it, I’ll get the repairs done myself.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Like you did yesterday?”

“Er . . .” Her cheeks pinked again. “I’ll hire someone, then. But I still need you around to sign off on everything because you’re the owner now.”

“Jasmine, I can’t wait around here for six or seven months.” He raked his claws through his hair. “If you had the money right away and you could buy it outright, that would be a different story. But I need to settle Vrig’s estate and assets, and soon.”

“What do you plan to do with Fantastic Tails, then?”

“Close it down, dismantle the building and the enchantments, and sell it.”

Don’t look into her eyes , Mal ordered himself. Don’t do it—

But of course he did, and those sad puppy-dog eyes hit him straight in the gut.

Godsdamnit.

“What will you do with the animals?” she whispered in a soft tone.

“Sell them off, I suppose. Maybe to PetWarehouse?”

“You can’t!” she burst out. “I mean . . . not to those corporate stores. Do you know how the creatures get treated over there?”

“I’m sorry, Jasmine,” he said. “But I really can’t wait.”

“Those places are terrible. They keep the animals in these tiny cages or in overcrowded pens and dirty aquariums. And then they let just anyone buy them.”

“It’s a pet shop—you’re supposed to sell them.”

A horrified expression crossed her face. “Do you need the money right away? Is that it?” Her lips twisted. “If you give me a few weeks, I’m sure I can find another way to buy it from you. Maybe talk to the credit union again—”

“No,” he said quickly. “But I need to finish dealing with Vrig’s estate as soon as possible.

I’m a contractor and I have a very important job waiting for me.

” Well, technically, he didn’t have the historical center job yet, but the elders could make their decision at any time and he had to be ready.

“Jasmine, I’m the type of person who likes to plan things out.

I never make a decision rashly and always like to know what I’m getting into.

I need to know that I’m not going to get burned in the end. ”

“I’ll sign a contract if you want.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Orcs weren’t big on paper contracts anyway, as they always kept their word.

“I don’t start any job unless I know the outcome.

If a client even feels shady, I decline them.

I like guarantees and I’m sorry . . . I just don’t think you’ll be able to get everything done before I have to go.

I can’t give you a few more weeks or wait around until you’ve saved enough money.

The sooner I get rid of everything, the better. ”

“I see,” she sniffed, and her eyes turned just a hint watery—which was enough to send a twinge to a different part of his body, namely, his hearts.

“Then we don’t really have much to talk about, then.

If you’ll excuse me, I’m not as hungry as I thought I was.

” She stood up, but not before fishing her wallet out of her purse.

“No, please, put that away,” he urged. “I’ll get it.” She shouldn’t have to pay for a meal she wasn’t going to eat anyway, especially when she was about to be unemployed. Which, a voice in Mal’s head said, was his fault.

She hesitated, then put the wallet away. “Good night, Mal.”

“Good night, Jasmine.”

He tamped down the urge to chase after her again.

After all, he owned the shop now and he could do with it as he pleased.

Being Vrig’s heir was not a responsibility he wanted or for which he’d asked.

He had a life to go back to and a job he enjoyed.

Even if he stayed, it wasn’t as if he knew anything about running a pet shop.

No, he didn’t have a choice. He had to shut it down.

“Hey, where did your girlfriend go?” the waitress asked as she returned, two trays of food in her hands, plus another one balancing on the end of her tail.

“She, uh, had an emergency.”

“Oh, did you want her food to go, then?”

“No, I’ll eat it.”

Mal finished both plates of food, even though it all tasted like ash. After paying, he dragged himself back to his motel room, though this time he felt no relief at being inside. Worse still, his stomach was tied up in knots, tightening as he stared at the white urn next to the TV .

Plopping himself on the chair, he let out a half-grunt, half-snort. He couldn’t let some pretty little thing and her big doe eyes derail him from his plan: get in, get the job done, get out.

How anyone could say no to those sweet brown eyes, he didn’t know.

Worse, she didn’t even seem to know she was doing it.

Maybe that’s how she finagled a job from Vrig in the first place, though she didn’t seem the type to use her womanly wiles.

Perhaps Vrig had seen something special in her and had obviously grown fond of her if he’d kept her around this long.

With his strength and magic, Vrig wouldn’t have needed a full-time manager.

Don’t even think about it.

He couldn’t stay here and run the pet shop with her.

It was a crazy idea. Aside from the fact that he knew nothing about retail or magical creatures, there were half a dozen short-term jobs on which he could work; he could even go home and visit his parents in Vermont for a couple weeks.

But he was absolutely not staying in this little town, working in that shop, day in and day out, without a plan or guarantee she’d even be able to get that loan to buy the shop from him.

He glanced back at the urn, then at his laptop. Opening it once again, he clicked on the mail icon and waited . . . for nothing.

Slamming it shut, he leaned back on the chair and scrubbed a hand down his face.

Godsdamnit.

But, Mal supposed, he could hear her out—listen to her proposal, her plan to save money and get a loan. He owed Vrig that, at the very least. But he wouldn’t let her convince him to derail his own plans.

I’ll go to the shop tomorrow.

And if that email from the Historical Society arrived between now and then, he would take the first flight out to the homelands and find another way to settle Vrig’s affairs.