Page 10 of Horn in My Side
“Six or sevenmonths?”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 justanyonebuy 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 theirdecision 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.
