Page 109 of Horn in My Side
“That’s what we agreed to.You were never going to stay, even if you didn’t get the job.”It would be different if he’d lost the bid.But his dream was actually about to come true.It was here, served to him on a silver platter.
And she loved him too much to hold him back.
“That’s what we said, right?See where this goes, and at the end, we walk away from each other.That was the only guarantee we had.It was the only one I could give you.”
Taut silence filled the air between them until he spoke.“All right, if that’s what you want.”Turning on his heel, he quietly strolled out of the shop for the very last time.
Reality hit Jasmine as soon as the door slammed shut.That hollow pain in her chest spread out, threatening to devour her.She should have prepared herself more for this day because she always knew it was inevitable, the one guarantee she had offered Mal.She just hadn’t thought it could hurt this much.
“You’re going to be okay,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.Heartbreak and starting over wasn’t new to her.She’d been doing just fine on her own before Mal came, and she’d be fine after he left.
Chapter Twenty-two
JASMINE
“Good job, Clawdia!”Jasmine tossed the hatchling a treat as she finished performing her newest trick—spinning around in a circle.“You’re doing great.”Kneeling down, she rubbed the dragon’s chin affectionately.Joy and devotion blanketed Jasmine like a warm coat and visions of more treats danced in her head.
Jasmine laughed.“I’m afraid I don’t have any more kibble, but let me see if I can scrounge up something for you, okay?Then we can work on the next trick.”
Clawdia trilled and nudged at her thigh, before an image of Mal popped into her head.
For a second, Jasmine didn’t know if it was Clawdia’s emotions that she sensed or her own.It took all her might not to burst into tears.She’d thought she’d run out of them by now, after two whole miserable weeks of crying.
Clawdia bumped her again, indicating she was waiting for an answer to her question:
Where’s Mal?
“I don’t know, Clawdia.I’m sorry.”
And that was the truth.She hadn’t seen him at all since thatday they’d broken up over two weeks ago.He didn’t show up at the shop, nor did she see him leave or enter his house.Rent had been due the other day and when she’d tiptoed over to slip the check under his door, there was no sound coming from the other side.Had it not been for the lights inside the house occasionally turning on and off, she would have thought he’d vanished into thin air.Nope, just avoiding her.
It was better this way, she told herself for the thousandth time.If she did see him, she might do something rash.
Like confess her love for him and ask him to stay.
“I made the right decision,” she said, as if hearing it from her own lips made it hurt any less.The historical center job had been his dream for so long.He’d lost his father so young.Mal had never got the chance to work alongside him or show him all his accomplishments.Over the last few months, she’d seen more of his amazing work, and though he remained modest about it, Mal’s talent and capabilities seemingly had no limits.Why he’d even doubted that he would get that job, she didn’t know.And why she let herself fall for him when he was going to leave was an even bigger mystery.
A demanding warble and sudden flashes of food, ball, treats, and toys jolted her out of her thoughts.The images cycled over and over again in a frenzied pace.“What is it?”She narrowed her eyes at Clawdia.“Do you want all those things?”
The hatchling skittered away to her pen.Moments later, she came out, dragging her favorite blanket, then set it down by Jasmine before scooting off once more.When she returned, she was carrying her goblin stuffie, and dropped it on top of the blanket.
“Clawdia, are you bringing me all your favorite things because I’m sad?”
Clawdia responded by sitting down on her hind legs, eyes staring up at her adoringly.
“Oh baby ...”Picking her up, she cuddled the dragon to her.“Thank you, Clawdia.”Warmth flowed into her chest, temporarily filling the empty spaces between the pieces of her broken heart.Still, moisture gathered at the corners of her eyes.
Oh Mother Goddess, would the tears never stop?
After another long drawn-out breath, she put Clawdia down.“Let me get you those treats.”
Jasmine rooted around in the fridge, trying to find the apples she swore she had stashed in there last week.They weren’t on the main shelf, so she pulled the crisper open.To her surprise, the usually empty drawer had something heavy in it.Peering in, she saw a dark, olive-tinted bottle with a distinctive shield-shaped silver label.
What was this doing here?
Dislodging it from the drawer, she held it up and saw a card attached to the neck with a string.She opened it and read the note:
Congratulations, ashak’a.You deserve this.
