Page 38 of Horn in My Side
“That’s not a bad idea.”Genius idea, actually.
“And I won’t have to post so many photos of you,” she said with a laugh.“So, what do you say, Mal?Will you build a hatching tank downstairs?”
“Yes, Jasmine, I’ll build you a hatching tank.”
Oh, he was a goner all right.
“Yay!”She clapped her hands excitedly.“Come, I have a few ideas.”Before he could stop her, she picked up the box and trotted out of the hatchery room.Once downstairs, she settled it on the floor in an empty space between the pens.“There you go,” she cooed.
Mal blinked.
What in Vorlak’s name was that?
The egg had wiggled as Jasmine spoke to it.
“Did you see—”
Jasmine spoke at the same time.“So, what do you think of building it right—”
Ding ding dong!
Before Jasmine could start her welcome spiel, a booming voice rang out.“Hey, Jasmine.Hey, Zaddy Orc.”
Mal’s blood pressure skyrocketed.
This fucking guy.
“Kap,” Jasmine greeted, waving him over.“What are you doing here?It’s like ten o’clock in the morning.”
“Yeah, had to work overtime today, big case.”He yawned, scratching at the fur on his neck.“Those pics of you are fire, Mal.Glad you finally took my suggestion, Jasmine.”
“Suggestion?”Mal gritted his teeth, looking accusingly at Jasmine.
“Kap’s been telling me to be more active on social media, to help promote the shop,” she explained.“So?Did you solve the case?”
“Still working on it.But I just remembered I haven’t thanked you for dinner the other night.”He held up a white to-go cup in his hand.“So, I got you your favorite brew.”
“Aww, thanks.That’s sweet of you,” she said, accepting the cup.
“No worries, I owe you, like, twenty more of those for all the times you’ve cooked.Mal, you should join us sometime.”
“Join you?”Now that had taken Mal aback.If he went out on a date with Jasmine, he would never invite another man to be a third wheel.
“Yeah.Jasmine’s an amazing cook.”
“I’m just okay.”She waved a hand in the air, as if swatting away Kap’s compliment.
“You’re too modest.Vrig used to come too.He loved Jasmine’s arroz caldo.It’s like a rice porridge with ginger and scallions ...yum.”He rubbed his stomach.“Anyway, I need to crash, guys.Have a great day, yeah?”
“Bye, Kap,” Jasmine said as he headed out the door.
That bolt that had seemingly lodged itself in Mal’s chest since the day he’d met Kap loosened even more.He and Jasmine appeared close, but not in the romantic-relationship way close.They didn’t hug, much less give each other a kiss goodbye.When Kap didn’t come back to Jasmine’s after that first time—he could now admit that he waited and listened for his car every night—Mal just thought maybe he didn’t spend the night during the weeks he worked the evening shift at his job.But seeing them now, they acted more like siblings than lovers.
“He’s a tree giant.”
“What?”His head snapped toward Jasmine.
“You’d been staring so intently at him, I thought you might burn a hole through his head,” she said, chuckling.“People around here who first meet Kap are always wondering what he is, but are usually too polite to ask.But really, he’s cool about that stuff.”
