Page 86 of Horn in My Side
Unless he was ...jealous?
Was Kap right?Had Mal been jealous since the beginning?
The banging became more insistent.“Mal?Are you in there?I can hear you.”
“One second,” he barked out.“Jasmine, tell me what gaveyou the impression that I would want you to hide or sneak out after last night?”
“We didn’t talk about what would happen after we ...you know ...the third date.”
He raked his claws through his hair.“I took you out to dinner on Main Street for our first date.Walked you to and from the shop every day.I’ve been spending almost every single day with you.What makes you think I wouldn’t want everyone to know about us?”
“Oh.Right.”She smiled up sheepishly at him.“Sorry, I just panicked.This is all new to me.”
His shoulders relaxed.“Me too.For the record, even though I didn’t say it, I’m not going to sneak around like teens.We’re adults, remember.”
“I—”
“C’mon, Mal!”came Kap’s voice.
He let out a deflated exhale, then trudged to the door, yanking it open.“What is it?”
“I wanted to check on you.I heard about—” The tree giant stuttered to a halt when Jasmine appeared next to Mal.“Jasmine.”
“Kap,” she replied.
He grinned at her.“Everything okay?”
“Yup,” she said with a pop of the “p”.“Are you okay?”
“What are you doing here this early?”Mal asked before he could answer.
“A couple of things, actually.First off, I thought maybe you might want to know that the family you rescued are all doing well.One of the kids had a nasty burn on her palm, but other than that, they’re good.”
Jasmine pressed a hand to her chest.“Where are they now?”
“On the way to a shelter, as is everyone who lost their home.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Mal said.“I’m glad they’re doing well, and everyone else.”
“Thanks to you and the rest of the firefighters.”
“You said ‘a couple of things’?”Mal asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.
“Well, I gavesomeonea ride with the promise that they wouldn’t get close to the fire.”He directed his attention to Jasmine.“I said stay in the car, remember?”
“I couldn’t, not when I saw that building collapse.”
“You could have at least texted me or left me a note.When I came back and saw you weren’t in the car, I went crazy.Looked all over for you.I’ve been texting you and calling you all night, but you weren’t picking up.”
“Er, sorry ...I didn’t hear my phone.”Her screams of ecstasy probably drowned out her ringtone.
“Anyway, had to go back to work and just prayed to the Mother Goddess that you had the sense not to run into a burning building.”He snorted.“Now I know why you didn’t pick up.Anyway, since I didn’t find Mal at the scene, either, I figured you guys left.I’m glad you’re both okay.”
“Thanks for checking up on us,” Mal said.“By the way, any news on what caused that fire?”
Kap’s face turned serious.“Nothing solid, but an initial investigation by the Bayview fire chief indicated it’s probably due to shoddy workmanship and cheap materials used in that building.”
Mal cursed under his breath.“I hate those big corporate developers.Always cutting corners just to make a buck.”
