Page 90 of Horn in My Side
The corner of Nick’s mouth tugged up.“Yeah, about that ...we’re not really training tonight.”
“We’re not?”He frowned.“Then why are we here?”
Sterling spoke up.“We have a surprise for you.”
“And actually, I asked Jasmine to come,” Nick added.“I mean, you haven’t said anything, but I assumed that things were good between you after you guys disappeared after the fire and ...”He nodded at their linked hands.
Mal hadn’t even noticed.It was just something he had gotten used to, holding her hand and touching her in general whenever they were together.
“Anyway,” the satyr continued.“I thought she’d want to be here too.”
“Be here for what?”Mal looked at Jasmine.“Did he tell you what this was about?”
“No, only that I should come too and make up a reason why,” she said.“But I am curious.What’s this surprise?”
“One sec.”Nick looked over his shoulder, toward the office off to the side.“You can bring them out now, Jim.”
Them?
Four people strode out the office—Jim, a human woman, and two small girls.“Mal,” the fire chief greeted.“A couple people wanted to stop by and say hello.”
The woman stepped forward, tugging the two girls behind her.“Hi, Mal, I’m Lisa.Do you remember me?”
Mal scratched at his chin.She was probably in her early forties, blonde and petite, but he couldn’t recall meeting her before.“I’m sorry.I’m terrible with faces.”
“That’s all right,” she said with a light chuckle.“The day of the fire was pretty chaotic.”
Fire?Was she—
“Mal, Lisa and her daughters were the ones you helped get out of that building,” Nick interjected.
“Oh, Mal.”Jasmine gripped his hand tighter.
Mal blinked, still unsure how to react.“I ...I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.”
“Between the smoke and the collapsing building, I’m sureyou didn’t have time to look at our faces.”Bending down, she ushered the two girls—one about twelve years old and the other five or six—forward, both spitting images of their mother.“This is Grace,” she said, gesturing to the older girl.“And this is Emily.Girls?Did you want to say something to Mr.Mal?”
Grace stepped up.“Thank you, Mr.Mal, for saving us from the fire.”
“I made this drawing for you.”Emily waved a piece of paper at him.“To say thank you.”
Mal took the drawing, which depicted what he supposed was him—a large green orc figure carrying what appeared to be a yellow umbrella and three small females underneath.Behind them was a building covered in angry red and yellow flames.On top of the paper were the words, “Thank you, Mr.Mal!”
“I like the drawing,” Mal said.“You did a great job, Emily.”
“That’s so sweet,” Jasmine said.“I’m Jasmine, by the way.”She looked to Lisa.“How are you, though?And the kids?”
Lisa sighed.“We’re ...doing as well as we could be.Thankfully, we were able to move out of the shelter and into some temporary housing.The Dewberry Falls City Council has been great with support so far, and we’re told that with theCEObehind bars, we might be able to get some compensation.”
“Damned—er ...”Jim cleared his throat as he glanced at the girls.“I mean, darned greedy bas—rascal.”
“He’ll get what’s coming to him.”Nick’s face turned serious.“In the meantime, all the victims of the fire will get all the support they need from the Amherst Foundation.Right, Ian?”
His twin nodded.“Of course.”
“Thank you,” Lisa said.“For everything.”
“Mom, Mom, can we go inside the fire truck now?”Emily chirped.“Please?”
