Page 99 of Horn in My Side
“Er, yeah.”With quick movements, he tightened the loose screw.“There you go.Fixed that wobbly thing.Let me put all these bags back up.”
“I can do that.”Jasmine trotted over to him.“You’re going to be late for lunch with Morlak and Karak.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to join us?They’d be happy to see you again.”
“And so would I, which is why they promised to stop in and say hello when they drop you off,” she said.“But you haven’t beenalone with them since they got here.You guys should have some privacy.Don’t worry about me.I’ll be okay.”
He was always worrying about her, but that was a completely different matter.“All right.Want me to bring you back some pancakes?”
“Yes, please.I can have them for dinner.”
Kissing her on the temple, he ruffled her hair.“I’ll see you soon.”
His parents had stayed at Dreametime Motel the night before, so he suggested they meet at Pamola’s Diner.After taking their order, the lamia waitress slid off to put their orders in.
“How was your room?”Mal asked as he took a sip of the coffee.
“Surprisingly great,” his mother replied.“Even Karak thought so and he never gets any sleep when we travel.”
“It’s these damned hotel mattresses,” he grumbled.“Never the right firmness, and of course, we usually have to squash two king beds together to even get close to comfortable.”
“They put us in this room and it’s perfect.Didn’t even hit my head getting into the bathroom,” Morlak said with a laugh.“The chairs were comfortable too.”
Karak looked around them, at the various species occupying each table and booth.“I can see why Vrig settled here.It’s nice being not so different.”
Mal didn’t know why it had never occurred to him until they pointed it out, but it was true.Indeed, that’s why the town had been established, as he learned during the Founding Day Festival.
“So, Mal, have you heard back from the Orc Historical Society?”
A pit hollowed out in his stomach at the mention of the historical center job, but not for the usual reasons.“No, not a word,” he said, playing with the salt and sugar shakers on the table.
Karak frowned.“I’m not going to have to talk you off a ledge again, am I?”
“No, no, I’m ...”He searched for the right words as he rotated the glass bottles on top of the red Formica table.“I’m good.All good.If it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t, then it’s not meant to be.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”Morlak sounded relieved as well.“I know it means a lot to you.But you can’t keep your life on hold for them.If you did get it, Jasmine won’t be happy with you being gone for a long time.A girl like that doesn’t come along very often.”
“Don’t get on his case now, Morlak,” Karak said in a cautious tone.“We don’t even know if they’re serious.They’ve only been seeing each other a few weeks.”
“And what does time have to do with it, hmm?Need I remind you how soon after we met that you said you couldn’t live without me?”
Karak opened his mouth then shut it.
“Well, son, are you?”Morlak looked him in the eye.“Are you serious about her?”
“I ...”His hearts collided into each other and then stumbled.
He was stupidly in love with Jasmine.
“That expression on your face answers my question.”Morlak smiled smugly.“Have you told her yet?”
“I think he’s just discovering it himself,” Karak added.
“I ...I don’t know how to say it.Or when.”Panic crept in.“What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”
“Of course she does,” his mother said.“That girl loves you.”
“You’re more confident about it than I am, then.”Did Jasmine love him back?“You’re not just saying that because you’re my mother, are you?”
