Page 23 of That’s My Orc, Tusk Off

A few days later, before Willa arrived, I found Brovish in his office.

As I entered, he looked up from his desk and gestured for me to come inside. Sofia, perched on his shoulder, let out a welcoming peep.

“You’re here early,” he said.

“I have a project proposal.”

“Already?” His tusks showed in a grin. “It’s barely past dawn.”

I set my tablet on his desk and pulled up the document.

“I actually worked here last night.”

He frowned. “All night?”

“Sure. Not the first time.”

His frown didn’t fade. “No, it’s not.” His gaze shot to the door. “Does this have anything to do with Willa?”

“Why would it?”

“No reason in particular.” A sly look took over his face. “It just reminds me of how things were with me and Laina.”

“This is nothing like that.” Nope, not one bit.

“If you say so.”

“I do. A school coordinator called on Monday. Erika Collins. She wants to bring children here. Teach them about the creatures. How they adapt to the surface. I’ve written out how it could work.” I turned the tablet his way. “I’d like to hear what you think.”

Brovish leaned forward, scrolling through the proposal.

He kept scrolling.

“You wrote how many pages for this?” he asked, not looking up.

“Seventy-six. Plus appendices.”

“This is just a proposal, not the final for this educational project.”

“It’s thorough.”

“It’s a full manual.” He looked up at me, his expression too perceptive. “And you wrote this last night?”

“I work quickly when I’m excited.”

“This is…very fast. You’re sure it has nothing to do with Willa?”

“It has nothing to do with Willa. I mean it.”

Sofia launched herself off Brovish’s shoulder and circled the room before landing on the filing cabinet, where she settled and watched us with bright eyes.

Brovish kept reading.

“This is good,” he said. “The school coordinator is going to love it.”

Relief made it easier to breathe.

“I can lead the project,” I said. “I’ll coordinate with the school and⁠—”