“Anita isn’t my aunt,” she said. “Lincoln was my dad in every way that counts, but that woman was never an aunt to me. And if you can find me another five hours in the day, then maybe I can think about having a life outside of the daycare, baking dog biscuits, and raising the girls,” Ashanti said. “Or, give me a couple of years, once Kara and Kendra are off to college. I’ll get a life then.”
Thad clenched his teeth in frustration, hating what he was about to do. He had to remind himself that the fact that she had come home with him was a gift she hadn’t even considered giving to any other man in years.
“Look, Ashanti, as much as I want you to, you don’t have to stay if it will cause trouble.”
“Well, since the girls already figured it out and seem to be okay with it, I guess one night won’t hurt. It’s not as if they will run and tell Anita.” She paused and frowned, then reached for her phone. “I’m texting them, just in case, because I can totally see Kara casually letting it slip just for the shock factor.”
Once she was done texting her sisters, she settled more securely against Thad’s chest and brought his arm across her waist. He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder because it was right there, looking as delicious as a piece of candy.
“Have I thanked you yet for taking my mind off that email?” Thad asked.
“It was my pleasure. Literally,” she answered. “Actually, you did the same for me. I got one of those kinds of emails myself this week.”
“Wait. What?”
“Not someone saying that my stepdad had another family stashed away somewhere,” she clarified. “I mean one of those emails with the potential to knock your world off kilter.”
Thad repositioned them, laying alongside her and perching himself up on his elbow.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
She closed her eyes and blew out a weary breath. “One of the country’s largest pet food companies contacted me. They want to buy Duchess Delights.”
That wasn’t what he had been expecting.
“Um, how do you feel about that?”
“About as confused as I have ever felt about anything,” she said. “It’s wild because Duchess Delights wasn’t even a thing a year ago, and now the thought of selling it makes my chest hurt.” She peered up at him. “Did I ever tell you that your grandmother is the reason behind why I started selling them commercially?”
“No. But I’m not surprised.” Thad chuckled. “That woman has a mind for business.”
“She is as sharp as anyone I have ever met. And she is the best cheerleader. She put it in my head that I could make anactual business out of this. I only started making the treats for Duchess because the brand I used to give her changed their ingredients. It was never supposed to grow into anything. Now look at it.”
“Is their offer worth entertaining?”
“They didn’t provide any numbers. It was only the initial email, stating their interest. I told them I would get back to them.” She expelled another weighty breath. “I’m not sure if I want to entertain any offers. It’s too much to even think about right now.
“What about you andyouremail?” She brought her hand up to his cheek and stroked it. Her simple, gentle gesture caused a lump to form in his throat. “What are you going to do?”
“It’s not my decision to make alone,” Thad said. “My sister will be in town next week for her best friend’s wedding. I’ll tell her then and we’ll decide what to do about it.”
Before he could give himself a chance to talk himself out of it, Thad asked, “Would you like to join me at the wedding?”
Her shoulders stiffened in surprise.
“It’s at the Four Seasons,” Thad added, hoping to entice her with fancy food. “I’m not sure if there will be an open bar or not, but—”
“Thad,” she cut him off. Her eyes softened, the corners tipping up with her smile. “I would love to join you.”
33
Ashanti sprayed a mixture of peppermint and clove oil on the terrycloth blanket that she’d hung on the back fence at Barkingham Palace. After saturating it, she added it to the pile of others. She had done the same with every piece of bedding she’d taken from the suite where one of their new clients, an Afghan hound, had spent the night. All would have to be scalded, washed twice, and bleached before they could be used again.
The owner had obviously lied about her dog being on flea prevention, because when Colleen went in for the morning feeding, the enclosed suite was overwhelmed with fleas. Which meant every suite in that section of the daycare would need to be treated.
This was why they’d vetted their clients so thoroughly in the early days, and why they needed to get back to being more selective when deciding which pets to keep. The influx of people wanting to board their dogs was nice and all, but it had come with its own issues. She was not about to compromise the integrity she’d built into this place over the last three years just to make a quick buck.
Ashanti had ordered that all dogs be given free baths before leaving today. Barkingham Palace’s reputation wouldn’t be worth anything if one of their dogs brought home fleas.
