“You didn’t, Ashanti. Come on,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“No, I did,” she said. “The same goes for Duchess getting hurt by that Akita. I haven’t been able to give my full attention to the things that are most important to me, and too many have been made to suffer because of it. I’m just not willing to do it anymore.”
“So where do you go from here?” Thad asked.
She smiled up at him. “To the Lower Garden District.”
His brows shot up again.
“You know those meddling friends of mine?” Ashanti asked. “Well, Ridley convinced Deja to give her access to the accounting system while we were in New York. I told her I would have her arrested, but after she laid everything out for me, I forgave her.”
“What did she do?”
“She called in a favor and had one of her friends do an evaluation on Duchess Delights. That same friend will also handle the negotiations with Fido Foods once we reach that stage of the acquisitions process. Ask me how much that little side hustle of mine is valued at?”
“How much?” Thad asked.
“Four point six million.”
“Are you fucking serious? For dog biscuits?”
“There’s big money in those little doggy treats,” Ashanti said. “I will be able to buy that building in the Lower Garden District outright. Who knows, maybe I’ll eventually open a full-scale doggy café on the bottom floor. Once the girls are off to college,” she added.
“That’s amazing, Ashanti.” Thad pressed a kiss to her lips. “One word of caution, though. It’s probably best if you don’t tell my grandmother about the sale. You did say that she was the one who gave you the idea to turn Duchess Delights into a business. I wouldn’t be surprised if she asked for a cut.”
Ashanti burst out laughing. “She would deserve it.”
“Actually, I think she’ll be satisfied that she didn’t have to do all that much matchmaking to get us together. If I know Grams, she’ll say what we have here is worth more than gold.”
She lifted her mouth up to his for another kiss.
“And she would be right.”
EPILOGUE
Ashanti stood at the far back end of the outdoor patio at The PX, observing the crowd that had descended on the bar for the soft opening. Two supply chain snafus and a COVID-19 outbreak among the work crew had added to the already significant delays. By some miracle, they were still able to get the sports bar portion operational by today. Veterans Day.
Based on this crowd, that was enough.
Ashanti had never seen a larger collection of US military sweatshirts in her life. Every branch was well represented, and by the smiles on patrons’ faces, Thad and Von would have no problem filling this place once the cigar bar and barbershop were fully up and running.
“Friend, this was a genius idea,” Von said, walking up to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He gestured to the scene before them. The backyard patio area was packed with peopleanddogs.
It had been Ashanti’s idea to gear the soft opening toward veterans interested in dog adoption and dog training. The local VA had jumped at the idea. They’d provided trainers, along with help in getting the word out about the event through their much larger channels.
She was no Dominque, but Ashanti had to pat herself on the back for her stroke of marketing genius. She had no doubt the majority of the people here would become regulars at The PX.
And, as had become the usual scene wherever they went,Duchess and Puddin’ were stealing the spotlight from everyone else. They wore their tiara and crown, with matching royal robes, and stood like the stars they both were while people lined up to take pictures with them.
“I finally understand what both you and Thad tried to tell me,” Ashanti said to Von. “I can already see how much the veterans here need a spot like this. This will be so much more than just a bar.”
She smiled as Thad and Ridley walked over. Evie was in work mode, having agreed to give free checkups to the dogs and answer questions on how to care for pets.
“And who is this magnificent creature,” Von asked as he sidled up next to Ridley. He wiped his hand on his shirt and offered it to her. “Von Montgomery, co-proprietor of this establishment.”
Ridley looked down at his hand, then to Ashanti. “This the one you were telling me about?”
“Friend!” Von said to Ashanti with fake dismay. “What have you been saying about me?”
