“What time do you need me to bring the dog to the daycare?” Thad asked.
She shook her head. “They want Duchess and Puddin’ in their studio. In New York.”
He choked on the water he’d just sipped. “You want to bring my grandmother’s dog to New York?”
“Noooo.” Ashanti dragged out the word. “I wantyouto bring your grandmother’s dog to New York.”
Thad just stared at her. She had to be kidding.
Von was the one who spoke up. “When?”
“We would leave tomorrow.”
“Damn, you don’t play around do you?” Von said.
“Please,” Ashanti said. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but the Luke and Leah show is an amazing opportunity. This would benefitbothof our businesses. The story is about Duchess andPuddin’, but this would also be a way for you to introduce your new bar to potential customers. On anationalstage.”
“We won’t open for another month and a half. If we’re lucky,” Thad tacked on. “The country will have moved on to the next stupid pet video by then. You think people will remember me mentioning The PX in a five-minute spot on some morning show two months from now?”
“Yes, the country will very likely have moved on, which is why we need to capitalize on this now.” She grimaced. “Goodness, I sound like Ridley. But now I see that she’s right.”
“Who’s Ridley?” Von asked.
Thad turned to him. “I’m handling this, Von. You can pack up for today.”
“No, I can’t, because this affects me too. Partner,” Von added, his voice void of his usual affability.
Thad held his hands up, conceding the point. Maybe it was because The PX had been his initial idea and he’d brought Von in on it, but Thad recognized that he needed to respect Von as a full partner and deserved to be called out when he didn’t.
“I’m sorry,” Thad said. He motioned to Ashanti. “You were saying?”
She looked between the two of them. It was obvious she thought Von would be the easier sell, but concluded that Thad was the one she needed to convince.
“This could be your jump-off point,” she said. “While Duchess and Puddin’ are being their delightful selves on the show, you can talk about your new business and encourage viewers to follow your social media.” She held her hands up. “Hold on a minute. Have you ever thought about documenting the renovations via social media?”
“I’m not big on social media,” Von said. “I have the personality for it, of course, but it just seems like too much work.”
“I get it,” Ashanti said. “But you don’t have a choice these days, especially if you’re trying to attract people to your business. Having a social media presence now, in these early stages, is genius. People can follow along with the transformation of this gorgeous house into a bar.”
“The bar will be gorgeous too,” Von said. “But I get what you’re saying.” He turned to Thad. “I like the sound of this. It would get people invested in The PX before we ever open the doors.”
“And, best of all, it’s free advertising,” Ashanti said.
“It isn’t free. It’s costing me time away from the reno, the cost of flying up to New York—”
“The show is paying for our flights and two nights of lodging,” Ashanti said. “We’re flying up a day early because my friend Ridley is setting up a number of media spots while we’re there. She’s talking with a public relations specialist right now.”
“Wait, they contacted you this afternoon and you already have a PR person on this? I see why that little daycare you got there is doing so well,” Von said. “You ever think of doing PR for a sports bar-slash-barbershop-slash-cigar bar-slash-hangout spot?”
“I am not your person when it comes to PR,” she said with a laugh. “Believe it or not, my sixteen-year-old sister handles most of the social media and marketing for Barkingham Palace.”
“You sound pretty good at it to me,” Von said.
Thad was done with this one and his flirting.
“Give me tonight to think it over. I’ll get in touch with you in the morning,” Thad said.
“I need to know now. We need to book the flights as soon as possible and the PR rep needs to set up the additional media interviews.”
