The dog whimpered and snuck between Thad’s legs.
“I like you,” Thad said.
“Everyone likes me,” Ridley replied. “Dominique had to get something out of her car. She’ll be back up in a few minutes. Your flight boards at twelve fifteen p.m., so you’ll need to head for the airport no later than eleven. You know how traffic can get.”
Evie came out of the kitchen. “Ah, Puddin’s here! Hi sweetheart.”
Puddin’ dashed from between Thad’s legs and darted toward Evie, clipping Ridley along the way.
“He touches me again and he goes out in the hallway,” Ridley said.
“Puddin’ deserves special treatment,” Evie said. “He’s part of the reason we’re here.”
“What areyoudoing here?” Ashanti asked her. “Don’t you have patients this morning?”
She waved that off before giving Ashanti a hug. “Cameron can man the practice for a few hours. This is all too exciting to miss. You two ready to hit the Big Apple?”
“We don’t really have a choice,” Ashanti said.
“No, you don’t,” Ridley said. “Just wait until you hear all the spots Dom was able to line up. By this time on Friday, anyone who didn’t know about Puddin’ and Duchess getting it on will definitely know.”
The PR specialist returned and they all sat around the living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows that afforded a view of both the Crescent City Connection bridge and the downtown high-rises.
Ridley’s colleague Dominique was a petite biracial Black and Vietnamese woman with a cute pixie haircut and the physique of a gymnast. She forwarded the itinerary to Ridley with instructions to distribute it electronically to everyone around the table.
“You arrive this afternoon and head straight for a podcast in Hell’s Kitchen,” Dominique started. “It shouldn’t last more than an hour, and it isn’t too far from your hotel. On Thursday, you have a live in-studio TikTok interview with Casey,the Dog Whisper. Once you’re done there, you have another podcast in Brooklyn. Friday morning is Leah and Luke, of course.”
“Is it really worth going up there a day early just to talk to someone on TikTok?” Thad asked.
“Casey, the Dog Whisper, has over twelve million followers,” Dominique said. “A couple from Kansas with a new self-care line for dogs moved more product after going on her show than they did when they appeared onShark Tank.”
“I could have gone my entire life without knowing that people spend money on self-care products for dogs,” Thad said.
“Says the man whose poodle wears a rhinestone collar?” Ridley said.
“My grandmother bought the collar.”
“Back to the itinerary,” Dominique said. Ashanti now saw why she and Ridley were good friends. They had the same personality. “I’m still trying to line up a radio interview with a guy who has the most popular evening drive talk show in New York’s tri-state area, so more to come there.” She huddled over her laptop. “The second PDF that I will send contains talking points and basic tips for dealing with the media: how to keep your cool during an interview, how to keep your responses to under twelve seconds—the longer you ramble, the more likely you’re going to say something the interviewer can use against you.”
“Is that something we need to worry about?” Ashanti asked. “These interviews are supposed to be friendly, right?”
“Every interview is an opportunity for a gotcha moment,” Dom replied. “It’s my job to make sure you’re prepared for them.” She glanced at her watch. “Are there any other questions?”
“I have one,” Thad said. He gestured at his phone. “Who’s paying for all of this? Who’s paying you?”
“I’m fronting you both the money for everything the morning show doesn’t cover,” Ridley answered. “I do, however, expect to be paid back.”
“Don’t you think I should have been consulted before all these plans were made if I have to shell out money for it?” Thad asked.
“Do you know anything about marketing or public relations?” Ridley asked. “No,” she said before Thad could answer. “You have no idea how valuable these next three days will be for your business. Consider it an investment.”
He held up his hands, as if giving up his argument. It was probably for the best. Ridley never backed down, even when it was an argument she was losing. That wasn’t the case here. Thad may still be unsure, but Ashanti had full confidence that this time in New York would be worth it.
“And you and Kara are going to handle the social media posts for the contest, right?” Ashanti asked.
Dominique swiped across her phone’s touchscreen and turned it to face Ashanti. “Already have the first one ready to go.”
The contest Kara had signed her up for turned out to be a much bigger deal than Ashanti had first realized. It was actually a sponsorship backed by a venture capitalist firm dedicated to helping minority businesses. And that $250,000 prize was only the first component of a five-year commitment.
