He laughed. “Actually, you are. That’s why I asked.”
“Areyounervous?”
“Not as much as I thought I’d be. I felt a lot better after that production assistant said the segment will only be four minutes and twenty seconds. We were on that podcast for an hour yesterday. Less than five minutes today should be a breeze.”
An old Bruce Springsteen song sounded throughout the studio, a teaser to the story that was right after theirs on the lineup about some charity event the legend was headlining in his home state of New Jersey. The PA came into the greenroom.
“You’re up,” she said. “Puddin’ and Duchess are being brought in now.”
They were led to a living room setup with a cream-colored couch that had to have been custom made—at least eight people could fit on that thing—along with two upholstered chairs.
The hosts simultaneously rose from the anchor desk adjacent to the set and started for them. They were both taller than Thad had expected. And they were undeniably twins. If Leah wore her hair slicked back instead of in a crown of coily natural curls, Thad wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.
“Thanks so much for coming to the show, and for bringingthe dogs all the way to New York,” she greeted. “I’m handling this segment, but Luke wanted to meet the pair.”
“And the two of you,” Luke called from where he crouched before the dogs.
“Thanks so much for the invitation,” Ashanti said. “I’m such a big fan. I still can’t believe I’m here.”
“Coming in,” someone called from the shadowed part of the studio. He, Ashanti, and Leah took their places on the couch and Luke hauled ass.
“We have a real treat for you all this morning,” Leah opened. “And it all started with a dog biscuit.”
A short clip of Duchess and Puddin’ getting caught with the Duchess Delights treat ran, followed by ten seconds of people’s online reactions to the video.
“I think it’s safe to say the country is obsessed with Puddin’ and Duchess,” Leah said once the montage ended. “What has this been like for the two of you and, more importantly, for the dogs?”
Thad sat back and watched as Ashanti gave a spirited account of all that had transpired in the past week without any hint of the nerves she’d feared. She was masterful, getting in mentions of both the daycare and Duchess Delights.
“And how about you, Thaddeus? How does it feel to know your poodle is one of the most beloved dogs in the world?”
Ashanti’s eyes widened with apprehension. Thad flashed her a smile before focusing on Leah.
“Makes me feel like the luckiest man alive. Everyone loves Puddin’, but I’m the one who gets to play fetch with him every day.”
He couldn’t be certain, but he was pretty sure he heard Ashanti squeak. He glanced at her and had to cover his laughwith a cough. How could she look to be on the verge of exploding yet look so damn good at the same time?
“Excuse me. What was that, Leah?” Thad asked.
“I asked about your venture, The PX, that will soon open in New Orleans. I absolutely love the story behind it.”
Thad knew their time was running short, so he gave a brief overview of the mission behind The PX and their push to get it up and running by Veterans Day.
“I know what’s about to become my new social media obsession,” Leah said, after Thad mentioned following the progress of their build on The PX’s Instagram account. She pivoted back to Ashanti. “Ashanti, are Duchess Delights available online?”
She cleared her throat. “Not yet, but we plan to launch an online storefront soon. Along with a bakery once we’re at our new location.”
“Well, I’m sure I speak for every pet owner in the country when I say that I cannot wait to order. And can people contact Barkingham Palace if they want their fur baby to be treated like royalty for the day?”
“Of course,” she answered.
“There you have it, folks,” Leah said. “Stick around. Just after the break we’ll tell you how to score your chance at seeing The Boss live in concert while supporting a worthy cause.”
“That was amazing,” Leah said once they’d gone to commercial. “We went over our allotted time, but the interview was going so well that the producer told me to just roll with it.”
“Thanks again for having us,” Ashanti said.
Leah leaned in closer and said in a slightly lower voice, “Ihave to say, you two make such a lovely couple.” She winked. “The chemistry pops.”
