Yeah, the crap that went down at McPherson could get a little wild—there was one meeting that involved Nerf guns—but it usually felt like a frat party that made me want to keep my water bottle covered. What was happening at Ashford felt like an official tickertape parade for us.
Harrison and I walked into the conference room to a standing ovation. The stock price was posted on the whiteboard, and there was a full,fancybreakfast buffet on the side table.
He stood at the head of the table with his head bowed, looking every inch the reluctant hero until the applause died down.
“Teamwork makes the dreamwork,” he said, kicking off another round of applause. He continued when the room went quiet again. “Seriously, I couldn’t have made that happen without all of your help. And a big thank you to Gwen Ackland as well. She was instrumental.”
Every eye in the room fixed on me, and my cheeks grew hot as the applause kicked off yet again. I gave a little embarrassed wave.
“You two are a dream team,” Denise marveled. “Sogood.”
Yeah, Harrison and I were amazing together, and that was the problem. We hadn’t gotten a chance to talk about my mortifying professional breach in the hallway after the concert. Part of me wanted to finally have it out so we could put the whole matter behind us…but another part of me was dreading having that talk.
How was I going to explain the kiss as anything other than what it was: The inevitable result of my nonstop desire to strip the man naked and tongue bathe every inch of his perfect body?
Maybe we could just pretend the kiss never happened.
“Appreciate it. Thanks, everyone,” Harrison held his hands up. “If it’s okay, I’d like to move on from the victory lap, because we’ve got some planning to do for the adoption event.”
That we did. I’d run plenty of events but never one that involved live animals on site. I could figure out the logistics, of course, but I hoped Denise or someone else on the team had experience with the many layers required to run a successful adoption day.
“First step is location. Let’s throw out some ideas. Anyone?” Harrison asked.
“What about in the hangar at the airport?”
“Good call on picking an option with plenty of space, but it’s got other issues.” Harrison shook his head at the guy. “Way too noisy. Plus, logistically, it’s sort of impossible since the parking lot is so far away. What else?”
Susan raised her hand from her spot in the corner. She took notes during our meetings and rarely spoke up.
Harrison nodded toward her. “What are you thinking?”
“There’s a gigantic parking lot right across from the Nato Beach shelter, where that furniture store is. What if we ask if we can use it? That way we’d have plenty of space for the dogs, and there’s street parking all around it.”
Harrison pursed his lips and squinted as he considered it, like he was trying to visualize how it would play out. “Yeah, that could work. I never see anyone there.”
“That store is a money-laundering front,” a voice joked from the far end of the table, and everyone laughed.
“We could offer to rent the space, but I bet if we tell them it’s a charity event, they’ll let us use it for free,” Brianna suggested.
I started to categorize all of the moving parts that would be necessary to pull it all off. “Will the Nato staff and volunteers be willing to help out?”
Harrison nodded. “Yeah, but they run a slim operation. They’re already pushed to the limit.”
“Well, I’ll be there,” I said without thinking.
Obviously, I’d be part of the behind-the-scenes planning of the day, but I also wanted to be present for the fun of witnessing canine happily ever afters.
“Me too,” Susan said.
“Same,” Denise echoed. “I think you’re looking at a room full of highly competent people who want to help make the magic happen on the big day.”
Harrison paused. “I wasn’t going to issue a mandate that Ashford staff had to be on site, but I was hoping a few people would volunteer to help out. Let’s get a rough headcount. How many of you are able to be there?”
The room erupted in noise and happy chatter as every single person raised their hand. I felt a rush of warmth for my colleagues.
“Seriously?” Harrison laughed. “Well okay then. This changes my direction, because I thought I’d only have a skeleton crew. Looks like we’ll be fully staffed up. This means the Nato folks can focus on the paperwork and vetting of potential adopters, and we’ll take care of the rest.”
“An event like this is new for me, but I’ll do my best,” Susan began.
