“Well, you know I’ve been giving out your dog treats as a sort of loyal reward for our customers.”
“Yeah. I really appreciate you discounting my daycare payments for that.”
“Sure, happy to, but actually I was thinking we might alter our agreement a little.”
I paused as I set out my new ghost-shaped dog treats made with pumpkin and chicken. “Oh? Is it not enough? I can try to come up with more.”
“It’snotenough,” Sammi said, though she was grinning at me. That was an odd expression for someone complaining about financial arrangements.
“I’m sorry. Tell me what I owe you.”
“Oh, how about all of your dog treats?”
I gaped. “What? You mean the ones I brought today, or…”
“All of them.” She laughed. “Oh man, your face. I shouldn’t tease you. I don’t want you togiveme all your dog biscuits. I want you to sell them at my shop.”
“Oh.” I blinked. “Like, on consignment?”
“That’s one way to do it,” she said. “Another way is that you join the business. Become an official part of BowWow.”
“Whoa, I didn’t see that coming.”
She smirked. “Am I blowing your mind?”
“Kinda.” I hesitated. “I’m not a dog groomer. I guess Icould help at the day care, but I kind of want my focus to be my dog biscuits.”
Sammi nodded. “Totally. You wouldn’t be expected to provide any other services. Just work the front of the shop, same as you would if you had your own store. You can sell your biscuits in display cases, cover the phones, and check-out customers. Part-time only, so you’d have time to bake all the gourmet treats you want.”
“Why would you want to do this?”
She shrugged. “BowWow has been growing. Even with our part-timer, it’s getting more difficult for me and Hank to cover the front, along with everything else we need to do. If you don’t join, we’ll probably hire someone else.”
“Does Hank know you’re offering this?”
Sammi nodded. “Yeah, we talked about it. Hank wanted the offer to come from me. He thought you might think he was trying to swoop in and rescue you or something. But this was my idea. He told me you were saving to start a business, but it makes so much sense for us to join forces. We already have dog lovers coming in, and you probably don’t need a huge storefront for what you want to do. We provide you with a ready-made customer base, which would be good exposure and?—”
“Sammi, you don’t have to keep selling me!” I laughed. “I’m in.”
“You are?”
“Yes! It sounds amazing. I mean, we’ll have to work out the financial agreements. Like how much I need to invest and profit-sharing and stuff.”
Sammi nodded. “Why don’t we meet up at BowWow next week to hash it all out? And look, nothing has to be set in stone. If you don’t like working the front of store, we’ll figure out another arrangement. We’re all friendshere.”
Hanks jogged up. “Hey, you all set? We’re officially opening the festival. I’ve been telling everyone to come check out your biscuits.”
“That’s not all you’ve been doing,” I said. “You’ve been plotting with your partner in crime about me joining BowWow. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”
Hank’s smile looked nervous. “Are you going to do it?”
I grinned. “Yeah, I think I am.”
“Yes!” He came behind our table to sweep me up in a kiss. “It was all Sammi’s idea.”
“She told me.”
“I know you could do it on your own, but why should you? This seems like a perfect fit.”
