Page 84 of Hate You Later
“Remember I told you I was participating in a challenge so I could build up my dog’s social media channels in the hopes of promoting my shop and the shelter?”
“Of course, of course.” Emily nods and looks from me to Hudson. Her face is serious and professional, but the instant Hudson looks away, she winks at me. I suck in a breath and shake my head. Not her too!
“Shall we?” Hudson gestures toward the building, and we all follow in his wake. He’s striding swiftly.
“It’s a funny story.” Hudson glances back over his shoulder, not making eye contact with me. “I only just realized this past weekend that Georgia was my challenge buddy. Small world. She’s been a great help. I don’t think Oliver would have found his voice without Cookie’s assistance.”
“This is all so fascinating.” Kenna takes three long-legged strides to reach Hudson’s side. “I would love to hear more about the process, maybe read those messages?” Then she looks back over her shoulder, smiling smugly at me.
“You wish.” Hudson smiles.
“Rats!” Kenna scrunches up her face and mutters to herself. I can’t help but laugh a little.
Emily loops her arm through mine and leans in. “So, I’m still not sure what exactly is going on here, but I want you to know I’ve got your back.”
“I’ll explain later,” I promise.
Xander, bringing up the rear, is still cracking up. I shoot him the same dirty look I used to reserve for his crashing my sleepovers in high school, and I’m gratified to see it still works. He shuts up.
Jackson and Angie are waiting when we get there. They are chatting cozily on an old sofa in the reception area.
“The workers brought that couch in, but we’ll have other pieces in place on the twenty-eighth,” Hudson says.
“Oh, that’s too bad. This couch is so comfy,” Angie says. She has brought along her photo album and is still flipping through photos, sharing stories. “I was showing Jackson some of our success stories. He said he lives alone. I think he needs a dog. I’m seeing doxie—”
“So, basically, you’re a matchmaker.” Jackson nods at Angie. “We need to talk some more. I’m not sure if I should have you on the podcast or hire you to consult on the dating app.” He strokes his chin thoughtfully.
“I’ve never listened to a podcast before, but I sure do love apps. And romance novels.”
Jackson holds out a hand, helping her up, and they join the entourage.
“Don’t mind me,” Jackson says. He uses his tablet to take photos of everything, noting outlets and access and jotting notes directly on the screen with a pen.
“I like to capture as much visually as possible,” he explains, snapping a photo of Cookie. “We should preload photos beforehand of the pets that are participating in the costume contest. We can use them as placeholders to set up the voting,” he suggests. “Are you soliciting donations with the votes?”
“We can’t make it mandatory, but I was thinking we’d request a dollar a vote.” Xander nods his head enthusiastically. “We’re totally on the same page here.”
“Let me show you the software I like to use,” Jackson says, pulling Xander aside.
“Okay, I think we lost them.” Kenna laughs. “Let’s just leave them to their own devices.”
The rest of us continue on the tour, which doesn’t take very long. Hudson shows us the commercial kitchen and shares his thoughts about various layouts and where to put the stage.
“We’d prefer to arrange the rentals ourselves for insurance reasons. I hope that’s not a problem.”
“Sounds like we’ll save a bundle, actually,” Kenna says. “We won’t complain about that!”
“Want to see the patios and the roof deck now?” Hudson asks.
Hudson leads us to the opposite side of the building, and we are treated to a tour of the waterfront patio area. There’s covered and uncovered seating, furnished with a combination of bar-height tables and sofa-style seating groups.
“We’ll bring in space heaters for the event, of course,” Hudson says. “Hopefully, the weather will hold for a few more weeks, but we can look into tents just in case.”
“I love it!” Kenna enthuses. “I bet you have amazing light here at the golden hour.”
“We do in the summer.” Hudson nods. He points out the waist-high fencing surrounding the patio. “As you can see, everything is also gated in. That should reassure the dog owners who plan on bringing their pets.”
A gated staircase at the end of the patio leads to the second story, where the rooftop garden and penthouse lofts are located.
