Nonstop Spaniels (Novella) Page 7

  “Hi, Lauren.” Marie was the first to approach. “I’m happy to meet you.” Her voice was high but not shrill, and it seemed to peal with sincerity. “I’ve already met the adorable dogs and cats you have out front for adoption. Thanks so much for bringing them.” Her grin was huge and her grip, as we shook hands, was firm and quick. If personality helped to sell pet supplies and food, I wasn’t surprised that she ran this huge Beverly Hills store.

  “Glad to meet you, too, Marie.” I’d held other HotRescues mobile adoptions at HotPet stores, but this was my first one here—and I had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last.

  “Hi, Lauren.” Sheila moved around Marie to face me. I had met Dante’s assistant before since I visited the HotPets headquarters often to keep Dante updated on how things were going at HotRescues. She’d worked there for a few months now. Sheila was a tall, slim woman. She wore a soft gray dress that looked tailored and professional, but her black stiletto shoes yelled out for attention.

  “Hi,” I said. “Did you help to arrange this party?” I didn’t wait for her proud smile and nod before adding, “I thought so. It’s wonderful. And,” I said to Dante, “happy birthday to HotPets and many, many more.”

  He laughed. “You’d better be right. Ah, look who’s here.”

  Tom and Naya joined us. Naya was, unsurprisingly, hugging little Marvin. “He’s ours now!” she exclaimed with glee.

  “He needs a Bling collar.” A guy I didn’t know had joined us.

  “Of course,” Naya said. “Lauren, have you met Chris?”

  I hadn’t, but I was quickly introduced to Chris Mandrea.

  “Are you also with the HotPets Bling subsidiary?” I asked.

  “He’s not only ‘with’ the company,” Naya said. “He’s crucial to it. He designs all the collars and other things that will eventually be released and sold.”

  I was a bit surprised that Naya was the one to sing his praises rather than her husband. Tom was the manager of the new subsidiary, not her. But it was great to see Naya’s enthusiasm.

  “Yep, I’m the heart of Bling.” Chris’s grin was imp-like in his long and narrow face. He wore a shining lilac shirt tucked into jeans, which, though not as dressy as what most of us wore, still looked sufficiently partyish.

  As Dante went off to play host some more, Kendra at his side, I talked with the Faylers and Chris about HotPets Bling. They were clearly proud of the new products—justifiably, it sounded.

  But after a few minutes, Tom said, “I think we have to get ready for …”

  “For the big secret?” Naya asked, holding Marvin against her cheek. The sweet little min-pin licked her nose.

  “What secret?” I asked.

  “You’ll see,” Chris said, and the three of them walked off.

  I glanced around. My invitees were now off on their own drinking more champagne and eating the hors d’oeuvres displayed on a table in the center of the room. I joined them, still wondering what the big secret was.

  I considered mentioning it to my friends, but there wasn’t time. Nearly as soon as I rejoined them, Matt handed me another glass. “The servers said Dante is about to make a presentation and we should all be prepared to celebrate.”

  I wasn’t about to resist more champagne. And my curiosity had definitely been piqued.

  Tom Fayler joined Dante in the middle of the crowd, while Naya continued to hold Marvin. “May we have everyone’s attention?” Tom called.

  Conversations were loud enough that those of us who heard started clapping to encourage silence. Soon, the crowd was quiet.

  “I want to thank you all for coming to our celebration,” Dante said. “And right now, I want to add to it. We have something special for all the women who are here.”

  Chris walked up to Dante and Tom holding a large box.

  “This is both to add to our celebration—and to promote our new venture,” Dante said. He gestured first to Kendra. “Got a little present for you.” When she joined him, he pulled something out of the box and went behind her. With flair, he put the item around her neck and fastened it.

  It was a light blue necklace that resembled a sparkling dog collar—a HotPets Bling collar.

  “Thank you,” she said. Judging by her conspiratorial grin, she’d known this was coming.

  All of Dante’s staff helped to distribute the necklaces contained in the box. Since I, too, was wearing blue, I received one identical to Kendra’s—highly appropriate, I thought, since the knit shirts all HotRescues staff members wore, including me, were also blue. Not that I was likely to wear this around our shelter. At least not all the time.

  But I really did like it. It was artificial leather containing faux jewels set in the same designs as those in the smaller Bling dog collars—this time several grinning pooches.

  Once all the necklaces had been given out, I decided it was time to make a spectacle of myself. I hurried to Dante’s side.

  “Thank you,” I said, loudly enough for the whole crowd to hear. “I’d like to make a toast.” I held up my champagne flute and waited while the crowd had time to figure out what I was doing and hold up their own glasses. “Here’s to Dante DeFrancisco, to HotPets, and to HotRescues. And, today especially, here’s to HotPets Bling. I hope that the new products do as well on the market as I’m sure we all believe they will. In fact, I wish them all the success and popularity that we can imagine. May HotPets Bling become the best known dog collars in the country!”