his mouth.
Ivy stifled a chuckle by taking a sip of coffee.
“I mean it, Cam,” Hadley said. “You can have all the donuts you want but you’ll have to go somewhere else.” She shoved the donut box toward him.
“Okay, so the dog walking is actually getting more popular,” he heard Hadley say once he’d moved as far across the main room as he could and still eavesdrop. Fortunately Bernie was nodding off, so he did a slow turn near the windows, walking and rocking her gently as he listened in. He could even see a little if he craned his head around a few of the dog crates. “It’s bringing in a little bit of revenue. How are you all feeling about it?”
“I’ve lost two pounds,” Mayellen said.
“And I’m getting some weekend dogsitting jobs,” Ivy said, “because people are really pleased with the dog walking.”
“I’ve liked it too,” Hadley said. “But as you know, Gran wants me to come up with another business plan. I’ve decided I’m going to put out some feelers about starting a nonprofit.”
“You mean like a rescue?” Ivy asked.
“I think I need another donut,” Mayellen said. “Honey, that sounds like a ton of work. Aren’t you leaving soon?”
“Taking in strays…that’s a big expense,” Ivy said. “They need a lot of medical care and food and stuff.”
“And Hadley can’t say no to anybody.” Mayellen patted Hadley’s hand.
Cam stifled a chortle. Because she’d never had any trouble saying no to him.
“I’m just putting out feelers and also giving Gran time to recover,” Hadley continued, scribbling something on a legal pad as she talked. “I plan to talk to the local vet group and to a bunch of shelter owners to learn what it takes to become a nonprofit. I have a whole list of things I need to research.”
“We can help,” Mayellen said.
“Great,” she said. “So no matter what happens, we could work on building up our social media platforms,” Hadley said. “It’s never too early for that.”
“That sounds fun,” Mayellen said. “I love Pinterest. So colorful. And the recipes!”
Unable to stay silent, Cam popped his head around the counter. “Pinterest works well for restaurants, Mayellen. In fact, I’m looking for someone to help me with that for my place. But for a pet rescue, I think you’d have to use Facebook.”
“I create different accounts for my clients all the time,” Hadley said. “I color-coordinate Instagram accounts based on theme. And run ads. And specials and incentives.”
“Nice.” Yet another reason Hadley should be his friend, not his enemy. Because the woman could clearly kick butt.
“I’m not sure how I feel about this,” Ivy said. “We never had to use the Internet before to advertise our business.”
“Well, for starters, do we even have a social media presence?” Hadley asked.
“We sure do,” Mayellen answered cheerily. “Our Facebook page has got twenty-five likes.”
“That many?” Ivy asked with astonishment.
“Do we have an Instagram account?” Hadley asked.
“No,” Ivy said, “but I take photos of nearly all the dogs I groom. The owners love it. Maybe we could use those for something?”
“That’s a great idea,” Hadley said, writing that down.
“Don’t forget Groupon,” Cam added, popping in again. “Just trying to be helpful.”
“Haven’t you left yet?” she called.
“As soon as I finish my donut.”
Ivy chuckled. “That Cam. He’s so funny.”
“The other thing is, you should sign up for a booth at the Blueberry Festival,” Cam said. “This is the last week to register.”
“That’s a great idea,” Mayellen said. “We can try to get these sweethearts adopted.” The bulldog huffed. Jagger twitched an ear in his sleep.
The phone rang, and at the same time, the bell above the door tinkled. Mayellen and Ivy both got up to tend to business.
“I got a festival booth for myself,” Cam told Hadley. “But you better hurry—they’re going fast.”
“Why are you telling me this? Because you’re trying to be nice instead of a cold-blooded opportunist?” She smiled sweetly.
It was his turn to frown. “That’s not fair.”
“Let’s be honest,” she said. “Neither of us is stopping at anything to get this place. I saw your…your cronies last night. You’re in this to win it.”
Cronies? Okay, so Ian and his Camminator has been over the top. He wanted to tell her that wasn’t who he was. But what would be the point? “Look, Hadley. I am in it to win it. But only because I think it’s the best thing for everybody.”
“Whatever.” She waved her hand dismissively in the air.
“Don’t be angry with me.” A giant red warning light should have turned on