“Oh, but it gets better.”
I wiggle in place, getting ready to tell my tale.
And Rand tilts his head—and I think he might’ve just growled.But it’s over so soon, I can’t tell.
“So,” I begin my story.“I started with one beat-up conversion van in upstate New York.Just me, a pair of clippers, and enough determination to annoy everyone who told me it wouldn't work.”
“And?”
“And it worked.”
His smile grows.
“Then it worked some more.”
“Keep going.”
“I franchised.”
His mouth actually falls open.
“What?”
“There are a little over two hundredDaria's Dawgs & Other Pets Mobile Groomingvans running up and down the East Coast now.”
He just stares at me.
Then points.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“I've seen those vans.”
I laugh.
“You probably have.”
“Holy shit.”
His eyes are huge.
“Those are yours?”
I nod.
“They are.”
“Daria...”
He shakes his head.
“That's incredible.”
Warmth blooms in my chest.
Most people hear “pet groomer” and stop listening.
