Page 86 of Perfect Enough
Haven bounced in her seat. “Okay, first, it will be a members-only dog park. People will have the option of buying a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly pass. If people are willing to spend money on a park, they tend to take care of it more, from what I’ve researched.”
I nodded. “That makes sense.”
“There will betwoparks. One for larger dogs and one for the smaller pups. There will be a few dog washing stations in an area close to the exit, so when you leave, if your pup gets too dirty, you can wash them off for free right there.”
“That’s a great idea.”
She beamed. “A friend of mine owns a pet grooming business, and she has a mobile unit that she said she’d bring out and park for a half day each week, a full day…whatever makes sense…and offer grooming for pups who play at the park. They’ll get a pup park discount on the grooming as well.”
“That’s another great idea. Kill two birds with one stone.”
Haven nodded. “Yes! There will be lots of seating for dog owners as well, with some covered areas for shade. I’d also like to have a large outdoor TV for people while they’re sipping their favorite drink at the bar for humans.”
“A bar?” I asked. “Wow, nowthatcould be fun.”
She laughed and jumped in her seat again. “I know! Of course, we’ll have to limit drinks because the last thing we want is for people to get smashed and not take care of their fur babies. That bit of advice was from the lawyer I hired.”
“Smart advice.”
“I thought so as well. Owen suggested a restaurant, but getting a liquor license is going to be a lot already, and I don’t want to deal with all the other rules and regulations that come along with a restaurant.”
“You could hire one of those food trucks to come for lunch or something. Or you could even rent them space to park full time, if it’s profitable for them to do so.”
Her eyes went wide. “Sophia, that’s a great idea! I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself. We could start with just a few days a week and see how that goes.”
I smiled. “Glad to help. Another question I have, what about kids? I can see them running around now and the dogs going insane.”
“From my research and experience of dog parks, not a lot of kiddos are there. Don’t get me wrong, there are kids, but it’s mostly adults who bring their dogs, or as I like to say, their pup kids. Plus, it’s a membership or private dog park, so we can make rules for that. Not saying no kids, but rules in place so that the kids behave and don’t run around and rile up the dogs. Does that make sense?”
I nodded. “Completely.”
“So, you’re probably wondering what I would needyoufor.”
“It’s been swirling around in my mind, yes.”
She laughed again, and I realized I loved the sound of it. It was one of those belly-type laughs, not fake at all or simply to appease others, but a genuinelaugh. The more I spoke with Haven, the more I liked her and could see myself working for her.
“I can’t keep up with everything on the admin side, like scheduling for the bus adventures and the dozens of details involved with this new project. I’m pretty good with numbers, but Josh mentioned you also had a degree in accounting? I could use help in that area, especially as we get the dog park up and running. I’d like to hire a few park monitors for its open hours, as well. I really want the park to be safe for both humans and dogs.”
“I think it’s smart to have monitors. And yes, I did get degrees in both dance and accounting. I know they’re two very different things, but my mother and father owned the studio, and they each handled one aspect—creative and financial. My goal was to be able to do both, which I did. I’m very comfortable with accounting.”
Haven clapped. “That’s awesome! What do you want to ask about the job?”
I drew in a breath and slowly let it out. “Let’s see. Well…can I go on some of the bus adventures with you?”
She grinned. “Yes! If that’s something you’d like to do, absolutely.”
“I would love to do that.” I looked up in thought. “So, basically, you’re looking for kind of an overall assistant with the business and someone to do the accounting?”
“Yep. Unless you want to be a partner.” She laughed.
My brows rose. A partner? I couldn’t help but wonder if she was kidding. She’d mentioned investors…so maybe shewouldbe up for a partner. I did have some money saved up, plus what I would get from the sale of the studio. “Are you serious?”
Her smile faded into a look of surprise. “Is that something you’d want to do? Owen doesn’t want to invest in the dog park, because he’d like to grow his training business. I wouldlovea partner who shares the same vision and excitement for this as I do. I have two other investors, but they would like to remain silent.”
“I think it’s something I would like to think about, and I’m looking for a career change. Once my mother sells the studio, I’ll have a portion of the proceeds from the sale, and I’m trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.”
“You don’t want to open your own studio?” Haven asked.