Page 26 of The MC's Surprise
The crew arrived just after Kennedy finished setting up. She decided first to get some shots of the crew coming in, and the event set up so her interview wouldn’t be interrupted by the sounds of engines. While she and her cameraman were busy, Vegas sauntered up to me, making butterflies take flight in my belly. Why, oh why did he have to be so freaking good looking inthe biker getup? The suits he wore at the casino were nice, but the jeans and leather were something else.
“What’s going on?”
I bounced on my toes, excitement making it hard for me to sit still. “Our event caught the attention of the local news. That’s Kennedy-freaking-Storm. My parents watch her every night. If she’s here, we’re going to get a lot of attention.”
Prez, who had walked up at the same time, frowned over his shoulder at Kennedy before turning back to me. His expression was a little more tempered, cautious, but I didn’t take it personally. He had a lot riding on these events and he was stressed.
“As long as it's positive attention.”
I gave him a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. “It will be. I find it hard to imagine someone could put a negative spin on puppies. Oh, look! Our first patron!”
The afternoon passed in a whirlwind of activity and bubbles. Apparently, dogs loved bubbles. When Circus showed up with the bubble machine, I thought it would look nice but not really add much. I was so very wrong. The dogs loved it and the pictures were hilarious and adorable.
It was a slow start, but once Kennedy started reporting live, people showed up and not just people curious about what was going on. Almost a dozen dogs were adopted, and people went inside to look at other animals too. There was also a pack of people just talking to the crew that was nearby. The crew who volunteered put on a show, getting on the ground to play with the littlest puppies or running around like goofballs just to draw in the crowd.
Watching Vegas holding a tiny wiggling puppy made my knees weak. There was nothing intimidating about him, and I couldn’t drag my eyes away until Kennedy approached me again.
“I have to admit, this was an amazing event. We haven’t had community outreach like this in a long time.”
I nodded absently, my eyes trailing over the parking lot next to the shelter where we were all set up. Kids showed up to play, adults volunteered to walk the animals and a few of the crew started washing the dogs one at a time before bringing them back out to play. The zoomies made everyone laugh. People brought pet food and toys for the shelter and even made some monetary donations. It was bigger than I thought it would be.
“People forget sometimes they’re part of a community. You spend your day going through the motions; work, home, repeat. Things like helping your neighbor get put on the back burner and forgotten. But small towns like this are built on community values. All it takes is a little push, and people will step up to help.”
“And you and your friends are trying to be the push?”
A smile overtook my face, watching the puppy in Vegas’s lap trying to climb on him and lick his face. “That’s the idea. The Dirty Devils are part of this community, and they have been for years. They might look rough, but they’re really just a bunch of marshmallows. They love this town as much as I do, and they want to do their part to help.”
I hadn’t realized she’d started filming me again until she said, “That’s a wrap.”
I blinked a few times, spinning to face her. She smiled brightly, handing me a card with her information on it. “Call me for the next event. I’m going to approach my boss and see if I can make this a series. We’ll follow you guys around, get shots of the events.”
My heart pounded wildly, and I clutched the card protectively to my chest. “Really? You’d do that?”
“You’re doing great things here. And you’re right, this community has gotten really complacent. It’d be nice to remind people they’re part of this community as a whole.”
Tears burned the backs of my eyes, the shock and elation a little overwhelming. I’d honestly prepared for this to be a slow day, just the start until we garnered more attention and got the ball rolling. How we managed to do so well on the first day baffled me.
“Th-Thank you. I really appreciate you supporting us. I, uh… Can I ask how you heard about us? Was it the fliers?”
Her lips pursed in a frown. “No, we got a phone call to the station telling us about the event. I honestly thought you were the one who called.”
“N-No. I didn't know you could call in to a news station. I would’ve done it if I thought I could, though.”
She considered it for a minute before shrugging. “Well, whatever the reason, it worked out well for both of us. When I called my boss about it, he seemed really into it. I’m not really seeing any reason he won’t go for the series. So make sure to call me, alright?”
I nodded, shaking her hand when she offered it, and tried not to crumble from the shock as she walked away. Nothing I’d ever done in the past had ever gone this well on the first day. Even my business was a slow starter. It took time to get it off the ground. But this. It wasn’t a business, granted, but it was doing better than I could’ve hoped. And the crew was going to benefit so much from it. Already, I could see the smiles on the faces of the people who came to join us. No one judged them for being bikers or made baseless accusations. They were happy to be here and supportive of the crew’s goals.
Sucking in a shaky breath, I stomped down all my wayward emotions. I couldn’t get ahead of myself. Yes, this event had gone well and yes, we had the attention of some importantpeople, but this was only the beginning and we had to contend with that other crew causing trouble. If they were here to make trouble like the guys thought, then they’d push back eventually. I just had to make sure we had the support we needed before that happened.
15
Vegas
Iwas sweating and covered with dog slobber by the time the event was over. I’d honestly thought these events would be stressful and possibly messy, but I actually had a blast. Sierra shoved me toward one of the playpens, saying she and Skylar were in charge, and my job was to look pretty. I’d laughed it off, but more than once that afternoon, I felt her eyes on me and it was one hell of a distraction. A good one. I felt carefree for the first time in years, and I loved the blush on her face whenever I caught her staring.
She was handing out bottles of water to the crew when I finished up. I picked up the toys, putting them in a plastic tote. They were being donated to the shelter for repeat events in the future. The bigger stuff would be returned and we put it in the back of Butch’s truck so he and a few guys could return it before the store closed.
“Might need to make this an annual event,” I commented as I joined Sierra and a few of the other old ladies. I wasn’t surprised when Prez, Butch, and Wraith followed behind me. If their old ladies were in the area, they were headed in that direction.
