Page 78 of Some Like It Fox

I swallow. “Thank you.” Turning away, I clear my throat. “Anyway, no more sappy crap. Let’s get down to business.”

We spend some time going over the contract and payment details for the upcoming show.

“This is going to be great,” Mindy says, shuffling the paperwork back into the file. “Thanks again for doing this. It’s too bad you aren’t staying longer. Veronica’s would be the best outdoor venue if we had time to clean up the back and set up a stage. Can you imagine? She has all that space. It could be like Electric Forest or something. But on a much smaller scale, obviously.”

It takes a few seconds for the words to sink in, but when they do, I’m thunderstruck by the idea, like a bolt of lightning from the AC/DC gods.

“I have a little bit of time,” I say slowly. “The bus won’t be done for another month. Would that be enough time to plan something like that? Like a one-day lineup... Veronica basically gave me free rein, but I would let her know for sure.”

Mindy blinks. “I don’t know. I guess it’s possible if we could book the musical acts that quickly.” She rubs her lips together, and then her eyes widen. “What if Outfoxed Records sponsors the event, and we do all or mostly acts from my label?”

My mind whirrs around the idea. “Would that even work?”

“I think so. If we do it three weekends from now, Luke could play too. I think at least six of my artists will be free then, but I’ll have to check the calendar.”

My heart pounds. Am I actually considering this? Can we really pull something off?

Mindy’s eyes are bright, her face animated. “We have venue, musicians, and funding—which can be recouped through ticket sales. We can have the stage built on the east side of the property behind the building. Maybe we can do camping in the trees, there’s a couple of flat meadows back there. Oliver has some connections where we could maybe get in some food trucks, in addition to the restaurant and the bar.”

“We’ll need a lot of staff, for tech setup and everything else. A few porta potties for sure.”

Mindy grabs my hand. “This could be amazing. Everyone wants to get in on these things when they’re small, before they turn into Burning Man and Coachella.”

“What would we call it? Outfoxed Festival?”

Her eyes widen. “Really?”

“Well, yeah, especially if you’re footing the bill.”

She grins and reaches out, shaking my arm. “That would be incredible.”

I continue taking notes as we throw out ideas.

“We could put up some tree tents and hammocks,” Mindy says.

I jot it down. “Oh, what about yurts? Bonnie and Elliot have some nice ones they rent out.”

She gasps. “That would be amazing.”

I make another note. “What about getting local artists to help with decorating in the trees?”

“That is a great idea.” Her eyes widen and she snaps her fingers. “We can see if Piper wants to help, maybe put her in charge. Then we can get her to Whitby while we’re all here.”

I nod slowly. “And she said she’s had a bit of artist’s block. Maybe this is a good chance for her to be creative in a different way.”

“We could definitely sell it to her. Also, there are footpaths that wind through the trees. She could decorate along those, so when people move from the stage area to the camping area, there will be lights and art installations and whatever we want really.”

I write faster and then turn around and grin at Mindy, excitement a beat in my veins. “I know a hundred people right now that would drop everything and come here right this minute.”

She rubs her chin. “We’ll have to cap the size.”

I purse my lips, turning back to the notepad. “How much should we charge for the entry and camp fees?”

We throw out more ideas and then Mindy says, “We’ll have to call Reed at the county office for the permits.”

“You think he can push it through on a tight timeline?”

“I’ve known him since grade school, so he better.”

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