“Is your girl friendly?” she asked, tilting a head in Luci’s direction. “Do you mind if I pop him in with her? I think I’m getting tennis elbow from carrying him.”

I laughed. “She adores a ferret play date!” I scooped Falcor out of her arms and plonked him down in the playpen. Immediately Luci scuttled over to sniff at him. “If I’d known you were coming tonight, I would have brought the axolotl costume. It’s sitting on my bed, ready to post out on Monday.”

“Oh, no rush on that.” Esther waved my apology away. “But it’s great to see you again, anyway!”

“It is?” I asked, meeting her gaze. There was something lively and energetic in her expression, something that had excitement zinging up my spine.

“Yes, we have a business proposition for you.”

I tilted my head, confusion swirling in my stomach. “Okay?”

Jules smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling. “Esther, you don’t need to make it sound so serious!” She nudged the taller woman with her elbow. “We’re very active in the ferret-owning community, and we’re also avid cosplayers.”

My little, pop culture-loving heart accelerated at that. “I’m in.”

Esther chuckled as Jules grinned wider. “We haven’t even told you our idea yet.”

I shrugged, my cardigan falling to my elbows. “You had me at ferrets and cosplay. Have you seen what I do here?” I gestured to my stall.

“Which is exactly why we thought of you immediately for this concept we’re developing,” Esther explained. “You do know that you’re semi-famous among local ferret lovers, don’t you?”

I wrinkled my nose. “No, that’s ridiculous.”

Jules’s smile widened. “You really are. Every ferret parent we speak to knows about Dooks of Hazzard.” She gestured towards the logo tablecloth hanging from my trestle table. “Cool name, by the way!”

My face heated with pleasure. “Thanks! I thought so, too. The first costume I ever made for Luci was a little hat and a plaid shirt … the Daisy Dukes were a little hard to manage on a ferret …”

“I can imagine,” Esther chuckled. “And we’re not kidding. You’re almost a celebrity in the ferret-having circles we run in. And, in our travels, we’ve discovered that the Venn diagram between ferret people and cosplay people … well, it’s almost a perfect circle.”

“I’m not sure I’m entirely following you … but I’m super excited anyway! Is that weird?”

“Not at all!” Jules reassured me. “That’s exactly the sort of enthusiasm everyone loves about you!”