Her blue eyes spark with interest. “Go on.”
“I love photography. That’s my favorite part of my job now, when I get to photograph players for social media. I want to do that full-time, and my dream would be to photograph hockey. It’s the sport I grew up with. I’m passionate about it, I know it—it’s a part of my DNA.”
Her brow creases in thought. “I haven’t seen your work, but I’m going to assume you’re good at it if Real Miami is using your pictures, so let’s just say for the sake of this conversation you’ve got talent. Surely your dad could get you in with the Manatees, right?”
I wince. She smiles softly. “Did I hit a nerve?” she asks.
I poke my straw around, gently swirling the ice cubes in the nearly empty glass. “I don’t want to get a Manatees job because my last name is Rivershon.”
“What is with my friends not wanting to use the opportunities they have?” Hadleigh suddenly says. Then she brightens. “That’s it. My purpose has been uncovered. I’m here to help people achieve their career dreams. Maybe I need to become a career counselor.”
“I’m sorry. What?”
She giggles. “I should back up. I called you a friend. I consider you an official friend now. Is that okay?”
Happiness zips through me. “I will happily accept the opportunity to be your friend.”
“Yay!” Hadleigh says, grinning. Then her face goes back to being serious. “I have a story. Do you need to refill your latte first?”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
“Okay. Well, Isla had this same problem this spring. Caleb gave her opportunities he wouldn’t give any other reporter, and at first, she was afraid to take them. She didn’t want to earn her advantages that way.”
“That’s exactly how I see it.”
“But here’s the thing,” Hadleigh says, leaning forward. “Life sometimes gives you advantages. I think you have to take them. Isla ended up taking advantage of the opportunities Caleb gave her, which led to a career. But if she weren’t a damn good reporter, she wouldn’t have her own show or be covering F2. I think you take whatever advantage you are graced with and use it to show why you should have the job, no matter what your last name is.”
I consider her words. “But I don’t want to take a job away from someone.”
“Who says you’d be doing that?” Hadleigh challenges. She takes another sip of her latte, then pauses. “Do I have cinnamon on my upper lip?”
I grin. “Nope.”
“Okay. If it starts to gather there and look like stubble, please let me know.”
I burst out laughing. “I promise I will.”
“Back to my point. If your dad gets you in to show what you can do, and stays out of it after that? Then it’s up to the Manatees to decide what photographer they want to use. That’s fair, and that’s life. It’s all about networking and who you know,and if you don’t use your advantages, someone else who knows someone in the organization will.”
I bite my lip. I never thought of it like that.
“Maybe you can start with a secondary freelance role. Work when you can or when you don’t have MLS responsibilities. I think it would be wise to be there. I mean, you never know what might happen. What if that photographer retires? Moves on to another team? You could be at the top of the list to replace him or her.”
I digest everything she’s saying. I’ve never looked at it this way before.
She’s right,I think, hope filling me. Anyone else in my position would take advantage of this.
“Ooh, you’re thinking about it,” she singsongs.
“I am.”
“I one hundred percent need to be a career advisor,” she says, a smug little smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.
“Why don’t you?” I ask. “You’d be good at it.”
Her smile fades. “I went to school for a practical career. I’m good at analyzing things.”
“Well, you’re pretty good at analyzing people, too,” I say.
