Page 25 of The Christmas Plan

“Twenty seconds.” Letting out a sigh, Rose pulled the portfolio from her bag and took a bold step forward.

Just as she was crossing the party, one of the other agents speaking with John Moore walked away, leaving an empty space for Rose to slot in.

She put on a smile as she took the spot, holding out her hand to the agent. “Mr. Moore, right?”

John raised his eyebrows and nodded, shaking her hand. “That’s right. And who might you be?” His eyes darted down to the camera around her neck.

“My name’s Rose Miller, I’ve been photographing the event. But I just wanted to say hello. I’m a huge fan of your entire client list.” Rose tried to keep her breathing steady, not wanting to rush any of her words.

“Really? That’s nice of you to say.” Narrowing his eyes, John could tell a pitch was incoming. “If you like my list, you’d probably fit into it well.”

Smirking, Rose shrugged. “Funny you should say that. I happened to bring my portfolio.” She set the folder on the table between them.

Before he responded, John reached out and grabbed it, flipping through the images briefly. “God, it’s dark in here. But even so, this is great work. How are you trained?”

“Self-taught.” Rose swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how fresh she was.

John nodded. “I miss when everyone was self-taught. The work is so much more unique, much less uniform when you’ve learned how the camera works for you.”

Trying not to grin too eagerly, Rose grabbed a glass of red wine from a caterer's tray. “Well, just give it a look and let me know what you think. I left my card in the folder if you’re interested.”

“How did you end up here?” John pressed, more curious about Rose.

Searching for Ari and Tommy in the crowd, Rose pointed. “Those two. I met Ari at a wedding and she introduced me to Tommy but her roster was full. My girlfriend and I offered to shoot the event as a favor.”

A knowing look came over John. “Those two were the best decisions I made at SDO. I found them as interns and kept them around. Plus, events like this are perfect for a portfolio drop.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Rose winked as she took a drink of her wine. “Thank you so much for your time, hopefully, I’ll hear from you.”

John nodded. “You will, Ms. Miller. Happy Holidays.”

With that, Rose turned from the table and headed back to Drew. Once her face was hidden from John, she faked a scream which made Drew smirk.

From across the room, Drew pumped their fist and grinned.

Rose wasn’t sure she would have been bold enough to believe in herself like this even a year ago. But with Drew by her side, everything felt possible and she was really starting to see her value as an artist.

“How’d it go?” Drew was eager to know the details.

Nodding, Rose smiled. “Good, he seemed friendly and liked my resume.”

Drew wrapped their arms around their girlfriend, excited to see what was to come. “I’m so happy for you. You deserve it.”

“Thank you, babe.” Rose kissed Drew’s cheek. “Want to start packing up?”

Wiggling their eyebrows, Drew started packing up their lights and equipment. They’d traveled light but there were tons of small pieces to keep track of.

Rose took a deep breath as she centered herself. With any luck, John would be in her email inbox Monday morning. And if he wasn’t, Rose would just keep on moving.

17

TAYLOR

“I’m serious, you better call.”Ari pointed her finger at Taylor, a serious scowl taking over her face.

Raising her hands in surrender, Taylor laughed. “I will, I swear.” She waved goodbye and started looking for Mac who was now stationed in front of the large windows overlooking the city.

“Hey, you.” Taylor smiled as she approached.

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