Page 47 of The Girlfriend Zone

I freeze. “You did what?”

He grins. “I gave Chanda your name. You know I love your work. And I trust you to maintain the high quality I expect.”

I need to hear that again. My head is spinning, and my heart skips in disbelief. “You recommended me for your job?”

He narrows his eyes and wags a finger. “Not myjobjob. Just a temporary fill-in.”

“Right. That’s what I meant.” I mentally flip through my portfolio of sports photography. While I’ve shot plenty of action pictures over the years, I’m not at the level required for pro sports. “I don’t have your experience with action shots though.”

“No problem. Rae will do the on-ice photos and videos during the games themselves.”

Rae is the other photographer. She and Mako usually rotate between promo work and on-ice shots, trading off as it suits them.

Slowly, I process this unexpected news. What does Rae think about doing all the games? And there’s my dad—will he mind if I do more work for the team? From his reaction when Everly first hired me for a freelance assignment, I’m pretty sure he’ll be elated.

But I don’t want to assume anything, so I ask Mako for more specifics. “What do you have in mind exactly?”

“With the season starting up soon, our promo needs are heavy—headshots, photo opps, all sorts of training camp and pre-season events to hype up the fans. There’s so much to do that we figured my stand-in should focus on the promo shots while Rae concentrates on the games.” He pauses to give me an excited, expectant look. “Want to do it?”

My mind races through my calendar for the next few months. I have some studio work booked with brands and for my boudoir work. But I’m not busy all day, every day. “I have some shoots on my schedule. But if the hours here are flexible enough, I think I can fit it all in.”

Holy shit. Did I just say yes to a new temporary job?

“Chanda is pretty cool about working out the hours and all that. Especially since it’s not a typical nine-to-five.” He rocks back on his heels. “It’s not a done deal yet, but can I tell Chanda you’re interested? Because you’re the only one I recommended.”

Wow.

The only one.

I’m floored. Especially since the Sea Dogs pay well.Reallywell. Eleanor Greer owns the team with her husband, but she bankrolled it and makes the final decisions—and she’s committed to hiring women and paying above marketplace rates. I know this firsthand from freelance projects.

I flash back to yesterday at the diner and the frustrating moment when I didn’t hear the hostess. It’s a too-familiar flicker of fear—what if moments like that become more frequent over time? Maybe not this month. But next year, and the one after? What if I miss more and more over the years?

I need to snag as much work now as I can and save for my uncertain future.

“If she wants me, I’m in,” I say decisively.

Mako offers me a hand to high-five. “I’ll tell Chanda. Hopefully she’ll reach out soon.”

“Thanks, Mako.”

We exchange goodbyes, and I walk a little faster toward my dad’s office, excited to tell him.

Once I’m there, he slides a cup of tea across his desk. “What was that about with Mako?”

I take the cup and a seat, then tilt my head. I’m fairly sure he doesn’t know, but just in case…“You don’t already know?”

He scoffs and laughs. “No. I stay out of anything that doesn’t involve winning games.”

“Fair enough,” I say, then tell him the whole story.

The more I share, the more his eyes twinkle. “And I said yes,” I finish. But then hold up a hand. “This is all presuming Chanda wants to move forward with hiring me.”

My dad punches the air and doesn’t sweat the details. “That’s great!”

I laugh. “Dad, why are you such a goofball?”

“Can I help it if I like having you around?”

---