Page 1 of Built for Dreams

one

Selma

I sighedas I flipped through the mail in my hand. Bill, bill, bill—oh, look, another fucking bill. I couldn’t keep up with them anymore.

My photography work had slowed down, and if something didn’t happen soon, I was going to have to find a part-time job at the very least to pick up the slack. The bills just kept piling up, and they weren’t slowing down.

But damn, I didn’t want to have to go back to working a regular job. I enjoyed working for myself. I thrived in my own environment. Working for someone else was not my thing.

I tossed the mail onto the kitchen counter and yanked open my fridge, frowning at the meager contents. Shit, I needed to buy groceries, but with what money? I had one dollar and twenty-three cents in my checking account, and my savings account was at zero.

God, life fucking sucked.

I grabbed an apple out of the fridge drawer and kicked the door shut. A moan slipped from my lips when I bit into the juicy fruit. Damn, that hit the spot. And it would curb my hunger for a couple of hours, at least. Then, I could go dig around in my fridge again for food I already knew wasn’t going to be there.

My phone rang on the kitchen counter next to the mail. I quickly grabbed it, frowning at the unknown number. Swiping my thumb across the screen, I answered it and put the call on speaker so I didn’t have to hold the phone.

“Hello?”

A woman cleared her throat. “Is this Selma Brooks?”

I quickly swallowed my bite of apple. “Yes, ma’am, it is.”Please don’t be a bill collector.“How can I help you?”

Please be a gig, I silently begged.

“My name is Mikayla Aldrich. I came across your page on social media,” she began. “I really like your photos and the work you do.” My heart started beating crazily in my chest. She was going to hire me! “My significant other and I are adopting our son tomorrow, and I know it’s really short notice, but I’d love it if you could squeeze me into your schedule.”

Oh, thank God.

“Tomorrow is no problem,” I assured her. Because my calendar was currently as free as free could get. I was a desperate woman. She could’ve asked me to take pictures of a blade of grass, and I would’ve accepted.

“I’m actually free.” Didn’t want to soundtoodesperate, even if I was. “Where is the adoption happening, and what time will it start?”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re a lifesaver.” Hell, she was saving mine. “It’s happening at the courthouse at ten in the morning. If you need to set anything up, I already cleared it with the courthouse, so you’re more than welcome to go in early and get things ready.”

I smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” Being able to set up early without her family milling around would make my life a lot easier. I grabbed an envelope and flipped it to the back before grabbing a pen out of the kitchen drawer. “How many pictures are you wanting taken? And would you like a video?” I asked her as I scribbled furiously on the white envelope, trying to get the damned pen to work.

“Honestly, I’ll take your biggest package.” My eyes almost bugged out of my head, and in my surprise, I ripped through the envelope, striking a blue line through my internet bill. Goddammit. But at least the pen was finally working.

“So, you’re good with the fifteen hundred then?” I asked her, unable to keep my shock out of my voice. Fifteen hundred dollars would not only pay all my bills, but I’d be able to put money back into savings tooandgo grocery shopping.

Holy fuck. This woman was a blessing.

She laughed a little. “I’m good with it, hun. My son has been through a lot, and he deserves the absolute best.”

My heart ached for this woman. Her words were full of conviction. No doubt, she was a good mom.

I swallowed, trying to force my voice back to normal. “Uh…” I cringed, trying to remember what the hell came next. I was a little blindsided. “Sorry. Brain fart.” She laughed. “I just need your email so I can send you an invoice,” I finally told her.

“No biggie.” She rattled off her email, and I quickly wrote it down. “I’ll pay it as soon as I get the email. I look forward to meeting you tomorrow, Selma.”

“You, too, Mikayla. Have a wonderful evening.”

I ended the call and then squealed, spinning around in a circle.

I could put off having to find a part-time job one more month.

Thank you, Mikayla Aldrich.

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