Fortuitous || Jack Steele [1]

five

Madelyn's POV.

"Oh, Mads!" Max calls out to my seated position on the couch.

"What? I'm not getting up. You have the long legs to get here. It'll take you half the time to get here than for me to get up and walk to wherever you are," I answer, melting further into the couch.

I hear my brother's approaching footsteps on the polished wooden floorboards. As soon as he rounds the corner I notice the cheesiest smile I have ever seen on his face. The hell?

"Why are you smiling so much? This is getting weird now. Do I need to call someone? Do you need help?" He doesn't respond, just continues to smile. "That's it, I'm getting you help." I pick up my phone to call someone but the big idiot snatches my phone and replaces it with a letter. "Give me my phone ba—what the hell is this?"

I stare at the letter with the St Kilda logo on it but what I don't understand is why it's addressed to me.

"You sure they didn't spell your name wrong? It's Max King. M-A-X, not M-A-D-E-L-Y-N."

He rolls his eyes, albeit excited, but obviously done with my shit. "Just open it."

I narrow my eyes at him skeptically but open it nonetheless.

Dear Madelyn,

We have been informed of your photography skills and are pleased to say we are impressed with your work.

I glance up at Max who bites his bottom lip in an attempt to stop smiling — it's not working. I watch him with an eyebrow raised before resuming reading.

The St Kilda Football Club is in need of a club photographer to take photographs of the players — on and off the field — as well as of the staff and at club events. These photographs would be used for merchandise, marketing, social media and design. We believe you would be perfect for the job and we would love to have you onboard.

If you are interested please contact us so we can arrange a meeting to discuss your terms.

Kind regards,

Andrew Bassat

My jaw has hit the floor.

How? When? Why?

My stomach is filled to the brim with shock, nervousness and excitement. I feel like I'm going to explode from all these crazy emotions bubbling inside of me.

From behind the couch my brother smiles proudly. Not for himself but for me. The look in his eyes tells a whole story of how happy he is for me and this new opportunity. But how did it come to be?

I never once contacted St Kilda about my photography work. Not once. I never showed them, so who did?

That's when I realise how suspicious Max acted the other day. He must've gone to the club and told them about me and somehow shown them my photos.

The SD card...

I sit upright on the couch, looking directly at my brother with wide eyes.

"You...?" Max just smiles more. "Oh my god..."

So that's where it went.

In probably the fastest movement I've ever done in my life I leap over the back of the couch, landing straight into my brother's already open arms. I grip the back of his hoodie tightly and meaningfully. I don't even try stop the joyous tears from spilling down my cheeks and soaking into his clothing.

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cry out in pure gratefulness, hugging his waist tighter with each word.

He laughs at my reaction before kissing the top of my head. "You deserve it. I got word that they needed a photographer so who better than to recommend my talented sister."