Chapter Nineteen
MADISON
“Chelsea, I promise, you won’t regret this,” I said.
“I have no doubts in my mind,” Chelsea said as she lifted her coffee to her perfectly red lips.
She looked so pristine it was as though she was getting married right now.
I reached down into my bag and brought out a laptop.
“I can show you some of the editing choices I have,” I said.
She reached across the table and shook her head. “There’s no need, Madison. I trust you.”
“This is… amazing,” I said.
“Well, it’s fate in a way, right? And this is what you want to do, right?”
“Yes,” I said. “This is exactly what I want to do.”
“We have no problem paying you whatever the fee is either,” Chelsea said.
“I really don’t want to come across as rude here, but I don’t want money,” I said.
“You don’t want money? Someone who works for free worries me a little.”
“You said it yourself, this is fate, right?” I asked. “You found me sort of by accident.”
“That’s right,” Chelsea said.
“You saw a couple pictures I had taken in a cafe, right?”
Chelsea nodded. “Right.”
“Those pictures? I did those for free. I wanted the exposure. Look what it got me.”
“Free and quality…”
“Look, I hate to do this, but I don’t need the money,” I said. “I hate myself for saying that. What I want is my dream.”
“And your dream is to be a wedding photographer?” Chelsea asked.
“No. My dream is to take pictures that matter and will last forever. That includes your wedding.”
“So, you don’t want to get paid. You just want the exposure again.”
“That’s right. I want to do this for a living. We can help each other if you like what I have to offer.”
“I would like it better if I could pay you,” Chelsea said. “That way I know for sure we have an agreement.”
“Payment means you have power,” I said.
“Am I wrong in assuming that?”
“Not at all,” I said. “Can I just ask that you’ll brag about me a little?”
“Of course,” Chelsea said. “You take the same quality pictures that I saw, and I’ll brag about you to everyone I know.”