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“So what do you do for work? What gets you up in the mornings?”
Innocent enough, at least when you’re from New York City. In Manhattan, it’s all about the job. Before people even know your name, they want to know what company you’re at and what you do day-to-day. Connections and networking are the name of the game where I’m from.
But my question seemed to catch her off guard.
“Oh, um … I work for a women’s magazine. I’m a copy editor.”
Mason craned his head from the front seat.
“How is it?” he drawled, one eyebrow up.
She offered a small smile.
“Well, how do I say this? It’s a little boring, if I’m being honest. The advice we offer isn’t that helpful, and it’s pretty repetitive most times. I mean, how many articles on losing weight can you read in a month? Or tips on how to catch a guy?” she finished with a wry smile.
If we weren’t in awe of her before, I think that response really won our hearts. Most women lived or died by the advice in women’s magazines, it was practically the Bible to them.
“Sweetheart, surely you don’t believe that stuff. You don’t need help catching a guy or losing weight. You’ve caught our attention and look smoking hot in everything you put on.” I leaned closer and dropped my voice before uttering the next sentence, so the driver couldn’t overhear.
“Plus, we all know you don’t need to be wearing a damn thing to be sexy as hell.” She blushed furiously and looked at her lap before softly offering her gratitude for the compliments.
“Thank you, Tyler,” were her soft words, accompanied by a blush. “Thank you.”
But Mason hadn’t heard that exchange, so he continued in a normal voice.
“So if not magazines, then what would you rather be doing?” he growled from the front seat. “What makes you get up in the mornings, sweet thing?”
All three of us looked at her then. We were interested, for sure. What was it about this girl who was contradictions galore, yet enticing all the same?
And immediately, Katie straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath, as if confiding a secret.
“I really want to start a non-profit where I can support children from low-income families. There are a lot of them here in Knox, you know,” she said biting her lip. “We’re in the South, so things might not be as fancy as up North,” she continued hesitantly. “I’m just not sure how to make it a reality. My job doesn’t pay that well and these things cost a lot to set up,” she bit her lip. “But it’s for kids, real kids who have nothing.”
My bros and I shared a look. We were billionaires; we could make her dream come true with the snap of our fingers. Literally, we could be like fairy godmothers. Any and every resource was at our disposal. A simple phone call could get her a job at any charitable organization, or we could simply set her up with a non-profit of her own. It was no big deal and a tax write-off for us to boot.
But it was too soon to go down that road right now. Sure, we could lavish her with gifts, but it would overwhelm the poor thing, like getting dunked with a gallon of water when all you needed were a few sips. So slow was the name of the game.
“You’re amazing,” I growled with genuine emotion. “Most people don’t care about anyone but themselves.”
Kane stared at her too.
“Yeah, a real giver. Not too many of those in the world anymore,” he added reflectively.
And Mason topped it off.
“What can we do, sweet thing? What can we do to help?”
Katie was silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts.
“Right now, nothing,” she said quietly. “I’d say give money, but the thing is there aren’t any local non-profits doing this work. Even if you gave me money,” she added ruefully. “At this time, I wouldn’t know how to deploy it. It’s important to be careful with how you spend because sometimes you can do more harm than good.”
And I was speechless, which doesn’t happen often. Because often people are only too happy to take your cash with no accountability. But Katie was the opposite. She was actually rejecting our overtures in order to do the right thing the right way.
I was curious about one thing though.
“I know you were born and raised in Knox, sweetheart, but have you ever thought about moving away? You know in a major metropolis like New York City? There’s a lot of infrastructure and a deep talent pool to help you on your way. You could talk to a lot of people with experience, tips and tricks working in the non-profit sector.”
The girl was silent for a moment, merely contemplating the question. But then she lifted big brown eyes to me, sincere and genuine.
