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“They’re good, but I don’t think I’m going to find some kind of hidden calling.”
She nodded, pursing her lips in thought. “What about marine biology?”
I shook my head. “Science is not my strong suit.”
Ralphie cooed from his cage, and as if she’d gotten the idea from him, she said, “Have you thought of becoming a surf instructor full-time?”
“I’m not sure I could make enough money during the off season,” I said. “It would be hard to keep up with my own expenses in this area.”
“Have you heard about product versus service-based businesses?” she asked.
I wracked my brain for everything I could remember from my economics class last year, which to be fair, wasn’t much. “Not really.”
Ralphie cooed like he was chastising me.
Birdie smiled. “We had a girl graduate here a couple years ago, Jordan Junco. Do you remember her?”
I cringed again. “Not really.” This wasn’t a big school, and I still couldn’t remember her.
She opened her laptop and began typing on her keypad. “Jordan did keep her head down. And you would have been too young to donate blood when she was here running the blood drives...” She twisted the screen to reveal a website landing page.
JUNCO CLEANING
Learn, do, hire, inspire.
“What is this?” I asked, scanning the text.
“A few years ago, Jordan’s mother was trying to work independently as a maid. She and Jordan were barely scraping by. She’d help her mom before school, after school, on the weekends. And then her mom started a YouTube channel, started teaching courses on cleaning—both teaching people how to clean their homes and teaching others how to grow their businesses. Now she’s getting television offers, opportunities to release her own line of cleaning supplies, and she’s completely paid for Jordan’s way through college and eventually med school.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “All from cleaning?”
“And related services.” Birdie nodded. “What if surfing didn’t have to be ‘just lessons’ for you? What if it could be an entire brand?”
For the first time, I was excited about something. “Do you think that could really happen?”
“Absolutely, with the right help and training,” she said emphatically. “Especially for someone like you, Diego. You understand people, and people like you. You’re easy to get along with, patient, kind, and look out for others.”
“I...” It was awkward, being complimented this way.
She smiled. “What you asked me to do for April? There’s a reason she’s friends with Sadie now, and it’s big thanks to you.”
The tips of my ears felt hot. “She just needed a little help.”
“And so do you,” Birdie said. “Jacinda has offered to mentor young entrepreneurs at the Academy. Do you want me to reach out to her and see if she could help you get started on a business plan of your own?”
“Please,” I said, my voice just as hopeful as I felt.
If there was a way I could continue doing what I enjoyed and not force my life into a predetermined box, I would take it. I would take it in a heartbeat.
Twenty-Eight
April
Sadie lookedat me over the top of a rack of swimsuits, her hair dark purple today instead of her usual turquoise. “Tell me what happened again?”
I laughed. “This is the fourth time!”
“I know,” she said, “but it’s so dreamy.” She held a swimsuit against her chest. “Hot surfer guy pulls you from the waves, tells you he loves your thighs, and then kisses you breathless.Swoon.”
