Page 5 of Soft
Distracted by my own thoughts, I almost missed Moseley’s explanation of what I’d been trying to read. It had been an email from a potential client. Normally I could increase the font to see it fine. But even that didn’t work.
“Dear Mr. Thorson,” Moseley started reading. “My name is Paxton Wells. I’m a college senior looking to be drafted into the pros this summer. The agent I’ve been working with violated his contract. He’s since been terminated, and I’d really love the opportunity to work with you. I think we’d make a great team. Please see the attached tapes of my games, along with some of my stats. I hope to hear from you. Bellport is my top choice. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Sincerely, Paxton.”
I hummed, attempting to gather my thoughts over the inquiry. Moseley began reading the stats out loud. My brows climbed with each figure shared.
This kid was good. Damn good.
“You’re going to reach out to him, right? There’s no chance he’ll be agentless for more than a week. Paxton is the top contender for the draft this year.”
“He is?” I asked.
Moseley nodded as he leaned away from the desk to face me. “The guy is a legend already. He’s been talked about since hisfreshman year of college as an example of what baseball players should look like on the field. I’m surprised you don’t know this.”
“Not sure if you’ve noticed how few baseball players we have. The majority of my clients are football or hockey players. I can’t keep up with every single one the way I’d like.”
“What if you brought in another agent? Or hired more full-time help? Then you could expand your reach,” he suggested.
I leaned my hip on the edge of the desk and crossed my arms. “True, but I don’t know of any agents who’d want to come work here. Bellport is a relatively small place. A lot of those guys tend to want to go to the big cities to strike the best athletes. The bigger the city, the more money they can earn.”
“True. Thementend to think that way.”
“Are you suggesting I hire a woman agent?” I held up my hand to stop whatever he wanted to say. “I’m not against the idea. I only ask because I need you to be specific. It sounds like you have a reason for wanting gender to play a role.”
“Oh, okay. I thought we were about to throw down in the office.” He chuckled awkwardly.
“Not in the least. I’m all for inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.”
Moseley smiled wide. “In that case, I can recommend at least three women I think would fit well here and one non-binary person. All are big supporters of what’s been going on in Bellport the last few years. They also have a good track record with clients.”
“Jot them down on a notepad. I’ll look into them later this afternoon.”
He accepted the task with ease. As he worked, I thought about the email he’d just read to me. If Paxton was as good as Moseley said, then he would definitely be snatched up in a heartbeat.
The fact that he emailed me at all is telling. Though I wasn’t really sure what it told me. I’d have to figure it out.
“While you’re here, can you email Paxton back to request a video meeting? It sounds like he’s not close.”
“He’s not. Guy plays for New Roughoak University up north. And I can definitely email him.”
Moseley was true to his word. He stuck with me through the rest of the afternoon, working far longer than he needed to. Cheyenne even popped in at one point to ask if she could help us with anything. Her voice held a note of amusement. Probably because she also knew Moseley was feeling like a kid in a candy store doing all this work with me. He’d made it known more than once that he admired me.
While it wasn’t the reason I brought him on, it definitely worked in his favor. I needed open-minded people who saw our clients as humans, not just a paycheck.
Once we wrapped up the work for the day, Moseley clocked out and stuck around to talk to me about the candidates he suggested. I ordered us takeout from the Thai place up the street since it was a favorite for us both.
“Michelle Pinnit is tough as nails in meetings, from what I hear. Sarah Telks is an advocate and philanthropist for all things queer. Christina Dayn has mad RBF, which helps during negotiations. She’s also a single mom to an athletic daughter looking to take the world by storm.”
“All sound like they’d fit right in,” I told him as I scooped up more noodles. “Wasn’t there another person?”
“Good memory. The final person I suggest is Auden Keyes. They’re newer to the game. So far, they’ve worked with a few star athletes who didn’t get the attention they deserved for one reason or another. Auden is able to see the diamond beneath the coal. Their clients typically do really damn well once they sign on.”
I tilted my head. “Do you have a personal interest in Auden?”
“No! Why would you think that?”
“Because you said more about them altogether, and your tone was definitely higher in register. Kind of like how you were when I suggested we get Thai.”
Moseley’s shoulders curled forward, bowing his body. I waited him out since this was a big deal. Bringing in another agent was about more than if Moseley had a crush on them. It needed to be about the business above all else.
