He doesn’t say anything for a moment. “But what if that disappoints them? They are used to my father, not me.”
I study his profile, struck by how vulnerable he is in his lack of belief that he can do something equally as great as his father. In his own way. In his own words.
“I think people would love to hear your thoughts, not ones the palace PR team put out for you to recite. You can speak from your experience. People haven’t truly heard you, have they?”
“No,” he says quietly.
“You are smart and eloquent, Xander,” I say, brushing his hair off his forehead. “Don’t be afraid to share your voice. You are the voice of the future, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start now.”
He turns to me. “You see me so differently than anyone else does.”
“Because you have shown this side to me,” I say, smiling encouragingly at him. “You haven’t let your true self out for the public. Give them the Xander I know, who is dry, witty, warm, and compassionate. They’ll go crazy for it.”
Like I have gone crazy for you, I think.
“You’re right. This is the king they will get, like it or not. Might as well start breaking them in with a speech.”
Pride rises within me as I watch him strike out a sentence on the iPad. I go back to my screen, beginning to sift through CVs. Shane and Matilda asked for me to review them to get my thoughts on who to call for an interview, and once again, I’m so happy they are letting me be so involved in this process. I read two that are okay, but with no exceptional background mentioning iced biscuits. But the third one I tap on immediately jumps out at me when I read the cover letter:
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am applying for the position of a temporary baking associate posted on JOBSNOWUK! I am a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu London, with a Diplôme de Pâtisserie. I have spent the past two years working in a Michelin Star restaurant, where I have learnt so much—elevated techniques, high concepts, and working under pressure. It was a rewarding challenge, but I see now, my future lies elsewhere.
At this point in my life, I’m taking a step back to focus on what I want to do. I’ve asked the questions and looked deep inside of myself for the answer. What is my pure passion? What do I want to get up for in the morning that leaves me excited for the day?
I’ve left my current position of making extravagant pastries because, in my heart, I want to decorate cakes and make elaborately iced biscuits. Your position sounds like another step in my career direction, because icing biscuits is what fills my heart with joy and makes me eager to get up in the morning.
With my background and desire to work with iced biscuits, I feel I would be a good match for this position. I will follow up in a few days to see if we could discuss this position further.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Priya Kapoor
Ooh, this letter is so direct and honest that I immediately know I want to meet Priya Kapoor. She is speaking my language! She’s following her passion, even leaving a prestigious pastry position to do it. I flick to her CV and see the posh restaurant in London she has worked for the past two years.
I move her to the top of my list.
After finding a few more candidates—although none as exciting as Priya—I leave the job website and go to my main feed, deciding to kill time whilst I wait for the pizza to arrive or for Xander to finish rewriting his speech, whichever comes first. Since I picked at my lunch, I do hope sausage pizza makes it first to the finish line in this case.
I begin scrolling, and apparently, my newfound interest in the British royal family has caused Google to serve me up more articles about them. I smile as I scroll past one article about Prince Henry visiting Spain … another about Liz launching a new initiative for children with a visit to a preschool in Northumberland today … then one that makes me stop dead in my tracks:
HIP HIP HIPPY PRINCESS OF PORK! Princess Isabella seen sucking up green concoction after gym visit in desperate attempt to shed pounds ahead of the royal wedding!