a useless endeavor. Her limited height never failed to handicap her in crowds. At barely five feet without shoes or socks, like her mother, Jody often failed to see or reach most of the things the average adult could. Now, in the crowded baggage claim area of Sea-Tac International Airport, Jody was reminded of that.
She was waiting for another undiscovered musician. Actually, he was just another client for the internship program that she and her cousin, Karlee, operated together and technically worked for. They were the people who decided whom to include in the entire program. Both of their parents were rich, which gave them infinite opportunities. Being blessed with parents who were mega-wealthy benefited both of them and Jody totally took advantage of those opportunities. She never believed she deserved it at all. Despite her efforts to work hard, she began with privilege and started from an elevated level that few could manage to attain. Being born into it was no indicator of her merit, since she never earned it. Thankfully, it didn’t bother her in the least when anyone quite rightly pointed that out to her.
At twenty-six years old, she ran a thriving corporation with her twenty-seven-year-old cousin. Duh. Of course, they couldn’t accomplish it on their own. Their combined families provided all the press-power, stardom and money required. They simply took their chance and ran with it.
Grateful to do a job she so loved while living in her favorite city, Seattle, Jody also saw and experienced a downtown life few could touch. Growing up in the penthouse of a high-rise building owned by her parents, now she and Karlee lived in another building owned by them. Their condo was again, nothing either of them earned but something she had plenty of access to. She also had a bodyguard. At all times. Security was an unrelenting factor of both of their lives. Next Generation Consulting was a business her parents operated, which reeled in ridiculous amounts of money from the corporate world. Her uncle, Karlee’s stepfather, was the famous Rob Williams, who was known for leading the hugely successful rock band, Zenith.
Zenith.
That was the primary reason she found herself at the airport today. The source of her job and her access to fame and fortune in the music world stemmed from Zenith’s success.
Her uncle appointed Jody and Karlee to manage his pet project. Rooting out and finding the most unknown and talented musicians presented quite a challenge. They would bring them to Seattle, compliments of Zenith’s Promise, to allow them access to all kinds of avenues where they could play their music and eventually earn a living at it. No guarantees for anything were given to any musician they brought in and the final results varied. Some joined local community bands or church choirs, while others became soloists and pursued careers that made millions. It really happened like that to two of their artist picks.
Sometimes a small, moderate income was all that was desired by a flautist, or a singer longing to make a worldwide splash, but Jody loved to facilitate and expose true talent. She sought different artists who could stand out from the others. Her job was finding an avenue for people to earn money from their special talent. Passion or hobby, she saw her role as one who created the channels and opportunities for ultimate success. She helped make careers for clever people who preferred to follow their hearts and do what they were meant to do.
Jody lacked any musical, artistic or creative talent. More than one client inquired as to what she played. She’d reply by cracking up and saying the keyboard, her computer keyboard. Her brain was hard-wired in economics, money, and math. Business savvy was her super power. As a mini-version of her father, Nick Lassiter, she must’ve inherited his computer skills gene. However, Jody wasn’t content to sit behind the computer all day. She needed plenty of movement and dynamic interactions with others. A social creature, she hated the isolation required for coding or hacking. She could do both with no problem. She was weaned on the computer like other kids who loved sports because their parents did, never mind their talent. Jody knew how to use her skills to make her days more dynamic, interesting, and exciting.
Heavenly was how she described her life, to be honest. She loved almost all the parts of her job and her life.
Including right now.
Now she waited in the crowd for Ross Karahan, a talented