A Very Hero Wedding - Chapter 4

Here's the unedited version of chapter 4 of A Very Hero Wedding.

------------------

Harri’s cell phone warbled and broke her concentration on the doll licensing contract she was reviewing. She checked the caller. Jeremy. Now, why wasn’t he calling Aisha? She was the one interviewing the kid he recommended. She thumbed the answer icon.

“Hola! Que pasa?”

“Do you realize you have a British accent when you speak Spanish?” There was none of the salon chatter in the background. Either Jeremy was at home, or he was working at his unofficial side hustle.

“You just heard my entire Spanish vocabulary.” Harri pulled off her reading glasses and leaned back in her office chair.

“That’s not true, sweetie. You know how to say margarita,” he shot back.

Harri laughed. “Look, if you’re just calling to chat, can it wait until after work hours. I’ve a shit ton of stuff to get done before we leave for Atlanta.”

“Actually, this is work related.” When Jeremy turned serious, it meant superhero business. “I know you guys haven’t been taking too many new clients—”

“Try not any, Jaye,” Harri interjected. “Did you not hear what I said about a shit ton of work before Martin and Renata’s wedding?”

“I think you guys need to meet my client.” Jeremy sighed. “Great potential, but he needs a kick in the backside. Huge chip on his shoulder.”

She groaned. “Look, I get you want to save the world, but I don’t have—”

“Just talk to him, sweetie,” Jeremy pleaded. “That’s all I’m asking.”

“You owe me dinner at La Churro’s—”

“Done!” Jeremy yelled.

“—for the next year,” Harri finished.

“Bitch,” he growled.

“Takes one to know one.” Harri would have stuck out her tongue if he could see her.

“When can you see my guy?” Jeremy persisted.

She tapped the keys on her laptop to bring up her calendar. “Can he come in this afternoon at two? That’s the only time I’ve got open until we get back from the wedding.”

“What about Aisha and Susan?” Jeremy just had to push.

“They are just as swamped as I am,” Harri snapped. “What part of we’re not taking new clients do you not understand? I’ve already got my partners breathing down my neck because I haven’t had two minutes to pee much less interview potential associates.”

“Thanks, Harri,” Jeremy said. “Let me know when you’re ready to start collecting on La Churro’s.” The line abruptly went dead.

Probably because whoever Jeremy wanted to send to her was sitting with him.

Crap. Why did she agree to this? She’d planned to pick up her bridesmaid dress from the alterations shop this afternoon. And if she brought home work for the twentieth night the last thirty days, Tim would have a conniption fit.

##

Around ten minutes after noon, the antique elevator creaked and groaned as it rose to the fifth floor of the Lechuza Building. Harri hated asking her boyfriend for favors, but the dress was a necessity. Even though she wasn’t quite sure why Renata asked her to be a bridesmaid. If Tim agreed to pick up the dress while she talked to Jeremy’s potential client and she got up an extra half hour early for the next two weeks, then, and only then, she might be able to safely go to Atlanta for the wedding.

Whistling floated down the hallway from the open doorway of her loft as the car ground to a halt. Harri pulled both gates open and exited the elevator. Super conscious of the infant living on the same floor, she pushed the gates closed.

Even though she expected Mitch to start flying any day now.

The whistling mixed with baby gurgling and cooing. She entered her loft to find Tim dancing around the kitchen with Mitch on his hip while making lunch. He looked much younger than his forty-nine years, even though silver highlighted his auburn hair. The cargo shorts, vintage hair band t-shirt, and bare feet helped.

For the first time, regret infiltrated her heart. Regret that she’d strung her ex-husband Eddie along over his desire to have kids. Regret she hadn’t encountered adult Tim sooner in her life. A red-headed baby with Tim’s sense of humor might have made her change her mind about having her own children. However, spoiling her godchildren would have to do. Wallowing over what could have been was never her style. She leaned against the wall and watched the joy exhibited by her boyfriend and her godson.

Tim abruptly halted his whistling and dancing in mid-squirt of mustard on her ham and cheese sandwich. Mitch gently patted Tim’s face in an effort to restart his entertainment.

“How long have you been standing there?” Tim said.

“Long enough you should have tased and hogtied me if I were a supervillain.” Harri sauntered over and took Mitch from Tim. “The original Ghost Owl is slipping in his old age,” she said in a sing-song voice to the baby. “You’d better develop your powers soon, kiddo. Your uncle Tim is going to need you.” She looked up at your boyfriend. “By the way, why do you have him?”

Tim shrugged. “Molly got an emergency call. I told her I’d watch the kids until she got back. When Patty poked her head in to collect Grace, she said you’ve interviewed the first potential nanny.”

“Not me.” Harri grinned. “I’m leaving that to the professional moms.”

Mitch clapped his hands and laughed. She blew a raspberry on his round tummy, and he shrieked at the sensation.

“I’m assuming you and/or Arthur did background checks on all the applicants,” she added.

“Arthur did, and Rey promised to pound the crap out of whoever takes the job if they screw up. So I’m leaving everything to the professional dads.” For the first time in a long time, grief over the loss Tim’s own son didn’t shadow his face.

“Crap, I was going to ask you for a favor.” Harri grimaced.

“Something for the wedding?” Tim cocked his right eyebrow. “I think Mitch and I can handle it if you don’t mind losing Arthur or Patty to Grace until we get back.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded.

“Can you pick up my bridesmaid dress from Hernandez Alterations?” she said. “They’re on 10th Street.”

“I can pick it up.” Tim grinned. “And I know where it is. I think both our families have used them for a couple of generations.”

“Thank you so much-ow!” She tried to gently pry Mitch’s little fist from her ponytail.

“Ri-ri-ri!” he shrieked.

“I think he wants you to fly him around.” Tim smirked as he turned to put away the condiments.

“Sorry, Mitch. Aunt Harri can’t do it the same way as Mommy and Daddy.” She winced at the kid’s other hand latched onto her hair. He didn’t need superstrength. His ability to yank on hair longer than Aisha’s short afro could being anyone to tears. No wonder Rey broke down and let Jeremy trim his hair in a much shorter ’do. “Uh, Tim, I need a little help here.”

Tim set aside the baby food jars he’d pulled from their cupboard and grabbed the baby around his waist. “Wanna fly, little guy?”

Mitch shrieked again and released Harri’s tresses. She blinked the tears out of her eyes while Tim made engine noises and zoomed their godson around the living room. After the second circuit, Tim landed Mitch in the spare high chair they kept in their loft. The baby giggled and clapped his hands some more. “Can I ask why didn’t you pick up your dress during lunch?” Tim asked as he buckled Mitch into his seat.

“First, I was hungry.” Harri grabbed the jars of pureed lamb and green beans from the counter along with a baby spoon from the utensil drawer. “Second, it won’t be ready until two. Third—” She steeled herself. “I’ve got a new client intake interview this afternoon.”

Tim straightened. “Does this have anything to do with the huge fight you were having with Aisha and Susan first thing the morning?”

“You heard that?” Harri popped the seal on the jar of lamb.

“Trust me, it didn’t take superhearing.” Tim grabbed their plates and brought them to the table. He returned to the kitchen to grab a couple of flavored seltzer waters from the refrigerator.

Harri tried to hide her grimace. Tim was determined to change her eating habits, not to mention her drinking ones, too. It was a good thing Jeremy owed her multiple trips to La Churro’s. It would be the only way for her to get her weekly dose of cheese dip and margaritas.

“If you keep making that face when I make lunch for you, Mitch will pick up your habits when his parents feed him,” Tim chided.

“What face?” Harri dipped the baby spoon into the jar and offered a bite to Mitch. He gave the pureed lamb a suspicious look and clamped his mouth shut.

“You know the face,” Tim lowered himself onto the chair on the other side of Mitch’s high chair. “It’s the same one you make when we go down to the gym first thing in the morning.”

“Couldn’t be the same expression. I hate exercising and love food.” Harri crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. Mitch laughed, and she took the opportunity to insert the spoon between his lips. An expression of annoyance at her betrayal crossed his tiny features until the taste of lamb registered. He banged his tiny fists on the tray and opened his mouth wide, demanding more.

“But the seltzer water is better for you than soda,” Tim said.

“You take away my coffee, and you won’t have to worry about the faces I make.” Harri smiled brightly at the baby as she spooned another bite of lamb between his tiny teeth.

“I’m not suicidal,” Tim said dryly. “So, what made you change your mind about accepting a new client?”

“We haven’t accept them yet.” She pushed the green beans in Tim’s direction. “Would you open this?”

“What made you even want to talk to this person?” Tim twisted the lid, and the seal popped. “You swore you guys couldn’t handle one more client until you hired an associate.”

“Jeremy begged me.” Harri dipped the spoon into the jar Tim slid back to her.

Tim snorted. “Since when has that started working?”

“It didn’t.” She inserted the spoon of pureed green beans in Mitch’s open maw. If the kid ended up being the size of his dad, Aisha would need the extra income to feed her son. “The bribe is what made me change my mind.”

“The bribe?” Tim groaned. “Let me guess. A dinner at La Churro’s?”

“No.” She dipped the spoon for another bite of lamb before she grinned at Tim. “It was dinners for a whole year.”

“The plan was to get you healthy before you ended up like me,” he growled.

“The plan was to keep supervillains from beating the crap out of you before the doctors have to do more than rebuild your leg and replace your knees.” She scowled back at him. “And you’re way too young for artificial joints.”

“Do you really want to turn this into a fight, too?” he said quietly.

“I don’t want to fight with anyone,” she snapped back. “If you all would listen to reason—”

Tim abruptly stood. Even Mitch looked up at him with a perplexed look on his round face. “I’ll eat in the lab. Bring Mitch down when he’s done with his lunch.” Tim grabbed his plate and stomped out of the loft.

Well, crap. She resisted the urge to run after him. She couldn’t leave Mitch alone. Why the hell was everyone on edge when it was only Monday? It wasn’t like anyone at the Lechuza building was getting married in two weeks.

Harri turned back to her godson. “Well, Mitch, I hope you’re free for your uncle Martin’s wedding. I may need a date.”

Mitch stared at her with his big brown eyes before he belched.