But it's officially sprint and life is good! Here's the next unedited chapter of Queer Eye for the Supper Guy!
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A knock on Harri’s office door interrupted her and Susan from ripping through the provisional contract Dale Bernhardt’s assistant had emailed.
Come in,” Harri yelled.
Molly poked her head around the edge of the door. “Oh, you guys are busy. I can come back.”
“What did your mother do this time?” Susan asked.
Molly paused. “It’s not her. This time.”
“Then come on in.” Harri waved the young super into the office. “We could use a break.”
“Well—” Molly stepped inside and closed the office door. A sheaf of papers were in her hand. “This is matter for my lawyers.”
She crossed the room and split her sheaf in two before she handed each portion to each attorney. “Before you start yelling at me, I haven’t signed anything. I’ve been invited to be a judge on a new reality series, but I told the producer I would have to have the offer reviewed by my attorney before I could give him an answer.”
The letterhead was Dale Burnhardt’s production company as Harri expected. The surprising part was Molly’s notes in the margins.
“When did you get this?” Susan asked.
“Yesterday.” Molly walked over to couch and perched on the edge. “I did as you guys and Aisha taught me. I listened to Dale’s pitch before I said he needed to send me a copy of the paperwork for you guys.”
Harri looked from the initial offer. “Why not have it sent directly to us?”
Molly winced. “Please don’t be mad. I’ve been helping Patty with LSAT flashcards while Arthur watches Grace.” Patty Ames, the firm’s paralegal, was scheduled to take the April test. She wasn’t happy with her October score on the law school entrance exam.
Panic flashed through Harri. “You’ve been leaving your mother alone?”
“Hell, no,” Molly bit out. “Patty comes up to Aisha’s loft. And Monica Reinhold is not my mom. She’s a supervillain witness to a murder who I’m guarding.” She slashed her hand through the air. “That’s the extent of our relationship.”
Harri leaned her elbow on her desk as she regarded the superhero. “Who’s with her right now?”
Molly almost pouted over the question about her common sense, but she regained control of her emotions. “Steve’s watching her while I’m down here.”
Harri relaxed a little bit. “Thank you, Molly. I don’t like having Monica here any more than you do, but we don’t have any place more secure where we can keep her. I don’t want her to end up dead.”
“Are you ever going to tell me who shot her?” Molly asked.
“For your own safety, no.” Harri waited for an explosion from the younger woman.
“I figured out on my own it’s the same person that murdered Trubble.” Molly’s eyes glittered more than usual. She was pissed as hell about being kept in the dark.
Harri walked over the couch and sat next to the superhero. “Which is exactly why I’m not telling you. I couldn’t handle it if the killer came after you.”
“May I continue?” Molly’s frosty tone indicated she wasn’t going to accept Harri’s reasons.
“Please do,” Susan said as she took a seat on the second couch. From the mischievous expression on her face, Harri was going to get an earful when Molly left the office.
“I read the offer letter and the contract—” Molly held up the palm of her hand briefly. “Before you start chewing a new one, I highlighted the parts I didn’t understand. But I did some research on the numbers some of these other reality shows bring in. With certain supers and designers as judges, potential new supers looking to build their fan base, and Dale Bernhardt’s name on the project, he can do a lot better on the offer he sent me.”
Molly grinned and lowered her hand. “Plus, it broke on the tabloids this morning Dale and Ultramegaperson are an item.”
Harri flopped against the back of the couch and rubbed her temples. “How fucking convenient!”
“Harri!” Susan snapped. “We do not use that kind of language in regard to our clients.” From the hot pink flushing Susan’s face, Harri needed to do some backpedaling.
“I’m sorry to both of you.” Harri straightened. “I just though Ultra had more sense—”
“Than I do,” Molly retorted.
“Molly, Burnhardt’s pulled in three of Winters and Franklin’s clients into this program of his,” Susan said. “Representing you in this matter may be a moot point.”
The superhero turned to Harri. “You’d chose one of the other clients over me? I was one of the first—”
“Slow down.” Harri grabbed Molly’s closest flailing hand before she accidentally poked out Harri’s eye with her wicked, glittery nails. “We need to talk to the others.”
“But according to the Mojave Revised Civil Code, if we all agree to Winters and Franklin representing us, you can still do it,” Molly said with a hopeful expression on her face.
“But that means we can’t keep secrets,” Susan added. “You’re all going to know how much each of you makes plus any perks.”
Molly nodded. “I get it. To give you a heads-up, Dale got some tax breaks to film the show here in Canyon Pointe instead of Los Angeles. That way, he’s paying less for housing the out-of-town folks. I marked that on page twenty since I’m a local. And…” She paused for a dramatic effect.
After several seconds, Harri blurted, “Spit it out, girl!”
Molly clapped her hands. “He wants to film at Lady Jaye’s Review! So now, you’ll have four clients to juggle!”
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