“You’re a hot potato.”
She smiles at the mirror and leans down as she runs her fingers through my hair. “Nope,” she says, “because if I was a hot potato, you would’ve dropped me back in elementary school.”
“Had to stay friends with you,” I say, “or else where would I get my hair and nails done for such an extraordinary discount?”
“Hana’s Sun Salon,” she replies, “three blocks north and one block east. You can’t miss it. It’s got the little cartoon pony on the window.”
The truth is, I don’t get a discount here. Sharon tries to get me to accept one but I won’t. She worked her ass off working in her mother’s salon and then put up with cosmetology school although at seventeen she could teach those classes. Now she owns her own salon and next year she’ll also own her mother’s when her folks retire and move. She works too hard to give away freebies and I don’t accept them.
“Hey,” I say, “I’m handling corporate law now and I got my boss to agree to look over all your filings and annual stuff for you at no charge. If we have to file anything, you’ll just pay the fees to the state.”
“Oh my God,” she says, “you’re finally doing it!”
“Almost two months already,” I say.
“What made you… wait, don’t tell me. Little girl wants to please his Daddy.” I giggle and she says, “Now I definitely need to meet him. This guy’s perfect.”
“We’ll make a deal. You let me get your parents filings done and see if you need any and then you can meet him.”
“I’m not letting you give me free legal work,” she replies.
“You’ll be doing me a favor,” I say, “because I can count it as a class project.”
“Hmmm,” she says.
I can tell she doesn’t believe me. I’m not above a lie like that but I’m actually telling the truth at the moment. “Puh-leeeeeeeeze, Sharon?” I say, “Please, please, please, please, please, please.”
She laughs. “Okay. Jeez. But I want to see how you deliver it as a class project and I want to see the grade you got afterward.” I smile at her via the mirror and she says, “So this guy Peter is the one, you think?”
I don’t get to answer because I hear Tabitha call, “I’m in the right place!” She steps in with three of the little girls and soon Sharon is too busy with my referrals to talk privately but that’s fine. The four of us get to entertain her with talk about our Daddies.