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Glasses.
Perfectly cut jawline.
Bronze biceps, broad shoulders.
Darn that rumbly laugh.
“I’m sure,” she says, her tone frosty.
And, that’s it. No follow-up question. No clues about how she wants to take the conversation forward.
An awkward silence hangs like a curtain between us, and I’m not sure how to part it.
Was it something I said?
I clear my throat and mirror her shifting movement in my own chair. “So, anyway, thanks for seeing me this morning. I’m hoping to get a feel for how this hiring-a-lawyer thing works. I have a legal issue out in California that I need to get sorted out, and this is the first time I’ve had to officially seek legal advice.”
She leans back in her seat. “What’s the issue?”
“A copyright thing. I’m hoping to prove that a movie script is mine. My ex is trying to claim it as his own, but I wrote every word of it.”
“Hm. Copyright law is very complex. Did you register the script with any organizations?”
“I hadn’t gotten around to that yet. I shared it with this guy without even suspecting that he’d betray me like this. But here we are. Needless to say, he’s my ex now.”
“Did you email drafts to anyone while you worked on it?”
“Um… yeah, I think I did. I was in a writing group at the bookstore where I worked, and I sent some early versions to my critique partner. Would that help?”
“It very well could. I’ll have to see the exact email—in fact, any communication you’ve had with anyone pertaining to the script. Including texts, records of phone calls, emails, or written letters with this ex of yours. Sylvester Sven, is that right?”
Does everyone in town know I was dating Sylvester?
My family sure does love to gossip.
“I think I can dig all that up.”
“Don’t think, Maddison. Know. If you want to prove this script is yours, the paper trail is essential. And his reputation could work in your favor, too. He won’t want rumors to get out that he’s trying to steal a script—that would only cause unfortunate speculation about his other works. There’s a chance he’ll see you have evidence on your side—assuming you actually do—and back down before the issue gets too messy. “
“Really?”
“I said there is a chance.”
Despite her frosty attitude, I feel assured.
Maybe her steely demeanor could work in my favor, when it comes to getting rights to my movie back.
But the thought of a monstrous bill makes my nervousness stir up again. “The thing is, I’m sort of low on funds right now. So maybe an estimate upfront, on how much you think this will cost me, will help me decide if I can go this route or not.”
“This route?”
“Hiring a lawyer. Specifically, hiring you.”
“My rate is industry standard.”
“I know, but when I say my funds are low, I mean really low. If I can’t afford you, I could try to find some bargain-basement lawyer online instead.”
“That never works out well.”
