Freelance Love Read online

  In her off-hours, Morgan worked to build her writing client list. She scoured the Internet, looking for local and regional magazines, studying their article contribution requirements. She chose several magazines and wrote sample articles for each, then wrote query letters. She received four responses back, along with writing assignments from each. Three of the four became regular, long-term clients. Once she figured out how much she was bringing in and how often her new clients paid her, she planned her long-awaited exit from Mack’s Country Clothing. As she received payments from her clients, she put them into her savings account. Finally . . . finally! She came home from the clothing store one night, muttering about John’s treatment of his most-junior employees. She looked at her bank balance and realized she had over 6 months of income saved.

  “Okay, Mr. Mack. I’ve reached my goal and I’m setting a new one. Time to write out a kick-ass resignation letter and hand it in. I’m kicking John’s ass to the curb.”

  After eating a quick salad, she sat down and quickly typed out her letter of resignation. Printing it out, she looked for errors and made a few changes. Finally, pleased with her letter, she printed out a final copy, signed it and put it into an envelope with John’s name on the front.

  John was predictably . . . unhappy with her letter and plans to leave. He tried to get her to change her mind, offering her raises and promotions before she left. She refused every offer. Her coworkers, excited for her, planned a gathering away from the store. After she finished working on her last day, they took Morgan to a local Italian restaurant, where they feasted on appetizers and hearty Italian entrees.

  The next Monday, Morgan woke at her usual early hour. Smiling because she knew she wouldn’t have to battle Las Cruces’ rush hour traffic, she got up and made herself a leisurely breakfast and planned out her long-awaited writing day.

  “Nothing and nobody will mess up my plans to own my own writing business. This is what I’ve wanted to do for so many years. I worked for it and it is my life,” she said under her breath. Bouncing off her sofa, she returned to her work, checking the clock. If I can finish this section in the next couple of hours, I’ll finish before dinnertime tonight.

  Two weeks after turning in her most recent magazine articles, Morgan was meeting with her student-researcher, Mia Gavin. She and the petite college student were sitting at the Corbett Center Student Union at New Mexico State University, discussing the direction of Morgan’s newest feature articles.

  “”Okay, here’s what I have. Las Cruces Lifestyles wants me to write a lengthy feature about the mariachi groups we have located in the city. We’re talking about youth groups, groups from the high schools and semi-professional groups. I want to talk about why mariachi is so ‘hot’ here in the Southwest. My article will touch on the progression of a few members of one of the semi-professional groups here – Mariachi Chihuahuense. The musicians are all young - from about 18 to, say, 32 or 33 years old. They’ve pretty much grown up exposed to mariachi, so that, when they got old enough to pick up an instrument, it was almost a natural progression for them to start learning the music. I’ve spoken to the group’s director. His name is Jose Gutierrez and he’s excited about the exposure the group could get. Then there’s the youth groups, and I’ll give you that information in a few days. You’ll be talking to the Mesilla Valley Youth Activity Center’s artistic director about the program she has established - what attracts the youth of the Mesilla Valley and Dona Ana county to learn the music? What makes them so passionate about it?

  “I need you to go to the Internet and do some research on the history and culture of mariachi, the uniforms and the instruments. I’ll interview Jose and some group members and find out what led them into mariachi,” Morgan said.

  “Okay – what about other articles?” Mia asked.

  “I’m supposed to get those assignments in a day or so. Once I see what the editors for each magazine need, I’ll flesh out a story and we’ll work on them. Here’s your paycheck for the last set of articles.” Morgan pulled a check out from a sheaf of papers on her desk, handing it to Mia.

  “Thank you! After turning in my financial aid paperwork, these work-study checks really come in handy,” said Mia with an engaging grin.

  After Mia left with her latest assignment, Morgan checked her voice mail. Seeing that she had one, she clicked the “play” button. John Mack’s voice filled the room.

  “Morgan, I really need you here in the store! Please . . .”

  Morgan, swearing under her breath, smashed the “delete” button. “John, I am not coming back to your store! What part of ‘no’ is so damned hard to understand?” She decided the only thing she could do would be to ignore the irritation that John’s calls represented. It’s better for me to focus my energy on keeping my business on the right road and moving up.

  Two weeks later, she was deep into her current assignments. Ian called Morgan to schedule a meeting so they could work on her newest articles. At the same time, John Mack called the managing editor of Las Cruces Lifestyles and, using his newly acquired knowledge, anonymously reported that Morgan had ben giving portions of her writing assignments to other writers.

  Chapter 3

  Lily, the managing editor of Las Cruces Lifestyles, was shocked. She felt she had gotten to know Morgan very well – to find out that she had potentially violated a portion of her contract made her doubt what she thought she knew of one of her best freelance writers. Asking several questions, she jotted down the answers. She was confused when John could not answer some of her questions. Reading his responses, she had her doubts and decided to call Morgan.

  Morgan met with Ian, feeling a strong sense of self-preservation. Sitting across the table from him, she set her work bag and laptop in between them, as a physical barrier.

  “Here’s my newest articles. I’m still getting responses back from interview subjects, so it’s not complete yet,” said Morgan.

  “Okay . . .” Ian scanned through the copy, flipping article pages. “I’ll go through this line by line and give you a call . . . by the way, I’m sorry for that kiss a few weeks ago. It was uncalled for.”

  Morgan, taken by surprise, looked at Ian. “Well . . . it’s in the past, anyway . . .” Hearing her cell phone ring, she pulled it out of her bag and checked the caller I.D. readout.

  “Hmmm! That’s the managing editor for Las Cruces Lifestyles. I wasn’t expecting any calls from her. Do you mind?”

  “Go right ahead. I’ll watch your laptop for you.”

  Morgan, nodding her thanks, walked quickly outside the restaurant. “Hello, this is Morgan.”

  “Morgan, it’s Lily here. Are you available now?”

  “Actually, I’m in a meeting with Ian. We’re going over my current set of articles. Do you have extra work for me or . . .” At a lengthy silence that stretched out for several uncomfortable beats, Morgan felt a heavy apprehension in her stomach.

  “Well . . . I got an anonymous phone call and the caller made allegations that you’re outsourcing your writing to other writers. You know that’s in direct violation of your contract with us. I don’t want to accuse you out of hand. I’m going to go through your past work and see if I can see any evidence of outsourcing. Meantime, I’m putting you on the reserve list of freelance writers. Once I’ve completed my investigation, I’ll call and let you know what I’m going to do. Complete your current assignments – and, Morgan, for the sake of your affiliation with Las Cruces Lifestyles, I hope I find nothing to these charges. The magazine will pay you for the work you turned in a few weeks ago and for the work you’re doing now.”

  Morgan was stunned. She stood outside for several minutes, just staring at her cell phone. She jumped convulsively when she felt Ian put his hand on her shoulder.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? Did someone just die?” asked Ian.

  Morgan walked to their table, surprised that her legs were working.

  Ian looked at her. He was worried because her face was washed of all colo
r. She looked as if she had entered a shock state. Putting his hand carefully over hers, he jiggled her arm.

  “Hey, Morgan, what’s wrong? I’m serious. Did you just get some bad news?”

  Morgan looked at Ian, returning to the busy restaurant. “ . . . That was Lily from Las Cruces Lifestyles. She said someone phoned in and accused me of . . . outsourcing! Me! Outsourcing!” Her laugh was brittle and angry. Her hands, which she had raised, dropped heavily to the table top, causing her cell phone to make sharp contact with the surface. “I don’t believe this.” As she spoke, Morgan’s voice grew thick with tears.

  “Fuck! You’re kidding me! You’re the most conscientious writer I know! How about your other clients?”

  “So far, I’m okay with them, but I’m going to be scrambling to find another client to replace what I’ll be losing from Lifestyles. I’m sure they’ll find I haven’t outsourced. The only thing I don’t do is the research, but that’s in my contracts with all three of my clients. They all know about Mia and the work she does for me.”

  “Okay, then. I don’t want to sound like a heartless bastard. Let’s finish these articles so you can look for replacement work. Do you have any idea who made these allegations?”

  Morgan thrust her fingers through her long, dark hair. “No. But I’m damn well going to find out. No way does someone threaten . . . threaten . . .” her eyes went vague and misty as she realized something. “My God, Ian! I think it was John!”

  “You mean the doofus who calls you all the time to go back to working brick and mortar at his store?”

  “Yes! Thank you. I’m calling Lily for an appointment. Then I need to look for more work to do.”

  After Ian went through Morgan’s articles, she quickly jammed everything back into her bag, bid Ian goodbye and drove home.

  Once home, she ran to her bedroom and indulged in a cleansing cry. After her tears stopped flowing, she washed her face and poured a glass of tea, sitting down to think. I’ll deal with that bastard after I’ve called Grace to see if she can shift some work my way. Once I’ve landed something, John, you had better start looking behind you, because I will be following every scummy step you take. If it was you, and I’m pretty sure it was, you’re gonna pay through the nose. After several minutes, she called Grace.

  “Hey, Grace, do you have some time? Something happened, and I’m in need of some fill-in work.” As Morgan spoke, she forced additional tears back.

  Grace, sensitive to the nuances of her best friend’s voice, grew concerned.

  “Morgan? What is wrong? You’re trying not to cry – don’t deny it because I can hear it in your voice.”

  Morgan squeezed her throat painfully against a sob. Swallowing, she released a slow breath and tried to speak calmly.

  “Hon, I just got some really, really bad news from Las Cruces Lifestyles. Apparently, someone called them and made some false outsourcing allegations against me. Lily is going to go through all my past work and she’s put me on the reserve writers’ list for now. I’ll be getting paid for my most recent work and for what I have in progress now, but . . . you know I need every client I’ve landed!” As she spoke, she swiped tears from her face.

  “Oh, my God. This is probably pointless, but has John been calling you to go back to his store?”

  “Yup. I just delete my messages and I don’t even respond any more. He doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘no.’ I think it’s him – it’s something he’d pull,” said Morgan, with anger outlining her words.

  “Okay, come by my office. I do have some things you can take off my plate. I never have time to get to these because of writing journal articles, office hours and planning lessons for my students. What are you earning from the magazine?”

  Morgan named what she was being paid and Grace said, “I can help you with that for now, but we’re going to need to make damn sure that you find out who made these allegations quickly. The funds I have are limited. I’m going to talk to Kevin and see if he knows of an attorney to help you out.”

  Morgan, hearing that she would have some substitute work as well as an attorney’s name, wasn’t able to hold back her sob.

  “Thank you! Let me know when to stop at your office and I’ll get the paperwork. How quickly do you think Kevin can come up with a name?”

  “Oh, say, a couple of hours? I’ll send an email to him and ask him. Once he’s between students or classes, he’ll let me know. He’s really good about responding. I promise you that,” said Grace.

  Morgan set up a time to go to the English department and Grace’s office. Once she disconnected her call, she ran to her bathroom and washed her face to remove all traces of her earlier tears. Don’t let that selfish asshole ruin your writing business. Fight back, because you built your business from the ground up. Sure, you applied for a business loan and you have a student assistant, but you’re it – you need to keep bringing money in so you can stay current – and make John’s efforts wasted.

  After sitting at her computer and trying to work on her current assignments, she realized that the shock she had received had destroyed her concentration. After struggling to get back into her “writing zone” for close to an hour, she shut her laptop, muttering to herself. “John, you won today’s battle, but you know how I’m gonna fight back? I’m getting other paid writing work and an attorney. If it was you, then you’re being dragged into court – and you’ll pay for your false allegations. Meantime, I am going to light a fire under my butt and go check out new printers. Goodbye, asshole!” After she gave herself her pep talk, she made herself eat a small lunch before going to Staples, Office Max and Best Buy to compare printers. As she was leaving, she heard the phone ringing. Zigging back to her desk, she saw the read-out indicating that John was on the other end.

  “What! No effin’ way am I answering this call! What happened today is just the kind of stuff you’d pull, and you want to talk to me? Go jump off a cliff!” Morgan pivoted on her heels and slammed her front door.

  At the store, she forced herself to put her former boss out of her mind as she compared each printer. She was at the third business products store when Grace called her back.

  “Morgan, if you have time now, Kevin’s going to stop by my office. Can you come by?”

  “Definitely! I’m leaving Best Buy now, so I can be there in, say, 15 or 20 minutes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  Morgan parked in an outlying lot on the sprawling NMSU campus. Locking her car, she took a long swallow of her chilled water and started walking from the Pan Am Center to the Clara Belle Williams English building on the International Mall. At Grace’s office, she knocked and collapsed into a chair, panting and patting perspiration from her face.

  “Oh, I hate summer! It’s too damn hot!”

  Grace chuckled. “Why do you think I work indoors? Kevin will be here in about five minutes. Meantime, here’s what I need. I’m overflowing with grading work. I’m signing you up as my aide so we can access those funds I mentioned earlier. You’ll need to fill this W-9 and application out so everything’s official and so you’ll be paid.”

  Morgan accepted the forms and began filling them out. Handing them back with a flourish, she asked, “When will they be official?”

  “Heck, tonight! Start these tomorrow morning and keep track of the time you work. I can spare about 20 hours a week, but no more.”

  “That’s plenty, Grace – I can do these and get my other writing assignments done. How much hourly will I earn?”

  “I couldn’t get much more than $10 an hour for you. I tried, but the personnel office wouldn’t have it.”

  Morgan grimaced. “Send some students my way for tutoring, please. I’ll make it work somehow.”

  “How many other magazine gigs do you still have?”

  “Two. If John calls them, I’m up shit creek, as the kids say.” Morgan tried to smile, but her fear was too strong.

  Grace reached across her desk and grasped Morgan’s hand. She squeezed, then loo
ked up at her door with a smile.

  “Kevin, thank God you’re here! Come in.”

  Kevin gave Morgan a quick one-armed hug and reached across Grace’s desk to give her a quick kiss.

  “Okay, what happened? Everything,” he ordered.

  Morgan explained, telling him she was suspicious that John had made the call to Lily. “He’s been calling me at least once a month, to beg me to go back to working for him. I am not going back to his store - ever!”

  “He doesn’t have a good reputation as a person or as an employer. Your thought that he might be the caller – it’s plausible. Here’s the name of the attorney I’m recommending – Rick Devins. He’s sharp, quick and aggressive. He fights for his clients.”

  Morgan leaned over and gave Kevin a strong hug. “Thank you for believing me!”

  “Hey, I remember when you were in my Small Business class. You were one of my most ethical students. I don’t think you’ve changed much since then. Call Rick today and get him hired. He’ll work with your finances – I told him you’re self-employed.”

  “Okay, so he’s expecting my call. Thanks. I’m taking all of this. I’ll call him as soon as I’ve gotten home and, Grace, I’ll start the grading tomorrow. I was serious about tutoring students, too. I’ll meet them on-or off campus.”

  “I’ll give my students your name. I do have a few in English Composition and Honors English Comp who are struggling – and yes, they do need your help.”

  Morgan gave Grace a huge hug and left. At home, she sat under the air conditioner, trying to cool down. Calling Rick Devin’s office, she explained her situation to the receptionist, who gave her an appointment for the next morning. She tried to get back to work, but found she was still too distracted to make much progress on her assignments. Giving up, she wandered into her dining area, which featured a huge bay window. Pulling up the blinds, she pulled out her e-reader and settled onto the window seat so she could try to relax and get her mind to re-focus.