Free Soulful Strut by Lynn Emery

Meetings the rest of the morning.”
    “See ya. And thanks again for helping me look
good. Sound good is more like it,” she called after him. Jim merely
smiled as he hurried off. He was already checking his BlackBerry
for messages.
    Chaz strode toward Monette wearing a big
smile. He opened his arms. “You did it, Monette. I loved the first
show. Now about next week.”
    “Next week.” Monette remembered her big talk
about the next show. The reality hit that she was committed to
pulling more rabbits out of her hat, more precisely at nine o’clock
every Monday.
    “Yeah. That one should be fantastic. You’re
right on the money. Not just another tired relationship gab fest,
but why women choose the wrong man.” Chaz walked with her and
talked with his hands as they went to her office. “I’m telling you
men and women will be weighing in on that one.”
    “Yeah.” Monette tried to figure out just when
she’d come up with that brilliant idea. Now she had to figure out
how to execute it.
    “I know you probably already have your guest
lined up, but if you don’t mind me making a suggestion.” Chaz
stopped when they reached the door to the communal office. He
seemed to study her reaction.
    Since Monette had no clue about what to do
for a guest, she could afford to be generous. “No, please, suggest
away. I mean, you’re the boss.”
    “I’m not a micromanaging control freak. Hot
Topic is all yours. I trust your judgment If you want me to butt
out, just say the word.” Chaz held up both hands palms out, as
though surrendering to her wishes already.
    “I’d like to think I’m flexible enough to
listen to anyone on the KTQL team.” Especially since she was
probably out of her league trying to do a talk show in the first
place.
    “That’s right Teamwork,” Chaz replied with
enthusiasm and put an arm around her shoulder as he walked her into
the office. He waved at Nikki, who was on the phone. “There’s this
psychology professor at Southern University. She’s written a book
on relationships, so she might have some insights. We could expand
our demographic. Right now we mostly pull in a female
audience.”
    “I’ll be happy to talk to her." Monette
grinned at him, feeling a tremendous wave of relief.
    “Fantastic. She has called me several times
about appearing on one of our shows, but we didn’t have the right
talk venue to accommodate her. Here’s her card. I’ll have my
secretary bring you a copy of the book. Can you stick around until
Layle brings it?” Chaz headed for the door as he spoke.
    “Sure. Happy to do it Chaz.” Monette nodded
as though she had done him a favor.
    “Excellent.” Chaz was already striding down
the hallway before Monette finished talking.
    “Girl, it’s all about you. Chaz has me
writing up a promo spot for your next show. I don’t think you need
my help.” Nikki winked at her as she hung up the phone.
    “No, no. I definitely need all the help I can
get. Now all I need to do is get up the nerve to talk to this
professor.” Monette looked at the card Chaz had handed her.
“Patricia Ray Carter, PhD,” she read.
    “Don’t worry. The lady is trying to sell
books. She’ll be thrilled to hear from you. Read the book this
weekend and come up with a list of questions. The callers will do
the rest.”
    “Yeah.” Monette started to think of angles to
make the show really pop. “Thanks for the tips.”
    “You’re welcome. I’ll be tuning in to that
one for sure. I could talk for hours about the bad choices in men
I’ve made. But I’ve got to be on the air.” Nikki broke off when she
glanced at the wall clock. “Oh hell, in two minutes. Bye.”
    “See ya later.”
    Monette shook her head as she watched the
young woman dash down the hallway. She felt like the only person
moving at a normal speed around there. Monette sat down at the desk
she’d chosen just as Chaz’s secretary came in. She handed Monette
the book with a smile.
    “I started reading it. Kinda