Just last week the town’s favorite gossip column had once again turned the media spotlight on her:

Heiress Molly Somerville, the estranged wife of Stars quarterback Kevin Tucker, has been keeping a low profile in the Windy City. Has it been boredom or a broken heart over her failed marriage to Mr. Football? No one has seen her at any of the city’s nightspots, where Tucker still shows up with his foreign lovelies in tow.

At least the column hadn’t said Molly “dabbled at writing children’s books.” That had stung, although lately she hadn’t even been able to dabble. Every morning she told herself this would be the day she’d come up with an idea for a new Daphne book or even an article for Chik, and every morning she’d find herself staring at a blank piece of paper. In the meantime her financial situation was deteriorating. She desperately needed the second part of the advance payment she was due to receive for Daphne Takes a Tumble, but Helen still hadn’t approved it.

The restaurant’s colorful décor suddenly seemed too bright, and the lively chatter jangled her nerves. She’d told no one about her block, especially not the woman sitting across from her. Now she spoke carefully. “I want this next book to be really special. I’ve been tossing around a number of ideas, but—”

“No, no.” Helen held up her hand. “Take your time. We understand. You’ve been through a lot lately.”

If her editor wasn’t concerned about not getting a manuscript, why had she invited her to lunch? Molly rearranged one of the tiny corn masa boats on her plate. She’d always loved them, but she’d been having trouble eating since the miscarriage.

Helen touched the rim of her margarita glass. “You should know that we’ve had some inquiries from SKIFSA about the Daphne books.”

Helen mistook Molly’s stunned expression. “Straight Kids for a Straight America. They’re an antigay organization.”

“I know what SKIFSA is. But why are they interested in the Daphne books?”

“I don’t think they would have looked at them if there hadn’t been so much press about you. The news reports apparently caught their attention, and they called me several weeks ago with some concerns.”

“How could they have concerns? Daphne doesn’t have a sex life!”

“Yes, well, that didn’t stop Jerry Falwell from outing Tinky Winky on the Teletubbies for being purple and carrying a purse.”

“Daphne’s allowed to carry a purse. She’s a girl.”

Helen’s smile seemed forced. “I don’t think the purse is the issue. They’re … concerned about possible homosexual overtones.”

It was a good thing Molly hadn’t been eating, because she would have choked. “In my books?”

“I’m afraid so, although there haven’t been any accusations yet. As I said, I think your marriage caught their attention, and they saw a chance for publicity. They asked for an advance look at Daphne Takes a Tumble, and since we didn’t foresee any problems, we sent them a copy of the mock-up. Unfortunately, that was a mistake.”