29

Laura threw out the cleaning cloth in her hand and surveyed Sophia's trailer. It looked spotless. The actress would probably find something wrong tomorrow, but Laura was satisfied with her work. She grabbed her purse from the small locker where she kept her things, then stepped outside, locking the door behind her.

She looked around, but saw no sign of Miles. For a moment, Laura considered walking around to look for him, but she quickly realized that would be a bad plan - the lot was huge, and she could wander all night without finding him. Instead, she sat down on the steps to Sophia's trailer. She could see Blake's trailer from that vantage point, and she figured that if Miles were to start looking for her, the trailer would be the first place he would go.

A few minutes later, Miles emerged from Blake's trailer, looking tired. Laura stood up and walked towards him.

"Hi," she called out.

"Hey there," Miles replied, giving her a smile.

"Long day?" she asked.

"Very. It seems that, now that I'm not just a coffee boy, there's a lot of work for me to do." He shook his head. "I think I might like to be the coffee boy again."

Laura laughed. "So what else did you have to do today?" she asked as they started walking towards the parking lot.

"I cleaned. A lot. Blake's a complete slob, did you know that?" Miles asked, shaking his head. "I thought there might be a cleaning lady or something, but if there is, she's avoiding him - did he sleep with her?"

Laura laughed again. "Probably! So is the trailer spotless now?"

"Not really, but it's as close as I could handle today. Besides, that gives me something to work on tomorrow... I'm afraid of what else he'll find for me to do. I'll probably have to wax his car or something."

"Shh," she said in a stage whisper. "Don't give anyone any ideas!"

(330)

28

"I'm not just a coffee boy anymore, I swear," Miles told Laura with a grin as he waited for Blake's morning drink to be ready.

"Looks like you're doing a lot of other stuff," Laura replied, laughing.

"Yeah, well, not JUST a coffee boy," he said. "Haven't seen you much today, though - you've been busy, I guess?"

"Sophia's having a hard day," Laura told him. "Things haven't been going right since she showed up, and I think Mr. Jarvis is getting close to just wrapping for the day."

"Really? He'd do that because one of the actors is having a bad day?" Miles asked.

"One of the leads is approaching a meltdown - that's different than just an actor having a bad day," Laura tried to explain. "It really has been that bad. Like I said, since she got here today, things have just been going wrong. Wardrobe screwed up, hair and makeup were late, Blake's been taunting her..."

"Yeah, I noticed that," Miles said. "I wasn't sure if that was normal or not."

"Normal, yeah. Appreciated? Not so much." Laura shook her head. "Look, I've got to run," she said, taking the coffee from the girl at the counter. "Maybe I'll catch you after we wrap for the day? You know, compare notes, maybe?"

"Sure," Miles said, smiling at her. "I'll keep my eyes open for you."

Laura smiled back before turning and walking away. Somehow, she felt her cheeks getting a little red - had she just made plans with him? Sure, it was for work, but still... Laura tried not to think about how long it had been since she'd been on a date of any sort. Suddenly, the day seemed as if it might never end.

(291)

27

"Fine." Blake's tone was at odds with the word, but he knew better than to piss of the director. "I'll find something else for the boy to do."

"Good idea," Ricardo replied. He looked down at the script in his hands, pulled a pencil out from behind his ear, and started making notes. Blake waited a moment, then turned around, realizing that he had been dismissed.

Ricardo waited until he was sure that Blake was gone, then set down the script and sighed. He looked around, but no one was nearby. Taking the flask out of his vest pocket, Ricardo took a swallow of the vodka, feeling it burn a trail down his throat. He put it away, sighing again. Sometimes, drinking made his day a little more bearable. After dealing with divas, he could understand why so many people in Hollywood turned to drugs. If he were a little more wealthy, he might consider the same thing. Ricardo shook his head, trying to forget that thought. That was a dangerous road to travel.

"Ricky?"

"Laura!" Ricardo whirled around, startled, and wondering if she had seen the flask.

"Starting a bit early, aren't you?"

She had seen it. Damn, he thought.

"Just had a little tete-a-tete with Blake... seemed like a good idea. What are you doing here, anyways?" he asked, trying to change the subject. "Don't you keep talking about how we shouldn't be seen together?"

"Sophia sent me," she replied. "It looks like you get to deal with two divas today. Want me to refill that flask for you?"

Ricardo sighed and tried not to roll his eyes. "And what does Ms. Cornish require this time?"

"She wants to know why there aren't flowers in her dressing room anymore. I tried to explain that they had been gifts from various admirers, but that she hadn't sent any responses, so they probably got tired of it. You can imagine how well that went over."

"Fine. Tell her I'll be there to discuss it with her after we're done with the laundromat scene."

"Ricky! That's going to take all day!" Laura looked a little scared at the prospect of giving that news to Sophia.

"I doubt she'll realize that. And if she does, well, tough." Ricardo tried to glare, but failed. "I'll talk to her then."

"Yes, sir," Laura said, knowing when to back down.

(395)

26

Ricardo watched as Miles made another trek to the coffee stand. After three days, Blake apparently still hadn't figured out what to do with his assistant. The director shook his head. A guy like Blake was used to having people do things for him, so it was odd that he couldn't find anything else for the young man to do.

As Miles passed the director's chair, Ricardo waved him over. For a moment, the assistant looked confused, but quickly realized that the director outranked the actors.

"Yes, sir?" he asked as he approached.

"Miles, it seems that you're rather busy getting coffee for Mr. Herrington," Ricardo began, looking pointedly at the cup in his hand. "I had intended that you do more than just that. So it's time to start being a proper assistant - please inform Mr. Herrington that I would like to speak with him. Now."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Jarvis," Miles replied, his eyes widening slightly. He wondered if he was about to get fired. Shoving that thought from his mind, he hurried back to Blake's trailer. He knocked twice, as he had been told, waited for a count of three, then opened the door.

Blake sat at his makeup counter, letting Anna put the finishing touches on his face. He gestured towards the counter, where a half-dozen other coffee cups sat. "Just set it down."

"Yes, sir," Miles replied. "Mr. Herrington, Mr. Jarvis would like to speak with you. Now, please," he added.

Blake glanced over at his assistant, a little bit surprised that he was delivering a message along with the coffee. "All right. Once Anna's done, I'll go."

"I think that's all," Anna said, brushing a final dusting of powder on the actor's forehead. "You'd better not keep Mr. Jarvis waiting - he gets cranky on hot days."

"It's California," Blake said with a laugh. "Every day is a hot day." Still, he rose from the chair, grabbed the latest cup of coffee, and started towards the door. "Say, Milo, why don't you clean up those coffee cups while I'm gone?"

"It's Miles," the assistant started to correct him, but Blake was already out the door.

"Just ignore that," Anna advised as she packed up her makeup supplies. "He doesn't quite know how to deal with you yet. Funny, since he whined like a baby when Sophia got her first assistant. Of course, you don't have boobs, so..."

Miles gave a short laugh. "Somehow, I don't think breasts would make this job any easier," he replied.

25

"Coffee for Mr. Herrington, please," Miles said to the girl at the coffee stand.

"Another one?" Laura asked, coming up behind him.

Miles gave a short laugh. "I don't think he knows what else to do with me. This is... let's see... coffee number ten."

"It's only noon."

"I know. Trust me, I know." Miles shook his head. "Think it'll get better?"

"Probably," Laura replied.

"Here you go, cutie," the coffee girl said, passing the cup to Miles.

"Coffee for Ms. Cornish, please," Laura requested, trying not to roll her eyes at the girl's overly-obvious attempt to get Miles' attention.

"And I think that coffee girl thinks I'm hitting on her," Miles whispered, leaning over to Laura.

The other assistant laughed. "With ten coffees this morning? I'd think so, too! Cheer up, it's got to get better."

"Sure," Miles said, sounding doubtful.

"Eventually, he'll figure out something else for you to do. Maybe you'll get to wash his car. Or deliver his dry cleaning. Or - my favourite - return gifts from fans to stores for cash."

"You've done that??"

"All part of the job, Miles," Laura replied, taking the cup of coffee from the starry-eyed girl at the counter. "You'll learn to love it, or you'll find something else to do with your life."

"And you've learned to love it?"

"I didn't say that." Laura grinned, then hurried off to her waiting starlet. Miles watched her go, wondering about that last comment. Finally, he shrugged and headed back towards Blake's trailer, trying to come up with something - anything - else he could do for the actor.

24

Miles stood beside Blake Herrington's trailer and watched as the actor spoke with the director. They had their heads close together, and both of them kept looking in his direction. Unfortunately, he was too far away to hear what they were saying.

"I hate it when they do that," Laura said softly as she walked up behind Miles. The young man jumped as he turned to see who had snuck up on him. "Sorry," she added with a laugh. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay," Miles said, looking back towards the other two men. "Do they talk like that often?"

"You mean do they talk about you almost like you're not there? Yeah, they all do that a lot around here."

Miles tried to stifle a sigh. "I'm not sure I'm cut out for this," he said. "There seems to be a lot of... I don't know. Cattiness?"

Laura looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Cattiness on a movie set is a surprise for you? Miles, have you been living under a rock?"

He laughed a little at that. "No. I mean, I'd heard stories, but I figured they were just stories."

Laura smiled sympathetically at him. "You get used to it," she told him. "And you get a nice, thick skin."

Across the lot, Blake threw his hands up, as if defeated. The director nodded once, then turned and left. A moment later, Blake started towards his trailer.

"And that's my cue to leave," Laura said quickly, watching the actor's approach. "I'll be around if you need me."

Before Miles could say anything, he was alone. That didn't last, however, as Blake walked up to him.

"You're my assistant," the actor said without prelude.

"Yes, sir," Miles replied, looking the other man in the eye.

"Fine. Get me a coffee."

"How do you take-"

"Get. Coffee." Blake turned and walked into his trailer.

"Yes, sir," Miles said to the air.

23

Hours later, Ricardo and Laura managed to escape from the rest of their family and find a place to sit outside. They settled into their favorite chairs and sat without speaking for a few minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet.

"Seriously, Ricky, I wish you would have told me," Laura finally said, rocking slowly back and forth in the chair on the porch. "Anna said that you told her."

"I told her this morning, when she came to ask me about something. I didn't search her out. Besides, I only just found him yesterday, and we didn't get to talk last night. If we had, I would have told you."

Laura sighed. "I know. I just felt, well, out of sorts, you know?"

"I know," Ricardo replied. "But if it helps, Miles didn't notice."

"Really?"

"Really. He actually told me that he was impressed with the way you handled Sophia. Those were his exact words."

Laura laughed. "I 'handled' her, did I? I guess actors are kind of like wild animals..."

Ricardo laughed with her. "In any case, I think you helped him out a lot today. Do you think he's ready to be on his own tomorrow?"

"He might be," Laura said slowly. "Blake's not as demanding as Sophia, and he's only got a half-day of shooting, right?"

"Right," Ricardo confirmed. "It might take a little sweet-talking on my part to convince Blake to take an assistant, especially a man, but I think Miles is right for the job."

"Good. He's a nice guy," she said, smiling in the dim evening light.

"I knew it!"

"What?" Laura asked, looking across at her brother.

"You think he's hot!"

"I do not!" she protested, feeling her cheeks turn red. "And even if I do, what does it matter?"

Ricardo laughed. "Ma's gonna love it if you bring him home."

"Ricky! Don't even joke about that! She'll have the wedding planned before she even hears his last name!"

That only made him laugh harder. Laura shook her head. "Besides, the idea is for Sophia to flirt with him. He's just got to keep Blake away from me."

"Right. And that's the only interest you have in him - as a human shield."

"Yes."

As Ricardo dissolved into another fit of laughter, Laura rolled her eyes and got up from her chair.

"Hey, where are you going?" her brother asked.

"To say good night to Mama and the rest. It sounds like I'm going to have a REALLY long day at work tomorrow."

22

"You couldn't have told me ahead of time that you had found an assistant?" Laura asked as she punched her brother in the arm.

"Ow!" Ricardo whined, rubbing his arm, grinning from ear to ear. "And miss a reaction like this? Of course not!"

"I looked like an idiot!" Laura complained. "Out of nowhere, this tall-dark-and-handsome guy shows up and tells me that he's going to follow me around! Seriously, Ricky, I could have used some warning. You didn't even have to tell me he was hot - just that he existed!"

Ricardo laughed. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad," he said, reaching across Laura to grab a roll from the basket on the table.

"Ricardo! Where are your manners?" his mother scolded.

"Sorry, Ma," the director replied sheepishly. "Laura, could you pass me the rolls, please?"

Their mother smiled as Laura passed the basket over to her brother. "Much better. But enough of this work-talk!" she said. "I know you're very important, Ricardo, but there is more to life than work. You need a wife. She would teach you that."

Laura barely hid a smirk at her mother's comment. The only thing that kept her from laughing out loud was the fact that she was probably next on her mother's list to harangue.

"A handsome, successful man like you should have no trouble finding a wife!"

"Ma, I'm not ready to settle down yet," Ricardo tried to explain, looking to Laura for support. She just shook her head.

"Ricardo! You're thirty-six years old! By your age, your father had already given me four babies!" Maria Jarvis threw her hands up in despair. "And you, Laura! Twenty-five and still unmarried... When I was your age, I was married AND a mama!"

"Mama, I just finished school last year," Laura told her, knowing that nothing she said would make any difference. "Give me a little time."

"A little time, a little time! If I give you more time, I'll never see any grandchildren!"

"Ma, you've got seven grandchildren." A shriek from the other room punctuated Ricardo's words.

"Don't my kids count for anything?" Elena asked, laughing as she said it. The oldest of the girls, Elena was two years older than Ricardo and already had three children of her own. Juliana and Reya, both younger than Ricardo but older than Laura, had each contributed two grandchildren, and joined in their older sister's laughter.

"Fine, fine. But I want more!" their mother cried.

"Time, Mama," Laura repeated, shaking her head. Ricardo just laughed.

"We'll talk later, Lolo," he said, still smiling. "Pass the corn?"

21

"Are you Laura?"

Laura turned around as she heard her name, and found herself face-to-chest with a young man who towered over her.

"I am," she replied, looking up to see a pair of big brown eyes. "And you are?"

"Miles. Miles McCallum. Mr. Jarvis told me that I should come and find you. He said that you'd be the best one to help me out today." The young man smiled down at her, and Laura couldn't help but smile back.

"Did he happen to mention how I can help you out today, Miles?" she asked, wondering why her brother had sent this man her way.

"I've been hired as Mr. Herrington's assistant, and Mr. Jarvis said that, since you've been working with Ms. Cornish so well, you'd be the best one to tell me what to do." Miles smiled again, and Laura felt herself blush slightly.

"Well, I can tell you what works for Sophia, but Blake's another animal entirely... Oh, but don't ever call them by their first names unless they ask you to," she added.

"No first names," Miles repeated, pulling a small notepad from his pocket and making a note. "Got it."

Laura grinned. He was cute, although he was probably at an age where 'cute' didn't seem like a compliment. "Did Mr. Jarvis say anything else?"

"He told me to shadow you today, and then report to him tomorrow morning so he can decide what to do next. He seems to have a lot of faith in you."

"Like he said, I've been working with Sophia for a while... longer than any of her other assistants. She's not here yet, but you'll see why that's a big deal, trust me." Laura sighed, trying not to picture Sophia's face when she saw that there was another person following her around. For such a diva, Sophia didn't like the whole entourage thing. "Anyways, I've got to get started, so you might as well come along and start learning."

Laura started by heading over to Sophia's trailer and unlocking it. "She likes it unlocked while she's on set, but we have to keep it locked overnight," she explained, crossing the room to the air conditioning panel. "She likes the temperature at 76 degrees, so I get it turned on before she gets here. I did most of the clean-up last night before I went home, so there's not too much to do right now, but I try to get everything set up so that all Sophia - Ms. Cornish - has to do is come in and sit down. The guys out at the gate usually call me when she shows up, so I've got time to call Anna, the make-up artist. She'll be here when Sophia shows up."

"Is it okay for you to call her Sophia?" Miles asked, watching as Laura moved around the small space, setting out various brushes and bottles, checking the fridge and smoothing the tableclothes.

"Never," Laura said with a laugh. "Not to her face. But I figure if the tabloids can call her Sophia when she's not around, so can I. She's one of the more... distant artists on this project. Mr. Jarvis is busy, but friendly, and Mr. Herrington... well... you'll get to know him."

"I'm starting to wonder if I want to," Miles said, a frown creasing his brow. "Between the way Mr. Jarvis was talking and the way you're talking... is he really horrible to work for?"

"I don't think so," Laura said, pausing. "I mean, I don't work for him directly. He's just... well, I'm a woman, so I've got an extra set of problems where he's involved."

"Ahhh..." Miles nodded. "So that's why the ad asked for a man."

"Exactly," Laura grinned. A sharp beep from her cell phone interrupted, and she answered before it could beep a second time. "Yes? Okay, thanks." She hit a button to dial another number, then looked up at Miles. "Here we go. Follow me... Anna? She's here."

Laura led Miles over to the coffee bar and cleared her throat to get the girl to pay attention. "Yes, I know he's new, but I need Ms. Cornish's coffee," Laura said, her tone a little too sweet.

"Yes, ma'am," the coffee girl said, smiling widely at Miles. As she turned to make the drink, Laura looked over at Miles.

"You probably don't want to get involved with her - she's one of the ones sleeping with your new boss."

"Oh." Miles glanced over at the coffee girl again, unsure of what to say.

"Here you are," the girl said, passing the cup to Laura but smiling up at Miles. "Have a wonderful day."

"You, too," Miles replied before hurrying to catch up with Laura. "That was awkward."

"That's showbusiness," Laura said, shaking her head. As they reached Sophia's trailer, Laura motioned for Miles to wait outside. She stepped in and sighed with relief to see that Anna was already there, waiting. Setting the coffee down on a coaster, Laura hugged her cousin briefly. "It's going to be an interesting day," she said.

Anna laughed. "I heard - Ricky told me about the new boy. Have fun with that."

Laura shook her head. "We know how much Sophia loves change... keep your fingers crossed that she doesn't tell them to cut off my head today!" Flashing one last, almost desperate smile, Laura hurried back outside, ready to open the door for the actress.

Sophia arrived moments later, and Laura opened the trailer door as the actress stepped out of her car. "Good morning, Ms. Cornish."

"Mm. Who's that?"

"Miles, Ms. Cornish. He'll be Mr. Herrington's assistant, but he'll be learning from me today," Laura explained.

"Hm. Don't let him get in our way," Sophia said as she stepped inside. Laura closed the door behind her and turned to Miles, giving him a small smile.

"Well, that wasn't too bad."

Miles just looked at her, wondering what he'd gotten himself into.

20

"Tell me about Blake Herrington," Laura said into the phone, relaxing back against the pillows behind her. She was propped up in bed, trying to wind down after a rather long day.

"Stay away from him," Ricardo replied on the other end of the line, his concern evident in his voice. "He's trouble, Laura."

"Well, yeah, I figured that part out," she replied with a sigh. "He's just been everywhere, Ricky. It seems like, no matter what I'm doing, he's constantly stepping out from behind a building, or through a doorway. I feel like, I don't know... like he's watching me or something."

Ricardo frowned, wishing that he were talking to his sister in person. "I don't like the sounds of that. He acts like that around the coffee girl, too, and it's no secret what he's been doing with her. I don't like this, Laura."

"You think I do?" she asked. "Look, there's got to be something I can do about this. I mean, there's got to be a way that I can ACTUALLY avoid him. I've been trying, but it's not working at all."

Both siblings were silent for a few moments, each pondering the situation.

"What if he had an assistant?" Ricardo asked.

"What do you mean?"

"What if I hired an assistant for him? Someone to do the same sorts of things that you do for Sophia?"

Laura sat up a bit straighter. "But does he need that?"

"Probably not," Ricardo admitted. "But if the assistant is a pretty young thing, he'd be less inclined to spend his time following you around."

"But the pretty young thing would end up the same way as the coffee girl," Laura countered. "Do you know how quickly he'd go through assistants? Faster than Sophia!"

"You're right," Ricardo said with a sigh.

The silence stretched out again, until Laura gasped. "I've got it!"

"What?"

"Give him a handsome young thing!"

"What?" Ricardo's confusion was clear in his voice.

"Give him a male assistant," Laura clarified. "He'll at least slow down Blake's movements... and if I get along with him, he could probably even actively help me!"

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Ricardo admitted. "If nothing else, Sophia might start hitting on the boy, and give Blake a taste of his own medicine. All right, I'll put out an ad in the morning, and we'll get Mr. Herrington an assistant."

"Great!" Laura replied, grinning. She suddenly felt much more relaxed. "Thanks, Ricky. I feel better now."

"Good. Now go to sleep - we've got another big day in the morning."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you, too, kiddo. Good night."

Laura hung up the phone and settled back against her pillows. She closed her eyes, and a few moments later, she was fast asleep, more relaxed than she had felt in days.

19

Anna kept quiet through the exchange between the two actors. She had learned early on that, if the actors didn't really notice you, they would say a lot more than they intended. It was clear that Blake's intentions towards Laura were less than honorable, and Anna planned to make sure that he didn't interfere with her cousin. It was hard enough for Laura to keep her secret about Ricardo as it was - she didn't need the added pressure of Blake's advances.

The make-up artist brushed on a final touch of powder, then smiled at Blake as though she hadn't heard any of what he had said to Sophia. "That's it, Mr. Herrington," Anna said, putting away her brushes.

"Thanks," Blake replied, getting up and heading to his place. A moment later, Laura appeared next to Anna, looking frazzled.

"Thanks for getting here so quickly," Laura said, her voice low as Ricardo approached the actors, giving them new directions. "I can't believe I forgot to call you for Sophia's makeup earlier."

"Don't worry about it, Laura," Anna replied. "I heard you were a bit distracted."

"What?" Laura asked, turning to face her cousin.

"Blake was talking about you to Sophia. Be careful with that one - he wants something, I can tell."

Laura sighed and shook her head. "It feels like he's playing some sort of game with me," she admitted. "He's always catching me off guard, and it's getting frustrating."

Anna offered a sympathetic smile. "At least you've noticed. Just try not to let him get to you. You've got to keep certain things to yourself, and if he keeps catching you like that, you might blurt out something you don't want him to know."

"I know," Laura said, sounding more frustrated. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"Anna!" Ricardo's voice interrupted the two women before they could say any more. "Anna, I need you to touch up Sophia again!"

Anna grabbed her makeup kit and gave Laura one last smile. "I know you will. And I'm around if you need to vent."

"Thanks," Laura said, watching her cousin hurry over to the actress. If only it were easier to avoid Blake...

18

"Sorry," Laura said instinctively, stepping back.

"You're determined to run into me today, aren't you?" Blake asked. He looked down and adjusted his shirt - not because it was askew, but because he wanted to make Laura squirm.

"You seem to be right where I'm going," she replied, looking away. She could feel her cheeks burning, and she wished that her emotions weren't so visible. "Sorry about that." Laura gave Blake a pathetic attempt at a smile, then hurried towards the set.

Blake watched her leave, one eyebrow raised as he noticed the way her hips swayed back and forth. He could see why Jarvis might have an interest in this girl - she was definitely a pretty young thing. He followed her towards the set, but at a much slower pace. Blake knew that they wouldn't start without him.

The crew was still finishing with readjustments when Blake sauntered onto the set. He settled into his chair and waited while Anna finished touching up Sophia's makeup while she sat in her own chair.

"Good little assistant you've got there," Blake said, still watching Laura as she spoke with one of the production interns beside the cameras.

"You keep your paws off of her," Sophia said, her sweet smile at odds with her tone. "I have enough trouble getting decent help without you running them off."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Blake replied, sitting passively in his chair while Anna moved over to touch up his makeup.

"Right. And Brittany didn't quit after you slept with her and then ignored her... and neither did Amanda or Christina. Stay away from this one," Sophia warned as she rose from her seat.

Blake chuckled softly. Telling him to stay away from a woman was about as effective as telling a dog to stay away from a steak that was dropped on the floor.

17

Laura hurried towards the nearest restroom, looking for something to dry her shoes with. Grabbing a handful of paper towels, she sopped up the worst of the coffee and grimaced as she realized her socks were no wet, too. She didn't have time to worry about it, though - with only five minutes until filming started, she needed to get Sophia. Satisfied that her shoes were at least dry enough that she wouldn't leave footprints in Sophia's trailer, Laura hurried back and knocked on Sophia's store.

"Come in," the actress called.

Laura opened the door slowly and saw Sophia on the couch, still reading the book.

"Ms. Cornish?" Laura asked, keeping her voice low. "Mr. Jarvis is ready to get started again."

"Okay, just a second." Sophia read a moment longer, then folded over the corner of the page and closed the book. "Where's makeup?"

"Oh, um... I can get her," Laura said, mentally chastising herself for not thinking of that on her own - of course Sophia would need her makeup touched up before they started filming again.

"Tell her to meet me on set," Sophia ordered, rising from the couch and walking past Laura.

"Yes, Ms. Cornish," Laura said to the actress's back. Alone in the trailer, she heaved a sigh, then pulled out her cell phone and dialed Anna's cell number. "Anna? Yeah, she's headed over to the set and wants you there... Yeah, I'll be there in a few... Thanks, Anna." Laura hung up the phone and took a deep breath. It wasn't as bad as it could be, she told herself. Sophia was in a relatively good, if somewhat odd, mood. Trying to keep her own spirits up, Laura left the trailer and nearly ran into Blake as she turned to head back to the set.

16

"Umm..." Laura stalled, trying to remember the story she had concocted in case something like this ever came up. "Well, not directly... I mean, not like this. He was the director for one of the movies I was an extra in."

"I see," Blake said, not really buying it.

Laura took another sip of her coffee, concentrating on blowing on it to cool it down. "How about you?" she asked, feeling more than a little uncomfortable as the actor stared her down. "I mean, is this the first time you've worked with him?"

"No, actually. He was the director for the first film I was in. You might have seen it - it was 'Far From Here,' starring Melissa Knight and Joe Amos," Blake said, sounding pleased with himself.

"I saw it," Laura said. A slight frown creased her forehead. "I mean, it was a few years back, but I don't remember seeing you..."

"It wasn't a big role," Blake replied. "I was the stable boy. I only had a few lines, and, well, most of them ended up on the cutting room floor."

Laura smiled, then took another sip of her coffee. Blake smiled back at her, and she couldn't help but feel a bit out of sorts. She glanced up at the door to the trailer, half-hoping that Sophia would come out and break up this awkward moment.

Blake, on the other hand, was rather pleased with the way things were going. He hoped that if he could keep Laura feeling a bit uncomfortable, he might be able to catch a few more hints about her relationship with Ricardo. From her earlier comments, Blake was quite certain that Laura and Ricardo had done more than work together on one other project, but he couldn't figure out how involved they were.

"Five minutes!" came Ricardo's voice over the loudspeaker, causing Laura to jump, spilling coffee on her shoes.

"Crap," she muttered, irritated that she now had wet shoes, but relieved at the interruption. "Um, sorry, I've got to grab something to dry off with, and then get Sophia... Um, I'll see you around?"

"Sure," Blake said, watching the assistant run off. He grinned as he headed into his trailer. She was going to be easy to break.

15

"So. How've you been?"

"Um, fine?" Laura replied, blushing as her answer came out sounding like a question. "How've you been doing?"

"Doin' good," Blake said, grinning at Laura's discomfort. He was definitely having an effect on women today. "What are you up to?"

"Working?" Laura answered, her blush deepening. Why did she always act like a star-struck schoolgirl when he talked to her? "I'm, uh, just waiting right now, actually, until either Ric- Mr. Jarvis calls places or Sophia needs something."

Blake did not miss Laura's slip-up, but he kept his face straight. "Is this your first time working on a film set?" he asked, keeping his tone conversational.

"Um, no, actually. I've done a lot of extra work before." Laura paused, but Blake stayed silent, looking at her as if he expected more. "But it's my first time on set as a personal assistant."

"Ahh..." he said slowly. "How did you go from extra to assistant?"

"Well, um, I spent a lot of time doing community theatre -"

"Right, because community theatre has a lot of personal assistants," Blake said, raising an eyebrow.

"I did a lot of community theatre and," Laura repeated, ignoring Blake's comment, "I realized that I don't really like being an actor, but I like working behind the scenes."

"Oh." Blake didn't have a smart comment about that. "Is this the first time you've worked with Mr. Jarvis?"

"Umm...." Laura stalled, trying to remember the story she had concocted, in case something like this ever came up.

14

Laura had started towards the actress's trailer when Ricardo called for a break, but she had turned around in time to catch the exchange between the two actors. Laura made a point of looking away, though, when Sophia started walking towards her trailer. Between the bad start to the day and this latest exchange with her co-star, Laura was certain that Sophia was not going to be in a good mood.

Her prediction was not far off. Sophia did not acknowledge anyone between the set and her trailer. Laura had the door open as Sophia walked up the steps, and the actress paused at the top step before going inside. "Knock twice when Ricardo calls for me," Sophia instructed, then closed the door.

Laura blinked. Maybe Blake had said something... nice? Sophia certain seemed much less irritable than Laura had expected. Of course, it didn't take much to change the actress's mood, so Laura resolved to stay on her toes. She debated going off to grab a coffee, but decided against it - she wasn't sure how long of a break Ricardo planned to take, and Laura didn't want to be far, in case Sophia decided that she needed something.

"You look thirsty."

Laura whirled around, almost hitting Blake as she did so. "What?" she asked, certain that she had misheard him.

"I said, 'You look thirsty'," Blank repeated, laughing lightly. "I brought you some coffee. It's got cream and sugar - you look like a cream-and-sugar sort of girl." He held out a styrofoam cup towards her.

"Uh, thanks," Laura said, accepting the cup. She didn't really like regular coffee - she was more of a smothered-in-caramel-and-chocolate sort of girl than a cream-and-sugar sort of girl - but she thought it was a sweet gesture. She smiled at him awkwardly and took a sip.

"Mmm, hot," she said, wincing.

"Fresh," Blake corrected, taking a sip of his own coffee. "So. How've you been?"

13

"I'm Zach," Blake said, extending his hand towards Sophia.

"Kat," she replied, shaking his hand. "Um, I'm sorry... should I know you?"

"Not really," he replied. "But I've seen you around."

Sophia smiled. "Here in the park, right?" she asked. "I thought you looked familiar. Do you live nearby?"

"No," he replied, "but I work around the corner. I like to take a walk through this park after work to relax."

"But it's Saturday," Sophia said, looking confused. She shifted her position on the bench, turning so that there was room beside her.

"Yeah... well, I decided to take a chance that you might be here today," he said, stepping closer to the bench, but not sitting down yet.

"Really?" Sophia asked, blushing.

The scene continued beautifully - the first time that had happened during the shoot so far. Ricardo kept the cameras rolling, letting the actors run through the whole scene before finally stopping.

"Beautiful!" Ricardo called out as the action stopped. "That was amazing, folks. I want you to take a break, then we'll come back and get a few more angles, okay? Good." Ricardo turned to the equipment beside him to review the film, hoping to get a fairly short list of shots to re-do.

As Sophia rose from the bench, Blake reached out and touched her arm lightly. She paused and looked at him, ready to spit out some acidic comeback at whatever teasing remark he was about to make.

He surprised her, however. "That felt really good, Sophia," he told her.

She blinked, uncertain of what to say. "Thanks," she finally responded. "It did."

Blake grinned at her, then turned and headed over to the craft services table, pleased with the way both the scene had gone, and with the way he had managed to put his co-star at a loss for words.

Sophia watched as he walked off, still unsure of how she should have reacted to his comment. She shook her head, trying to regain her composure, then started towards her trailer.