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.