"I don't want to do this, Lin."
Linus Caldwell put the car in park and turned toward his client.
"We've talked about this. It's the best way to get what you want."
"And keep what I have. I know, Lin. You've mentioned it at least a thousand times." Lou Miller shook her head in disbelief. She'd been doing that a lot lately, ever since she'd decided to entertain Lin's ridiculous idea.
Lin reached for her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "Besides, she's perfect." He beamed with pride. "I've completely outdone myself."
Lou pulled her hand back and turned away in a dramatic huff. "How do you manage to be the publicist who gives all the other publicist a bad name? Do you know how hard it is?"
"What can I say?" He gave her an insincere shrug. "I'm a winner."
Lou lowered her sunglasses and shot him a glare. "I'm serious, Lin. I really don't want to do this."
"Just give me five minutes. I haven't even told you about her yet." He unrolled Lou's heavily tinted window. The anticipation was killing him. He had to know what she thought of his choice for her. "The one at the end, with the long, brown hair."
"Dammit, Sh...." Lou froze, her mouth hanging open. Lin wanted to laugh out loud at Lou's reaction, but he covered it up with a clearing of his throat. If he wasn't sure before-and by god he wasn't-he certainly now. Lou Miller was indeed gay. He leaned over and looked out the car window with her.
"I expect a week at your Aspen condo. Peak season. Not friggin' late April. That's just insulting." Lou kept her eyes on the woman.
"Remind me again why I have to pay your retainer and give you my condo in exchange for carrying out your dumb-ass idea?"
"Because I'm that good." Lin grinned, entirely too pleased with himself. "Now then, would you like the low down before you go down, Lou darling?"
"Late April, just for saying that. Maybe even May."
"And here I thought we were friends." Lin put his reading glasses on and opened a file folder. "Her name is Debbie Ocean. Thirty-four years old. Lives in New York..."
"New York? Then why is she sitting at a Starbucks in West Hollywood?"
"She comes here every day. Gets her out of that shitty little hotel she's staying in. Now, can I give you her history without any more interruptions, please?"
Lou waved a dismissive hand while she kept her eyes on the brunette. "Please do. We both have better places to be."
"She came up in the business. Spent her childhood on a daytime soap, or what I'd call an "American Telenova," went to college, then back on the soap. Left the show last year, so she's in L.A., going to every audition she can. She really needs the work."
"Any luck?"
"She's good, Lou. She had a couple of Daytime Emmys, but nothing so far."
"I've never heard of her." Lou impatiently looked at her watch.
"Does it matter? Anyone who watches soaps would know who she is."
"So, she's like this generation's Susan Lucci?"
Lin chuckled. "So, you do watch soaps."
"You know me better than that, Lin."
He closed the folder and opened his iPad. "Shall we YouTube her?"
"No. Just tell me about her love life." Lou glanced at her watch again and then lowered the car window a little more.
"Broke up with her ex about six months ago. Word is, the stress of coming out was too much for them."
Lou stilled herself and slowly turned to Lin, glancing at him quickly before turning to the window again. Looking the woman up and down, her eyes widened. "She's gay?"
Lin smiled, feeling so proud of himself. "Perfect, right?"
Lou didn't reply.
"Lou?"
She gave him a nod. "Okay. I'll need a face-to-face before we make an offer."
"Well, as you can see, she's alone. Just don't get into any specifics until we have a signed non-disclosure agreement."
"Great," Lou replied. "I was ready to open with 'Hey good lookin' want to hear my publicist's half-cocked plan? Now I need another pick-up line."
"Cockblocker by day, publicist by night. Just doing my job!"
Lou shot him an indignant glare and then looked away. "I don't know, Lin. I'm having second thought about this."
"Lou." He put reassuring hand on her shoulder. "How many times have you told me you can't do this alone?" His tough publicist façade gave way to the face of a friend, because the truth was, he and Lou were friends. She trusted him more than anyone else in the business and with good reason. He'd been by her side through a very rough time. The last thing he wanted to do was break that trust. "You've always said you need someone on your arm when you announce it to the world."
"Always?" Lou scoffed. "I mentioned it once -after two glasses of wine, I might add. And then you came up with this crazy idea."
"It's not crazy, it's smart. This way, we control it." And the publicist was back, pushing every one of Lou's buttons. "We control the whole thing. And nobody loses anything."
Lou shook her head in disgust. "I can't believe I have to do this. I mean, seriously?"
"I still can't believe you're gay, and neither will the rest of the world. They'll think it's some sort of stunt to boost ratings, and then they'll hound you relentlessly until they got a photo of your girlfriend, so forget about dating for real, Lou. No woman would put herself through that. Not even for you."
"So, what you're telling me is, I have to live a lie, or the world won't believe me?"
Lin reacted across his client and opened her door. "Welcome to show business, baby."
***
"No, Danny. Nothing yet." Debbie rubbed her forehead. These daily phone calls from her brother were getting tedious.
"Yes, I used the security bar on my door." She sighed. "Danny, I grew up in New York. I think I can handle L.A."
Her eyes widened in surprise as she tracked a woman who had just made herself at home at her small table. "Hey, I have to go. Talk soon. Love you."
"Sorry for interrupting. I hope this seat isn't taken."
Debbie slowly shook her head. "No."
She'd had fans of her show insinuate themselves into her personal space before, usually to praise her for standing up to that TV husbands of hers, or because the desperately wanted to give her advice on how the storyline should go, as if she had any control over the sort of thing.
But this time, Debbie was pretty sure she was looking at Jordan Ellis. No, not Jordan Ellis. That was her character's name on that law show. She looking at... "Lou Miller."
Why the hell had Lou Miller just plopped down at her table? Was she a soap fan? Debbie reached across the table and took the offered hand.
"Debbie Ocean."
"Actress?" Lou pointed at Debbie's iPad. "I noticed you're looking for auditions."
Not a fan apparently. Then again, no one was anymore. Two more rejections just this morning had cemented that fact.
Debbie tossed the iPad onto the table. "Yeah, I guess I am," she said, with a tinge of frustration in her voice.
"Anything interesting?"
"Absolutely... not... a damn thing," Debbie answered, frowning.
"Sorry. It's tough out there right now."
"Not that you would know." Debbie leaned back in her chair. It was a small table and she felt the need to regain some of her personal space.
"I got lucky five years ago," Lou said. "I was in the right place at the right time and I got the gig of a lifetime. I'll deny it if you quote me. I tell the whole world how hard it is, but it's mostly luck."
"Oh, well that's great news," Debbie sarcastically replied, throwing her hands in the air. "And here I was, thinking that owning the ten o'clock slot on Thursday nights has something to do with talent."
Was it really all about luck? Had Debbie been working hard every day, honing her craft, becoming the best at what she did, only to be told it all came down to fucking luck?
Lou's smile brightened. "I take it you watch Jordan's Appeal?"
Hell, no, Debbie didn't watch the show. Why would she watch the woman her ex-girlfriend fawned over Thursday night?
Yeah, they would joke about Tammy's crush, but it irritated Debbie more than anything else, since Tammy couldn't ever seem to find the time to watch Debbie's soap. But saying that out loud didn't seem appropriate.
"My ex watched it. Religiously."
"I see. And what about you? What do you think of the show?"
Debbie shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, I was memorizing my lines while she watched, but she thinks you're amazing."
She huffed out of breath, wishing she hadn't said that last past. Tammy and her damn celebrity crushes. And they were never women who looked anything like Debbie. Always blond, blue eyes. Tammy had a type.
Jesus!
Why hadn't Debbie ever figured that out until right now?
Lou pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head, giving Debbie a close-up view of those bright blue eyes she was so famous for.
"Will you tell the network that? I keep asking for a raise and they keep shooting me down," she joked.
Debbie smirked. "What, from one million per episode to two? I'm sure you're doing just fine."
Lou's eyes widened in surprise. "Am I really sitting here arguing with a stranger about my pay?"
Debbie leaned forward and picked up her cup of coffee. "I introduced myself. Debbie Ocean, remember?" She took a sip and held the cup close to her mouth, peering at the woman over her cup.
"How could I forget?" Lou picked up the coffee she'd ordered before sitting down at the table. She took a sip and the two women stared at each other for a few long seconds before she said, "Now that we've established how unfair this business is..."
"I'm sorry," Debbie interrupted. "I guess I'm just a little bitter about the huge pay gap between daytime and primetime actors."
Debbie was bitter about a lot of things, and sitting here looking at Lou Miller wasn't helping. The woman had it all; a great career, a great marriage to some other A-lister, enough money to last her two lifetimes, Debbie guessed.
And yet, here the woman sat, flirting with those blue eyes like there was no tomorrow. With a total stranger. A female stranger.
Debbie glanced around, wondering if she was being punnked.
"Look," Lou started. "It's like I said before, it's all about being in the right place at the right time, which is a perfect segue into asking you if you'd like to come to a party at my place tonight. I could introduce you to some industry people, because it's also all about who you know. And now you know me, so..."
Debbie's brow knitted as she folded her arms. "Weird."
"What's weird?"
"I'm a New Yorker. I don't take people at face value, and this is weird."
She glanced around again. Lou glanced around too.
"What are you looking for?"
"Hidden cameras," Debbie replied, with all seriousness.
Lou leaned back and laughed. Few people are famous for their laughs. Lou's was one of the few. It wasn't laugh that you hear across a crowded room. It was a little subtler than that, but it made you want to laugh right along with her, even if you hadn't heard the joke.
"I promise there are no hidden cameras. Well, paparazzi maybe, but not like one of those hidden camera shows. So, can I ask what you find so weird about this?"
Debbie leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Well, for one thing, I'm getting a gay vibe from Lou Miller, who everyone knows is married to..." Debbie looked away for a second.
"God, what's his name..."
"Divorced. We're divorced."
"Are you?" Debbie was genuinely surprised, not that she kept up with celebrity gossip. That was more Tammy's thing, but she'd never mentioned that her celebrity crush had gotten a divorce.
"I guess I should read the tabloids more often."
Lou chuckled. "Well, if you read those, you would know the divorce was due the fact that I'm infertile." She put up her finger. "Oh, and also, I was too fat for him."
"What an asshole," Debbie said, still leaning forward on the table.
Their eyes locked on each other for a few seconds and then Debbie asked, "When was the last time you plopped down at someone's table in West Hollywood?"
"I don't make a habit of it," Lou admitted. "And you can question the weirdness of it all day long, since you have so much time on your hands. Or, you graciously accept an invitation to my party tonight."
She didn't wait for a reply.
She grabbed a napkin and quickly wrote down the address. She slid it across the table and smiled.
"See you later." Lou didn't make it out of Starbucks before someone stopped her, wanting a selfie and autograph. She gave the woman both and then turn back around.
Debbie was staring at her with her arms folded, looking rather perplexed.
Lou gave her a little wave and left.
***
Lin opened the door from the inside and Lou slid into the passenger seat.
"Well? How did it go?"
"You're right, she's gorgeous."
Lin grinned.
"I knew you'd think so. Big, brown eyes. Smooth, tan legs that would be great-"
"Okay, settle down there, big guy."
Lou watched Debbie collect her things and get up to leave. "She's not a fan, but I kind of like that."
"She didn't fawn over you?"
Lou almost snorted. "I'd say it was the opposite of fawning."
"Hey, as long the camera likes the two of you..." Lin handed his camera over to Lou. "I took a few shots. The blonde, brunette thing is killer. You already look like a couple. She's even scowling you in one of the shots."
Lou scrolled through the photos, and sure enough, Lin was right. They did look good together.
"We'll see how it goes tonight. She might not even show up."
"Oh, she'll show up. She'd be a fool not to."
Lou handed the camera back and looked out the window just in time to see Debbie walking down the sidewalk to her car.
She couldn't help but smile because goddamn, Debbie Ocean had it all in the looks department. And yes, Lin was right -her legs looked fabulous in those shorts she was wearing. And truth to be told, Lou Miller had a thing for brunettes.
"Good work, Lin." Finally, the praise Lin knew he deserved.
"My wife says President Day weekend would be perfect."
"For what?"
"Aspen."
Lou shook her head at him for the hundredth time. Lin was nothing if not pushy.
"Fine. Tell Amita to pencil you in." She raised her window and rested her head on the back of the leather seat.
"If this doesn't blow up in my face before then."