I jerked back and sensed Marnie’s surprise without even looking at her.
Lou put her glass down and clasped her hand against her mouth.
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry! I’m not a big drinker. That was a joke. Because you know, you dress him so maybe you’ve seen him… Shit. Never mind.”
I cleared my throat. “I do see people in their underwear all the time, when they’re wearing any. But, to answer your question, I’ve been around enough big celebrities to understand how they think. They’re used to people being at their beck and call, to agree with them, no matter whatthey say. And I think sometimes they’re bored of it. So it’s a careful balance of being on their side while nudging them in the direction that you know is right for them. They’re so accomplished in what they do, and you have to show them that you are, too. Otherwise, they’ll never see you as a viable work partner.”
I thought about the many times I’d witnessed a heated exchange between Carly Wolf and a client, how she’d stand her ground even with some of the biggest names.You’re only as good as your last best-dressed slideshow,she would say. Her confidence was her greatest asset. The exact thing she’d completely stripped me of by firing me.
“You really know what you’re doing,” Marnie said.
But right there, munching on fries and garlic-stuffed olives, two cocktails deep, it wasn’t about work or what we’d accomplished.
It was about us. Fresh bonds created. On shaky grounds, maybe, but we didn’t realize then how much we were lying to each other.
For that one evening, it wasn’t about men, or Cannes.
It was just us girls.
That night, I heard myself laughing for the first time in a long while.
I was myself again.
So, like I said, I’ll always feel grateful to Marnie. She made my life a whole lot better.
Until she ruined it for good.
Marnie
I’d done something veryverybad. It became more obvious every second I sat opposite Constance at the bar. There was a delicate quality to her.Underneath her quiet demeanor, she seemed to absorb everything, to feel her feelings so deeply.
I paid our bill like it was the most natural thing in the world, and we went back to our hotel. I could only hope that Carmen wouldn’t check the charges on the credit card until we were back home. By then, I would have turned this ship around, and it would have all been worth it. Or so the plan went in my head.
“You’re our fairy godmother,” Lou joked as we ambled along.
She hooked her arm through the crook of my elbow and stared at me with wide Bambi eyes.
“You really think it’s going to win?” she asked.
It wasn’t hope in her tone, but something I couldn’t quite decipher.
“Everyone says it’s a masterpiece.”
Thatwaswhat people said. And what they weren’t sayingyetwas that the movie might be dropped from the competition for too much offscreen drama. Lou didn’t need to know that. Nobody needed to know anythinguntil I’d figured out the rest of the puzzle.
“Just be prepared for all these stories to come out.”
Lou’s face lit up in alarm against the dark sky.
“Good stories!” I rushed to clarify. “And if anyone reaches out for confirmation, just be vague. Neither deny nor confirm. No comment—that’s the stance.”
She nodded seriously.
“Actually, give them my details. Tell them I’m your publicist. I’ll handle it.”
It might have sounded like confidence to her, but it was the desperation talking.
“You know I can’t afford you either, right?” Lou said.
