“First thing this morning.”
“My money is on Cheyenne.”
“Why? I mean, I heard she’s working with your ex, trying to break into acting, but what does that have to do with you?”
“She’s jealous. Maybe it’s the fact I told her she had a snotty, snooty attitude, that pretty faces in Hollywood were a dime a dozen and I was hedging my bets she would be an epic failure.”
Caleb’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? I can’t envision you saying that.”
“I wouldn’t have had she not cornered me in the Corner Grocery last night, bragging about how big a star she was going to be and how I wouldn’t be where I was without Robert’s help.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Cheyenne has a way of pushing people’s buttons.”
“She did a heck of a job pushing mine, so I gave her an earful.” Despite the seriousness of the situation, Harlow chuckled. “I should’ve been the bigger person and walked away, huh?”
“She’s envious, and for good reason. So it’s true? She’s on her way to becoming a megastar like the famous Harlow Wynn?” he teased.
“Maybe.” Harlow confided what Steven Treb had told her. “Steven knows his stuff. He said shemighthave the sparkle it takes to attract fans. She filmed a commercial but it’s stuck in ‘review,’ code word for it may or may not ever be aired.”
“Why?”
Harlow shrugged. “Could be a number of reasons. Breaking into any sort of acting gig is tough as nails. Cheyenne would have to stand out, to catch the attention of the bigwigs. Commercials are expensive to make and expensive to run. Hence, they only air what they consider the cream of the crop.”
“I wonder what kind it is.”
“Me too.” Harlow abruptly stopped. “Which reminds me. I know someone who might be able to get their hands on a copy.”
Caleb stood quietly waiting while Harlow dialed Janice’s number.
“Hello, Harlow.” Her publicist’s chirpy voice echoed. “You made it home from LA? How did it go with the reading for Steven?”
“The reading went well. I’m memorizing my lines every day and on track to travel to Pittsburgh next month.”
“Good girl. Did you get a chance to check out your Studio City apartment?”
“I did. It’s vanilla.”
“Meaning it’s Plain Jane but will do the trick,” Janice guessed.
“Exactly. There’s enough room for Vic and me to hang out without tripping over each other. It’s close to the studio and has a halfway-decent view.”
“I was getting ready to give you a call. I have the new press release ready.”
Tink.Harlow’s cell phone chimed.
“Take a look at it and let me know if you want to change anything.”
“Will do. It might take me a couple of hours to go over it. I’m walking into the woods as we speak.”
“Walking into the woods?” Janice coughed loudly. “Better you than me. Are you going on a nature hike?”
“Someone filed a complaint against me, claiming I cut down trees belonging to the state.”
“Did you?”
“Cut down trees? No.”
“Kidding. I was kidding. I’m sure chopping down state property is the last thing on your mind,” Janice said. “Good luck.”
