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“Adorable.” Stella’s son is cute, no matter how many times a picture of him is shoved into my face.

She puts her phone away. “Looks like we’re having lunch together.”

I can’t suppress a sigh. My dogs, although always pampered in my absence, are waiting for me at home. So is the poké bowl I like to eat for lunch, prepared by Ricky exactly the way I like it. And my soft couch, where I like to unwind after emotionally exhausting meetings like this one, with three warm furry bodies on top of me. It will have to remain empty while I listen to whatever Michelle St James has to say.

CHAPTER2

MIMI

“I’m serious, ladies,” I say. “I’m not just blowing smoke up your backsides. I’m thrilled to have this job and the opportunity to work with you.Unbreak My Hearthas been such a breath of fresh air on my TV screen.” I lift my glass of cucumber water. “The three of you are a match made in heaven.” I am blowing a bit of smoke up their—very shapely, but I can’t say that out loud—behinds. It’s what you do in this town. It’s how you get overindulged people to fall in line—that and deep pockets.

“It’s been a dream come true for me from day one,” Stella Flack says. “All thanks to this one.” She points at Nora Levine. “If it wasn’t for Nora, I would never have gotten the part.”

“Really?” That’s the first I’ve heard of this. Why don’t I know this?

“Oh yes!” Stella is enjoying that glass of Chablis with gusto. “Nora changed my life.” She takes another sip.

“Let’s not exaggerate.” Nora’s features have been tight since we got to the restaurant.

“It’s not an exaggeration,” Stella says. “I didn’t get a callback until you specifically requested me, Nora.”

“Stella was rejected?” I turn to Jo.

“Water under the bridge,” Jo says. Apart from creative masterminds, showrunners also have to be excellent diplomats. “We’re here now, on the cusp of season three, ready to make another batch of episodes of our wonderful show.”

“Sorry for the delay, boss.” Stella winks at Jo.

“Being a mother of four myself, I want to assure you we’ll make every accommodation,” I say. “I want that to be absolutely clear.”

“I already made the hiatus much longer than it ought to have been.” Stella flashes us a wide smile.

“You had a baby. You never have to apologize for that to anyone.” I put down my fork. “Otherwise, you might as well apologize for being a woman and why on earth would you do that?”

“Hear! Hear!” Stella locks her gaze on me. “You’re a woman after my own heart, Michelle St James.”

“Call me Mimi, please.”

“Four kids, huh, Mimi. Damn! Respect,” Stella says.

“They’re all grown now. My youngest is twenty-six and a huge fan of yours, Nora.” I face Nora, hoping to melt some of her iciness. “He must have watched every single episode ofHigh Lifea dozen times by now. Even though when your show first aired, he was only seven or eight, but his sisters were so into it. In fact, my entire family is a bit nuts about you.”

“Aw.” Nora’s not the most engaging conversationalist. In her defense, she must get this a lot. Maybe it’s one of the reasons she’s such a recluse.

“I’d love to bring him on set once you start shooting.” Austin’s already such a mama’s boy. If I can arrange for him to meet Nora Levine, he may move back in with me—not that I would want him to.

“I’m sure we can make that happen,” Jo says, because Nora’s hardly forthcoming.

“I’d love to meet your son,” Nora says eventually. “Please, excuse me.” She dons her oversized sunglasses and gets up. Even stars like Nora need to use the bathroom.

I wisely refrain from asking Stella and Jo whether Nora’s always this cranky.

“Nora’s a very private person,” Jo offers. “It’s a miracle she said yes to this project, even though I wrote the part of Jessie specifically for her. I had zero guarantees she would go for it, but once she did, by Hollywood standards, everything moved really fast.”

“Some scripts are impossible to ignore.” This, I mean from the bottom of my heart. “Unbreak My Heartis funny without being obvious. The characters are so real, they could very well be sitting in this restaurant with us.”

“Nah. They don’t make enough money to come here,” Stella says drily. I like her. She’s a lot like Megan, her character onUnbreak My Heart. Unlike Nora, who’s nothing like sweet, caring, down-to-earth Jessie. Although Jessie’s quite edgy and she’s got many a flaw as well.

Nora returns to the table just as our meals are served.