“And now my picture is on the front page of half the newspapers in the country with an infamous adulterer!”

“Two things, Charlene. When did you start giving a hoot about adultery? And when did you not like having your picture on the front page of half the papers in the country?”

“The whole world knows his wife just walked out on him and endorsed Kate Lee.”

“The whole world including you,” Stone pointed out. “He didn’t take you to dinner at gunpoint, did he?”

“I’m ruined. It’s all over the trades that I had the part in Peter’s film.”

“And who gave that to the trades?” Stone inquired. “Might it be your publicist?”

“And now fucking Susannah Wilde has the part. It’s on Entertainment Tonight right this minute, I’m watching it. Oh, shit, they just said that Peter dumped me for her!”

“Charlene, you’re behaving like a petulant child. You know how the game is played out here. You shouldn’t have given that information to the trades until you’d signed a contract. Do I have to explain that to you?”

“I will never forgive you for this, Stone, never! And you tell that friend of yours Mike never to call me again!” She slammed down the phone.

Stone hung up. Everybody was staring at him.

“What was that all about?” Dino asked.

“Did I hear my name mentioned?” Mike asked.

“I’m afraid you were right, Mike, you’ll never get laid again. At least not by Charlene Joiner.”

“What’s going on?”

“I arranged for Susannah to have lunch with Peter and Ben today, and Charlene seems to think that they offered her the part that Charlene thought she had.”

“Did they?” Dino asked.

“I don’t know,” Stone said. He looked up to see Ed and Susannah getting out of a car and waved them over to poolside. “But I think we’re about to find out.”

Ed and Susannah sat down, and Manolo brought them their usuals.

“Congratulations on the new role,” Stone said tentatively.

“Oh, thank you, Stone. How did you know? Did you speak to Peter?”

“No, I spoke to Charlene Joiner—or rather, she spoke to me.”

“Uh-oh,” Susannah said, then she grinned impishly. “Did she think she had the role?”

“So I gathered,” Stone said, “between the screaming and the name-calling.”

“Well, if anybody knows how this town works, it’s Charlene.”

“I said something to that effect to her,” Stone said.

“I’ve always thought she didn’t like me,” Susannah said.

“I think that has been confirmed. And what’s more, she blames me!”

“Well, you did put me together with Peter and Ben,” Susannah said. “Are you upset with me?”

“No, no, not in the least. I’m happy for you and the boys. I’m just a little shaken—no woman has ever talked to me in quite that fashion.”