“Hi, Ronnie,” Vanessa said. Her sister stepped forward with a sad smile. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Twenty-One

Here we go.” Graham gripped a serving platter with two oven-mitted hands, waltzed to the table, and set down a plate of cacio e pepe. The rich, buttery scent wafted into Lauren’s nostrils.

“Oh my God.” She sighed. “Smells heavenly.”

Graham broke off a piece of garlic bread and smiled. He’d come home early from work, Whole Foods bags in hands, announcing that he was going to make his signature meal. He’d wooed Lauren with cacio e pepe on one of their first dates, proclaiming he’d learned to make it in a cooking class in Italy. Lauren had been so charmed by the meal that she’d told him, woozily, that she wanted to marry him and have his babies. Later, she’d found out that he’d taken the trip with an ex-girlfriend, which marred the gesture slightly, but it certainly didn’t deter her from eating the meal whenever he made it.

But today, Lauren stared down at her plate, dubious. What was the occasion? Granted, it wasn’t like she’d prepared anything—she’d slept through most of the morning and had been in such a daze all afternoon that it hadn’t occurred to her to go to the store. But that happened often.

There was a distinct possibility that Graham had found out about her sleuthing at Silver Swans. Perhaps someone had seen Lauren and reported it back to Graham. But why should Lauren feel guilty about what she’d done? She hadn’t set out to go to Silver Swans. She’d had an innocent conversation with a producer. And hell, maybe she’d found out something that could exonerate her.

“Piper kept us on as producers after she and Hulu parted ways,” Kelsey had admitted after dropping the bomb. “She only told us this week. Wednesday, I think.”

Lauren thought about that. Wednesday was the day before Piper’s attack. The day Andrea had met with Piper. Was this what she heard Piper arguing about over the phone in the parking lot? “But why would Piper continue on without a network?” Lauren asked. “Why was it so important?”

“Because she has faith in it,” Kelsey said. “She wants to make it into something all her own—and honestly, it was going in a more reality show direction—in hopes of selling to a network down the line.”

“Really!” Lauren cried, recalling how Piper had recoiled when someone had asked at the breakfast if the program was going to have a reality show vibe. How quickly she’d changed her tune.

“Yeah.” Kelsey shrugged. “But it’s not my place to criticize.”