“Is there anything you need?” she finally asked. “If not, I’ll…”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in New York City,” Mrs. Amberson said.

She went back to smoking for a few more moments and, once again, Scarlett was left waiting for some kind of a sign of release. It was like Mrs. Amberson had her held there with a phantom leash.

“If you want anything…” Scarlett tried again.

“I undoubtedly will,” Mrs. Amberson said. “I’ll need to think about it.”

“I’ll leave my cell phone number,” Scarlett said quickly.

She scrawled it down on the hotel notepad on the dressing table.

“Here it is!” she said, pointing at it as she backed out of the room. “Call me anytime! I’ll just let you get settled, check on your bags…”

Mrs. Amberson didn’t answer. She just made an mmmmm noise, which Scarlett decided to interpret as a dismissal.

“Do you mind if I call you O’Hara?” Mrs. Amberson asked, just as Scarlett reached the door. “Like Scarlett O’Hara?”

“Whatever you want!” Scarlett said, as she backed out of the room.

“We’re going to be great friends, O’Hara,” Mrs. Amberson added. “I can feel it, and I’m always right about these things.”

THE STAR

Back on the fifth floor, Lola and Marlene were standing in the hall side by side in a frozen tableau, like something from a horror movie. Marlene’s face was palpably red.

“Where did you go?” Lola asked under her breath.

“I have a guest,” Scarlett explained. “She just arrived.”

“I got Chip to come by with the car to get you over there on time.”

“Oh, good,” Scarlett said flatly.

Lola plastered a happy smile on her face and turned to Marlene.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

“We’re late,” Marlene said. “It’s ruined!”

“We’re not late! And I told you, the car is coming!”

“Why can’t you take me?” Marlene said, slumping against the wall.

Scarlett felt the dangerous look coming into her own eye, but Lola touched her lightly on the elbow in reassurance.

“We talked about this,” Lola said reasonably. “You’re doing me a big favor, and I won’t forget that. You’re going to love your makeover.”

Marlene considered this by rolling along the wall and burying her face into the wallpaper, like she was trying to stencil it with an imprint of her scowl.

“And Chip said that he really, really wanted you to come out on his boat,” Lola added, in what sounded like a touch of desperation. “Remember the boat? How they have the little kitchen downstairs with the champagne glasses? I can do the makeover and then we can go on the boat. It doesn’t get much more glamorous than that.”

Marlene rolled toward them, the scowl still very much present.

“I don’t want stupid lipstick like that,” Marlene said, looking at Scarlett. Scarlett involuntarily balled her fists into the Dior dress. It just wasn’t worth it. It really wasn’t.

“You know I make everyone up differently,” Lola said. “That color is for Scarlett. But you look better in lighter colors. I have a new apricot gloss set aside for you. It’s my favorite.”