Lauren sat beside her. “How long do you have?” She laughed. “Seriously, the past twenty-four hours have been crazy. I was going to tell you, but I haven’t had a chance. I got an e-mail from Angela yesterday—you know, my agent?”

“The one from New York.”

“The one and only.” She blew on her tea to cool it off. “She has a new contract, another biography, and you will never guess who the subject is.”

“Okay, so you want me to drag it out of you? That means it’s a goodie. Okay, first guess: Brad Pitt?”

“Not even close,” Lauren said.

“Okay, Chris Hemsworth?”

“I wish, but nope. Way too cold.”

“Let’s see. Hmm, George Clooney? No, he’s too old, never mind. I think Brad Pitt is old, too. A little bit.”

“I don’t write bios of movie stars.”

“Hey, a girl can hope, right?”

“I suppose. I’ll give you one more guess, and that’s it.”

“Has to be someone in the business world.” Madison drummed her perfectly shaped nails against her mug. “I give up. I can’t think of anyone worthy enough,” she said.

“I was shocked myself, so I know you will be, too. John Gerard Giampalo.”

Lauren observed her best friend, curious how she’d respond.

Madison set her cup on the side table. “You’re joking? Isn’t he one of the richest men in the world, or America, or something like that?”

“Yep, the one and only. He’s the head of Globalgoods.com and the king of online commerce.” Lauren smiled, and for the first time since she’d learned of this opportunity, she was extremely excited.

“Oh, Lauren, that is the best news ever. Give me all the dirty details. You know what I mean,” she added.

“Actually, I don’t think I’ve comprehended this myself until now. The timing is off, and Dad—well, you know how he feels about online anything, so it wasn’t pretty when I told him. Actually, he was ticked off last night and this morning when I broached the subject.”

“I know your dad; he’s not real hip on the web. He’ll warm up, I’m sure, once he realizes what a huge opportunity this is for you.”

“I’m not going to hold my breath on that. He’s so determined to keep this family-lineage thing, if you will, as it was in his day and Grandpa’s, that part of me feels like this is a lost cause. Mom, she’ll be okay with it. I think she’d enjoy using the Internet, too, but she stands beside her man and all that jazz.” Lauren sipped her tea.

“That’s just her generation,” Madison added. “Though your parents aren’t that old.”

“No, they’re not, but I think they enjoy their fifties-style marriage, though I have to say Mom is very independent. She did have her own career.”