“James is one of my favorite people. He’s been so loyal to us, and we’ve been loyal to him, too. The time we let him take off, the help we’ve given his family, medically speaking. We’ve been so grateful to be able to do these things for him.”

“But he has two degrees and he’s still driving you.”

“He handles some of my investments for me, as well. Zanne, if you’re worried about rising into more responsibilities, just look at your track record. You started out as a swing and now you’re my chief of staff!”

“What about Phoebe?”

“Phoebe?” he asked, the good-natured lilt dropping away.

“Phoebe was the template for every chief of staff you’ve had. She was your producer and your right hand, but she was really more than that, right? I mean, you guys were true partners.”

“Phoebe was...” She saw his face cloud over and then suddenly snap out of it. “Phoebe was always so talented. And now her first film is debuting and from what I hear it’s terrific.”

“You hear? Don’t you know? You just gave her the fellowship.”

“Yes, yes of course. It is terrific. That’s what I meant.”

“It sounds like...” Zanne pinched the meaty part of her palm until she felt that sweet ache, steeling herself the way she’d done as a teenager. Noah had been a quiet man, almost unreadable, until his jaw would tighten and she would know he was close to his breaking point. Then Zanne would squeeze the pulpy muscle below her thumb and go on. The shouting itself never scared her—her mom had been a shouter, happy or angry. What scared her was the way the truth came hurling toward you. Shouting people were more likely to say things everyone would regret later—If your mother were alive, I would send you back. If she were alive, I would never have come.

“It sounds like Phoebe was blacklisted,” Zanne said.

She’d thought the word might hit him like a shock wave, but Ted didn’t flinch. She wondered if he even realized what he’d done. He’d long since lost the capacity to gauge the effect he had on people. Zanne’s entire job was to shield him from it.

“It’s terrible if it’s true,” Ted said. “But she and I haven’t spoken in years.”

“Until today.”

“It’s good to see her doing so well. Of course, I want to help her in any way I can. Like the fellowship.”

“And that’s why you put out that statement?”

“Yes. She was worried that the whole Jerry mess would interfere with the press around her film. She asked me to create some distance there.”

“Huh.”

“I don’t know if it will help, but I tried.”