Mark told me of holding up his empty glass and asking the French waiter if he could get a pitcher of them. I didn’t think you ordered “pitchers” of anything in France. That night his bar bill was twelve thousand dollars. Because the hotel didn’t take cards, the studio had to wire money to settle the bill.

I had met Mark through Dave; they had been friends at UCLA film school. Mark had graduated and Dave hadn’t, although he told everyone he had. We had double-dated a couple of times with Mark and the Wicked Witch of the West Side, although the dates always seemed a little tense.

Mark had reacted well to the news that Dave and I had broken up. The first thing he said was that he never thought it was healthy for a guy to be as into me as Dave was. If only he knew that while Dave might have seemed like he was into me, he was actually into everyone else at the same time. I had tried very subtly to pump him for information on what Dave was up to and who Mystery Woman was, but he was too cagey to spill the news I wanted.

Still, I was surprised when Mark called to say hi and brought up that he had the perfect guy he thought I should meet. Troy Zarcoff used to run Zephyr Studios, as in being the president of Zephyr Studios. The trades reported a few weeks ago that Troy was leaving the studio and becoming an “independent producer” with a production deal. I remembered his quote saying he was “thrilled to be embarking on this incredibly creative new venture.” Which meant, you’ve been canned and they’re paying you a fraction of your original deal so you won’t sue them, but good luck producing on your own.

Troy had a reputation for being a bit of a player, but according to Mark, that was all in the past and he was really looking to settle down. I hadn’t had a date in a while and I figured I didn’t have much to lose.

“Yes, Mark told me you might phone,” I said, smiling. These things were always so awkward.

“Yeah. Mark tells me you’re not an actress.”

“No, not an actress, and no aspirations in that direction.”

“Good, because I’m kind of off actresses for the moment.”

I took this as a good sign, but didn’t want to overanalyze the implication of “for the moment.” It either alluded to a recent nasty breakup or a self-promoting actress trying to weasel her way through him for a big break, but it also suggested I might be a rest stop on the freeway leading to a starlet trophy bride.

There was an uncomfortable pause for a few seconds. I wasn’t sure what else I was supposed to say to Troy. He was the one calling me to make plans.