“Listen, Dani, it’s been decided. I’ve already got postproduction working on this whole thing. We just have to edit out Jennifer Love Hewitt in a few of the scenes from the previous show, and then we drop in the same material re-shot with Chloe. It’s all going to edit together smoothly. The Room is working on an outline and some new pages for tomorrow.”

“You’re having the Room work on Assistant Number Two?” I asked, feeling territorial. After all, Assistant Number Two was based on me, and the show was the first I’d earned sole credit for. “I call in sick for one day, and all this shit hits the fan?”

“Dani, I suggest you get over this, because Chloe is over in wardrobe having a fitting at this very moment.”

Chloe was on the actual premises. Grinning tightly, I stood to leave. “I guess I have a lot of work to do and should get on it.”

I was almost through the door when Steve called my name. I turned around. “Oh, and because she’s going to be featured on the show in such a big way, we have to give her a name. No more Assistant Number Two.”

I waited.

“Her name is Doheny. Kind of an exotic version of Dani, don’t you think? If you want, we can call her Doheny Hale as a tribute to you.” Steve came around the desk to give my shoulder a squeeze. “After all, Assistant Number Two is all Dani Hale.” He squeezed my shoulder again for emphasis, pleased with himself for smoothing his writer’s ruffled fur.

“Great.” I smiled brightly with dead eyes.

After spending hours trying to scheme a way for Assistant Number Two to get out of jail free, I left work as soon as I could. My head hurt, and the episode in Troy’s Range Rover, the hangover, Dave’s Hollywood Princess, and the return of Chloe were all too much to have to handle in a seventy-two-hour period. I started to drive around aimlessly, and wound up in front of Pinkberry Yogurt. Mercifully, they were opening in ten minutes, and I ordered the biggest size and inhaled the giant cup alone at one of their plastic tables. I ordered a second cup on the way out.

I thought of calling Lauren or Ina to go through all this and see what they thought my next move should be. I decided not to call anyone. I went home to sleep.

The next day at work, I tried to be invisible, a white dot on a white wall. Ina called to see if I could meet up for a girl talk later.