She chuckled and said, “Thank you for trying to contradict yourself, but I can take good advice when I hear it. I’m not that fragile. I’m not that weak at all.”

“Well, you know, you got mighty quiet over there, so I was trying to make sure I didn’t scare you away with too much daddy talk,” I told her.

“Daddy talk?” she asked me.

“Well, maybe that’s the wrong word, but you know what I’m trying to say.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I know, but…daddy talk? That just sounds…that’s crazy.”

“Aw now, it don’t sound that bad. Stop overreacting.”

“So, deep down inside, you want to be my daddy, or you just want me to call you daddy?”

She was having a good time working that one. What exactly was I saying? Was it a Freudian slip?

“Okay, here we go,” I told her.

“You’re the one who said it.”

“Anyway, I was just calling because I didn’t get a chance to talk to you before leaving Chicago.”

“Well, we’re still here. We’re leaving tomorrow,” she told me.

“Oh yeah? Where’s your aunt right now? Is she right next to you?”

“No, she’s in the workout room.”

“And you’re not?”

“Not right now. I don’t want to work out too much. You start looking too masculine.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I told her. “So you’re up in the room watching TV and eating room service.”

“Wow, you know me so well already. That’s good!”

“Actually, you’ve been munching in my ear from the moment you answered the phone. And with all of that dramatic music and explosions coming from the television, it has to be a movie.”

She laughed. “I’m sorry. You caught me right in the middle—or not even, really. I just started this movie when my food arrived.”

“Well, go ahead and enjoy your food and your movie. I don’t want to hold you up. I’ll talk to you later.”

“How much later?”

“I can’t say if it’ll be today, but it will be soon,” I told her.

“Good, because I really like talking to you, so you make sure you call before you come out to L.A., and right after you touch down at LAX.”

“I thought you guys live in San Diego?”

“We do, but L.A. is only a few hours in a car from us.”

“Oh, okay.” I had been in fashion shows in both places, but I couldn’t remember how far apart they were. I said, “Well, go on back to what you were doing. I’ll catch up to you.”

“Hey.”

“Yeah,” I answered.

“Thanks for calling me back and schooling me on the industry. I mean, I know my aunt means well for my career and everything, but it’s real good to hear it from someone else in the business for a change. You know, a different perspective.”

“Don’t even mention it,” I told her. “I’ll help you out in whatever way I can.”

“Cool. I’m gonna hold you to that.”

“I expect it,” I told her.