He threw me a sidelong glance and shrugged. “Kiddin’, buddy, relax. How do you know she’s nice?”

I rolled my eyes. “You can just tell with some people, you know?”

“Well of course she’s nice to you, you’re you.”

“So you think she would have thrown me off the balcony if I’d been some average Joe?”

“No, I’m just saying that she sees you and sees a celebrity that she can use to get her own ticket to fame. They all do, you know that.”

I shook my head adamantly. “No, it was definitely not like that. Not at all. She was surprised and grateful, and that was it. No trying to get in—”

“Your pants?”

I glared at him. “I was going to say the spotlight. But not my pants, either. She was friendly and thankful and charming.”

“Ooh, she’s charming now?”

I thunked my head against the headrest and groaned. “Just drop it, okay?” Todd snickered but shut up. I stared silently out the window as we entered onto the 5 and headed north toward the city. It really was pretty amazing; in a way I could understand Todd’s sick assumption that she would have thrown herself at me. Judging by some of my fan mail, there were many out there who would have done just that.

Maybe she wasn’t a fan. This was a new twist. I’d never met someone who didn’t like me. Not that I didn’t think those people existed; I’d just never been faced with one. It was an odd realization. I mentioned it to Todd, who got a kick out of that possibility. Big surprise.

“You bought her a car?”

I pulled a beer from the fridge and walked to the sofa as I screwed off the top. “Well, yeah. So?”

“I don’t know … it just seems … weird.”

I sat down and turned on the TV, muting the sound and flipping through the channels. “Weird how?”

“Well, from a PR standpoint it’s just interesting. I mean, are you seeing this woman, is she a friend—”

“She’s a stranger I’m helping out, Kate, that’s it. I’m playing her Fairy Godmother. Godfather. Whatever. It doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

“Well, it’s not—to me. If the rags get wind of it—”

“Kate, I am so tired oí wondering how the media is going to interpret my every waking move. I just don’t care anymore. And besides, the only way they’ll find out about it is if I tell them, or you tell them, or Grace tells them. Or Todd. And since no one is planning on doing that, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”

“How do you know she won’t?”

“Why would she?”

“Why wouldn’t she? Its great publicity for her.”