Private Scandals

knows our heroine well, I can tell you she leaked this little tidbit. Makes it sound as though she all but picked you up out of the street, played big sister and mentor, then was stabbed in the back for her generosity.”
    “At least they didn’t claim I’d been dropped from a spaceship into her front yard.”
    “Maybe next time. In the meantime, you got some national press. And whether she knows it or not, linked your name with hers in such a way that’ll make people curious. I think we can get some play out of this. A tag in Entertainment Weekly, maybe another squib in Variety. ”
    “Great. I guess.”
    “Deanna, you can buck the tabloids when you’ve built the muscle. For now, just consider it free press.”
    “Courtesy of Angela.”
    “Word is she’s negotiating a contract to write her autobiography. You might be worth a chapter.”
    “Now I’m excited.” Her chair squeaked as she leaned back, reminding her she’d forgotten to oil the springs. That made her lean forward again and add the chore to her growing list on the corner of her desk. “I hope you don’t mind if I just concentrate on pulling off the first show. I’ll worry about repaying Angela for her generosity later.”
    “Deanna, you make the show work, that’ll be payment enough. Now, let’s talk business.”
    Twenty minutes later, with a headache just beginning to brew behind her eyes, she hung up. What had ever made her think she was good with details? Deanna wondered. What had ever made her think she wanted the responsibility of helming a talk show?
    “Deanna?” Cassie entered with a tray. “I thought you’d like some coffee.”
    “You read my mind.” Deanna set aside papers to make room for the pot. “Do you have time for any? We might want to tank up before the rest of the day’s schedule hits.”
    “I brought two cups.” She poured both before she took a chair. “Do you want to go over your agenda for today?”
    “I don’t think so.” The first sip of hot black coffee punched its caffeine-laced fist straight into her bloodstream. “It’s engraved on my forehead. Have we set up a lunch for the baseball wives after the show?”
    “Simon and Fran will play host. Reservations are confirmed. And Jeff thought it might be nice to have roses in the green room when they arrive. I wanted to run it by you.”
    “Good old Jeff. Very classy idea. Let’s put cards on each bunch with a personal thank-you from the staff.” After another sip, she pressed a hand to her jittery stomach. “Christ, Cassie, I’m scared to death.” Setting the cup aside, she took a deep, calming breath and leaned forward. “I want to ask you something, and I really want you to be brutally honest, okay? No sparing feelings, no false pep talk.”
    “All right.” Cassie laid her steno pad on her lap. “Shoot.”
    “You worked for Angela a long time. You probably know as much about the ins and outs of this sort of a show as any producer or director. I imagine you have an opinion of why Angela’s works. And I want to know, candidly, if you believe we have a shot at this.”
    “You want to know if we can make Deanna’s Hour competitive?”
    “Not even that,” Deanna said, shaking her head. “If we can get through the first half a dozen shows without being laughed out of the business.”
    “That’s easy. After next week, people are going to do a lot of talking about Deanna’s Hour. And more people are going to tune in to see what the deal is. They’re going to like it, because they’re going to like you.” She chuckled at Deanna’s expression. “That’s not sucking up. The thing is, the average viewer won’t see or appreciate the work that’s gone into making it all look good and run smoothly. They won’t know about the long hours or the sweat. But you know, so you’ll work harder. The harder you work, the harder everyone else will. Because you do something Angela didn’t. Something I guess she just couldn’t. You make us feel important. Thatmakes all the difference. Maybe it won’t put you on top of the ratings heap right away, but it puts you on top with us. That counts.”
    “It counts a lot,” Deanna said after a moment. “Thanks.”
    “In a couple of months, when the show’s cruising and the budget opens up, I’m going to come back in here. That’s when I’m going to suck up.” She grinned. “And hit you for a raise.”
    “If the damn budget ever opens up, everyone’s getting a raise.” Deanna blew at her