smile on her unflappable face. “Shouldn’t you do that on the treadmill?”
Gigi faced her handler. “I need to go to more charity events. I need to be reformed.”
“The studio is happy with you the way you are.” Holly set a cup of tea on the table.
“Yes, but they’d be happy if flesh-eating bacteria took my leg as long as it produced good revenue.” She glared at the tea.
“You want something stronger?” Holly asked.
“You’re trying to corrupt me.”
“I’m trying to keep you happy.”
“Then find me something positive to publicize.”
“The Paris movie would be positive.”
Gigi glared at the woman. “You’re supposed to be helpful.”
“I am helpful. You’re just being wilful.” Holly stood with her hands on her hips. “Do you want his number?”
Gigi stilled, Merrick’s face instantly in her mind’s eye. “Whose number?” she asked, feigning ignorance.
Holly rolled her eyes. “I’m the mother of a six year old. Do you really think that’s going to work on me?”
“I can try.” She began to pace again. “I feel like I’m going to go insane. I already did an hour and half of yoga. My voice coach doesn’t come by until later. What else can I do?”
“Maybe you can read the script the studio sent over.”
Gigi stopped and glared at the woman.
“Or not.” Holly held her hands in the air. “I give up. Want me to find the novel you were reading? The Greek one?”
“It was Russian,” she murmured absently, beginning to pace to try to work off some of the restlessness.
“You know Russian?”
She’d had a part in Anna Karenina a few years back and had wanted to understand the subtext in its original language. “I just read.”
“Well, it’s all Greek to me.” Holly collected a couple things as she walked out. “Call if you need me.”
A few minutes later, her niece Chloe shuffled in and dropped on the couch. “Holly told me to come play with you.”
“Where’s your mother?” Gigi asked, going to sit next to her.
The teenager’s face hardened. She shrugged as though she didn’t care. But she did—it didn’t take a genius to see that.
Chloe looked like a Summerhill. Same blonde hair, same regal nose and cheekbones, same blue eyes.
The piercing in her nose was all her own, though, as was the garish makeup. Gigi wore the most makeup of all of her sisters, but at her most painted she looked smoky, not Goth.
Despite the massive amounts of eyeliner Chloe wore, it was around her eyes that she looked most like her mother. Chloe and Viola both had the same sadness in their gaze, because they were going through a divorce.
“What are you doing?” Chloe muttered in her teenage way.
“Catching up on the news.” Sort of. She held up her phone.
“That’s lame,” the teenager proclaimed. She leaned over and looked at the picture of Merrick and Valerie on the screen. “They’re a cute couple.”
Gigi growled.
“Or not.” Chloe looked at her like she was insane. Then her eyes widened. “ Oh . Is this the boy who sold pictures of you to the magazines?”
Gigi winced. “You know about that?”
Chloe looked at her with an expression that questioned her mental capacity. “Who doesn’t? He, like, sold your boobs to the world.”
“He did, didn’t he?” Gigi studied her niece. “What’s the lesson to learn there?”
“Don’t date a wanker.” Chloe grinned at her suddenly. Then she sobered. “Are you angry at him?”
“I was, because he betrayed my trust. A person’s love is a special thing, and you should never treat it lightly, even if you don’t reciprocate.”
“You loved him?”
“I did.” She thought so, anyway. She certainly cared about him a lot.
Chloe made a face. “That sucks. What if I fall in love with an ass?”
“That’s the thing about love. You can’t pick who you fall in love with, but you can decide whether he’s good enough for you.” Gigi pursed her lips as she considered it. “In the end, it was my
Gigi faced her handler. “I need to go to more charity events. I need to be reformed.”
“The studio is happy with you the way you are.” Holly set a cup of tea on the table.
“Yes, but they’d be happy if flesh-eating bacteria took my leg as long as it produced good revenue.” She glared at the tea.
“You want something stronger?” Holly asked.
“You’re trying to corrupt me.”
“I’m trying to keep you happy.”
“Then find me something positive to publicize.”
“The Paris movie would be positive.”
Gigi glared at the woman. “You’re supposed to be helpful.”
“I am helpful. You’re just being wilful.” Holly stood with her hands on her hips. “Do you want his number?”
Gigi stilled, Merrick’s face instantly in her mind’s eye. “Whose number?” she asked, feigning ignorance.
Holly rolled her eyes. “I’m the mother of a six year old. Do you really think that’s going to work on me?”
“I can try.” She began to pace again. “I feel like I’m going to go insane. I already did an hour and half of yoga. My voice coach doesn’t come by until later. What else can I do?”
“Maybe you can read the script the studio sent over.”
Gigi stopped and glared at the woman.
“Or not.” Holly held her hands in the air. “I give up. Want me to find the novel you were reading? The Greek one?”
“It was Russian,” she murmured absently, beginning to pace to try to work off some of the restlessness.
“You know Russian?”
She’d had a part in Anna Karenina a few years back and had wanted to understand the subtext in its original language. “I just read.”
“Well, it’s all Greek to me.” Holly collected a couple things as she walked out. “Call if you need me.”
A few minutes later, her niece Chloe shuffled in and dropped on the couch. “Holly told me to come play with you.”
“Where’s your mother?” Gigi asked, going to sit next to her.
The teenager’s face hardened. She shrugged as though she didn’t care. But she did—it didn’t take a genius to see that.
Chloe looked like a Summerhill. Same blonde hair, same regal nose and cheekbones, same blue eyes.
The piercing in her nose was all her own, though, as was the garish makeup. Gigi wore the most makeup of all of her sisters, but at her most painted she looked smoky, not Goth.
Despite the massive amounts of eyeliner Chloe wore, it was around her eyes that she looked most like her mother. Chloe and Viola both had the same sadness in their gaze, because they were going through a divorce.
“What are you doing?” Chloe muttered in her teenage way.
“Catching up on the news.” Sort of. She held up her phone.
“That’s lame,” the teenager proclaimed. She leaned over and looked at the picture of Merrick and Valerie on the screen. “They’re a cute couple.”
Gigi growled.
“Or not.” Chloe looked at her like she was insane. Then her eyes widened. “ Oh . Is this the boy who sold pictures of you to the magazines?”
Gigi winced. “You know about that?”
Chloe looked at her with an expression that questioned her mental capacity. “Who doesn’t? He, like, sold your boobs to the world.”
“He did, didn’t he?” Gigi studied her niece. “What’s the lesson to learn there?”
“Don’t date a wanker.” Chloe grinned at her suddenly. Then she sobered. “Are you angry at him?”
“I was, because he betrayed my trust. A person’s love is a special thing, and you should never treat it lightly, even if you don’t reciprocate.”
“You loved him?”
“I did.” She thought so, anyway. She certainly cared about him a lot.
Chloe made a face. “That sucks. What if I fall in love with an ass?”
“That’s the thing about love. You can’t pick who you fall in love with, but you can decide whether he’s good enough for you.” Gigi pursed her lips as she considered it. “In the end, it was my
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