wants details.”
A long moment of silence passed as Audrey regrouped. Finally, she said, “Listen, Sherry, you know I don’t like to get involved in personal matters where I don’t belong…”
Uh-oh, Sherry thought. Something bad was coming.
“…but I’m going to butt in just this once. I mean, I know you’re worried out of your mind, and I hope you know that I’m praying for only the best outcome to all of this—”
“Get to it, Audrey.” As she spoke, Sherry grabbed up a fistful of peanuts from the bowl on the coffee table and threw them at the kitchen pass-through to get Larry’s attention. When she had his eye, she motioned for him to pick up the extension. She never even heard the click as he lifted the receiver.
“Well, all right, I’ll just be blunt. The thing of it is, you have to be a little careful how you handle yourself these next few days.”
“Careful?” Sherry looked to Larry and got a shrug in return.
“Yes, careful. A lot of people have invested time and money in developing a certain air of expertise around you. Since you make your living helping other people cope with their problems, there’s a certain decorum that’s going to be expected as you deal with your own.”
Sherry made a growling noise of her own. “Oh, for God’s sake—”
“I’m sorry, Sherry, but you have a vindictive streak that can really do you some harm if you aren’t careful.”
Sherry shot a can-you-believe-this look to Larry. Yes, he could. Anger began to boil.
“You’re getting pissed,” Audrey said. “I can hear it in your breathing pattern. All I’m trying to tell you is, right now is exactly the wrong time to reignite your war with Brandon. Just play nice, okay? If you can’t do it because it’s the right thing to do morally, then do it because you can use the good press.”
Good press? Something flashed in Sherry’s head, and she drew her feet up under her on the sofa. “Audrey, I know you. It’s almost four in the morning in New York, yet instead of sleeping, you’re here on the phone with me. You’re hatching something.”
Audrey gave a nervous chuckle. “Please understand that I’m not trying to exploit the situation here—”
Larry groaned, “Oh, God.”
“I’m not. But let’s face it. There’s a valuable news story here. An opportunity for women all over the country to witness how America’s favorite shrink deals with stress.”
Larry shook his head vehemently and covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “Hang up and run away,” he said.
“Way to be stealthy, Larry,” Audrey mocked. “I heard every word. And you can hang up anytime you want, Sherry. But I’m telling you—and I’ll say again that I hope to God that Sammy comes home just fine—”
“Scotty,” Larry corrected.
“It is four in the morning,” Audrey snapped. “Scotty, then. Forgive me. Anyway, I don’t see how a little free publicity—if handled gently and with a lot of care—is going to have any negative impact on him; but it sure as hell can have a positive impact on you. Is that so wrong?”
“What do you have in mind?” Sherry asked, earning a glare.
“In the short term? Maybe an appearance on the Today show. I happen to know that there’s an NBC producer vacationing there in SkyTop with you, and she owes me a favor. I bet I can get you on tomorrow morning. Um, make that this morning. Actually, I’ve already talked to her. With the president being there and all, there are certainly enough camera and sound people.”
“Absolutely not,” Larry said.
The response startled Sherry. “Why not?”
“They go live at seven, eastern time. That’s three hours from now. You’ll look like last night’s hors d’oeuvres.”
“It’s not a beauty contest, Larry,” Audrey protested. “It’s not even a book tour, though God knows the sales of the Mirror series have been slipping. She’s a worried mother, for Christ’s sake. She’s supposed to look like she hasn’t had any
A long moment of silence passed as Audrey regrouped. Finally, she said, “Listen, Sherry, you know I don’t like to get involved in personal matters where I don’t belong…”
Uh-oh, Sherry thought. Something bad was coming.
“…but I’m going to butt in just this once. I mean, I know you’re worried out of your mind, and I hope you know that I’m praying for only the best outcome to all of this—”
“Get to it, Audrey.” As she spoke, Sherry grabbed up a fistful of peanuts from the bowl on the coffee table and threw them at the kitchen pass-through to get Larry’s attention. When she had his eye, she motioned for him to pick up the extension. She never even heard the click as he lifted the receiver.
“Well, all right, I’ll just be blunt. The thing of it is, you have to be a little careful how you handle yourself these next few days.”
“Careful?” Sherry looked to Larry and got a shrug in return.
“Yes, careful. A lot of people have invested time and money in developing a certain air of expertise around you. Since you make your living helping other people cope with their problems, there’s a certain decorum that’s going to be expected as you deal with your own.”
Sherry made a growling noise of her own. “Oh, for God’s sake—”
“I’m sorry, Sherry, but you have a vindictive streak that can really do you some harm if you aren’t careful.”
Sherry shot a can-you-believe-this look to Larry. Yes, he could. Anger began to boil.
“You’re getting pissed,” Audrey said. “I can hear it in your breathing pattern. All I’m trying to tell you is, right now is exactly the wrong time to reignite your war with Brandon. Just play nice, okay? If you can’t do it because it’s the right thing to do morally, then do it because you can use the good press.”
Good press? Something flashed in Sherry’s head, and she drew her feet up under her on the sofa. “Audrey, I know you. It’s almost four in the morning in New York, yet instead of sleeping, you’re here on the phone with me. You’re hatching something.”
Audrey gave a nervous chuckle. “Please understand that I’m not trying to exploit the situation here—”
Larry groaned, “Oh, God.”
“I’m not. But let’s face it. There’s a valuable news story here. An opportunity for women all over the country to witness how America’s favorite shrink deals with stress.”
Larry shook his head vehemently and covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “Hang up and run away,” he said.
“Way to be stealthy, Larry,” Audrey mocked. “I heard every word. And you can hang up anytime you want, Sherry. But I’m telling you—and I’ll say again that I hope to God that Sammy comes home just fine—”
“Scotty,” Larry corrected.
“It is four in the morning,” Audrey snapped. “Scotty, then. Forgive me. Anyway, I don’t see how a little free publicity—if handled gently and with a lot of care—is going to have any negative impact on him; but it sure as hell can have a positive impact on you. Is that so wrong?”
“What do you have in mind?” Sherry asked, earning a glare.
“In the short term? Maybe an appearance on the Today show. I happen to know that there’s an NBC producer vacationing there in SkyTop with you, and she owes me a favor. I bet I can get you on tomorrow morning. Um, make that this morning. Actually, I’ve already talked to her. With the president being there and all, there are certainly enough camera and sound people.”
“Absolutely not,” Larry said.
The response startled Sherry. “Why not?”
“They go live at seven, eastern time. That’s three hours from now. You’ll look like last night’s hors d’oeuvres.”
“It’s not a beauty contest, Larry,” Audrey protested. “It’s not even a book tour, though God knows the sales of the Mirror series have been slipping. She’s a worried mother, for Christ’s sake. She’s supposed to look like she hasn’t had any
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