"Previously on Lipstick Jungle..." "Who is this guy?" "Your husband." "How does he let you out of his sight for a minute?" "When a woman expresses her concern that an important business matter be dealt with correctly, she's not throwing a fit." "She's just doing her job." "Two years ago, I was successful, and now I look like this needy person who needs to be saved." "What makes you think I'm saving you?" "It seems to be a thinly veiled account of your life, and it's a little harsh." "Wendy, you're a wonderful mother." "I know that." "The kids know that." "Isn't that enough?" "I think we have a winner." "Nicky?" "It's 6:30." "You all right?" "Honey, I've already showered." "You're gonna be late." "I thought you might want to read this." ""Studio chief begs superstar publisher Janice Lasher" ""not to release wicked novel by former nanny."" "Can we please talk about something else?" "Somebody, talk." "Oh, yeah, so, um..." "Maddie, how's school?" "It was fine till today." "Guess it depends on how many kids read that paper." "Listen, Maddie, if anyone teases you..." "I'll call you on my imaginary phone." "Don't bring that up." "We've already discussed it." "You're too young." "On what planet?" "Maddie, it's not the day for this, darling." "Taylor, get your shoes." "But I'm not done with my toast." "After your shoes." "Please, come on." "It's just a stupid phone." "No, it's texting." "It's Internet messaging." "It's cameras." "Everyone in my class has one." "I am not their mother." "If their parents wanna spoil them, that's their prerogative." "Oh, please, stop acting like we're Amish people making our own soap." "We live in New York." "You're the head of a movie studio, and the guy who cuts my hair also does Sarah Michelle Gellar's." "What?" "I took her there once." "You can't pick and choose when you want to be the good mother, okay?" "It's really, really phony." "Ms. Ford?" "I'm Roy Merritt." "I'm here for a 9:00 interview, for your assistant?" "Oh, right." "You're early." "I like to get in at least a half hour before my boss." "Well, that might be tricky, since I live here." "Ah, okay." "Come on in." "After you." "Hey, Patty, how close are we?" "I don't know." "What's the update on Prince Will?" "He's still in the suite." "What's holding him up?" "Apparently, Wardrobe couldn't get past his bodyguards." "I'm gonna need the 30-millimeter." "Kirby?" "Yeah." "I'm gonna go down to the equipment room and get that." "Stupid." "Stupid." "Thank you, Josh." "That was lovely." "Ms. Healy?" "You need to talk about this?" "I need to not talk about it." "Good." "Abby Garcia wants to meet." "Why?" "Her manager, who's also her mother, wants her to do Pink Poison." "What?" "Isn't she, like, 12?" "Fifteen, but her motherlmanager says she's ready." "To do a graphic sex scene with her skating coach?" "Josh!" "No, I think that we are going to cast someone who's at least old enough to order a beer." "Wendy, she really wants this." "Sal, two years ago, she was on the Disney Channel speaking to a felt pig." "True, but she wants to change her image." "I gotta say, she does have an enormous following, and you will hate yourself when Warner Bros." "Snatches her up for a remake of The Accused." "She's up for that, too." "Tell Josh to put her on my phone sheet." "Go." "Well, you can tell her in person." "Abby will be sitting at your table at the "Women in Media" lunch, alongside her motherlmanagerlacting coach." "Thank you." "So, you went to Pratt." "Design major?" "Started there, then retail, finance, finally ended up in marketing." "I should be writing all of this down." "I'm sorry." "I'm not usually this scattered." "I had a really long..." "Really long night." "I figured." "Yeah." "Those are my father's panties." "Beg your pardon?" "That you're sitting on." "My granddaddy started the company Savoy Silk, mostly nightgowns and foundation garments, but then my father branched out into underpants." "So, wait." "Your family owns Savoy Silk?" "Why do you want to work for me?" "Uh..." "Because you're an amazing designer." "Well, thank you, but I can't imagine..." "Ms. Ford, my family and their business are a long way from here." "That's no accident." "I moved to New York to become my own person." "Excuse me." "Ah!" "May I?" "Victory Ford Studio." "Yes, I have Joe Bennett for Ms. Ford?" "Hold, please." "Joe Bennett." "Oh, I'll just call him back." "She'll have to return." "He just needs her for one minute." "He just needs you for one minute?" "All right then." "Uh, what's happening?" "I'm waiting for Mr. Bennett." "I put him on when Ms. Ford gets on." "Not when you initiate the call." "Would you like us to return?" "No." "Hold on." "Victory?" "Hold, please, for Victory Ford." "Ellen, what the hell is going on?" "Hi, Joe." "You're hired." "Lenses." "Oh!" "Have you met the Prince before?" "Yes, at the Queen Mum's..." "Ah, Nico, there you are." "Hector, I've been looking for you everywhere." "Really?" "How did you know I'd be here?" "Well, I mean, why wouldn't you?" "How often is it that you get to meet a real prince?" "Can I help you find something?" "Yeah, a cot." "I'm moving in." "Oh, my God." "It's you, from today's paper. "Bad Mommy."" "Uh, could I try this in a seven, please?" "Just ignore it." "You're in heaven, dude." "Smell the suede." "What age do you think is too young for a cell phone?" "Six." "We talking about Taylor?" "Yes." "How about these?" "Oh, yummy." "But would you wear it?" "No, I was thinking of these for Maddie." "I love it." "Do you really want to spend..." "No." "Well, yeah." "No." "You know what?" "Why not?" "They're pretty high-end, Wen." "I mean, does Maddie even have a dress to wear them with, or somewhere to go?" "You know what?" "You're right." "I think she needs a whole new outfit." "Where's she going?" "I'll think of something." "Oh, hey." "Sorry I'm late." "Hey." "Wow." "This is a religious experience." "I know." "So?" "Spill." "How was he?" "What do you mean?" "Uh, you just spent the morning with the future King of England." "Did we get an invite to Buckingham Palace or not?" "Please say yes, because I would like to wear these, and maybe nothing else." "Can't wait to see that curtsy." "It was fine." "You know." "He's reserved, shy, British, didn't say much." "Well, maybe he's saving it up for a text." "It's someone from the "Women in Media" lunch, seating nonsense." "Tell them they can have my seat, too." "I think I might skip it." "Wendy, you're a key speaker." "You have to be there, and if not, people will just assume that you're home beating your kids with wire hangers." "Okay, you really do need a volume button." "Oh, try this one on." "It looks so good on you." "Where is the salesperson?" "Nico, stop." "Indulge yourself." "Dress for revenge." "Live dangerously." "You've known me for 20 years." "You know I don't try on shoes in public." "Oh, come on." "No, no." "They marvel at how big they are." "They bring out measuring devices." "Well, I thought a new store, maybe a..." "The same feet." "Here, you try them on." "Me?" "I'm poor." "You're dating a billionaire." "Sometimes I'm poor in a private plane." "So, when are we gonna meet this phantom boyfriend of yours, anyway?" "Yeah, what are you hiding, huh?" "Are his feet smaller than mine?" "I'm not hiding anything." "It's just, it's early, and he's..." "He's Joe Bennett." "Are you required always to use his full name, even in bed?" "Oh, my God, she had to think about it." "Yeah, usually you can't wait for our opinion." "We've hosted dinner parties that were basically your second date." "He's different." "He rubs people the wrong way." "He's picky." "He's rough." "Sounds charming." "So, we'll meet him tomorrow night." "Dinner at Nico's." "Call a caterer." "Hey." "Oh, this is Kirby Atwood." "He's Patty Bloom's assistant." "Yeah, she knows who I am." "Patty has some proof sheets she wants you to take a look at." "Oh, great, come on in." "It's fine." "May I see the pictures, please?" "Thank you." "Stop it." "I mean it." "Oh, got a little chilly in here." "I mean it." "Don't move." "I want you to stand there like you're standing in the office of the President of the United States, okay?" "Hmm." "This him?" "Who?" "Your husband." "That's Walter Cronkite." "You said he was older." "Let's not talk about my husband." "Ask Patty to print the ones that I circled." "You can go now." "But you didn't return my message." "When are we gonna get to finish what we started this morning?" "Kirby, I can't do this here." "Oh, sure you can." "Let's just frost the glass." "Stop it." "I mean it." "What's going on?" "Did you get busted?" "No, I was just put in a very awkward position." "You're the one who wanted to do it against a window." "Kirby, this isn't a joke." "This is where I work." "Look, we're just..." "We're gonna have to continue this later." "But it will be continued?" "Yes." "Just don't keep me waiting too long, Madam President." "It's painful." "It's not a party or anything." "It's just dinner." "Will there be other people there beside you and me?" "Well, yes, Wendy and Shane, Nico and Charles." "Is Shane a person or a dog?" "It's her husband." "It's a good name for a dog." "Oh, come on, Joe." "It's gonna be fun." "I get it." "I get it." "The bill won't pass until I'm officially stamped by the House and the Senate." "Please?" "When is it?" "Tomorrow night." "Can't." "I'm busy." "No, you're not." "Roy checked with Ellen." "She said you're free for dinner." "I doubt Ellen would give up that kind of information." "Why are you so resistant?" "I'm willing to meet your friends." "Isn't it time?" "Is that a yes?" "Joe, will you?" "Yes, on one condition." "What's that?" "You meet mine first." "Studio." "Hey, Patty, it's Nico." "Hey!" "Everything okay?" "Yeah, it's great." "The proofs look fantastic." "We all set for the Lance Armstrong shoot?" "We will be." "We will be." "Same crew?" "Yeah, I think so." "Why?" "I just thought, maybe, I don't know, if you wanted to bring a different assistant, I..." "No Kirby?" "Why?" "What did he do?" "Oh, no, no, he didn't do anything." "I just was feeling, maybe..." "Did he call the Prince "Big Willie" to his face?" "It's not anything he said." "I just felt, maybe for this next shoot, you know, you..." "You want someone who doesn't keep disappearing." "I hear you." "It's done." "I'll take care of it, Nico." "Thanks, Patty." "Why are your friends such early risers?" "Are we going fishing?" "You'll see." "Does this involve exercise?" "Because I can say no, too." "We are going to a cozy bistro that serves the best bowl of vichyssoise you have ever had." "Not only is no exercise required," "I think it might be banned in that country." "What country?" "France." "We're having dinner in Paris." "What are you talking about?" "We're having dinner tonight at Nico's." "Later." "First, we're having one in Paris." "Pace yourself." "Do I have to get up and say something?" "No, you're here as my guest." "Why?" "I've asked to go to, like, a hundred of these things, and you've never let me skip school before." "You're not skipping." "You're having an educational experience." "This room's filled with role models." "And you'll be back by fifth period." "Do I get to keep the shoes, or are they going back, too?" "The shoes are a gift." "Still rather have one that has speed dial." "Oh, look!" "There's Nico." "Hey, kid, look at you, all dressed up and someplace to go." "Yeah." "Okay, don't panic." "Janice Lasher's here, over my right shoulder, slowly." "You should think about what you're gonna do with your face." "Excuse me?" "If you don't have a plan, you smile and do that apologetic little half wave." "I will not be waving to Janice Lasher." "Is that Abby Garcia?" "Yeah." "She's at our table." "Come on." "Let's go." "Ladies, can I get a picture?" "Hold it!" "Wendy." "Elba Garcia." "Abby's mom." "We met at the Charlotte's Web premiere." "Of course." "Yes." "This is my daughter, Maddie." "Glad you came, cutie!" "You and Abby can text each other during the boring speeches." "You are one tough lady to reach, but you got my messages, right?" "The screenplay blew us away." "Abby's been dreaming about it for days." "Are you talking about Pink Poison?" "If that doesn't put gold on your shelf, there is no God." "Abby, put down that bread." "You remember Wendy Healy, Parador Pictures." "Hi, Abby, how are you?" "I'm chewing." "This is Maddie." "Here, honey, have a seat over there." "Oh, I think Maddie's sitting next to me." "Oh, I did a little switch with the place cards, so we could have a chance to chat." "You don't mind, do you?" "Well..." "After they turn 12, they wish we were dead." "I think it would be..." "Maddie, if you miss your mommy too much, send some sort of signal, okay?" "I'd call, if I could." "Oh, you need a phone?" "I do, but my mother doesn't trust me." "I'm not old enough." "Seriously?" "I've had a phone since I was, like, nine." "Honey, don't sweat the small stuff." "Give her the phone." "Be glad it's not an abortion." "Madelyn, please come here and sit in this chair." "I've already sipped my water." "Then bring your glass and yourself to this chair and sit." "Why?" "'Cause I brought you here and into this world, and I want you sitting next to me." "Stop questioning me!" "Evidently, she used this place as a getaway, so she could stay in town and work in peace." "You like it?" "I'm..." "I'm overwhelmed." "The caretaker said all the furniture was original." "So, you're telling me that Coco Chanel sat at this..." "This desk and sketched and looked out this window and..." "Joe, how did you know to take me here?" "We're in Paris." "You're a designer." "Some dead designers won't rent out their ateliers." "It was a process." "Oh, wow." "Do you know what this is?" "Coco's dummy." "That's not a dummy." "It's a dress form." "She wasn't a ventriloquist." "What are you doing?" "Just touching it for luck." "Thank you." "Where are we meeting your friends?" "I don't have any friends in France." "What?" "What does that mean?" "The French do not have a gift for friendship in my experience." "They do, however, have a gift for romance." "And a special thanks to Maybelline New York for contributing the beautiful gift bags." "Everyone knows that running a film studio is comparable to raising a large family." "It requires discipline and a great deal of nurturing." "Wendy Healy excels in them both." "She's the ultimate mother hen, always inspiring, always challenging..." "Psst!" "This is where you blow Mommy a big fat kiss." "Her friends and her family." "Is that what I'm here for?" "Her style as an executive is a direct extension of who she is as a wife and a parent." "She exercises the same grace, integrity and heart in the office, as she does in the home." "Ladies, please welcome Wendy Healy." "And having the good fortune to be in this position," "I look forward to mentoring the next generation of professional women." "Thank you." "Look who loves the limelight." "Did you see where Maddie went?" "She probably went to get a Band-Aid." "Those are killers." "Excuse me." "Go ask her for her gift bag." "But it's..." "Shush!" "Maddie?" "Maddie?" "Oh, there you are." "Those are nice." "Where's the show pony you trotted out in them?" "You don't want to mess with me now, Janice." "Why?" "Having a bad day, Mommy?" "Maybe you should've worn an apron and smeared some cookie dough in your hair." "Nice try dragging your kid in here, trying to use her for damage control." "Almost beats Martha Stewart snuggling up for photos with her chow chows." "Nico, I gotta go." "Did you find Maddie?" "She left." "I'll see you tonight." "Don't fill up on the bread." "The bistro I told you about is right around the corner." "Oh, don't give me this bread and then tell me not to fill up on the bread." "Shouldn't we get to the bistro before it gets too late?" "Too late for what?" "Uh, getting back to New York, Joe." "Or we could just spend the night in Paris." "I mean, we're here already." "I'm sure your friends wouldn't mind." "Joe Bennett, did you fly me all the way across the Atlantic Ocean just to not have dinner with my friends?" "You go to a very dark place." "I know people pull some pretty crazy stuff to get out of things." "I once had a seamstress who faked a seizure so she could take her kids to see the Wiggles." "Victory, we will go back to New York, but can we please just go down and savor a bowl of vichyssoise?" "It's too late." "I already filled up on the bread." "Should we pick up Maddie on the way?" "Shane?" "Honey, she's got a test tomorrow." "She's studying with Lauren and she's spending the night there, okay?" "So, just leave it alone." "Please." "You two could use some breathing room." "That just came for you." "Shane, I've just never seen her act like this, you know?" "It's not Maddie." "Oh, that's 14." "Get used to it." "She really misbehaved." "So did you, tiger." "I don't know what got into me." "I saw blood and that lipstick was the closest thing to it." "She is just so hateful." "Hey, you don't have to justify it to me." "I like this side of you." "It's kind of like sorority girl meets women's prison." "Can I frisk you?" "I really need to call Maddie at Lauren's." "Come here." "Come here." "You need to release some serious tension." "Janice had it delivered to our apartment." "Somebody needs a large glass of wine." "How about I bring you a bottle with a straw, huh?" "Please." "Yep." "So, what happened with Maddie?" "Oh, we haven't talked yet." "Is this really about a cell phone?" "Who knows?" "Do you think I brought her there today for the wrong reason?" "Janice Lasher accused me of using Maddie for damage control." "So what if you did?" "You know, if that was my face on Page 6," "I would have brought Maddie, Taylor, three Cambodian orphans and a basket of puppies." "It was not my intention." "I just thought it would be a nice way to..." "Forget it." "I keep making it worse." "I don't think you should worry about Janice Lasher anymore." "Why?" "Is she dead?" "That's a billionaire's ring." "I'll get it." "Like hell you will." "Don't you move." "Hey." "Hi." "You made it." "Hi." "Hi." "Hi." "Hi." "Joe." "Hi, everyone." "Hello, I'm Charles." "I'm Wendy." "Hi." "Joe, this is Wendy, Shane, Charles." "Can I take your coats?" "Thank you." "Can I get you a glass of wine?" "Yes, please." "None for me, thanks." "Thank you." "Thank you." "All right, go ahead." "Come on in." "All right, come with me." "Okay." "Great." "Who do I talk to in regard to the temperature?" "That would be me." "My apartment, my thermostat." "Too warm for you?" "About four degrees." "I have a few requests, little things." "Otherwise, I have no shot at being likeable." "I'd like to hear them." "Not everyone gets that far." "I can't believe it." "He's already turning this into a negotiation." "Relax." "You wanted us to get to know Joe, this is us getting to know Joe." "The main thing is, I'd like to know what it is I'm saying yes to." "Meaning what time you're gonna be sprung?" "If you have a rough idea." "Work with me, and I'd say an hour and forty." "Great." "Why can't all conversations be like this?" "Mmm." "That might be my assistant." "She was gonna bring my dinner." "That's a joke." "Come on." "Let's go alienate Shane and Wendy." "Excuse me." "What did you say to Patty?" "Kirby, why would you come here?" "What were you thinking?" "I've left you five messages." "Kirby, I have guests here." "This is..." "Just tell me what you said!" "I've worked with her for two years, and now she won't even give me a reference." "Look, there must have been a misunderstanding, okay?" "I will fix it tomorrow morning, but right now, you have to leave." "Nicky, everything okay?" "Yeah." "Yeah, it's fine." "I'll be right there." "Okay." "Please, Kirby, you have to go now." "Hey." "What was all that about?" "It was a messenger thing from the office." "They just needed my signature." "You okay?" "This'll help." "Well, dinner's ready." "I'll get everyone seated, okay?" "Okay." "All right, everyone, dinner's ready." "Come on." "Let's sit down, huh?" "So, we have been wanting to do this for weeks." "Victory's crazy about you, and all we have to go on is what we read in the papers, and we all know that's just a bunch of..." "Oh, Wen, you're not still thinking about that, are you?" "No." "No, no, no." "Of course, I'm fine." "I'm done." "Well, if it's any consolation, newspaper circulation is down 17%." "It's an endangered species." "So, that's your excuse?" "I beg your pardon?" "Well, we hear story after story about you, but never anything on your personal life." "You never submit to an interview." "What gives, Joe Bennett?" "I'm a businessman, not a pop star." "Did you tell him he has to be humble?" "That's no fun." "You must be hiding something." "Not really." "I'm not that interesting." "Yes, you are." "No, I'm not." "If you want me to talk about buying Japanese yen at 2% on the Singapore spot market, I am your man." "But if you are interested in time when I'm not working..." "That's called your personal life." "Yeah, that, I'm really kind of a late bloomer, sort of behind the curve." "But I seem to be finding my footing." "You don't think we left too early, do you?" "It's 3:30, Paris time." "Thank you." "For?" "Doing this." "Wendy and Nico really liked you." "I don't know why I was so nervous." "You liked them, too, right?" "Sure, yeah." "They're fine." "Yeah, they seemed distracted." "I don't know." "I guess it was work stuff, but next time we do this, we should do a Sunday." "Wendy and Shane love to throw brunches, and their kids are great, and..." "Well, what are you doing this Sunday?" "Why would I need to see them again?" "I thought you said you liked them." "I did." "And according to you, it's mutual, so..." "I'm done, right?" "What do you mean, "done"?" "You didn't unclog my toilet, Joe." "You met my best friends." "And they're more than fine." "Of course they are." "You need to understand something, Joe Bennett." "Wendy and Nico were there for me when I was living on yogurt and sunflower seeds and putting in 20-hour workdays just to get my first show together." "They introduced me to everyone when there was nothing in it for them but a thank you, and I was too young and stupid even to say that." "I should have said they were great." "When I left college," "I made the mistake of falling in love with the first guy that asked me out." "He worked for Wendy." "She warned me that he would break my heart, and he did, and Wendy and Nico took me under their wing, and they are..." "Well, they're a hell of a lot more than fine." "No, it switched to great a minute ago." "You missed that." "They're more than great, Joe!" "They're my family." "Then you're lucky to have them." "But not everyone is looking for family." "You coming in?" "No." "I just..." "I think I need to get home." "Kirby Atwood is waiting in your office." "You have an appointment across town in 20." "Should I tell them you'll be late?" "You're early." "Well, my schedule's suddenly wide open." "Well, I needed the extra time to put out feelers to see if anyone needs help." "Patty Bloom is not the only working photographer in this city." "You didn't even call her back, did you?" "I can't." "There's nothing that I could say that wouldn't make matters worse." "For me or for you?" "For both of us." "Look, if nothing comes up in the next week or so, you'll be fine." "You'll find another job, and in the meantime, here's something to hold you over." "I didn't come here for your..." "I thought you'd want to see me." "Kirby, look, I can't do this right now, okay?" "I have a million phone calls to return, and I'm already late for an appointment." "Yeah." "Didn't I see you at the Prince William shoot?" "I'm Mike." "Mike Harness." "Well, anyway, you're being pleasant to him lately." "That's something." "That's because he stopped trying to rule the roost." "Anything settled yet?" "Like what?" "The wedding." "I'm Ellen, Joe Bennett's assistant." "Oh, right." "I spoke with you." "I have a delivery." "Oh, great." "Wow." "Come on." "Ms. Ford, Ellen brought a..." "Greetings." "I have been asked by Mr. Bennett to personally escort a gift." "Whatever it is, Ellen, please, escort it back." "I don't need any more gifts from Mr. Bennett." "Please, you don't have to unwrap that." "Yes!" "You do." "They've already been tipped." "That's a gift?" "It looks used." "It was, by Coco Chanel." "Anything you want me to tell Mr. Bennett?" "I'm impressed." "Not you." "Please, just wrap it up and take it back." "Now!" "Are you sure about this?" "Even if we just kept it for a day, put it on eBay?" "What's this?" "It's a terrific script I want Abby to read." "We've just optioned it, and a wonderful director's come on board." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "I thought we were here to talk Pink Poison." "We are." "I just thought Abby might respond to this one even more." "The author wrote a series of young adult books." "We're not doing any more kiddie parts, Wendy." "That's over." "Is this the same guy who wrote Fallen Angels?" "I love..." "You love Pink Poison." "Okay?" "Let's not make love lists." "Wendy, we know everyone's got an opinion about who should and shouldn't take their clothes off on the big screen, and out of respect, we want to involve you in this process, so you feel ownership of whichever way we decide to go." "Is that what I think it is?" "Oh, this one is a 34-D." "But on Abby, it looks like a 36-triple-E." "She's very slim-hipped, so..." "Josh." "Is Will Danovitch still here?" "Abby, the director of that script that you're holding is down the hall, and I have a feeling you two will..." "Wendy, I..." "Excuse me!" "Josh, would you please introduce Abby to Will?" "They can use the conference room." "Are those..." "Just take her." "Elba, I'm going to be candid." "Part of my job is to see trouble before it happens." "Nice work, if you can get it." "And I am sensing that you may want Pink Poison much more than Abby." "And there's nothing worse than forcing a young, impressionable person into a situation where they're not totally comfortable." "Well, she can't spend the rest of her life in a jumper talking to a felt pig." "She also can't be used to realize your ambition." "I'm doing the best job I can for my client." "Your client needs a mother right now more than a manager." "How did you get in here?" "Through the door." "Shall I do it again?" "Look, I know who your BFF is, and unless you came here to pay for my dry-cleaning bill, beat it." "Janice, your feud with Wendy has escalated way out of proportion." "Don't come in here and act all grand, Nico Reilly." "You may have lost the accent, but we both know you're a Greek girl from Flushing, Queens, whose daddy ran a diner." "You want to talk about what's out of proportion?" "Your pal, Saint Wendy, didn't just pull out of a bidding war, she went on record last year to say that I publish trash." "She didn't give a damn about my reputation." "I'm just returning the favor." "Well, you're gonna have to find another way." "Your book on Wendy is dead." "Dead?" "Far from it." "I'm launching the website," "Grand slam on bad mam." "Com." "We're done here." "Re-heat!" "Who the hell are you, sweater boy?" "This is Harold." "He's your new assistant." "Where's Nora?" "She's sitting in a spacious office over at Bonfire." "I hired her to do nothing but type up Janice Lasher stories, and she's got quite a few." "I'll send you an advanced copy before we run your "Lost weekend in Bangkok."" "Who knew you could do that with a ping-pong ball?" "Don't look so shocked, Janice." "I had to come here." "That's what friends do for each other." "You'd know, if you had any." "Hey." "Hey." "Can I come in, or are you gonna send me back to France?" "Are we alone, or is your cracker assistant still lurking around?" "Roy left." "Ah." "I already miss him." "So, help me out here." "Did we have a fight last night, and if so, in which time zone?" "It wasn't a fight." "I just..." "I just need to figure some things out." "And this is all because I don't want to have Sunday brunch with Wendy and Shane and Little Shane and Baby Shane?" "This is about you not wanting to be a part of my world." "What?" "Look, if I lived in your world," "I wouldn't want to leave it that often, either." "It's like a carnival ride of life's greatest hits." "Dinner in Paris, closing down Harrods so you could shop alone, jetting off to Alaska to see the northern lights, buying Coco Chanel's dummy." "Dress form." "Whatever." "It's beyond amazing." "And I've loved every second of it." "But my world is pretty interesting, too." "And I don't want to be like those rich couples in the movies that sit on opposite ends of a long table, just the two of us." "I love those scenes." "I don't like extras in movies." "Get rid of them." "Victory, when we are together, it is not my world, it is our world." "Excuse me." "Look, my business demands" "being in meetings with people from the moment I get up in the morning." "When my day is done," "I don't want to make small talk." "I just want to be with you." "It's just who I am." "I don't think I could change that." "Hey." "Hey." "Where's Dad?" "He took Taylor to karate." "How'd you do on your test?" "What are you reading?" "The book that put us on Page 6." "Where'd you get that?" "I threw it out." "I know." "I dug it up." "There's still coffee grounds on Page 16 and 17, but I think I've read enough." "Hey, hey, hey." "I'm sorry I took you to that luncheon." "I convinced myself it would be good for you, but the truth is, it was just about me." "I went out of my way to disprove that stupid book, and I ended up giving Janice Lasher a sequel." "No, I did that." "I was a total brat." "I'm sorry." "Me, too." "So, can you stop acting strange and just go back to being annoying?" "I'll do my best." "Well, at least you got to skip school and meet Abby Garcia." "Yeah, but it was kind of weird, though." "Why?" "Because the whole time, I just kept feeling sorry for her." "Her mother scooped the mashed potatoes off of her plate, slapped her hand every time she reached for the butter." "That mother, she's..." "That's all she's got." "I could do a lot worse." "Oh, sweetheart." "Nico, have a seat." "I brought you the draft of the Prince William interview." "I think you're gonna love it." "Well, let's get to that in a moment, shall we?" "Question, who is Kirby Atwood?" "I'm sorry?" "Kirby Atwood, do you know him?" "I'm not sure that I do." "Then why is he claiming you sexually harassed him?"