Ashley took the powder puff over to the stage area. Holding Caz’s hair back, she carefully adjusted his shine. “You need to carry a hair clip in your pocket.” His hair felt pretty silky for a guy’s and thicker than hers. Idly rubbing a strand between her fingers, she looked over his skin. She couldn’t really see the shine problem, but guessed that with high-definition images, it was better to be safe than shiny. On tiptoe, she dabbed at his forehead with the cotton ball. “There you go, shine all gone,” Ashley said somewhat condescendingly. Why couldn’t he lift the puff to take care of the problem himself?

“Tell me what you heard,” Caz said, as she shoved the puff into her pocket.

Okay. He just wanted to hear the reason she made the condom purchase. Instead of telling him again, she removed a Chapstick from her other pocket and swiped the balm over his lips. “You have a pretty-shaped mouth. Good thing you’re a big guy.”

Caz’s blue-green eyes brightened, and he leaned toward her. “So the box was just a present then?”

Ashley shook her head.

“Did everyone get one?” Caz looked around. “Shall I ask?”

Ashley stepped back. “Don’t make me regret helping you.”

“I saw you with a notebook. You’re always writing in it. What are you writing?”

“Nothing.” The notebook contained her drawings of buildings, and she kept them private; not even Dad had seen her work.

“Are you a writer? Let me guess. You have a script you think is right for me, and are dying to have me read it? Hand the pages over then.” Caz held out a raised palm.

“Absolutely, the hero’s this total ass who—” Ashley was cut off by the arrival of Petra and her cloud of sultry perfume.

Petra said, “I’ve got this new belly ring, and I’m not supposed to take the loop out yet, but the AD says gems don’t work for the part of the vixen. What do you say?” Petra lifted her shirt up mid-speech, showing the silver ring piercing her belly button.

Two star-shaped gemstones hung from a silver hoop. “I think I make the jewelry work.”

Powder kneeled for a closer look. “Is your skin infected? The last guy I went out with had a wicked infection in one of his piercings.” Powder shook her head. “And I don’t think we should cover bacteria with makeup.”

Petra made a cut-off squealing noise, and Ashley bit her lip.

Caz stepped back. “You should get that checked out.”

“I’ll take you to the infirmary,” Olive said. “I’m sure if they have to cut the ring out, they can replace the loop with gold. Jewelry looks so great on you. The star makes your stomach look so flat. I want to get a belly ring too.”

***

Ashley tried to play it cool, but it was hard to keep the grin off her face. They’d scheduled her to work with the set designer, a real architect.

Powder pointed him out, a tall thirty-something guy. “Why are you so eager? That job’s all dust and cutting.”

“I want to be an architect.”

Powder wrinkled her nose. “Really? I dated a construction worker once. I’m not sure you want to hang out with those guys.”

“Yes. See you later.” Ashley went over to the architect with her hand extended. “I’m Ashley, your assistant while you’re on set.”

“It’s usually the actors who are greeted with that kind of smile.”

“I don’t want to act.”

“Another rarity,” the architect said then got down to business. Moving across the set, he went over what he wanted to accomplish. After noting her genuine interest and learning she was from Texas, he spoke about dimensions and tensile strength. “Regional earthquakes mean you need strength, or structures will crumple as easily as your bleachers did.” He pointed to the beams overhead. “Could be dangerous.”

Ashley took copious notes and followed him on his inspection. The set around them buzzed with routine activity, but she didn’t let the noise distract her.

“PA?” someone called from the stage.

Ashley heard him, but ignored his call.

“PA,” Caz repeated.

Heaving a sigh, Ashley waved Caz off.

The architect smiled down at her. “Go ahead and take care of our star. I’ll be stage left when you’re done.”

Ashley smiled gratefully then trotted over to Caz. “What?” she asked impatiently, watching the architect while speaking.

Caz said, “Who’s that?”

“What do you need? I’m busy.”

“You’re my assistant.” Caz turned his bright gaze to her.

“Uh, no, I’m not.”

He waved a hand in the air. “How long is he going to be here?”

Ashley’s gaze left the architect and she raised her eyebrows. “Look, do you need something or not?”

“Yes.” Caz paused and looked upward as if thinking. “I need to run lines, and my microphone is off, and no one put snacks in my trailer, and—”

Ashley crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t let anyone in your trailer.” The architect moved some partitions and tapped on the walls, making Ashley wonder what he was checking.

“And I want—”

Turning back to the needy, Ashley said, “How about this. You leave me alone all morning to work with him, and I’ll make sure you have way better snacks in your trailer than the crap provided by the caterer.”

Caz flicked a gaze at the architect. “He’ll be gone this afternoon?”

She nodded.

“Good snacks?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll run lines with me?”

“Can’t you run them with your buddy?” His kilt-wearing friend, Garrett, had a supporting role that kept him on the set about once a week, and he was here today.

“He’s garbage at reading the girl parts.”

Ashley rolled her eyes.

Caz said, “And you have a nice voice, rich and sweet, but with a kick.”

She heaved a mental sigh. “Okay.”

***

Powder knelt at a cabinet and shoved large containers aside, digging for something.

When Ashley reached her, she handed up a large white jug. Ashley placed it on the counter.

Petra flounced into the makeup station and elbowed the jug aside to make room for her laptop. “You have got to see this.” The white jug teetered on the edge. “I knew this would happen. I’m always saying, you can’t always tell who your friends are. Like when I was vacationing in Madrid, and—”

“What?” Powder asked.

Petra’s painted lips grimaced and she poised her finger over the play button. “Check this out.”

A polished reporter came on the screen. “I’m Karla Quintos from Tween In, online and on the air.” She tucked her glossy black hair behind her ears and held a microphone closer to her dark lips. “I’m here to share my interview with screen actor Garrett Campbell. If we’re lucky, hopefully, he’ll tell us a little bit about what it’s like to work with his best friend, the notoriously private Caspian Thaymore.”

The scene changed, showing the reporter sitting on a barstool chatting with Garrett. “What’s Caspian like?”

“Great fun.” Garrett’s Scottish accent came through the speakers.

“Are you sure he’s not attached?”

Ashley felt someone behind her and looked back. Caz.

His gaze was on the screen.

Garrett said, “Oh no, and he could use some cheering up. A way to drown his tears.”

“I may have just the friend to provide the tissue.” The reporter touched him on the arm and leaned in. “Are you guys here with your parents?”

Garrett seemed smitten. “We’re on our own. I doubt his parents would be here together anyway. They’re splitting up, you know.”

Ashley glanced at Caz.

The muscle ticked in his jaw and his fists clenched.

***

They broke early that afternoon, and Ashley was eager to get home and try out the new Chinese recipe Marissa sent. She could never get Chinese recipes to taste like takeout, but was determined to keep trying. She’d get the stuff for the new dish and pick up ingredients to make Caz’s snacks. After winding a last heavy cable, she hung it on the wall and rolled her shoulders back. Time to go home.

Caz stood not too far away, arguing with his tall agent, and the concerned- looking AD hovered nearby. No peace for the wicked.