"Because you're a better actress than that." My dogs are better actors than that. "Is there something wrong?"

Althea nodded. "Well, yeah. About Bryce. He-"

"Bryce isn't in this scene," Lucy said. "We're going to try it again and-"

"Again?" Althea seemed dumbfounded.

Connor came up. "What's wrong? You got the shot."

Lucy turned to him, glad to have somebody she could snap at. "Go away."

"What?" he asked, as dumbfounded as Althea had been.

"You're the stunt coordinator," Lucy said. "If you're worried about her cable, check it, but do not now or ever tell me when I've got the shot. Understand?" Connor jerked back, and Lucy turned to Althea. "You ready to do this for real?"

"Yeah." Althea straightened. "Yes, I am."

"Go to one," Lucy called to the set, and Althea went back to the rail while Rick took his position beside the car. Lucy stopped to talk to him on her way back to the monitors. "I don't know what's going on here, but we're going to shoot this sucker until we get a good take. That okay with you?"

"Yep," Rick said, also surprised. "More than okay."

"All right, then." Lucy went back to the monitors to sit down and found Daisy back in her chair. "There's something weird about this shoot," she said to Daisy.

"No idea what you're talking about," Daisy said, staring at the set, her notebook in her lap, as the set echoed with "Stand by."

"Roll sound."

"Rolling."

"Take two," and the sound of the clapper.

Lucy watched the monitor and this time Althea flung herself over the bridge rail with such force that Rick really had to catch her and bring her back, and his "You little idiot!" sounded real, as did Althea's sobbed scream, "What do you care?" Rick yelled back, "Dead hostage? I care a lot," and dragged her toward the car while she fought him tooth and nail.

"Cut!" Lucy called, feeling much better. "That was excellent. Really great, guys. Let's go again and then we'll do the close-ups."

Althea beamed at her and motioned her over.

Oh, hell, Lucy thought and went.

Althea leaned close to her. "I need to ask you something. You know, girl to girl."

"Uh," Lucy said, thinking, Kill me now.

"I mean, I know you're really busy because this is your big break-"

"Not so much," Lucy said. Where are they getting this big break stuff?

"-But what do you think of Bryce?"

"Fine actor," Lucy said automatically.

"No, I mean, you know." Althea began to look impatient. "As a man."

Lucy tried again. "He seems like a really nice guy."

Gloom called, "Let's go," and Lucy smiled at Althea.

"Okay, that last take was a great one, so let's do another one to make sure."

Althea nodded. "Could you come back while they're doing the next camera setup?"

"Sure. You bet."

Lucy went back to the monitors and watched while Althea and Rick nailed another take and thought, This could work. "Fantastic," she called to them. "Reset, please."

Pepper climbed into the seat beside her. "I brought you an apple."

Lucy said, "Thank you," thinking, I'm going to die of an apple overdose, and then glanced at Daisy.

She looked like leftover death, her eyes red, her eyelids drooping as if she were struggling to stay conscious.

"You sure you're getting enough sleep?" Lucy bit into her apple, trying to act unconcerned.

"Uh huh." Daisy kept her head bent over her notebook.

So much for acting. "Daisy, what the hell-"

"Working here," Daisy said and kept her head down.

"Lucy!" Althea called, and Lucy went back to her, looking back over her shoulder at Daisy as she went.

When she reached Althea, she said, "That was great, Al," but she kept an eye on Daisy, slumped in her chair at the monitors.

"Thank you," Althea said. "Listen, anybody who can make Connor do what she wants knows what she's doing."

"What?" Lucy said, distracted from Daisy.

"I need your advice," Althea said. "About men. I want security, that's why I'm with Bryce right now, because he's good for my career. But I want something permanent, too, you know?"

"Oh," Lucy said, as Pepper came up to join them. "Well, Bryce is probably rich. He's done pretty well for himself-"

Althea frowned at her. "I don't mean for him to support me, I'm going to get my own money, I've got a line on that, but I don't want to be alone. I want security, you know? Somebody I can depend on?"

"Oh." Lucy nodded. "Emotional security." And you're sleeping with an actor?

Connor came up to the rail about ten feet from them to direct the camera basket in, and Althea turned her hip so that he could see her concave stomach and the bulge of her breasts in her tank top. Pepper watched her and then tried to do the same, her little potbelly sticking out where Altheas abdomen collapsed toward her backbone.

Connor looked over at them, much too offhand, and nodded, but Lucy saw his eyes connect with Althea's.

Althea met his stare and held it until he nodded again.

Oh, God, don't let Althea be cheating on Bryce with Connor, Lucy thought. Bryce did not look like a man who would take well to being dumped for a stunt coordinator. And if he found out and sulked, goodbye shooting schedule.

Althea turned back to Lucy. "Not just emotional security. I want physical security, too. I want it all."

"Physical security. Like bodyguards?" Lucy said.

"No, like…" Althea's eyes went to Pepper. "Uh, satisfaction security. You know."

"Oh," Lucy said, caught off guard. "Well. The best way to be, uh, secure-" she glanced down at Pepper, who was listening with great interest, "is to know things yourself." Althea looked confused, so Lucy added, "I think you have to know what you need and tell Bryce. Show him if you have to."

"Huh?" Althea said. "I mean in bed."

"Pepper, go get me an apple, please," Lucy said.

"Okay." Pepper ran for the craft services table.

"Because sex is really important." Althea didn't frown, but she was clearly thinking hard. "And I'm running out of time. I want seventy-four to be somebody who knows what he's doing and who will stand by me."

"Seventy-four?"

Althea nodded. "Stephanie told me about this article by this math woman that said that if you slept with seventy-five people, the person you were supposed to be with would show up."

"I see," Lucy said, thinking, I must have a long talk with my assistant. Then the meaning sunk in. "Seventy-four?"

Althea nodded again. "Bryce is seventy-three. After Stephanie said that, I counted."

"Uh huh." Lucy tried to sound supportive.

"And Bryce isn't… working out," Althea said, "so then I thought about Nash because…" she shot another look at the stunt coordinator, "he is hot. No wonder you're back together."

"We're not. Now-"

"I'd like somebody like him," Althea said, looking past her. "Somebody tough like him who would stick by me. I bet somebody like him would be good in bed." She blinked up at Lucy. "Is he good in bed?"

"Not very," Lucy lied, shafting Connor without guilt. "But I'm sure Bryce…" She let her voice trail off because Althea was now smiling past her.

Lucy turned and saw Bryce, looking perfectly normal next to his new buddy, J.T. Wilder, who looked pretty damn good if you liked deadpan, tight-assed, monosyllabic military men. She turned back to Althea.

Althea appeared to like deadpan, tight-assed, monosyllabic military men.

Damn it, Lucy thought. "Bryce is really a good guy. And he's a star, Althea. Big security."

"Comedies," Althea said, still staring at Wilder. "He acts goofy and tails down. Big deal."

Lucy gave up. "Althea, there are only four days left in this shoot. Please don't upset him until Friday or the shot schedule will go to hell."