Little Pink Slips Part 37

"Viewers," she heard Matt Lauer say, "Bebe Blake is standing by.

How do you feel about the verdict on your lawsuit, Bebe?"

Bebe's face looked terrifyingly large as it filled Magnolia's TV screen. "This is a huge victory," Bebe said. "Huge."

"But, Bebe, you didn't get a dime," Matt countered.

"That's not the point," Bebe said. "Justice has prevailed. I don't care what it cost-I care about the principle, and the important thing is that Scarborough Magazines didn't win a dime. And," Bebe contin ued, pausing for a split second to catch her breath, "we're going after those suckers to recover legal fees, which are substantial." She raised her arm in a victory salute. "They started this war!"

"You did quit your own magazine," Matt pointed out. "And weren't there some improprieties on the part one of your editors, Felicity Din gle-and a few other, uh, b.u.mps along the way?"

Bebe failed to respond, which caused Matt to catapult another question into the dead air. "Your future plans, Bebe? What can your fans look forward to now that Bebe magazine is over? Are the rumors true that you are also quitting your television show?"

"You nailed that one!" said Bebe, who made a gagging sound and motion. "I'm sure you can relate."

Matt ignored the comment and sound effect. "So tell our audi ence-what's up?"

"I'm starting a business," Bebe said. "The s.l.u.t Hut."

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"Got ya, Matt," Bebe said. "Ha. For real? My friend Barbra wants me for the lead in Yentl, which she's bringing to Broadway. Plus my new blog."

"Boy, everyone's a blogger. What's yours called?"

"Bebe's Bull-" Bebe's face disappeared as the censors bit off the end of the name. Magnolia had seen enough. She returned the call to Natalie, who was in a meeting, so she dived into her newspapers. The trial story was too new for the morning editions, but in the Post there was Jock's face, his mouth agape. The article reported that Jock's wife was leaving him. Pippi wanted $57,000 a month for alimony and child support, which included $14,000 for Little Jock's rented horse, even if it meant that Big Jock had to abandon his $10,000-a-month pied-a-terre.

The phone rang. "So, Cookie," Natalie trilled. "What do you think?"

"I'm loving it!" Magnolia admitted. "Both sides got what they deserve. Oops, rewind," Magnolia said. "How insensitive of me." She realized Scary's ignominious loss would be bad business for a com pany where Natalie continued to work.

"Good G.o.d, Magnolia," Natalie said. "Don't apologize. Everybody here thinks Jock's the most arrogant sc.u.m-bucket who ever lived.

There's a special circle in corporate h.e.l.l for a CEO who squanders millions on an embarra.s.sing trial, tops it off with s.e.xual hara.s.sment problems and his puss splashed over the papers for his divorce, and tries to drag his peers down with him."

"So you think the Scary boys will have him eat dirt for a while?"

The very thought made her want to stand up and sing, "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair."

"Are you kidding?" Natalie said. " 'Eat dirt?' He's over."

"Define 'over.' "

"Fired, finished, decapitated. If the Scary boys could waste him, they would."

"Really?" Sweet, she thought. "What's going to happen now?"

"Well . . ." Natalie abandoned all dignity. It was fair to say she squealed. "You can congratulate me, Natalie Simon, the newly appointed CEO of Scarborough Magazines!"

Magnolia screamed.

"Thanks-I'll take that as mazel tov. And if you can clear your busy schedule, Miss Gold, Chairman Simon would like to take you to lunch. See you Friday at Michael's."

Chapter 4 3.

Pa.s.sion in Flip-flops.

An enormous bouquet of orange gerbera daisies arrived as Magnolia left to meet Abbey at a downtown theater. "To my Daisy Silver," Cameron's note said. "You finally made the right decision.

Looking forward, C."

Throughout the movie, Magnolia deliberated on those daisies, which now filled her three tallest vases and every corner of her brain.

"Keanu Reeves's kiss-did you have the feeling it was the begin ning of the end or the end of the beginning?" Abbey had to repeat the question twice before Magnolia answered.

"Hmmm . . ." Magnolia answered, as they walked into Lil'

Frankie's. "Not sure."

"Did that plot work for you?"

Magnolia could barely remember it. "Uh, yeah," she said.

"Fascinating," Abbey said, picking up a menu. "Okay, what kind of pizza should we order?"

"Whatever," Magnolia said. "You know what I like."

Abbey thwacked her with a stare. "Magnolia, you're phoning in this whole evening. Hardly said a word in the cab. Forgot to pick up our Raisinettes. What's up?"

"I'm . . . preoccupied." "Your 'preoccupied' is not an orgy of fun, my friend," Abbey said.

"Is it that you think the verdict wasn't fair?"

Magnolia leaned her head on her arm. "Judge Tannenbaum's ver dict was eminently fair," she said, "but it's put me in a corner, that's all."

"You're going to have to connect the dots for me," Abbey said. "I know I've been out of the country for a few weeks, but. . . ."

"Okay," Magnolia said, and launched into a short, sweet synopsis of where she and Cam stood or didn't stand, that she was looking for ward to visiting him and he apparently felt the same way, but how Natalie had thrown a monkey wrench into her plan by scheduling a command performance for Friday.

"Now that's a story line," Abbey said, looking appropriately flab bergasted. "You and Cam!" She squeezed Magnolia's hand. "I was wondering when you'd notice you're perfect for each other. It seemed quite apparent to me when he couldn't stop talking about you." She was grinning. "So, what's the big deal?" The pizza arrived and Abbey bit into a hot, cheesy slice. "You just reschedule Natalie."

"People don't 'reschedule' Natalie," Magnolia said. "Certainly not now that she's CEO. You're not getting how important this might be.

She's invited me to Michael's. In practically her first public act. It's living theater."

"I don't know," Abbey said. "She might just want to gloat before an adoring audience. Put her off. By the way, what have you told Cameron?"

Magnolia sucked in a big gulp of air. "Nothing," she admitted.

"There, I said it. I'm dodging. He called at ten, and twice later, and I didn't pick up."

"Magnolia, what's gotten into you? You're being a child-and cruel," Abbey said none of this kindly or quietly.

"Thank you," Magnolia hissed. "I really needed to hear that and so did the people at the next table." The heavily pierced, tattooed recent college graduates were looking at Magnolia as if she were wearing Mom jeans and sensible shoes. She glanced at her Pumas. She was wearing sensible shoes.

"If you don't need my advice, then just pull the petals off your daisies to decide."

"I also don't need your sarcasm."

"But the answer is obvious." Abbey sat forward until her face was less than a foot away from Magnolia's. "Follow your heart." She did that thing where she zipped her lips in a tight line and crossed her arms, offering Magnolia an excellent view of the chunky diamonds blinking from her wedding band.

"Abbey, you met Daniel, bells chimed, and now you're married with so many residences you need a new address book. You own vine yards! Your heart knew what it wanted. Mine needs a f.u.c.king GPS! I can't trust it. It led me to Harry, to Tyler." She wiped away tears with her sleeve. "It led me to Wally!"

Abbey laughed. "Who may have been a keeper and you never noticed."

"Precisely. Why should I let myself believe a flirtation with Cameron is pa.s.sion in a flannel shirt? Actually, now he probably wears Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops. My instincts suck. I can't run away.

What I need is a job-a plan-and then maybe I'll start thinking straight."

"Didn't Mark Twain say, 'Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans,' " Abbey asked.

"No, but John Lennon did."

"Whatever. 'Love is the flower you've got to let grow,' " Abbey sang.

" 'The more I see the less I know,' " Magnolia sang back.

"All I am saying is give Cam a chance," Abbey said. "You owe him.

At least explain." They finished their dinner, split the bill, and began a painfully quiet ride uptown. Halfway there, Magnolia's phone rang.

"h.e.l.lo, dear," Felicity said. "Bebe would love you to join us for an impromptu fete. Her friend Mario is pulling out all the stops here at Babbo. We have food for fifty. Quite a do." In the background, Magno lia could hear Bebe's laugh maxxed out to top volume.

Magnolia put her hand over her phone and whispered to Abbey, "Apparently, Bebe's gotten over my testimony. Want to go to her cele bration party? You've got to admit that woman does know how to move on."

"Pa.s.s," Abbey said without a moment's hesitation.

"Felicity, I just stuffed myself. But have a great time. And thanks for asking."

"You sure? You'd especially like the pinata," she said. "It's Jock's likeness."

"Tell Bebe to give it a good whack on my behalf," Magnolia said.

Bebe carrying on as if she'd won Wimbledon? It made no sense, but not much did today.

The taxi dropped off Abbey. Magnolia got out a few blocks later and gave Biggie and Lola an extra long walk before she had the nerve to see if Cam had called again. He had. She walked to her computer, started to write, but decided only a candy-a.s.sed coward would e-mail.

He answered on the first ring.

"Cameron?"

"Mags." He said her name with a glint of joy and intimacy she could hear and feel three thousand miles away. "I was beginning to worry."

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to call back," she said. "I got totally in the zone with my proposal-you know how that happens-then suddenly it was six-thirty and I'd promised to meet Abbey and then I forgot my phone." She was a terrible liar, spilling out her explanation in a breathless gasp.

"Un-huh," he said.

"I love the flowers," she said. "Thank you." Why hadn't she gushed her grat.i.tude immediately?

"They're thinking of calling the movie Daisy Chain. I hate it."

"Movie? What movie?"

"The movie being made from my book. My agent did the deal. The book's optioned, and the studio wants me to collaborate here on the screenplay."

"Cameron," she shrieked. "That's incredible. This is huge. Huge!

Congratulations. I am so impressed. You, a Hollywood screenwriter.

You're going to win an Oscar." "Enough," he said. He sounded neither happy nor excited. In fact, at the other end of the phone she thought she heard him sigh, but the sound might have come from her. "You've decided not to visit, haven't you?"

"Everything's taken a turn for the complicated," she said softly.

"Jock was fired."

"Are there spontaneous outbursts of jubilation throughout the city?"

"There's one here in this apartment."

"The people who despise that guy could fill Roseland."

"Natalie's getting his job."

"Hmmm . . . Interesting. I can see that," he said. "The woman turned Dazzle into an ATM."

"She wants to have lunch Friday."

"You have to take the meeting."

Magnolia laughed. "Talking like an L.A. boy. You like it there?"

"I didn't think I would," he said. "But writers run around in T shirts and cutoffs and work at the Coffee Bean. It has its charms." As if he'd selected a different font, his tone had downshifted to friend ship. Magnolia wanted to get back what had already slipped away.