“I miss you so much.”
“The feeling is mutual. So, what’s up? Are we graduating to phone calls to ward off temptation? Don’t tell me Chuck is skinny-dipping on a Sunday morning.”
“Please don’t put that image in my head.”
“Sorry.”
“And you should know that kiss from the other night cost us ten thousand dollars.”
“What?”
“Yep.No physical contactis one of the house rules. They dock our prize money if we violate it.”
“Yikes. No wonder he locked you in the bedroom to keep his hands off you. What do you expect him to do when you’re walking around with that body-ody all day?”
“Manse, stop it. You’re drunk.”
“Hey,youcalledmeat eleven a.m. on a Sunday, so.”
Olivia smiled. “Fair.”
Mansi sighed. “Well, if I can’t provide my remote intervention services, what can I do for you?”
Olivia bit her lip, nervous again. “I just talked to my grandma, and—”
“Ruby!” Mansi lovingly sang. “How is she?”
“She’s great, and now I’m wondering if you’re sober enough to have this conversation.”
“Uh-oh, this sounds serious. I’m here. What do you need?”
“Well, she brought up that tabloid article, which led to measking about my parents, and her dumping a truckload of family history on me.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Turns out my mom hated the spotlight and was so in love with my dad, they’d fly off to Paris together without telling anyone,andmy dad’s marriage to Astrid Larsson was a business arrangement and totally fake.”
“Come again?”
“I know. It sounds made up, but my dad married Astrid so she could put down roots in America and become a star here. And then when he met my mom, they fell in love and agreed with Astrid to keep it all a secret, and—”
“Wait, wait,wait.” Mansi cut her off. “You’re telling me that the root of this whole scandal was a lie?”
“Yes. And I want to talk to Astrid about it.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. The prospect of actually speaking to Astrid Larsson was deliriously daunting, but there was no chance for it to ever even happen if she didn’t put the ball in motion.
“You— What?” Mansi asked. “You want to talk to Astrid Larsson? The beloved three-time Oscar winner whose storied career includes the earth-shattering scandal of your parents’ affair that resulted in your birth?ThatAstrid Larsson?”
“Yes, Mansi. And I need your help. You’re the only person I trust with this. The production crew here is already asking me for an interview about it, and I don’t want word to get out that I’m even considering anything. I know you have all kinds of legal sleuthing resources. Is there a way you coulddiscreetlyfigure out if she’s willing to talk to me?”
Mansi paused for a few beats, probably still in shock andrunning a list of her resources through her head. “Um, yes. I can do that for you.”
“Thank you.” Olivia let out a heavy exhale, dizzy at the thought of what she’d put in motion. “While we’re on the topic of your sleuthing resources, my grandma also brought up that article mentioning Chuck getting fired, and it made me realize that all along I could have askedyouto look into the reason why.”
Mansi went silent again and stayed that way long enough for Olivia to overhear the full order of the person sitting at the table next to her (avocado toast with a poached egg and an Americano).
“Manse? You still there?”
“Okay, don’t hate me,” she blurted.