She jumped when the phone rang, dropping the last letter as she reached for it. "Peterson."
"Hello, love. How's your day going?"
The sound of the familiar husky voice made the tears roll down Annelie's cheeks. "Oh, Carolyn…"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing…I received a package in the mail. My mother's old letters to my father, and I've just read some of them."
"Oh, Annie. I thought she didn't know where he was."
"She didn't. Apparently he gave her a post-office box as an address. As far as I can tell from her letters, he never replied."
"Damn."
The curse echoed Annelie's feelings. "How're things going today?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.
"Great. We've finished the first scenes, and later this week we'll start rehearsing in the studio."
"What scene are you starting with?"
"The one where Maddox shows up at Erica's place, demanding to know why her partner's acting so strange."
"That's the scene leading up to their rendezvous at the office. Are you nervous about acting it out with Helen?"
"Not really. I think it's good we're doing those scenes first. Strangely, Helen and I are becoming friends. I'm afraid we'd get giggly about it if we become too chummy, no matter how seasoned we are. We need to keep the tension as long as possible."
"Maybe you're right. How does Helen feel?"
"She actually told me of her one, quite innocent, encounter with another woman. It was ages ago and never led to anything, but she thought she'd tap into it when we do the love scenes. I didn't tell her, but I think she guesses I have plenty to tap into."
Annelie had to laugh. "You're bad!"
"No, I'm good at being bad, you mean." There was a smile in Carolyn's voice. "I have to go, love. Are you all right about the letters?"
"I am now. Listen, I'll bring them home tonight. Will you read them over with me? I need to talk about some of the things in them. Or perhaps we should wait, since Jem'll be there."
"We can read them in bed before we go to sleep. No reason to wait and have them weighing on your mind."
Annelie gave a relieved sigh. "Sounds like a great idea. It's a date, then."
As she hung up, Annelie felt the butterflies leave her stomach, at least for the time being.
Her thoughts shifted to Carolyn. She sounds a little stressed, but that's normal at the beginning of a new job. Thank goodness Carolyn's not too worried about doing the love scenes. What if I'd become jealous because she's going to be almost naked with another woman in a couple of scenes? Now I know how Carolyn and Helen plan to approach the scenes, I certainly don't have anything to worry about there.
Shaking her head, Annelie checked her watch and realized Jem must have arrived at the apartment. She dialed her home number.
"Peterson residence."
"Peterson herself here. How was your flight?"
"Short and turbulent. I tried to work on the flight, but it got so bad,
I think I made permanent indentations in my laptop. It was all I had to hold on to."
"You were working on the plane, Jem? Isn't this supposed to be a vacation?"
"A something-in-between, I'm afraid. I just received two new manuscripts, and they need my opinion before the week's over. One's really promising and the other one…well, let's just say I can't get a grip on it."
"Intriguing either way. If you need another opinion, just let me know."
"Sure. By the way, when will you be home? I'm cooking."
Annelie grinned. Jem's cooking skills were one of her best-kept secrets. "Sounds wonderful. I'll be home around six—Carolyn, soon after."
"Good, then I'll know what to aim for. I'll run down to a grocery store I passed about a block away. It looked promising."
"Marco's? They have everything you could possibly need. Especially their seafood section."
"Is that a request?"
"Well, you know I love any kind of seafood."
"How about gratineed lobster with a salad?"
"Excellent! See you around six, then?"
"I'll be the one wearing the apron."
Hanging up, Annelie tried to envision her chief editor in an apron. Jem intimidated a lot of people, since she didn't tolerate fools and made no bones about it. Perhaps if they saw her wearing an apron and a chef's hat, they'd think differently.
Her mood suddenly brighter after her two phone calls, Annelie put her mother's letters back into the package. She'd get through things, one at a time.
***
Nothing remained of the meal. Carolyn looked down at her rounded stomach, wondering if she'd be able to fit into her clothes at work. They were going to shoot the first scene a day earlier than expected.
"Jem, you're going to cause me all kinds of trouble. Yesterday lobsters, and today this incredible casserole. I'll pop the buttons in all of my clothes," she groaned.
"What can I say? I love to cook. I don't have time when I'm home because I work so much and, frankly, cooking for one isn't very inspiring." Jem shrugged. "I'm glad you liked it."
"Liked it?" Annelie moaned, unbuttoning her jeans. "I don't think that's the right word."
Looking at the empty plates, Jem grinned. "I take that as a compliment."
"We've got to have the Davidsons and Helen over one night," Annelie said. "We can't keep Jem's skills a secret like this. They'll never forgive us."
"I like Helen St. Cyr," Jem said. "She seemed really down-to-earth and nice when we talked briefly at the Orlando convention."
"She is," Carolyn agreed. "We get along better all the time, and I think she and Annelie really hit it off flying back from L.A."
"She has a great sense of humor." Annelie shared the story about Helen's fuck-me boots.
Jem laughed out loud, leaning back into her chair. "Oh, God, the things people want to know. I'm still laughing at the smooth-or-crunchy-peanut-butter question someone asked you, Carolyn."
"In L.A., it was about my belly button," Carolyn said. "It's pretty innocent, though."
"We ought to invite some people from the set." Annelie ran a finger over her lips. "Perhaps Regina and Gregory."
"And Margo."
"Yes, that'd be a lot of fun," Annelie said. "We can make it a casual get-together, nothing fancy. Except the food, of course. I promise to be your kitchen slave, Jem."
"Good. I hate to wash dishes."
"I'll just call for maid service."
As they cleared the table and filled the dishwasher, Carolyn moved with care, since flashes of light sparkled behind her eyelids. The food hadn't stopped her escalating headache. Not wanting to worry the others, she turned to Annelie with a casual smile. "Think it's time for my swim, love. I'll join you in the living room later."
Annelie frowned. "You look pale. Do you have a headache?"
"A little one. It was a long day. A swim will take care of that." Carolyn forced herself to smile.
Annelie didn't look convinced, but she relented. "All right. I'll make you some café latte."
Carolyn smiled again, this time more genuinely. "Oh, you're such a treasure. Royal Copenhagen?"
"Of course." Annelie kissed her on the nose. "Go on."
Carolyn shot Jem a glance and was relieved to see her grin. "You two are too cute for words," she said.
Rolling her eyes in mock exasperation, and immediately regretting it since it sent a jolt of pain through her temples, Carolyn went to get ready. Examining her face in the bathroom mirror, she realized Annelie was right. She was pale, with dark shadows under her eyes.
As Carolyn pushed through the cool water, her arms seemed heavier than normal. Changing from the breaststroke to a crawl, she tried to ignore the pain in her shoulders. The current seemed stronger than usual, making her wonder if she'd accidentally changed the settings. After another ten minutes of the searing ache, she decided to stop and was stunned at how difficult it was to climb out of the pool.