“Uh-oh. What’s wrong?”
Doris stood with her back to the lighted mirrored wall as Eliza took a seat in the makeup chair and peeled back the orange wrapper of a jumbo Butterfinger.
“What could be wrong?” Eliza shrugged. “There are at least two maniacs out there obsessed with me and the one person in the world I really want to be obsessed with me is three thousand miles away and hasn’t called me. I’m the luckiest woman in the world.” She bit off a big chunk of the chocolate candy bar. “I thought I’d just really make the perfect picture complete by downing a couple hundred extra calories.”
“Whoa, girl. Back up. What do you mean there are two maniacs out there?”
Eliza recounted the morning meeting as Doris nervously lit up a Marlboro Ultra Light.
“You’re not supposed to smoke in here,” Eliza said automatically, though she couldn’t have cared less. The fact was she wanted a cigarette herself.
Doris ignored her.
“Well, what are you supposed to do?”
“I’m supposed to be careful.”
“Mm-hmm. Watch myself and trust my instincts. If I feel something is wrong, it probably is.”
“Oh, baby.” Doris threw her leopard-print long-sleeved T-shirted arms around her friend. “And Mack hasn’t called either? I can’t believe it. Maybe he’s out on some story.”
“He’s not. I checked the foreign insights. He’s listed as being in the London bureau today.”
Doris wanted to spit out, Bastard, but she didn’t. She also decided not to tell Eliza that Abigail Snow had come into the makeup room today, sniffing around and bringing up the subject of Eliza. She had heard Eliza had moved out of the city. Did Doris know where she was living? Was Eliza still involved with Mack McBride? She even asked exactly what Doris used to make Eliza’s eyes look the way they did on air. Doris had thought it strange, since she had never seen Abigail wear any makeup.
She had heard through the grapevine that Abigail was gay. And if Doris was to trust her instincts, she would say that Abigail had a thing for Eliza.
But that was the last thing that Eliza needed to hear or worry about now.