“No thanks. It’ll be good for me. If I can just figure out how to unfold the little lever thing on the clippers.”
Veronica’s mouth tightened as everyone at the table laughed, as charmed by Emma as the terrier was. Emma slipped the dog a thick wedge of potato and the animal smacked his lips in pure bliss.
“You don’t look nearly as…well, you know,” Veronica said. “It’s amazing what the world’s most famous makeup artists can do. I read someplace that there are women who don’t go anywhere without one.”
“I usually pack Pierre in my carry-on luggage, but these days they barely let you carry on a tube of lipstick. Besides, I couldn’t figure out how to declare him in customs.”
The kids roared, some sputtering mouthfuls of milk or fizzy drinks. Score one for Emma, Jared thought.
Veronica feigned a laugh. “That’s wonderful. But then you obviously get a lot of practice making snappy comebacks, being famous and all, I suppose. Especially lately, you poor thing.”
Poor thing? Jared saw Emma’s dark eyes glitter.
“Somehow I manage to bear up under the pressure.”
“Knowing you’re second choice as Lady Aislinn must be tough,” Veronica commiserated. “But it’s a very complex role. You can’t blame Barry Robards for having reservations about giving it to—well, your roles thus far haven’t exactly had much depth.”
“What a horrible curse,” Emma lamented. “Starring in movies that are box office draws when plenty of actresses with a whole lot more talent than I have are waiting on tables and eating stale cornflakes, hoping for their big breaks.”
“No way!” Sean exclaimed, a chorus of denials breaking from the other lads.
“Emma’s fantastic as Jade! No one looks better in spandex than you do! You sure wouldn’t, Ronnie!”
“We’ll never know, will we?” Veronica rejected a slightly burned chip. “It’s hard enough for a woman to win respect in academia without dressing in some skintight catsuit that…well, you must admit, Emma, it doesn’t leave much to the imagination.”
Emma selected an even darker chip and popped it in her mouth. “All that exposed skin is pretty risqué. Showing my hands and my face and—that’s all, isn’t it? You might want to rethink your shorts and T-shirt, Veronica. There’s more of me covered in my Jade Star costume than you’ve got covered right now.”
The boys made a swishing noise, shooting their arms up like referees signaling a goal.
“She’s got you there, Ronnie,” Beth said, stifling a giggle.
“I suppose,” Veronica said. “But I’d rather expose a little bit of leg than my whole private life. That must be terrible, Emma. You can’t go to a shop without seeing the whole sordid story splashed all over the magazines. Your divorce and all.”
Davey flushed, angry. “Veronica! For God’s sake. That’s none of our business.”
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