“You mean put you on an allowance?” Gretchen said mildly, turning to look back at Eldon. “Can we add another seat to the party?”
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Eldon gave Gretchen an unhappy look.
She wasn’t sure at all, but she didn’t have much of a choice.
“’Course she does,” Daphne said, and blinked rapidly. Gretchen noticed her pupils were huge and dilated. “I’m the entertainment. Don’t you know who I am?”
“He doesn’t care who you are, and you’re not the entertainment,” Gretchen told her.
“I’m really sorry,” Audrey said, hurrying behind her. “I didn’t know what else to do. Should we leave her in a room somewhere to let her sleep it off?”
“Can we trust her not to steal the silver?”
“Um, no.”
“Then no, we can’t. This is Hunter’s house.” Gretchen sighed. “Come on. Let’s introduce my junkie sister to my boyfriend and my new editor. This’ll be fun.”
They returned to the dining room and the soft, casual voices of conversation died at the sight of Daphne’s skinny, listing form.
“Hi, everyone. This is my sister Audrey and her twin, Daphne.” Gretchen winced, waiting for the explosions. The gasps. The whispers. Something always happened when Daphne entered a room.
It didn’t take long. Kat was the first to arrive at her side. “Oh, my God. Is that . . .” Her gaze went to Gretchen. “You’re Daphne Petty’s sister? The Daphne Petty?”
“Daphne! I am such a big fan.” The editorial assistant arrived at Daphne’s side, gushing with clear excitement. “I loved your first album. I even saw you on tour in 2010 with the Lipstick Project.”
“Yeah, that was me,” Daphne said, brightening to the subject. She put an arm around the editorial assistant’s shoulders and leaned in way too close. “They sucked, didn’t they? That fucking tour was a nightmare. Hated every moment of it. Couldn’t wait to get backstage and get loaded every night, just to get through the goddamn day. The drugs were the only thing that made it worth it. Shit, they had some fine ass drugs.” She peered at her new friend’s face. “You don’t have any drugs on you, do you?”
“Um.” The editorial assistant’s eyes widened and she looked to Gretchen for help.
“Daph,” Gretchen said in a warning voice.
“Oooh, wine,” Daphne said, heading for the table.
“No wine!” Audrey said, hurrying after her sister.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that Daphne Petty was your sister,” Kat hissed at her. “She is a gold mine of Hollywood gossip. Do you think she’d let us do an autobiography? We could sell it. We’re talking mill
ions.”
“No, Kat,” Gretchen said, turning her agent away from Daphne and Audrey. “She’s not interested and neither am I. Her life is private.”
“Not that private,” Kat pointed out. “She’s in the tabloids every week. Is it true that her manager has her on a strict allowance? Is it true that she slept with Thomas Steele and aborted his baby? That her label assigns her handlers?”
Gretchen gave Kat a stern look. “I’m serious. Drop it. Daphne’s off the table.”
Kat raised a hand, indicating that she was backing off. “I’m just saying. You know where to go if she ever needs an influx of cash. Which, according to Star Trax magazine, is any day now.”
Ugh. Gretchen rubbed her forehead, stress returning. Count on Daphne to mess things up tonight. She’d been hoping to have a low-key dinner to excite the publishing house, not try and put her sister up for auction to a group of vultures.
Brontë stepped in, smiling apologetically. “I hate to break in to the conversation, ladies, but dinner’s going to be served in a few minutes. Gretchen, where do you want to seat Daphne?”
Gretchen hesitated. Daphne’s high-pitched giggle cut through the air, grating on Gretchen’s nerves. “Put her on the far end of the table. Let’s make sure nothing but water gets close to Daphne.”
Brontë nodded and moved to Daphne’s side. As a former waitress, Brontë had experience in dealing with loud, obnoxious patrons, so Gretchen was assured that Brontë could handle her.
“Is everything all right?” Hunter was at Gretchen’s side in the next moment, his arm moving protectively around her shoulders. “You look unhappy.”
“Just surprised,” she told him softly. “Though I shouldn’t be. Daphne just brings trouble wherever she goes.”