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“Wow,” Pandy said “That’s it? It’s that easy?”

“Hollywood is an easy place when you know the right people”

“Great!” Pandy enthused “So when can I meet her?”

“Right now,” Roger said, pressing the button for the elevator “The car will take you to a salon near the Chateau SondraBeth will be there She wants to get her hair done or so”

A disturbing thought occurred to Pandy “Is she high-maintenance?”

Roger shrugged and gave an exaggerated smirk And in that moment, Pandy’s heart sank She suddenly understood that this so-called ence, the studio’s way ofled nowhere—as they apparently suspected it would—the studio would go back to doing whatever it was they planned to do fro They would do it with i it without her

As Pandy got into the elevator, she decided that wasn’t going to happen

The salon was in a s center on Sunset, a few blocks from the hotel When the car pulled up, Pandy spotted SondraBeth on the sidewalk, head bent over cupped hands

She was lighting a cigarette

She earing a fringed suede jacket that looked expensive, possibly Ralph Lauren

She had on a pair of reen trousers She’d rolled the waist down to reveal the silver-gray lining and the tops of her hip bones

As Pandy got out of the car, SondraBeth glanced over hopefully She was still looking hopeful as she took in Pandy’s appearance: her long, swinging hair, stylishly short yellow skirt, and fancy black-and-white patent leather heels A front tooth pulled back the edge of SondraBeth’s lower lip as a look of disrin “Hey,” SondraBeth said, as if she, too, were in on the joke “I’ll bet you can’t even get me this job” She tossed her head as if it didn’t matter

Pandy laughed “I’ll bet I can”

SondraBeth got the cigarette lit She exhaled a streareen eyes off Pandy She shrugged “If you can’t, it’s not your fault I deal with this bullshit every day”