"Morning Millie. Have an interesting weekend?" Jeff offers me a one-dimpled smile as I put down my bags.

After logging into my computer, I look at him. "You could say that, but that wouldn't do it justice. It was complete mayhem outside of the theatre and I got stuck in the crowd..."

He has a newspaper in his hand. "I saw the pictures... "

I frown. "I think everyone saw the pictures. I'm just thankful the tabloids don't know who I am..."

Jeff's dimple disappears as he frowns back at me and hands me the paper. It's folded open to the gossip page. He points to one blurb.

Everyone's seen the photos of dashing Fin Covington sweeping a mystery lady over the police barricade outside of BAM on Friday night. But only we can tell you exclusively that she's a minion from his agency. The venerable RAA usually frowns upon their low level staffers 'fraternizing' with their biggest stars. This leads us to wonder... Is she an arranged girlfriend so tongues stop wagging about what a cad Fin is? Or is he mixing business with pleasure again? Will this girl last more than the hot minute his past three relationships did? Inquiring minds want to know and our sources are hard at work to get the scoop. There's surely more to come where this story is concerned.

My stomach curdles and I haven't even had my coffee yet. "This is trouble. What should I do Jeff?!"

"Relax Millie! You went to one show. Eric was the one that accepted the invitation for you... There's no more scoop to be had. It'll die down soon. My advice is, do nothing."

I hand the paper back to him. "Yeah no more scoop to be had... that's it... you're right..."

Jeff is probably one of the most honest people I work with, so I feel bad lying to him. However, I'm not about to confess that there's more to the story where Fin and I are concerned. And there is always the possibility that Jeff is right. I didn't hear from Fin again after Saturday morning. He kept his distance as he said he would. I take a deep breath and steel myself to focus on work today. Since it's my month to maintain the commercial department conflict list I'll start there. I open up last week's booking slips to check over the new jobs for any updates.

"Millie Stevens?" I turn at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. There's a mailroom trainee holding a beautiful trifle bowl of peonies and ranunculus. He places them on top of my filing cabinet. "These are for you. I'll just leave them here. By the way, those were some awesome shots with Covington on Friday!"

I'm speechless, so I simply nod mutely and he walks away. Miranda arrives at that moment. "Whoa! That's some arrangement. What did you do to deserve those Millie?" 

I shake my head and she reaches for the card, but I leap from my chair and snatch it out before she can get it. I sit back down on the edge of my seat and rip it open. Instantly, I recognize Fin's handwriting from the notes on my screenplay. After all, I stared at them all day long yesterday as I made edits based on his suggestions.

Millie - if you do not love me I shall not be loved, if I do not love you I shall not love - Your Servant

So much for keeping his distance. The man wasn't kidding when he said he knows how to utilize other people's words. The card is quite effective. My stomach pirouettes and my heart palpitates at the lines from Beckett's poem Cascando. I clutch them against my heart.  

Miranda is sniffing at the flowers. "Well Millie, who are they from?" 

I lean further back into my chair. "A guy I kissed over the weekend." 

She puckers her lips. "I didn't know you had a date." 

Peeling the card away from my chest, I look at Fin's handwriting again. "I didn't. It was more like... an impromptu meet-up and a small kiss." 

Miranda plucks the note from my fingers. She reads it and fans herself with the card. "Hot! Is this quote from Shakespeare?"

But she doesn't wait for my answer as she hands me back the card and begins putting down her things and waking up her computer. "Whatever it's from, it's extremely romantic coming from a random hook-up. I thought you gave up on Tinder?"

I smile and blush. "It is... I thought I'd given up a lot of things..." Keeping my answer vague is smart because I would rather Miranda think it is from Shakespeare and not know exactly how romantic Fin is.

A quick conference window pings on my screen to alert me to a new message, so I don't have to say anything more to her. Saved by the bell.

ASasst: Do you have that coverage ready?

EGasst: Yes it's ready.

ASasst: I can send a trainee down to get it.

EGasst: No need. I'll bring it up.

ASasst: Fine.

When I get into the MOPIC hallway, I notice that Carter isn't in his chair. I nervously tug on the hem of my tight green dress to make sure it's back in place after climbing the stairs. As I get closer, the trainee that just delivered the flowers to my desk comes out of Abe's office. Carter is in there stacking the coverages he completed over the weekend in priority order on the corner of the desk. He looks at me, silently glowering, as I step through the doorway.

I decide to be the first to speak. "Does Abe have trainees reading for him now?"

"Sometimes..." Carter doesn't look at me as he continues moving around the room preparing for Abe's arrival.

My patience is already running low. "So then Friday was complete bullshit I guess."

"Not complete bullshit..." He keeps moving, sorting the mail, waking up Abe's computer, and wiping the screens with a cloth.

There's no way I'm going to let him play his games with me. "Which part wasn't then? Did Abe even ask for me to cover that script?"

He doesn't answer me, but puts his hand out for my papers instead. I give them to him and he puts them on the top of the stack. Then he tries to walk past me to leave the office. But I grab his jacket sleeve. "Can you stop for a minute Carter?! You had a lot to say to me on Friday and now you have nothing to say today? I emailed you my edited screenplay last night..."

He looks down at my hand and then meets my eyes. "I heard you got flowers this morning."

The realization strikes me that the trainee must have just reported that tidbit to him. Who else he has spying for him? I don't confirm or deny the information from his minion though. When I don't say anything, he makes a disgusted noise. "I guess you got something better than a B-movie lay."

I drop my hand from his arm. I want to yell at him but I keep my voice deadly calm. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. And you know what? Don't do me any favors... don't bother reading my script!"

Carter's face contorts into an ugly sneer. "Hey they're your words not mine. You're the writer after all."

I feel my lip quiver and my throat constricts as I suppress the tears that threaten to emerge. My voice comes out small and strangled. "That's right and I get to create my own ending." I turn on my nude patent heels and leave.