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the shit out of him for runningaway. In his warped way he feels responsible—he sold Moses and Moses ran, so now he’s going to break him. Brooks has this need to make Moses submit. But Moses would rather die, right? He’s got all this pride, see, and he’s never going to bow his head and say, ‘Yes, master’ to any man. And Jane, she still cares very deeply for Moses, and she figures she’s got to help him get to freedom before Brooks kills him. She’s willing to make all kinds of sacrifices—even sacrificing her own freedom by agreeing to marry Brooks—for Moses. It’s a really powerful story.”
    Jamaal sat for a moment in silence.
    Victor just waited for him to speak.
    Kate took a sip of her coffee, also waiting. This was it. If Jamaal didn’t want in now, after Victor’s vivid telling of the part of the movie that dealt with Jane and Moses’ complex relationship, there was nothing they could do to convince him.
    The young man finally cleared his throat. “Who’s, uh, who’s playing Jane?”
    Victor didn’t hesitate. “Susie McCoy.” Kate nearly dropped her coffee mug.
    “No shit? That cute little kid from
Slumberparty
and
The Thing in the Basement
,” Jamaal paused. “She old enough?”
    “She’s fifteen now. She’s got her own sitcom.
Uptown Girl?
”
    “Yeah, I’ve seen promos for that show. That’s Susie McCoy? The blonde?”
    “That’s her.”
    “Whoa. She’s still real cute.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “How about Laramie?” Jamaal asked. “Who you got lined up to play him?”
    Kate felt her fingers tighten around the handle of themug. Again, Victor spoke as if the contract were already on his desk. “Jericho Beaumont.”
    “Oh, man, he’s great. But he’s been off the map for what? Five years? Is he gonna draw? Or will he give this picture a B-list feel?”
    “He’ll draw. The curiosity factor alone will bring people in. He’s a brilliant actor, despite all his personal problems.”
    “I know,” Jamaal said. “I’ve always wanted to work with him. I never thought I’d have a chance.”
    “Sign on, and you will.”
    Kate opened the door and stood there, gazing at Victor. How could he make promises to Jamaal like this? He glanced up at her, and he didn’t even have the grace to blush.
    “So what do you think?” Victor asked Jamaal.
    The young actor wasn’t quite convinced. “I’m not sure about being out of the City for the entire summer …”
    “I know the amount we’ve offered seems low to you, but both Jericho and Susie have agreed to work for union scale. You’d be the highest-paid actor on the set.”
    “Yeah?” It was obvious that that idea appealed to Jamaal.
    “What d’ya say? You wanna win an Oscar next year? Are you in?”
    Jamaal laughed and nodded. “Yeah, sure. Why not? Send whatever you need signed to my agent.”
    Kate cleared her throat pointedly, and Victor glanced up at her again. “Hey, look, let me introduce you to our producer—Mary Kate O’Laughlin. I’m sorry, Katie, I would’ve called you to join us when Jamaal first came in, but I didn’t realize you were back there.”
    “No kidding.” Kate shot him a look that was meant to burn a hole through him.
    Jamaal stood, and Kate met him halfway across the room, reaching out to shake his hand. She forced herself tosmile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jamaal. But before you—”
    “Jamaal’s in a hurry.” Victor herded the young man toward the door. “I’ll send the papers this afternoon.”
    As the door closed behind Jamaal, Kate glared at Victor. “You lied to him. You sat there, and you
lied
to him.”
    “Katie, Katie, Katie. It doesn’t have to be a lie.” Victor’s blue eyes danced behind the lenses of his glasses as he came toward her, smiling his most engaging smile.
    Her ex-husband was mercurial and ageless, even with the gray in both his hair and his neatly trimmed beard. He was a charming, mischievous boy-man—as innocently, blamelessly egocentric as a