Excerpt: Holywood

Hallie Parker didn't care that half her body dangled off the loft above the party below her. No. Her concern was for the uninvited guest who stood to ruin her night.

She skimmed the crowd to find Devon. He was nowhere to be found as usual. She rolled her eyes and grimaced.

Men. Why should I bother?

Celebrities didn't care to have any class, brand themselves with some consistency or want a career with longevity anymore. They wanted to be blinged out, host uber expensive parties in Hollywood Hills so that paparazzo and award winning movie producers can see that they don't hold a candle to their competition, who just waltzed into their party with the unofficial First Daughter of Hollywood on their shoulders. A publicist nightmare.

She grabbed the railing, dug her sandal heals into the Berbey carpet and hissed into her walkie talkie. "Will the person who let Zac Walker into my party kindly remove their headset and get the Hell off my payroll!" Actually she shouted in the walkie talkie when she cursed.

She got herself back onto a solid footing, then checked her watch. It was 8:30. Conner's bed time.

She slid her Blackberry out of its pouch, then called home.

James, her mother's helper answered the phone. "Hi, Mrs. Spence. How is the party?"

Hollie didn't believe in talking about her negatives out loud. Those discrepancies she kept in her journal or worked it out during yoga or calling her masseur to stop by the office.

But she couldn't help it this time. She was at her tipping point. "The Party's going to Hell in a dump truck if I don't put out this fire."

"There's a fire?" James asked.

Hollie could imagine her bright blue eyes widen at the sound of fire. "No, hon. There isn't a fire." Hollie chuckled. "I'm venting about an uncoachable client.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Hollie. Is there anything I can do to help?”

She sighed a relief that someone in this crazy town had a clue.

She asked to interview James from the au pair agency a year ago, because she had assumed the British bombshell was a man. When she bonded with Connor in less time than it took for Devon to return an urgent text message, the twenty-something not only became the best nanny she had ever had, but the little sister she had prayed to God for as a young girl.

”Is Connor awake?"

"Yes, he's sitting right here, waiting for your call. I know he will cheer you up."

James whispered for Connor to pick up the phone. After a few scuffle and bump noises she imagined his pudgy fingers trying to hold onto the iphone in the kitchen. She jotted on her notepad to ask her assistant to purchase her son a kid friendly phone as soon as she talked to her son.

"Hey, baby."

Oh, so you're calling me baby now?" David Allister's surprised laugh and booming voice made her feel as if she was about to jump out her skin.

She spun around. "What are you doing here?"

"Your assistant told me I could find you here."

“Well, I hope she told you that I don’t like to be interrupted when I’m on a phone call.”

She returned to her phone call with her son. After she said their family Good Night prayer together she turned back around to David. '

"No." I shook my head. "I meant how did you know where to find me?"