Sunday afternoon business meetings might seem a little odd to anyone who hadn't dipped a toe into the film industry, but back home, they were as normal as a 10:30 Tuesday morning in some stuffy boardroom. Lelah actually preferred doing business on the week-ends; things tended to have a more relaxed atmosphere and people almost always let their guards down enough that she could truly get a good feeling for what sort of person they were.

Sunday certainly was an odd day for a meeting with The Big Boss. But then, Olivia supposed, Lelah Rivka had precious little time during the rest of the week. Quite why she had been summoned to meet the formidable Ms Rivka was beyond her, but what The Big Boss wants, The Big Boss gets. So right on schedule, Olivia Broderick presented herself in the closest thing to a suit she owned at Teas'n Tomes, wondering if this was just a roundabout way of firing her without an audience.

Lelah arrived just a few minutes early for her meeting with the fourth assistant director whom she hoped would prove to be a candidate for promotion to her own personal assistant. She ordered a complete tea service and was curled up in a wicker chair in front of the shop's huge front windows, sipping a good orange pekoe tea and nibbling at a clotted-cream-covered scone. In a striking contrast to Olivia's smart suit, Lelah was barefoot, her shoes lying under the table, and she wearing a loose-fitting buttery yellow dress with an abstract pattern picked out in tan and darker brown.

With a wriggle of her nose to adjust the sit of her glasses, Olivia took a deep breath and opened the door, her eyes going straight to the director sitting in the window. Should she get a drink, or should she just sit right down and get it all over with? Decisions, decisions. Well, she might not have time to drink anything she bought, if she really was about to be fired, so ... Straightening her shoulders, she turned to make her way toward Lelah's chosen seat. "Um ... You asked to see me, Ms Rivka?"

Lelah looked up and rewarded the girl with her trade-mark brilliant smile. "Olivia," she said and gestured to the seat across from her. "Have a seat. Have some tea. Have a scone; they're very good." She shifted in her seat, swinging her legs down under the table, and slipped her shoes on. Maybe it was time to pretend to be a grown up now.

Liv couldn't help blinking in surprise - The Big Boss had remembered her name! Shutting her mouth before she started to look like a pregnant goldfish, she hurriedly sat herself down where she was told, drumming her fingers on her knees. Nervous manners precluded her from joining in the tea and scone fest. "Thank you, but I'm fine, really," she assured her employer, once again wriggling her nose to push her glasses higher. "How are you today, Ms Rivka?"

"I'm wonderful. It's a gorgeous Sunday. I've just come from Mass, my soul is shriven, and I'm going to see my boyfriend tonight." She flashed Olivia another wide smile and then set her tea down in front of her. "Relax, darling. I'm not going to fire you. Take a deep breath, okay?"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Realising she'd said that aloud, Liv clapped a hand over her mouth, eyeing Lelah much as one might a recently disturbed poisonous snake. Dangerous, yes, but fascinating. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud," she apologised quickly, obediently taking the deep breath suggested as colour flooded her cheeks. "So, um ... is this about the V.I.P.s' visit? Because, honestly, I didn't know that Vicki had the press in on the same day - I would never have taken them through the green room, if I had known!"

Lelah laughed and shook her head, thoroughly, selfishly, enjoying the girl's discomfort. "No, no. It has nothing to do at all with that. Well, not that specific part. I think you handled things admirably, especially since they were such important people and more than a little intimidating. You sure you won't have some tea or a scone. I'll get you a coffee if you'd rather."

"Oh, no, really, I'm fine. Thank you." She nodded hurriedly, the movement dislodging a hank of hair from her ponytail to flop into her face. Blowing at it didn't work to remove it from her vision, either. She wasn't relaxing, though, biting her lip for a moment before looking up from her hands. "Was there something ... important you wanted me for? I'll have the estimates for the new delivery of film for you tomorrow morning."

"Do you like your job?" she asked curiously, noting the hair and the glasses and wondering if she'd be open to letting Lelah get her into hair, makeup, and oh, costuming, too.

The question seemed to flummox Liv for a moment, once again producing the effect of a mouthing goldfish in glasses. "Well, it's ... it's more than anyone my age could hope for, what with my degree being totally useless and everything," she shrugged, wide mouth curving in a nervous smile as she spoke. "I suppose - if I'm honest - it's not quite as challenging as I thought it might be. Not that making tea and running errands isn't really important at the studio, I do realise it is. But, well ? there are only so many fairy tales you can tell yourself while you're adding sugar and milk every day."

Lelah nodded thoughtfully. "And in a perfect world, what would you be doing right now? What's your dream job?"

There was a difficult question to answer. Liv's gaze flickered back and forth for a moment, her expression proving her to be uncomfortable with what she was about to say. "I don't actually know, Ms Rivka."

"You're young, yet. You've got time to figure things out." Lelah studied the girl's face intently for a moment, no doubt unnerving the poor creature more. "How old are you, anyway?"

Liv's eyes widened a little as she met that intense gaze a little longer than she was entirely happy with. "Um ... twenty-two?" she offered uncertainly.

Lelah barked out a startled laugh. "God, you're just two years younger than me!" The laughter trailed off into amused chuckles and she took another sip of her tea. "Do you like dogs?" Non-sequitor, anyone?

Liv eyed her warily once again, leaning back. "Are you saying I look like Stanley Tucci?"

"Not exactly. More like Andy. I'd love for you to take a gander through the closet and sit for hair and makeup, too. If you're not doing anything, that is." Somehow, she managed to make it sound less like a request and more like a demand, couched in gentleness. "And maybe a visit to the eye doctor for contacts?"

"Oh, I have contacts, I just don't wear them," Liv nodded, shrugging as though this was a totally normal thing to do. Being bullied through her teenaged years had given her a decidedly less than normal amount of interest in her own looks. But if The Big Boss wanted to play dress up with her, who was she to argue? It wouldn't be too uncomfortable, hopefully. "I'm not doing anything. I never do anything," she admitted with a snort of laughter.

"Well, hopefully, that'll all change soon. You'll be learning what it's like to life my life, Olivia. You'll meet my dog, my boyfriend, my friends. You'll get to see what it's like to not only act, but write and direct and run a film studio. You'll sit in on meetings with the department heads, cast and crew, the investors. Hell, you'll be with me everywhere...except the bedroom, of course. You sure you still want the job?"

"One question, before I say yes or no ... is there a dress code? Because, seriously, this is about as smart as I get."

Lelah shook her head. "No dress code. Just don't show up wearing jeans and t-shirt on meetings day. Take pride in your appearance, Olivia; you're a lovely girl. Work what you've got."

That was a relief. There was no way in hell she could ever expect to do justice to her boss' image if she was expected to look as glamorous as Lelah did every day. But comfortable and presentable, that Liv could do. She smiled, nodding assuredly. "Then I'm in. For better or worse, you're stuck with me now, Ms Rivka."

"I'm glad. I think it'll be wonderful. Now, do you have a smart phone or a PDA or something?"

"I have a pager." Evidently Liv was still living in the last century, technology-wise.

"Right, well. You're gonna need to join us here in the twenty-first century. First thing Monday morning, you'll need to stop and talk to Jenny at the front desk. She'll get you a Blackberry. And then come and see me and we'll get started on you learning my schedule and all the important stuff. You'll need to bring me the morning edition of the Post, a caramel macchiato and a lemon-poppy seed muffin." She paused, eyes narrowing, wondering if Olivia was going to make notes or write any of this down.

Liv was nodding as she took all this in, relying on her memory - which had never yet let her down - to keep it all straight. "Jenny first thing in the morning; the Post; caramel macchiato; lemon-poppy seed muffin," she repeated thoughtfully, looking up once again expectantly. "Is there anything specific happening tomorrow that you need me to remember?"

"I'll need to meet with Scott to discuss rearranging the shooting schedule while Jon's on a break. I'll need to send flowers or something to Gwen Granger's funeral and a sympathy card to her husband; find out who he is and take care of it. Oh, and you'll need the keys to my house, too. You'll need to walk Oscar - he's my dog, obviously - twice a day and make sure he's got food and water. Play with him, too. He likes to chase things."

Again, Liv nodded after every point made, filing it all away in the depths of her reliable memory and inwardly hoping like hell that Oscar was a nice dog. "I can have most of that done by mid-morning, Ms Rivka," she assured Lelah with a final nod. "And I'm sure Oscar and I will work something out."

"Fantastic," Lelah smiled. Then she rose from the table and gave the girl her hand again. "I'm really looking forward to this. I hope we can help each other. Don't forget about wardrobe. They're waiting. And ask Emma or Marie to take photos for me and have them to me in the morning."

"Alright." Still nonplussed by the speed with which she'd been promoted and inducted into her new job, Liv rose to her feet, shaking Lelah's hand a second time. "And really, thank you so much for this opportunity. I will do my best not to let you down."

"You'd better not," Lee said breezily and shouldered her bag, heels beating a sharp staccato as she moved for the door. Now then, where'd she leave her Leopard lying?

((Many thanks to Olivia Broderick's player for this scene.))