Born to Be Wild by Catherine Coulter Page B

success on Born to Be Wild . And you won another Emmy. Fabulous. I read in Variety you’re considered something of a phenomenon—the bitchier they make you, the more over-the-top you are, the more popular you become.”
    Kathleen raised her now famous eyebrows in an incredulous and pitying look. “You actually read that sleaze, Mark dear?” Mary Lisa found herself studying her expression, and decided it was extraordinarily effective. Sunday should definitely take on that look.
    Mark shrugged. “Naturally I’m interested in what Mary Lisa’s doing. But I haven’t quite stooped to buying the soap opera fanzines in the checkout line at the supermarket, except if Mary Lisa’s on the cover.”
    Kelly said, “That’s because you never go to the supermarket, Mark. Hey, Mary Lisa, even I didn’t know you were on a cover of Soap Opera Digest last month until Heddy at the beauty shop mentioned it.”
    Mary Lisa smiled in acknowledgment, but said nothing. It had been a fun shoot. Nor was she going to tell them that she’d be on one of the weekly covers again this month since she’d won the Emmy—she shared the cover with Bernie. The shoot had been a hoot.
    Monica seemed bored as she took a delicate bite of her Caesar salad, frowned at a crouton, and gently shoved it to the side of the salad bowl.
    Kathleen said smoothly, “Of course we’re all happy for your success, Mary Lisa. But a soap opera—for heaven’s sake, where did that ridiculous name come from? A soap opera just fills up the day for bored housewives—well, I hope after leaving this part you’ll find some more meaningful parts. Isn’t it difficult to be prancing around like that, dressed like a tart, sleeping with every man in sight?”
    Mary Lisa felt her stomach knot, but said easily, blessed humor coming from somewhere, “Goodness, Mother. Why don’t you tell us how you really feel?”
    Her father burst into laughter. “Bored housewives? You know, Kathy, in our main office, the TV goes on religiously every day at eleven o’clock with a viewership upwards of a dozen people. We call it our soap brunch hour. And everyone cheers when they see Mary Lisa. I love to watch you, sweetheart, and of course to try to figure out who will end up marrying whom with every new season.”
    Mary Lisa nodded. “Too true. An unwritten rule is that the writers give a newly married couple about six months of marital bliss before they start messing with them.”
    Kathleen was staring at her husband. “When did you start watching television at your office?”
    Her father’s eyebrows went up. “I thought I’d told you, Kathy. The TV arrived the day Mary Lisa first started on Born to Be Wild .”
    â€œA lovely big-screen, Dad?”
    â€œIt’s a forty-five-inch,” he said and laughed.
    Kelly looked her sister in the eye. “And look what happened when you accepted that part, Mary Lisa. While you were down there, poor Mark was up here, all alone. Except for Monica. Was it six months before Monica messed you two up?”

FOURTEEN
    â€œIs there ever anything you decide not to say, Kelly?” Monica asked.
    Mary Lisa looked thoughtful. “How very odd. It was about six months, as I remember. Wasn’t it, Mark?”
    â€œMaybe,” Mark said, unperturbed, a small smile playing around his mouth. “Six months, Monica?”
    â€œThis is ridiculous,” Kathleen said. “Stop it, all of you. It is not funny.”
    George said, nodding, “I agree with your mother. Drop it. Now, sometimes I’m in a meeting or up to my ears in a project, and I can’t watch with everyone else. I’ll hear cheering or groans or boos from the outer office. Most clients who come in know exactly who you are and want to take a break, watch the show too. Rain or shine, I see you most every day, sweetheart.”
    â€œI just