“Negative.” Millie’s voice was muffled because her mouth was full. “Fuck,” she said when chocolate dropped on her pale yellow sweater dress. “Damn, I’m going to have to change now. I can’t let Diane Sawyer think I’m a slob.”
Stella pulled out her phone and hit George’s name on Voxer. “Breaker, breaker, Busted Balls. You should’ve told me about the goons.” She smiled at them. “No offense.”
“None taken,” the guy sitting next to her said. “Jesse said you were kind of a handful.”
“Did he now?” Stella asked.
“Better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission, Love,” George’s voice came through her phone. “And leave my balls alone.”
After an hour of Millie trying on every piece of clothing either one of them brought, they walked into the hotel room that had been reserved for Stella’s interview.
Millie greeted a woman with a clipboard. “Stella Murphy is here.”
“Oh, she’s right on time, great. Makeup is over there.” The woman pointed into the bedroom of the suite.
Diane Sawyer was already there drinking coffee and getting the finishing touches on her makeup and hair. She was more beautiful in person than Stella expected. As Stella made her way over to the chairs set up for hair and makeup, her stomach flipped and she was glad she’d taken her medication already. She put on her fake smile.
Diane Sawyer got up when she saw Stella and a brilliant smile spread across her face. “Stella Murphy, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Stella said, shaking her hand nervously. “This is Camille Rodriguez.”
“Nice to meet you both, but please, don’t call me ‘ma’am.’ You make me feel my age.” She laughed and sat back down in the chair. “Come sit. The faster this part is done the sooner we get to the real fun.”
Stella nodded and looked at the woman with blue streaks in her hair that was motioning for Stella sit in the chair in front of her. Stella tried not to freak out about this particular woman doing her hair or makeup—it wouldn’t go over well if the FBI Beauty showed up on network television with unnaturally streaked hair. This person was obviously a professional, though. Right?
“Now, Stella, let’s get to know each other a little,” Diane said as soon as Stella was settled and being primped. “I’ve been doing research on you before today and I’m really glad to meet you.”
“Thank you,” Stella replied. This entire situation was so surreal. She was having a difficult time believing it was her reality, which was really no different than the last year and a half.
“Thank you for letting us do the interview, Stella. I’m told it’s the only one you’ll be doing, is that right?” Diane asked.
“Yes. I don’t want to be in the spotlight, but I know people have questions and this is the easiest way to answer them all at one time,” she answered, reciting what Greg and Millie had been telling her for months.
“Well, I’ll try to be gentle.” Diane Sawyer laughed and her phone rang. She answered it and Stella tried to catch her breath.
I’m fucking talking to Diane Sawyer.
The woman doing her hair leaned in her ear. “You’ll be fine.”
Stella glanced in the mirror at the woman and mouthed “thank you,” not trusting her voice.
Diane got up from her chair and the makeup artist came over to Stella and starting putting makeup on her face.
“I want to make sure it looks natural,” Stella said, surprised by the abruptness of the makeup application.
The makeup artist nodded and kept applying. When she was done, she walked off, allowing Stella to see herself in the mirror. She looked like a clown. Panicked, she looked for Millie.
“Did you see where my friend went?” Stella asked anxiously.
The hair stylist pointed toward the couches where Diane Sawyer and Millie were talking like they were old friends. Stella stood up and willed her legs to move.
Millie, seeing her face, stood up and exclaimed, “You look awesome!”
“It’s not too much makeup?” Stella asked. She touched her cheek. “I sort of feel like a clown.”
“It looks like it’s too much to you now, but on camera, it will look natural. I promise.” Diane moved to a chair directly across from the couch and motioned for Stella to sit. “Let’s get started. Do you want any water or anything?”
“I’ll get it,” Millie offered immediately and hurried across the room to where a couple of bottles of water were waiting. She grabbed one and turned to see Stella’s anguish morph into relief. “Here you go.” She put the water on the table in front of Stella and gave her a reassuring smile. Then she moved behind Diane Sawyer to take in the interview. Stella straightened her black and grey striped dress and crossed her legs.
“Stella Murphy, I just want to say first, that we’re so happy to be sitting down with you today. I know this is uncomfortable for you and that you’re a private person, so I wanted to thank you.” Diane leaned down and put her pad on the table between them.
“I’m happy to clear up some of the misinformation that’s out there about me and you’re my favorite journalist, so you won the prize,” Stella said mischievously.
Millie smiled at the immediate and total 180 Stella did. She went from looking like she was about to puke to the calm, confident person Mille knew her to be. Stella smiled and pretended she was in a courtroom.
“Well, I’m not sure I’m your favorite reporter. I did hear that your boyfriend is a reporter, so I guess second best will have to do.” She laughed. “So let’s start easy. How are you doing?”
“I’m in a strange place,” Stella admitted, “because my testimony is over right now but there’s a pending investigation for the recent threats against me. I think, all in all, I’m doing okay. I’m working, which makes me happy. I’m living with the love of my life, which makes me extremely happy. And I’m really just trying to put all of this behind me.”
“You have a really healthy attitude about things. I have to say I see what’s happened to you and I feel so sorry for you. I don’t know what I would do if my fiancé died, I got shot, turned into a celebrity overnight, had to testify in a federal trial, and then received death threats.” Diane’s voice was sympathetic.
“Well, when you put it like that, I may need to throw up.” Stella made a move to get up and then sat back down.
Diane laughed politely. “We know so much about you that a normal person would keep private; how are you dealing with that?”
“I honestly think that’s the worst part of this entire experience,” she paused, “and yes, that includes getting shot. I just want to go back to the days when I could run with my dog and it wouldn’t end up all over the internet.”
“Well, you have to understand the media’s fascination with you.”
Stella shook her head. “I really don’t. My friends tell me it’s because I’m very tragic,” she smirked and looked at Millie.
“Well, I’m not sure it’s that, Stella. It’s because all of these things keep happening to you and you keep going. Also, it doesn’t hurt that you’re a very attractive woman. The many pictures of you scantily clad helped fuel the ‘FBI Beauty’ moniker.”
“Ugh, I hate that name.” Stella rolled her eyes and took a sip of water.
“Why?”
“Because I worked for the General Counsel for the FBI approximately three weeks before I was shot—I don’t even work for them anymore and I’m not beautiful. I’m very normal-looking and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“You don’t think you’re beautiful?” Diane Sawyer raised her eyebrows at Stella, showing she didn’t believe her.