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Customers at Lucky's Famous burger shop on 52nd Street in Manhattan aren't encouraged to sit on the counters. In fact, management kind of frowns on the practice. But AMC's Alicia Minshew has an in with the proprietor--her boyfriend, Richie Herschenfeld, owns the joint--so she climbs right up in the front window and wolfishly appraises in Lucky Burger and fries placed in front of her.

While photographer Yolanda Perez captures the action on film, Minshew digs in. "This is so good!" she calls out between mouthfuls, a fry held in one hand and a dab of Lucky sauce at the corner of her lips. Passersby slow to gape at the thin beauty eating fast food like it's her job; Minshew is undeterred. "Should I smear some ketchup on my face?" she asks eagerly, mid-chew. Herschenfeld catches her eye and smirks. Minshew cracks up. Perez gets the frame she wants and declares a wrap.

A few napkins and a stick of gum later, the actress slides up to a table to dish about recent changes in both Kendall and herself. Still goofy in love with Herschenfeld after two years together, her thoughts frequently turn toward the future. "I went through a whole period of time when I was feeling very maternal, especially when I was wearing the (pregnancy) bump," she says, echoing her character's about-face concerning all things baby. With a tentative smile that signals just how new the idea is to her, Minshew confides, "I think I'd like to be a mother someday."

A Nurturing Notion
Minshew explains her change of mind in terms that could have come straight from Kendall's diary. "For a long time, I was like, 'No.' But I don't know. Something shifted," she says. "I mean, it might also be that there are people around me who have children. Thorsten Kaye has a little girl. Cameron Mathison just had another baby. Terri Ivens has a little girl. I'm seeing they can do it. They work like crazy, and they can do it. So maybe I can too."

It helps that she's routinely exposed to some incredibly photogenic and good natured infants: the twins who play Kendall and Ryan's son, Spike. "They're just so good. And they smile at me when I talk to them," she says. "They seem very at peace with me, which makes me feel like maybe I do have the maternal instinct. I'm very much like Kendall in that 'I don't want to be a mom.' It's almost like I switched when she did."

Good Sports
Herschenfeld approaches the table to say good-bye, and the pair slip outside for a moment in private. You could power a city block wiht the glow Minshew's putting off when she returns. "Richie and I work," she says assuredly. "He's very independent. I'm very independent." Herschenfeld also happens to be Kaye's best friend—the actor introduced them—and his wry sense of humor about some of the odder aspects of his girlfriend's career bodes wel for their future happiness. For example, his reaction to the fact that Minshew's childhood friend, Maria Sosa, now manages Lucky's. "It's funny, because now Richie works with one of my best friends and I work with his best friend," Minshew says, laughing. "He said, 'Does that mean I get to shove my tounge down Maria's throat?' And I said, "Well, if it means that we're even, okay. Yeah!"