‘Because he wants to read the script?’ Brendan asked, spinning around the UFO-shaped salt cellar.
‘I think it’s more than that,’ Ivy replied. She definitely was getting a romantic vibe from the way they stared at each other. ‘You didn’t notice anything unusual?’ she asked her sister.
Olivia was the ultimate match-maker – after all, she got Brendan to ask Ivy out on their first date. So if she wasn’t seeing it, maybe it wasn’t there?
‘All I’ve noticed is that Lillian has great taste in movies,’ Olivia said. ‘I really like her.’
When Lillian and Mr Vega came back, carrying the chocolate cookies, with cherry sauce for Olivia and a bloody syrup for the five vampires, Ivy decided she would test her theory.
‘So, Lillian.’ She watched her dad as she asked blatantly, ‘Are you single?’
‘Ivy Vega!’ Mr Vega admonished, horrified.
‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ Lillian said, glancing at Mr Vega.
Ah ha! Ivy thought.
‘As a matter of fact I am single,’ Lillian said. ‘This business keeps me pretty busy.’
‘You don’t want to date an actor then?’ Ivy pressed, still looking at Mr Vega, who was leaning slightly forwards over the table, clearly listening.
‘Oh no,’ Lillian protested. ‘They’re all tans and teeth. How shallow is that?’
Ivy nodded her agreement, but caught sight of Olivia looking peculiar.
‘Oh! All, apart from Jackson,’ she hastily added.
Ivy bit her lip to stop the laughter that threatened to bubble up. ‘So you prefer the pale look?’ she went on, now cheekily grinning at her dad.
‘That’s enough of that,’ Mr Vega said, standing up to clear some plates. ‘Finish up your cookie, Miss Cross-examiner. Wasn’t there going to be some homework catch-up today?’
Brendan nodded. ‘I hope so, Mr Vega. I need some help with my math.’ He flashed a wicked grin at Ivy. ‘If you have twice as many paparazzi as celebrities and three times as many cameras as – oof!’
Ivy elbowed him in the ribs. ‘This is a celebrity-free zone until I have recovered from last night,’ she declared and she took her last bite of the freshly baked cookie.
‘I’ve brought my books,’ Olivia said. ‘Let’s go down to your room.’
The four of them carried their plates into the kitchen, and just before they went through the dining-room door, Ivy glanced over her shoulder at Mr Vega and Lillian, who were huddling close over the kitchen table, where Mr Vega had laid out some design papers.
They do make a cute couple, Ivy thought.
As they headed to the basement staircase Ivy said, ‘Don’t you think Dad is into Lillian?’
But before they’d even reached the bottom step, Ivy heard Lillian calling, ‘Bye!’ and the front door closing.
‘If he was interested, I think it would be good for him to try dating again,’ Olivia replied. ‘But he’s not doing a very good job if the second we leave them alone, Lillian flees.’
Brendan chuckled. ‘Mr Vega needs to work on his game.’ He pretended he was boxing, bouncing and throwing imaginary punches.
‘I suppose you’re the world champion, lady killer?’ Ivy asked.
‘There’s only one lady for me,’ Brendan called after her. ‘And I’ve got her, haven’t I?’
‘OK you two,’ Olivia said. ‘It’s time for math. I want to finish this so I can get home and get ready for the party tonight. My parents are going to chaperone. Ivy, I hope you’re coming.’
Ivy gulped. She still hadn’t mentioned to Olivia her conversation with Harker about the two of them starring in a movie together.
Anyway, it probably isn’t going to happen, Ivy told herself. Why get Olivia worked up for nothing?
She’d had enough of all the parties, but she knew her sister wanted the moral support. ‘Yes, OK, but Brendan, you have to come as my date.’
Brendan frowned. ‘Sorry, Ivy, but I’ve got to babysit Bethany tonight. My parents are going star-gazing somewhere in the middle of nowhere.’
Ivy sighed. ‘Well, at least you can help me pick out what to wear.’
‘Is that Richard Redford over there?’ Mrs Abbott gasped, holding a napkin full of olives pits in one hand and her silver clutch bag in the other.
‘No, Mom,’ Olivia said, patting her mom on the arm. ‘This isn’t that big a party.’
‘It feels like it to me!’ Mrs Abbott said. She was wearing her purple silk suit for the occasion and, with her funky lace pantyhose, she suited the glamorous party crowd.
‘Isn’t that Jackson?’ said Mr Abbott, looking across the crowded room at someone trying to make their way over.
Olivia clapped her hands. ‘Yes!’ He was wearing a new black jacket over jeans and grinned as she caught his eye.
He waved her over.
‘Can I?’ Olivia asked her parents.
‘Go, my daughter, and spread your wings,’ said Mr Abbott in his typical philosophical way.
Olivia kissed him on the cheek and hurried over to her boyfriend.
‘Have you met Olivia Abbott?’ Jackson said to a lady wearing a blue sequined blouse. ‘The most gorgeous girl here tonight?’
Olivia blushed. ‘Nice to meet you,’ she said, shaking the woman’s hand firmly.
‘Lovely earrings,’ the woman said.
Olivia had chosen a green Greek tunic-style dress with large silver earrings and silver sandals. ‘Thank you,’ she replied. There was a mix of glamour and casual, with most of the women dressing up, with jewels and full-length dresses, and most of the men – Hollywood producers and casting agents – in tailored jackets and expensive-looking jeans.
The post-premiere party was being held in the local heritage wing of the Franklin Grove Art Museum. Mr Vega had been working for the past four months on the biggest exhibit the small museum had ever built. There were paintings and sculptures by artists from the area spanning over a hundred years. There was everything from a weathered stone gnome to an abstract painting with black splodges called ‘Cemetery’.
Mr Vega had also included a section with photographs, stories and models of how the town had developed. One image showed the old railroad station, while the one next to it showed how that had become the mall.