‘Well, whoever she is, I love that skirt.’ The woman nudged the photographer standing next to her. ‘Get her.’
Suddenly, all the cameras were flashing.
‘Olivia!’ cried the woman. ‘Do a turn!’
Mr Vega stepped back so that Olivia could have her photo alone. She took a step, turned and then struck the pose that Spencer had shown her.
‘EveryWoman magazine wants to know who designed that dress?’ called another lady wearing all black.
Olivia wasn’t sure what to say. ‘It’s a one-off design by a friend of mine.’
‘Nice friend,’ came the envious reply.
It was going really well. Thanks to Sophia and Spencer, it turned out that people were interested in her after all. It felt like the most exciting moment of her life . . .
I just wish Jackson was with me, she thought wistfully.
Chapter Three
Ivy was lying on the black leather sofa like a corpse. She was wearing her long, fitted black dress with bell sleeves and a black choker and felt like sleeping for a hundred years after yesterday’s fiasco. Thank goodness it was a Sunday – she didn’t have to think about school for hours and hours.
‘I never want to see another movie again; let alone be in one,’ she said, remembering the hysteria that bombarded her as she was practically dragged down the red carpet by Amy and Mr Harker last night. Cameras flashing, all those people staring.
‘Well,’ replied Brendan, who was lying the opposite way, top to tail. ‘I hope you mean after this one.’ Brendan and Olivia were over at Ivy’s to watch The Parent Trap. ‘Because I want to see the end.’
‘Ha ha,’ Ivy said. The movie was paused because they were waiting for Olivia to come back from a phone call with Jackson downstairs in Ivy’s bedroom.
‘Seriously, though,’ Brendan said, pushing his curly black hair out of his eyes. He had on a T-shirt that said Mad World. ‘It should be pretty easy to avoid being in a movie.’
Ivy sighed. ‘Not if you have the Hounds of Hell after you.’ When Brendan raised an eyebrow Ivy explained, ‘Amy Teller and the head of the studio that made The Groves have decided I’m the next big thing.’
‘You?’ Brendan said, sitting bolt upright.
‘Thanks,’ Ivy replied drily and closed her eyes. ‘You don’t have to be so surprised. But, as it happens, I agree with you. It seems the only reason I’m “it” is because I don’t want to be.’
‘That doesn’t make much sense.’ Brendan wedged himself up on to the sofa, sitting with his legs hanging over hers. Even though they had been dating for almost the whole school year now, it still made Ivy’s heart race a little when he got this close.
‘Because I was so super-casual at the premiere, Mr Harker has decided to put me in a movie,’ Ivy explained. She reached over to the dark glass coffee table to grab her Strawberry HemoGlobules drink. ‘I couldn’t stop them dragging me down the carpet and they were whispering plans for the next movie over the top of my head.’
At the premiere, Ivy had told Amy that under no circumstances would she be interested in any of this acting-career nonsense. She would rather be trapped in a room with Charlotte Brown for all eternity than have a single moment of people staring at her, but Amy had just replied with an infuriating, ‘No one says no to Mr Harker.’
Ivy sighed and flopped her head on to Brendan’s shoulder. ‘Olivia is the actress in the family, and I’m the one who likes lurking in the shadows,’ she said.
‘As long as you don’t mind my company in the dark,’ Brendan suggested.
Ivy smiled back and wriggled around to give him a hug. ‘Most definitely not.’
‘OK, you two lovebats, break it up!’ Olivia was climbing the stairs from Ivy’s basement bedroom. Even without her custom-made pink dress, Olivia still looked gorgeous in a lavender knitted sweater with a flower burst at one shoulder.
Ivy poked her tongue out. ‘Just because your boyfriend is busy on national television, it doesn’t mean you have to keep me away from mine.’
Olivia looked deflated and Ivy realised her sister might be feeling a little upset about the whole not-going-public last night. ‘I shouldn’t have said that,’ Ivy apologised, unhooking herself from Brendan. ‘I was just teasing.’
‘No, no,’ Olivia said. ‘I’m just being sensitive.’
‘It won’t always be like this,’ Ivy said, getting up to put her arm around Olivia. ‘He was so angry not to be able to walk with you.’
Olivia nodded. ‘I know. He wouldn’t stop saying that on the phone just now.’ She sniffled and Ivy wanted to kick herself. Today was supposed to be about cheering Olivia up, not reminding her of her troubles. ‘There’s a post-premiere party tonight, and I’m going to see him there.’
‘How about we watch the rest of the singalong?’ Brendan suggested, to Ivy’s relief. ‘Not that I know the words or anything.’
‘I already saw you mouthing along,’ Ivy said, plopping back down on the couch.
Olivia snuggled down in the single black armchair and Ivy was about to un-pause the movie when the pipe-organ doorbell rang.
The three of them looked at each other. Ivy wasn’t expecting anyone else to join them. Sophia was still taking photographs for VAMP magazine, and Camilla Edmunson, Olivia’s best friend, was visiting her aunt for the weekend.
‘Could one of you get that?’ called Mr Vega from the kitchen. ‘I’ll be right there!’
Ivy hurried to the huge oak door and pulled it open slightly, wondering if it might be a cleaning-product salesperson.
Instead, it was Lillian, looking casual-fabulous in a black turtleneck, jeans and brown ankle boots. She was carrying a foil-covered tray. ‘Dessert!’ she said and Ivy stepped back to let her into the wood-panelled entryway.
‘Hi, Lillian!’ Ivy said. ‘Nice to see you again.’
‘Thanks,’ she said, and waved at Olivia and Brendan, who were staring from their seats. ‘It’s nice to see this house. I can tell I’m going to get good advice from your father.’
‘Definitely,’ Ivy agreed. ‘But what are you doing here?’
‘Your dad wanted to go over some decorating ideas . . . Oh, I love that movie!’ Lillian declared, having caught sight of the TV screen. ‘Let’s get together, yeah, yeah, yeah,’ she sang.