‘It would be killer if you were in that movie,’ Olivia told him, steering the conversation away from Jessica’s pointed remark. ‘I absolutely love those books.’
‘They aren’t exactly my kind of thing,’ Jackson admitted.
‘What do you mean?’ Olivia said, hoping Jackson wasn’t going to be disparaging about Count Vira’s writing.
‘Honestly, I’m just not a big fan of vampires,’ he replied, shrugging. ‘The whole idea of them is dumb.’
Jessica tossed her hair. Of course, Jackson didn’t know about vampires, and it was going to have to stay that way. Olivia hated keeping such a big secret from him, but it wasn’t really her secret to tell.
‘Well, Jackie,’ Jessica said. ‘I just wanted to say that LA really misses you.’ She put on a fake pout, but Jackson wasn’t playing her game. He gave a polite smile, saying nothing. He’d moved to Franklin Grove to be near Olivia, and there was nothing Jessica could do about that.
‘You should come back,’ she purred. ‘It’s where you belong.’ She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ‘Bye, now!’ She waggled her fingers and flounced away.
Jackson looked baffled. ‘She’s a little over the top tonight, isn’t she?’
When isn’t Jessica over the top? Olivia took a deep breath. ‘That’s one way of putting it.’
The sign said, ‘Money-crazed, desperate men abandoning all morals in the rush to strike it rich.’
Ivy sighed. Is that the California Gold Rush or a description of the people in this room?
She’d been busying herself reading and rereading sections of the museum’s displays to avoid having to talk to anyone. This one was about how Franklin Grove was a busy stop on the route to California.
She was keeping an eye out for Olivia, the whole reason she had come tonight, but ever since Jackson had showed up, her sister had disappeared.
A bald man to her left was flashing a chunky gold watch and designer sunglasses. A woman on her right wore a two-inch-wide ruby bracelet. The young couple in front of her had both clearly had plastic surgery.
‘Oh, you’re so funny!’ someone declared and then burst out into a fake laugh.
Ivy didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was. Jessica Phelps.
A hush fell over the crowd as an ice sculpture of Jackson’s and Jessica’s heads was wheeled into the room.
Jessica squealed with delight and rushed over. ‘Oh, my gosh!’ she practically screamed. ‘It’s me!’
Like we needed you to explain that, Ivy thought. How can anyone take her seriously? She may be a vampire, but she acts like the doziest bunny there ever was.
Ivy decided she’d had all she could take and was just about to make her way to a side entrance to sneak out when she caught sight of a familiar face. Blonde ponytail, slightly too much blusher and a little sneer. It was Charlotte Brown.
‘How did she weasel her way in here?’ Ivy muttered. Charlotte had only had one disastrous scene as an extra in the film, so there must have been some Daddy manoeuvring that got her an invitation.
Charlotte hovered behind Jessica, clearly eavesdropping and trying to get the starlet’s attention. Ivy ducked behind a potted topiary in the shape of a peacock, so she could get closer without being seen.
When Jessica looked over, Charlotte turned on her biggest smile. ‘Oh, hi, Jessica!’ she said, trying to pretend that she just happened to be standing there.
Jessica raised one eyebrow.
Ivy leaned forwards and pushed away a twig that was sticking out from the peacock’s tail and tickling her nose. She was hoping for a delicious cut-down. After all, Jessica wasn’t nice to anyone and surely the Hollywood vamp was going to tell Charlotte to get lost.
‘I just love those Bibble Bubble shoes,’ Charlotte cooed. ‘They must be next season’s because I haven’t seen them anywhere.’
Jessica looked Charlotte up and down, clearly evaluating whatever pink, fashion-victim code she was presenting, and deciding that Charlotte passed.
‘You’re right,’ Jessica said. ‘François sent them to me straight from the prototypes.’
‘Oh, you’re so lucky!’ Charlotte said.
Ivy let out her breath. What a let down! It seemed the two shallowest people currently in residence in Franklin Grove were destined to be friends. Ivy had been hoping for some kind of spontaneous combustion. Still, with two egos that size, there might be some fireworks to come.
‘I love your hair, too,’ Charlotte was saying. ‘And your ice sculpture is so fab.’
‘Thanks!’ Jessica said to Charlotte. Then she narrowed her eyes. ‘You must live here.’
Stop the press, Ivy thought. The girl is a genius.
Charlotte nodded eagerly.
‘That means,’ Jessica went on slyly, ‘you must go to school with . . . oh, what’s-her-name . . .’
‘I know everyone who’s anyone,’ Charlotte bragged, flipping her hair.
‘Dark hair, green eyes,’ Jessica went on vaguely. ‘Had some minor role in the movie.’
Charlotte was like a baby bird waiting for its breakfast, desperate to get the answer right. ‘Um . . . oh, I know! Olivia! Olivia Abbott!’
‘Hmm,’ Jessica said and Ivy wanted to dump the full potted plant’s worth of soil over her head.
How dare she pretend not to know Olivia’s name! Ivy thought.
Ivy was just about to step out and let Jessica have it when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She whirled around to see Mr Harker wearing what looked like the same pair of scruffy jeans from last night but with a different band’s T-shirt under his black blazer.