She was having such a good time with him. If it weren’t for the fan girls, it would almost be like Jackson was just a normal guy – not a famous movie star. Olivia wondered for a moment what would happen if he were just a regular person. Would they have a chance together?
‘But we’ll have to make sure we don’t run into her,’ said Brown Pigtails.
‘Ugh, no,’ said Bucket Hat. ‘She’s such a diva!’
‘I heard she’s already fired three hairdressers and two caterers and insisted on bringing in her own,’ said Blue Streak.
‘Who are they talking about?’ Olivia whispered to Jackson, who had thankfully moved on to eating his fries.
‘That would be my co-star.’ Jackson shrugged. ‘Jessica Phelps. But I bet if you ask her, she doesn’t have a co-star.’
Jessica Phelps had shot to fame being cast as the lead girl in a New York fashion movie. She was on the cover of every magazine, including this issue of Celeb Weekly. Olivia realised what a big deal this production must be, with two such huge stars in it. ‘What’s the movie about, anyway?’
Jackson’s face lit up. ‘It’s such a great concept! As soon as I heard the pitch I wanted to sign up. It’s called The Groves and it opens with a guy named Chase on vacation, falling in love with another tourist named Mia. After a wonderful date on the beach, her parents whisk her away before he can get her phone number. He can’t stop thinking about her, and all he knows is that she lives in Franklin Grove. Trouble is: there are five Franklin Groves all over America. He sets out with three friends on a road trip to visit every one until he finds her. In each Franklin Grove, he imagines what it will be like when he finally finds her. We’re filming the first imaginary meeting today.’
Olivia found herself swept up in the story. ‘That sounds so romantic.’ His enthusiasm about it made him even more charming. ‘I can’t wait to see it.’
‘You won’t have to,’ he replied. ‘It’s being rushed out before the end of the school year. There’s even talk of filming a sequel in the fall.’
Olivia frowned. ‘Does that mean Chase and Mia don’t end up together?’
‘Now that would be telling . . .’
Jackson’s walkie talkie crackled and Amy’s exasperated voice came over the speaker: ‘J. C. starts shooting in half an hour. If anyone sees him, they are to escort him to his trailer immediately!’
‘Whoops, that’s my cue.’ Jackson shoved the last two fries into his mouth. ‘I better go let someone turn me in.’ Olivia felt her heart drop. Her personal tour was over. ‘I always have to have extra time in make-up to touch up my tan.’
‘Don’t you Hollywood types spend all day in the sun?’ Olivia teased.
‘I’m not really a big fan of the beach or the sun,’ Jackson confessed. ‘I’ve even been thinking of buying a house away from the baking heat of Beverly Hills.’
Olivia had had one of the best mornings of her life, and she didn’t want it to end. Just as she was taking a breath to say goodbye, Jackson reached into a jacket pocket and handed her a plastic laminated pass that read, ‘VIP Guest'.
He took off his sunglasses and pulled down his hat, turning away from everybody as much as he could. His blue eyes were mesmerising. ‘Please don’t go just yet. This pass will get you in anywhere. Stay and watch the filming.’
An all-access pass! ‘Of course,’ she said, trying hard not to hug herself with delight.
Then he put his sunglasses back on and strode away, giving her a little wave as he hopped down from the truck. No one gave him a second glance. Olivia sat for a moment, staring at her shiny pass. She had basically just had a private lunch with one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, but there had been times when things felt completely normal. Could he possibly be the guy she’d been waiting for?
Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself. Jackson was super-famous and he would never really be interested in her. He was just being nice.
Time to find Ivy, Olivia thought. Olivia hurried out into the cold air and tried to call her twin, but Ivy’s phone was off. She’d just have to look for her. Clutching her new pass, she set off, hoping that Ivy hadn’t already been discovered and chucked off set.
As she passed a row of trailers, a bald man grabbed her hands and twirled her around. ‘Oh, yes, sweetie!’ he exclaimed. ‘I am good. Your skin tone looks flawless in this light. Gorgeous!’ He did a triple-zigzag finger snap and then he sashayed away.
Olivia had no idea who he was or what he was talking about. But being called gorgeous by a perfect stranger was enough to make her extra-special day . . . well . . . perfect.
‘Background artists, please,’ called a man wearing headphones with earpieces that were bigger than a Meat & Greet burger. He darted back into the diner and Lillian shooed the group of fashionably dressed teens up the steps and inside. One girl was wearing a white wool wrap-around with rainbow-coloured buttons and another had on a deep purple slash-neck sweater. They looked like they’d just stepped out of a jeans commercial.
‘It’s not like they’re going to get married before lunch,’ Sophia was saying. ‘You can tell her your theory when we see her later – and it’s only a theory.’
‘But if Olivia really falls for him –’ Ivy began.
‘Come on, Ivy, you don’t have any proof.’ Sophia nudged her along with the crowd. She was looking killer with her messy up-do and long-sleeved, black tube dress. It was the first time Ivy had seen her oldest friend with a necklace rather than a camera around her neck.