Olivia nodded. ‘I know.’
Harker had decided that Olivia would become the star of the initial marketing for Eternal Sunset. She’d been set up for an exclusive interview that would go out to the nation that evening. But Olivia had to keep Ivy’s identity a secret so that they could reveal the whole twin-thing for another big headline grabber. Lucky for Ivy, really, Olivia thought. Her sister hated being in the limelight and an interview like this might just break her out in boils.
Lucky for me, Olivia thought, I love this kind of thing!
‘And not a word about Jackson,’ Amy reminded her.
‘I know,’ Olivia said through gritted teeth. She wished they weren’t still keeping their relationship a secret, but at the same time, she didn’t want anyone to think she only got her big role because of her connection to him.
‘Three minutes!’ called out a young woman wearing a headset. There were two people running around with clipboards, at least six cameras and lots of lighting equipment. One guy was testing the TV that was hanging right behind Olivia’s head.
Amy stood up. ‘I’ll be right over there.’ She pointed to desk chairs just beyond the fake wooden flooring. ‘If you get into a panic, just work some kind of code word into the conversation.’
‘Code word?’ Olivia echoed.
‘How about “famous”?’ Amy suggested. ‘Yes, do that. Just say “famous” and I’ll step in.’ Then she winked. ‘That’s what agents do; we protect our clients!’
‘Two minutes!’ called Headset Lady. Even though there were only a handful of people making the show, soon thousands would be watching on TV.
Olivia managed a smile as even more lights turned on her.
‘You look great!’ Amy whispered and then clicked away on her high black heels.
Olivia had chosen a three-quarter sleeve, light pink dress with a short white sweater over it. The sweater was a little more girly than Olivia would normally go for, but she was trying to get into Carmina’s character.
The classroom door opened. ‘You must be Olivia!’ said a darkly handsome man with perfect white teeth. It was Chuck Talbot, the famous TV host from Inside Hollywood. He sat down across from her and put a note card on the little glass table between them.
The butterflies were doing round-offs in her stomach. This is it! Olivia thought.
‘What a story you’ve got, young lady,’ Chuck said. ‘Being plucked from the street to star in one of the biggest movies ever! You are going to be an inspiration to millions of girls.’ Chuck smiled.
Olivia beamed.
‘We’re rolling in ten seconds.’ A silence fell over the classroom. ‘Three . . . two . . . one . . .’
‘Hi, I’m Chuck Talbot and today I have with me Olivia Abbott, a Hollywood rags-to-riches story that most people only dream about.’
Not exactly rags to riches, Olivia thought, but she kept the smile on her face.
‘Tell me about how you came to be chosen for the most eligible role around, as Carmina of Eternal Sunset?’ Chuck looked at her expectantly.
‘Well,’ Olivia began, ‘my first film was The Groves –’
‘With the ever dreamy Jackson Caulfield,’ interrupted Chuck.
Olivia caught sight of Amy looking tense in the corner. She decided to steer the conversation away from her boyfriend. ‘That’s right. And when the Carmina role came up, they thought I might be a good fit.’
‘The perfect fit, more like!’ said Chuck enthusiastically. ‘Tell me about this!’
He turned to the TV screen and Olivia saw a huge shot of herself posing at the premiere in Spencer’s altered dress.
‘All we know is that a friend designed it for you.’ Chuck made air quotes when he said ‘friend’.
Olivia grinned. Now was as good a time as any to give Spencer the exposure he deserved. ‘Everyone knows the amazing Spencer Johnson, make-up artist extraordinaire.’
Chuck nodded eagerly.
‘Well, all I can say is that his talents are boundless!’ Olivia said.
Chuck turned to the camera. ‘You heard it here first, folks! An exclusive reveal of the brains behind Olivia’s trend-setting red-carpet look!’
Olivia smiled to herself, wondering if that meant everyone would want to be spilling coffee on their evening wear.
She noticed Amy giving her a thumbs-up from behind the cameras.
‘Now, Olivia.’ Chuck leaned closer. ‘The question everyone wants to know is . . . who is the mystery actress who will be playing Belinda opposite you? I hear the paparazzi have been close on your heels, trying to photograph you with anyone who might be a fellow actress.’
Olivia took a deep breath. ‘My lips are sealed.’
‘But you know who it is?’ Chuck insisted.
Olivia wondered if now was the time to push the panic button. ‘I’m afraid that’s one exclusive that I can’t give you just yet.’
‘Yet?’ Chuck was practically drooling.
Olivia didn’t want to make any promises that she couldn’t keep. ‘It’s all hush hush right now, but I’ll see what I can do about telling you first.’
‘A true star.’ Chuck looked like he’d just been given an award. ‘What’s been the hardest thing about rocketing to fame?’
Olivia frowned. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful. She was enjoying almost everything, but there was one thing. ‘The photographers are very insistent.’
Chuck grinned. ‘That’s a mild way of putting it.’
Olivia shrugged. ‘I know everyone has a job to do, but they seem to step over the line.’