Jackson reached out and stroked a strand of hair away from her face. ‘No,’ he whispered. ‘Because I had to spend so much time away from you to realise how beautiful you are . . . inside and out.’
Olivia couldn’t keep it inside any longer. She had to tell him. Right now . . .
But Jackson got there first. ‘I love you.’
As relief and joy rippled through her, Olivia felt all the tension she’d been carrying around for weeks simply disappear. It was the easiest thing she had ever done to reply: ‘I love you too.’
Jackson’s lips curved into a smile that had nothing to do with Hollywood . . . and everything to do with her. As his warm arms wrapped around her again, Olivia knew down to her bones that, somehow, everything was going to work out just fine.
I can’t wait to tell Ivy!
Six hours later, Ivy was grinning as she sat at her computer, talking to her twin on Lonely Echo. ‘You’re kidding,’ she said. ‘You actually confessed your love to his body double? How alike are they? I mean, if Jackson’s busy, does Will go to his doctor’s appointments for him?’
‘Oh, hush!’ said Olivia, but she was laughing. She looked cosy in a fluffy pink bathrobe, her legs tucked up beneath her on what looked like a very plush hotel bed. ‘You’re just lucky I can laugh about it now. For the first couple of hours after it happened, I almost fainted every time I thought of it.’
Ivy laughed as she scooped up another spoonful of her after-school Marshmallow Platelets. ‘So, I guess, all’s well that ends well, right?’
‘Totally.’ Olivia beamed out from the computer screen. ‘Everything’s absolutely perfect with Jackson . . . and I’m not leaving Franklin Grove.’
‘Really and truly?’ Ivy set down her cereal. ‘You’re not going to get talked into moving to Hollywood and enjoying the high life once Eternal Sunset is done?’
‘Nope.’ Olivia shook her head firmly. ‘The moment this shoot wraps, I’m coming back to Franklin Grove – for good.’
‘That is the best news ever.’ Contentment flooded through Ivy as she took it in.
With Olivia around, even Franklin Grove High might start to feel even more normal. And life was always better with her twin. Then a thought occurred to her.
‘But what about your rekindled romance?’ she asked. ‘Isn’t that going to be difficult with you in Franklin Grove and Jackson going to film sets all over the world?’
Olivia shrugged. She didn’t look unhappy. ‘We’ve learnt a lot from last time,’ she said. ‘We’re going to make much more of an effort to make time for each other.’
Ivy settled back on her chair. ‘Tell me the story again,’ she said. ‘Exactly as it happened.’
Olivia looked surprised. ‘Ivy Vega, are you becoming a die-hard romantic?’
Ivy felt herself wriggle with embarrassment. ‘Never! Don’t ever say that in front of anyone else. I just . . . you know . . . want to make sure you don’t forget any crucial detail. You’ll probably be telling this story to your grandchildren, so you want to get it right!’
The two of them burst out laughing, then Olivia cleared her throat, ready to repeat the story. It was a good one, after all . . .