‘He’s even cuter in real life,’ Olivia whispered, not taking her eyes off him.
‘Jackson!’ the voice behind Ivy screeched again. ‘Can I have your autograph?’ The girl, wearing a pink and blue polka-dot jacket, leaned over Ivy’s shoulder and waved a slightly crumpled magazine with him on the cover.
Jackson strolled over, with Jerome and another security guard watching closely. ‘Sure you can,’ he said with a slight southern drawl.
The girl’s excited shriek increased in volume with every step that Jackson took towards them, and Ivy could see Olivia had squeezed over to let her come to the barrier.
‘What’s your name?’ Jackson asked, relaxed, as he signed an autograph for her. The girl just shrieked louder and started to cry.
Ivy nudged her sister. ‘Why don’t you say hello?’ she whispered.
‘I can’t!’ Olivia whispered back.
What’s going on? Ivy thought. Olivia never has trouble talking to people!
Ivy poked Olivia in the side, making her yelp.
Jackson looked right at her and smiled.
‘Hi, Jackson,’ Camilla said from just behind Olivia.
‘Hello,’ he said. ‘What’s your name?’
‘I’m Camilla,’ she said. ‘I loved you in The Right One.’
‘Thanks,’ he replied with an easy grin. ‘That was my favourite shoot so far.’
‘And I’m Sophia.’ Sophia held up her camera. ‘Can I take your picture?’
‘Sure,’ he said and smiled as he posed, producing a mixture of sighs and screams from the crowd behind while Sophia snapped away.
‘And who are you?’ he asked.
He’s singling out Olivia! Ivy thought with excitement.
‘Um, hi,’ Olivia said, staring down at her faux-fur-lined boots.
‘This is Olivia,’ Ivy prompted.
Jackson leaned forward a little, so that the whole crowd couldn’t hear. ‘It was really nice of you to let that girl come through,’ he said to Olivia.
Still, Olivia didn’t speak. The closest she could get to looking at him was staring at his cowboy boots. ‘That’s because Olivia is really nice,’ Ivy replied.
Why isn’t she saying anything? Ivy thought. If she doesn’t do it now, she’ll regret it for eternity! Maybe longer.
‘Yeehaw,’ Olivia blurted out.
Oh my darkness, she’s gone mad! Ivy thought. Olivia’s pink face told her that she didn’t know why in bat’s name she had said it either.
‘I mean, uh – I like your boots,’ Olivia muttered. Her pink cheeks turned bright red.
‘Thanks,’ he replied, with a chuckle.
Behind him, a power-suited red-headed woman climbed out of the SUV, yakking into a phone.
‘I’m in charge of his image,’ she was saying, ‘and there will be no clown outfit.’
She waved Jackson back to the car.
One of the hairdressers was leaning over the rail, trying to catch Jackson’s attention. ‘Hey, Jackson!’
But his eyes didn’t stray from Olivia. ‘That’s my manager. I’ve got to go to work. I’m glad you like my boots.’ He smiled. ‘I like your fuzzy earmuffs.’
Then Jackson waved goodbye to the crowd and disappeared between the trucks into the parking lot.
‘I love you, Jackson!’ the polka-dot girl called after him.
Ivy was still thinking about how much attention Jackson had paid to Olivia. ‘Well, that was interesting,’ she said.
‘He’s so nice!’ declared Sophia.
‘And really cute, too,’ Camilla added. ‘Isn’t he, Olivia?’
Olivia covered her face with her hands. ‘I just made the most enormous idiot of myself! “Yeehaw, I like your boots?” Is that the best I could come up with?’
Brendan chuckled. ‘You looked like a tomato with fuzzy pink earmuffs.’
‘She did not!’ Ivy said. ‘She was charming him with her beauty.’
‘So much for keeping my cool around celebrities,’ Olivia muttered.
‘But he’s not just any celebrity,’ Camilla said. ‘He’s Jackson Caulfield!’
‘That’s what makes it worse!’ Olivia groaned.
But Ivy didn’t think it was so embarrassing. Jackson hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off Olivia – that much was obvious. Ivy felt an idea brewing. Maybe Franklin Grove’s newest bunny was the right guy for her sister? She was so happy with Brendan. She’d love for Olivia to have the same with someone.
‘Can we please go get something to eat now?’ Brendan asked, interrupting her thoughts.
‘Anything to escape more humiliation,’ Olivia said.
‘How about back to Mister Smoothie?’ Camilla suggested.
‘I would rather dig my own grave,’ Ivy replied. ‘Anyway, I’ve got to get back home before Dad leaves.’
‘No burger?’ Brendan pouted, looking back at the Meat & Greet longingly.
‘Unless you’re happy with a movie-version that’s all cornstarch and glue, you won’t be getting a burger today.’ Ivy took Brendan’s hand as they started to walk away.
They wove their way through the crowd that was still pressing forward to catch a glimpse of Jackson.
‘Excuse me,’ Olivia said, squeezing past three little girls jumping up and down.
‘Sorry.’ Camilla bumped into a skinny pizza-delivery boy, still holding warm pizza boxes.
‘Careful!’ Sophia said as a woman with her Pekinese dog knocked her camera.