her, giving a trademark wide white smile.
‘Hello. What’s your name?’ he asked. His attention was fully on the little girl and he’d totally failed to see that Olivia was next in line. She couldn’t help smiling to herself.
He’s so good to his fans.
Janie was clutching the little pink paper heart so hard she was crushing it.
‘J-Janie,’ she replied, then thrust the heart out to him.
‘Thank you,’ Jackson said, his blond hair flopping over his blue eyes as he read it. ‘That’s really sweet.’
‘I messed up your first present,’ Janie confessed and stepped to the side, pointing at Olivia. ‘She helped me.’
Jackson looked over and Olivia felt her heart cartwheel. He half stood up and leaned over thedesk, almost knocking a pile of books over but not taking his eyes off her. She felt a flush of excitement and her heart raced.
‘Olivia!’ He looked happy but confused. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Remember, I said last night . . .’ Olivia began, wanting to give him a hug but feeling like it would be inappropriate.
Jackson winced. ‘You totally did. I’m really sorry! Why didn’t you call?’
‘I tried,’ Olivia replied, glad that it was all over now and she could talk to her boyfriend at last.
Amy Teller, Jackson’s manager, was talking to a man at Jackson’s shoulder. ‘What do you mean, we’ve run out?’ She was towering over one of the store’s employees. His face was bright red.
‘We just didn’t expect this many girls,’ the short man in thick-rimmed glasses replied.
‘That’s right,’ Amy drawled, ‘because a visitfrom an A-list movie star is so yesterday, isn’t it?’ She threw her hands up and leaned over to Janie. ‘I’m sorry, sweetie,’ she said, in a fake syrupy voice, ‘but we don’t have any more of Jackson’s Valentine’s photo frames.’
Janie’s eyes filled with tears again.
‘But she’s been waiting in line forever,’ Olivia said.
‘No more?’ Janie echoed in disbelief.
‘Don’t be upset,’ Jackson said.
Olivia looked at him pointedly. ‘She’s
really
been looking forward to seeing you.’
‘OK, wait there a minute,’ Jackson said, pointing to a couple of empty chairs behind him. Then he leapt up on to the table and called out to the rest of the line, ‘Everyone, I’m really sorry to say that we’ve run out of the Valentine’s photo frames.’
The crowd sighed with disappointment.
‘But,’ he went on, ‘my pen hasn’t run out of ink and I’ll be here until I’ve signed every last one of your copies of
Jackson’s Journal.’
Everyone burst into cheers.
‘Will you sit with Janie for a minute?’ Jackson said to Olivia, touching her hand gently. ‘We can talk after this.’
He sat back down and motioned for the girl behind Olivia to come over.
Olivia sighed.
More waiting.
She sank into the chair next to a very excited Janie.
‘Oh my goodness,’ she whispered. ‘This is so cool! I’m hanging out with Jackson Caulfield!’
Idly, Olivia picked up a copy of
Jackson’s Journal
from one of the displays on either side of the line. It had photos of the small town where he was from, pictures of him as a baby and all about his movie career. It mentioned
The Groves,
but there wasn’t any mention of Olivia.
‘Amy?’ she asked. ‘How come I’m not in here?’
Amy rolled her eyes. ‘Do you have any idea how long it takes to make a book?’ she replied. ‘They’d finished writing it before he’d ever met you. Besides, having a girlfriend isn’t good for his image.’ She swept her hand out over the line of girls still waiting to get their books signed. ‘Think of all the broken hearts.’
What about
my
heart?
Olivia thought.
She watched the next person, a girl about Olivia’s age with cropped brown hair wearing a T-shirt from
The Right One
movie.
‘Happy Valentine’s Day,’ Jackson said to her with a smile.
He hasn’t even said Happy Valentine’s to me,
Olivia realised.
Girl after girl came up
‘Hello. What’s your name?’ he asked. His attention was fully on the little girl and he’d totally failed to see that Olivia was next in line. She couldn’t help smiling to herself.
He’s so good to his fans.
Janie was clutching the little pink paper heart so hard she was crushing it.
‘J-Janie,’ she replied, then thrust the heart out to him.
‘Thank you,’ Jackson said, his blond hair flopping over his blue eyes as he read it. ‘That’s really sweet.’
‘I messed up your first present,’ Janie confessed and stepped to the side, pointing at Olivia. ‘She helped me.’
Jackson looked over and Olivia felt her heart cartwheel. He half stood up and leaned over thedesk, almost knocking a pile of books over but not taking his eyes off her. She felt a flush of excitement and her heart raced.
‘Olivia!’ He looked happy but confused. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Remember, I said last night . . .’ Olivia began, wanting to give him a hug but feeling like it would be inappropriate.
Jackson winced. ‘You totally did. I’m really sorry! Why didn’t you call?’
‘I tried,’ Olivia replied, glad that it was all over now and she could talk to her boyfriend at last.
Amy Teller, Jackson’s manager, was talking to a man at Jackson’s shoulder. ‘What do you mean, we’ve run out?’ She was towering over one of the store’s employees. His face was bright red.
‘We just didn’t expect this many girls,’ the short man in thick-rimmed glasses replied.
‘That’s right,’ Amy drawled, ‘because a visitfrom an A-list movie star is so yesterday, isn’t it?’ She threw her hands up and leaned over to Janie. ‘I’m sorry, sweetie,’ she said, in a fake syrupy voice, ‘but we don’t have any more of Jackson’s Valentine’s photo frames.’
Janie’s eyes filled with tears again.
‘But she’s been waiting in line forever,’ Olivia said.
‘No more?’ Janie echoed in disbelief.
‘Don’t be upset,’ Jackson said.
Olivia looked at him pointedly. ‘She’s
really
been looking forward to seeing you.’
‘OK, wait there a minute,’ Jackson said, pointing to a couple of empty chairs behind him. Then he leapt up on to the table and called out to the rest of the line, ‘Everyone, I’m really sorry to say that we’ve run out of the Valentine’s photo frames.’
The crowd sighed with disappointment.
‘But,’ he went on, ‘my pen hasn’t run out of ink and I’ll be here until I’ve signed every last one of your copies of
Jackson’s Journal.’
Everyone burst into cheers.
‘Will you sit with Janie for a minute?’ Jackson said to Olivia, touching her hand gently. ‘We can talk after this.’
He sat back down and motioned for the girl behind Olivia to come over.
Olivia sighed.
More waiting.
She sank into the chair next to a very excited Janie.
‘Oh my goodness,’ she whispered. ‘This is so cool! I’m hanging out with Jackson Caulfield!’
Idly, Olivia picked up a copy of
Jackson’s Journal
from one of the displays on either side of the line. It had photos of the small town where he was from, pictures of him as a baby and all about his movie career. It mentioned
The Groves,
but there wasn’t any mention of Olivia.
‘Amy?’ she asked. ‘How come I’m not in here?’
Amy rolled her eyes. ‘Do you have any idea how long it takes to make a book?’ she replied. ‘They’d finished writing it before he’d ever met you. Besides, having a girlfriend isn’t good for his image.’ She swept her hand out over the line of girls still waiting to get their books signed. ‘Think of all the broken hearts.’
What about
my
heart?
Olivia thought.
She watched the next person, a girl about Olivia’s age with cropped brown hair wearing a T-shirt from
The Right One
movie.
‘Happy Valentine’s Day,’ Jackson said to her with a smile.
He hasn’t even said Happy Valentine’s to me,
Olivia realised.
Girl after girl came up
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