All About the Hype Read Free Page A

reply with a grin, glancing to my right to see Meg taking the boys back inside. Johnny spies them, too.
    ‘Breakfast,’ he notes. ‘Eddie has made you a crazy big stack of pancakes.’
    ‘Aw,’ I say. I adore their cook. He doesn’t work on weekends so he must’ve prepared them yesterday.
    ‘You OK?’ Johnny asks quietly, all amusement vanished from his expression.
    I nod quickly, tears automatically springing to my eyes. ‘It’s probably best if I don’t talk about it,’ I say in a small voice. I don’t want to lose it again.
    ‘OK.’ He jerks his head towards the house and reaches for the door handle. ‘Come on. Food first and then we’d better go and see frickin’ Mickey, before Barney
spontaneously combusts.’

Chapter 2
    To my surprise, I had an appetite once I sat down at the table, and now we’re on our way to Disneyland in Johnny’s black Mercedes limousine. The Jeffersons’
long-term driver, Davey, is chauffeuring us. When I got in the car, I found a present from him between the children’s car seats: a gift bag full of bath goodies. I was so touched at his
thoughtfulness.
    Johnny may be an A-lister, but he doesn’t have loads of staff. Meg once explained that he likes his team to feel like family, so I’m on first-name terms with everyone from Sharon and
Carly the maids to Santiago the gardener/pool guy and Lewis, Samuel, Wyatt and Austin, the bodyguards. Samuel and Lewis are currently following behind us in another car and I know them best of all,
especially Sam, because he looked after me in the UK, when the press found out who I was.
    We tried to keep my identity under wraps at first so I wouldn’t be hounded, but my secret didn’t stay hidden for long. Now everyone knows that I’m Johnny’s daughter and
I’m kind of glad it’s out in the open, even though it means that my life has changed dramatically. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to having a bodyguard following me
around.
    The closer we get to Disneyland, the more excited Barney becomes. I’m still being assaulted by memories of Mum, and I feel like I could burst into tears at any given moment, but one look
at Barney and Phee has me smiling again.
    I can’t imagine being happy today, though. Not properly. Perhaps it won’t be as awful as I was expecting, and that’s a good thing. Mum wouldn’t want me to be
inconsolable.
    And then I see her twisting her long, dark, wavy hair into a messy bun and securing it with the biro I was using to do my English homework.
    ‘Oi! Give that back!’ I shout, as she laughs and runs from the room
.
    I quickly train my sight on my little brothers.
    I’m a bit hurt that Stu hasn’t called me yet, but I know he’ll be finding today difficult, too. Perhaps he’s just taking a while to get his act together so he
doesn’t cry down the phone. I’m sure we’ll talk later.
    As soon as we walk through the gates to Disneyland, the air is filled with the sweet scent of popcorn and candyfloss. Barney’s enthusiasm is pretty infectious because my
excitement is growing by the minute. He can barely contain himself as our effervescent VIP Disney guide, dressed in blue-and-red tartan, leads us down Main Street between the pastel-coloured shops
and eateries. Sam and Lewis flank us, and people stop to gawp at Johnny as we pass. Wherever he goes, heads turn, women scream and people want his autograph, but I hope he doesn’t get
constantly harassed today.
    We soon come to a stop in front of a bronze statue of Walt and Mickey. Behind them is Sleeping Beauty’s castle, its towers spearing the sunny sky in all its pink, blue and gleaming gold
splendour.
    ‘Where first?’ I ask Johnny, smiling at three little girls dressed in princess costumes, passing by with their parents.
    ‘It’s up to you,’ he replies with a shrug.
    ‘Peter Pan!’ Barney shouts, jumping up and down on the spot.
    ‘Are you sure about that?’ I ask my dad with amusement. I think we all know who the boss is