‘You know what this means,’ Sophia whispered. ‘We’re not just extras . . . we’re extras on the biggest movie of the year!’
Jessica stepped in like she owned the room – and she probably could if she wanted to. She ignored everyone except for Philippe and Jackson, air-kissing them on both cheeks.
‘Your hair looks nice,’ Jackson said politely.
Jessica smiled. ‘Thanks!’ She snuggled up to him like he was a teddy bear. Ivy thought she must be trying to stir up some chemistry for the camera, but Jackson just nodded and stepped away slightly.
At least he doesn’t respond to every starlet that throws herself at him, Ivy thought approvingly.
‘Please, I would like you two to do a run-through before the cameras roll,’ Philippe instructed.
‘I was just going to suggest that,’ Jessica replied.
Jackson and Jessica sat at the fake booth and began to do their lines.
Sophia showed Ivy another napkin. This one had the goateed stick figure and a female stick figure with swirly hair wrestling to control a camera, while a third stick figure lounged back on a chair and watched. The figure with the long hair had Jessica’s necklace and the figure lounging in a chair had an ‘I Heart Olivia’ tattoo on his bicep. Ivy couldn’t help it; she burst out laughing in the middle of the rehearsal.
Everyone stopped and stared.
Jessica gasped.
Philippe turned a bright pink. ‘What is this?’ he demanded, pointing at them. ‘Lillian! What has happened to my silent background artists? These are not silent!’
Lillian came over, caught sight of Sophia’s cartoon, stifled a smile and crumpled it behind her back. ‘I’m so sorry, Philippe. I hadn’t cued them that you were rehearsing.’ Ivy felt awful for getting Lillian in trouble.
‘No more of that, merci!’ Philippe said. ‘We work!’
Lillian nodded seriously but then turned away and rolled her eyes. She gave Sophia a wink to show she wasn’t mad.
Jessica shot an annoyed glance right at Ivy. ‘No, we do not work.’
‘Pardon?’ said Philippe. Behind him, two of the film crew exchanged a glance, as if to say: Here we go again!
Jessica sniffed. ‘I can’t work under these conditions. I have been dragged to this dump of a town where it’s cold and I can’t get a decent cup of coffee. Then, I suffer through three terrible hairdressers. And you can’t even afford good extras. Well, you can now, because I quit!’
Everyone gasped and Jackson looked shocked.
‘You c-c-cannot,’ Philippe spluttered.
‘Clause 38, subsection C: unreasonable conditions,’ Jessica retorted.
‘Because of coffee?’ Philippe shouted, turning even pinker. ‘I will sue!’
Jessica turned on her shiny Heather Carter heel. ‘My lawyers are much more expensive than yours.’
Her entourage scurried after her and a deathly silence filled the diner.
Charlotte hissed from the next booth over, ‘Great job at wrecking everything.’
Ivy felt her mouth turn dry.
Had she and Sophia just ruined the entire film?
Chapter Six
‘What do you mean, shut down?’ Olivia asked Ivy. Her sister was coming down the steps from the diner into the parking lot, pulling on a warm coat.
‘I mean shut down – no female lead equals no filming,’ Ivy replied.