Ivy let out a breath. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘So, you won’t fail me?’
Jess laughed. ‘Not after this project. I have a feeling you’ve only just got going.’
Ivy felt something bloom in her chest. Not just relief – that the tutors still thought she had talent – but excitement. At all the ideas to come, the projects to embark on, the dust-filled, held-together-with-masking-tape shows she could see through to their joyful end.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Really. I was worried you’d think it was silly. Just drawings of the people in my town.’
She could hear the smile in Jess’s voice. ‘The world needs artists who can find the extraordinary in the everyday. Speak soon, Ivy. Now go and enjoy yourself at that after-party.’
As she walked back into the hall, Ivy sensed a shift in the atmosphere. A buzz, bigger even than the one accompanying Lou and Simi’s announcement. The excited chatter was almost at fever pitch, but she couldn’t work out what it was about. She caught snatches.
‘… Filming starting next spring!’
‘Do you think the stars will come into the café?’
‘Or take surf lessons?’
‘Ivy, get over here,’ said Erin, waving frantically from the stage. ‘This is important.’
‘What?’ said Ivy, heading over and hopping up to sit beside her.
‘Have youheard?’ Erin looked even more animated than usual. ‘Did youknow?’
‘Heard what?’ asked Ivy, bewildered. ‘Know what? What’s going on?’
‘Brooke!’ Callum cried. ‘She’s a secret agent. Sort of.’
‘Make that a secret top Hollywood exec,’ said Erin. ‘Slow down, Cal, and tell her from the start.’
‘I follow Kathleen Lee on insta,’ Callum said breathlessly, ‘and look at this! Posted just now.’
He held out his phone. It was Kathleen Lee’s account, showing a picture of something that Ivy recognised – white sands, peaceful water.
‘Read the caption,’ Callum said.
Ivy read it aloud. ‘The moment I’ve been waiting for – and I know you all have too. Filming forOcean Deepstarts in the spring! But I bet you can’t guesswherewe’re filming …’
Ivy looked up. ‘Hang on. But that’s …’
‘The hidden cove here at Fox Bay!’ Erin replied. ‘I cornered Brooke just now and she confirmed everything. Brooke’s been here in Fox Bay on amission! ForHollywood! All this time. Can you believe it?’
Ivy tried to gather herself and failed. This was all too much after the call she had just had. ‘Wait,what? Brooke is a Hollywood exec?’
‘She’s big-time Hollywood,’ Mei said, eyes wide with conspiratorial excitement. ‘They’re in production for an adaptation ofOcean Deepand she’s been secretly scouting the town. Kathleen Lee described it as exactly how she imagined the town in the book, so Brooke came to Cornwall to check it out. Apparently she went to other places too, but Fox Bay won.’
‘She said it wasperfect.’ Callum waved his phone at Ivy. ‘Look. There’s aVarietyarticle up.Shooting is set to begin next spring on the hotly anticipated newadaptation of Kathleen Lee’s biggest book to date, Ocean Deep.’
Ivy took the phone and began to read:
Fans of Kathleen Lee can rest easy. Not only has the location been announced but it’s one thatOcean Deepfans will beveryhappy about: Fox Bay, in picturesque Cornwall, a name familiar to those in the know. Producer Brooke Wakefield, who chose the location after an intense search, says,‘I can see why Kathleen fell in love with Fox Bay and I did too. The landscape, the locals, the charm. I can think of no more perfect setting than this in which to bring Kathleen’s book to life.’Fox Bay won’t know what’s hit it when filming starts next spring – but one thing’s for sure, with a cast tipped to include some of Hollywood’s hottest up-and-coming stars, things in the sleepy little town won’t be the same again!’
Ivy looked up, dazed, and handed the phone back to Callum. ‘But why didn’t Brooke tell us?’ she said.
‘Apparently, she had to keep it an absolute secret in case anything was leaked and ruined things. But she told us she went to London last week to pitch it,’ Erin chimed in, ‘and meet with some actor. And they’ve got the green light! Hollywood is coming to Fox Bay!’ She smoothed her hair. ‘I wonder if they need a runner.’
‘Casting has not yet been confirmed,’ said Mei, reading on, ‘but up-and-coming actress Madison White, hot off TV’s coolest teen drama,Joyride, is tipped to play the Captain’s daughter Lily …’
Ivy pressed her fingers to her forehead, trying to process what she’d just heard.
