‘God, no,’ Phoebe said, ‘I’m just here for a quick coffee before Abi starts and then I’ll get going. Leave you guys to it. I’m on a guest pass.’ She held up her lanyard as proof.
‘You’re welcome to hang out in the crew canteen,’ Gem said. ‘But obviously we can’t have anyone else in here but the two of us.’
‘Absolutely!’ Phoebe gushed. ‘Why would I want to be in here when there’s the whole of Venice to explore?’
‘I’ll grab a coffee, then get started,’ I said, still reeling from the no-advance-pressure surprise. ‘Can I get you anything?’
‘White, no sugar, would be great,’ Gem said. ‘But there’s no rush. I wasn’t expecting you for another hour, so take your time. Have a wander around. There won’t be a lot of breaks once we start, I’m afraid. You know what it’s like.’
‘I sure do!’ I said, taking one last look around the room. There was a rail full of gowns and suits in silvers, purples and black velvets stood to one side. We would be the last stop for the stars before they took to the stage, well, some of the stars – and Blake must be on our list for make-up. It was the only thing that made sense. ‘I’ll be back in half an hour.’
‘Enjoy!’ Gem went back to her make-up stack, checking through one of the layers.
I shut the door, turned to Phoebe and we both silently screamed, then ran down the corridor, not breathing a word. The problem with these backstage corridors was that somebody was always listening.
‘What is going on?!’ I whispered, once we were far enough away. ‘How is this happening?’
‘I have absolutely no idea,’ Phoebe said, as we joined the coffee queue. ‘You’ll have to quiz her once you’re on your own. Apart from anything else – she’s supposed to be in London working on the set ofMoonmen.’
‘Is this Blake’s way of letting me work it all out for myself, do you think? That guy really is something else!’
The girl behind us tapped my shoulder. ‘Are you talking about Blake Thomas?’ she asked, quietly. I panicked, not sure how to respond, as she continued. ‘Apparently he tried it on with one of the wardrobe girls yesterday, so keep an eye out, but you didn’t hear it from me.’
‘Oh wow, thanks for the warning,’ I said, with a smile.
‘Next, please?’ We were at the front of the queue.
‘Two white coffees and a chocolate flapjack,’ Phoebe said, waving her pass around.
‘He’s definitely here, then,’ I whispered into her back.
‘Yes, but we already knew that.’
It was like attending the UN General Assembly with all the different nationalities represented in the coffee room. There was obviously a strong Italian contingent, but the big stars liked to have their own crew with them too, so make-up artists and stylists had been flown in from all over the world to attend. I didn’t even like to guess at the collective carbon footprint sitting in this canteen.
‘I’ll see how much Gem will tell me if we get chance to chat,’ I said, blowing on my coffee. ‘What’s your plan? You’re not going to sit in here all day, surely.’
‘Correct,’ Phoebe said in staunch agreement, ‘I’m going shopping in Venice for the rest of the day and will come back for the wrap party tomorrow night.’
‘Will you indeed.’
‘Yes, and it’s perfectly legit for me to be at it, as you can sign me in.’ Phoebe uncrossed her legs and leant in. ‘Andthat’swhere the Ryans will be. That’s whereeveryonewill be.’
‘Well, I’m glad you’ve got your party attendance all worked out – that’s the main thing, right? By then I’ll have seen Blake and we’ll know what’s going on. He must be after something,’ I said, keeping my eyes peeled. I recognised precisely no one so far, which was no surprise and almost a relief at this point. It would be nice to have an anonymous couple of days, ideally avoiding Blake Thomas, wherever he was. I needed to think up some suitable ‘thank you, next’ retort to deliver at the wrap party in case we bumped into each other. I walked Phoebe to the lift and bleeped her in. ‘You know where you’re going, don’t you?’ I said, suddenly concerned she might try and hunt down Jacob Elordi.
‘Yes of course! I’m not an idiot. I’d stick out like a sore thumb if I stayed around here anyway. I’m not quite glamorous enough to be mistaken for A-list and I’m certainly not… crew,’ she said, with faux-disdain.
‘That’s for sure. Off you go. Straight to the front door. DO NOT give them any reason to confiscate my pass, and – ergo – any chance you might have of attending the wrap party.’
I went back to the coffee bar and messaged Holly.
Me:Have you seen Tony? Did you give him my letter? How did he look? What did he say? Tell me EVERYTHING.
Holly:Missing me then? Not yet. I’m biding my time. I was planning to pop over this afternoon – or maybe for breakfast tomorrow. I didn’t want to jump on him the second he got back.
Me:JUMP ON HIM.
Holly:DON’T SHOUT AT A PREGNANT WOMAN. I’ll get it done, don’t worry.
