Chapter 21 #2
‘Good enough to go get this done.’ He knew his mum would get that.
She’d been a performer since she was a teenager, so she knew all about putting a smile on and getting out there to face the people who’d come to see you.
She was the woman who’d gone into labour with him while on stage at a miners’ social club, as she was belting out ‘I Will Survive’ in between two games of bingo.
‘Let’s go,’ he said, squeezing her hand.
The route had been well planned. They went out of the fire exit on the side of the former church, walked along a short, ad-hoc corridor that had been constructed from tarpaulins this morning by the stage team, emerging at the front of the building.
When the waiting press and the documentary camera crew spotted them, they immediately started filming, and as soon as the crowd registered Ollie’s presence, the cheers and screams started.
The first person that reached him was a woman wearing a press pass and holding up an iPhone with a photo light attached to the top, obviously filming.
He recognised her but had to rack his brain to pinpoint where he knew her from.
She had long blonde wavy hair, which, after being married to an actress with almost exactly the same look, he was pretty sure came from someone else’s head and was then applied to the current owner at a ludicrously expensive salon.
She also had lips that had clearly met a few vials of filler and a full face of expertly applied make-up.
Sienna’s beauty bill ran into the thousands every month – which Ollie hadn’t realised until they had to provide their expenditure requirements in the divorce.
If he ever got time off, he could have a week in the Bahamas every month for what she used to spend in the spa.
He snapped himself back to the present. He was having enough problems with his current girlfriend without circling back to the last one.
Okay, here and now. This blonde lady. Attractive.
Late twenties or early thirties. Scottish accent.
She was one of the influencers that had helped with fundraising when the centre first opened.
It was a double-win kind of situation – he gave them access which allowed them to make cool content featuring some of the celebrities that supported the centre and, in return, they added a link to the Academy’s fundraising page.
In fact, this one went further than that.
He remembered Moira telling him about how she’d given a free lecture to the students on the powers of manifestation and everything clicked in to place. He knew exactly who she was.
‘Ollie! So great to see you again. As I’ve said before, Ollie and I go way back…’
Really? That was news to him. The truth was that he’d never actually met this woman in his life. But then, this wasn’t unusual in these days of fame-hungry social media personalities who were… what was the Gen Z name for it? Clout chasing. That was it.
‘…And I have actually worked with the students at the academy and, wow, I have to say, there’s so much talent there – both in the students and coaching staff.’
Ollie decided to ignore the inflated statements at the beginning of the intro and go along with the praise for what his mum had created here.
‘There definitely is. I could not be prouder of the work that’s done here and no doubt there are some stars in the making.’
‘And tell me something… Since your divorce from Sienna Montgomery, there’s been so much speculation about your private life and relationship status.
Can you let us in on the secret? Is Scotland’s most eligible man seeing anyone at the moment?
’ She was teasing, almost playful as she asked the question and it struck Ollie that this was just a game in the world of social media.
Clicks. Monetisation. Followers. And it wasn’t a game he was willing to play, especially not today.
‘Well, I think I’ll keep that to myself.
I learned my lesson after my last relationship was such a high-profile disaster.
I think there may be one or two people still talking about it,’ he said, his acting chops coming into play to cover his irritation with a Brad-Pitt-esque bashful shrug and easy grin. That would need to do.
‘Just one more thing, Ollie,’ she said, the whole intimate, flirtation act still going. Obviously that was her angle here.
‘At the core of my belief system is the absolute faith that manifestation brings you everything you want in life. Tell me, what are you manifesting right now?’
What was he manifesting? It wasn’t something he’d ever focused on. But if he did?
He wanted the Academy to be successful and find the funding to operate independently, so that its future was secure, with or without him.
He wanted Netflix to renew the documentary for a second series in order to facilitate the previous point.
He wanted the students to shine and to go on to achieve their dreams.
And for himself? He just wanted Stevie Dixon to stroll along that red carpet right now and tell him that she wanted him enough to tolerate this life.
That’s when he spotted that Ginny Canavan – not Stevie – was walking towards him.
And she didn’t look like she was bringing good news.