Chapter 29
OLLIE
The high of the show was a feeling that Ollie didn’t want to come down from.
Man, it had been brilliant. It had delivered everything that made compulsive viewing – dramas, thrills, unforgettable characters, surprises, shocks, tears, talent and so much love there was no way the viewers wouldn’t switch off feeling just a little bit better about the world.
The television industry was unpredictable and incredibly fickle.
Sometimes there was a show that had all the ingredients of an absolute smash, but it just didn’t connect with the audience.
And other times, a quirky series would somehow land with the viewers and become a huge hit.
Wasn’t his own TV show, The Clansman, the perfect example of that?
Okay, so it was a television spin-off from a major movie franchise, but those were notoriously panned because they didn’t match up to the high-value productions of the original films. It was also set in the times of the Jacobite rebellion and had Scottish accents so thick half the world used subtitles to watch it.
And yet, it was one of the top-grossing shows in the world last year, which, admittedly, made him an absolute fool for even considering walking away from it.
But that fly-on-the-wall documentary they’d just watched? He’d hoped it would be great, but it had exceeded that by miles.
‘Calvin, they have to renew it. It was incredible. Emotional. Unforgettable. Tell me you’ve heard something from Netflix about another series?
’ Ollie pleaded, as he dashed down the corridor on the way from the theatre to Moira’s office, Calvin and his mum leading the way.
The filming of the after-show reception for the VIP guests, press and selected students would soon be kicking off in the canteen, however, the five missed calls from his LA management team in the last two hours told him that The Clansman contract situation had to be addressed first – a decision that would be so much easier to make if he knew that The Academy of Dreams was being recommissioned.
Calvin was clearly sharing his high and still flushed from the standing ovation in the theatre after the show ended.
‘Nothing. Social media is going nuts with love for it and my phone is ringing off the hook with congratulations from everyone except Netflix. And that’s a worry.
Look, I’ve been putting pressure on them, and so have the production team from Fankled, but there are merger talks, scheduling conflicts, personnel changes, financial restructures and a whole load of other stuff going on over there.
Nothing has changed since they said the earliest we’d hear is tomorrow, and even then, no guarantees.
It could still be next week, next month, next year. ’
‘Fuck,’ Ollie swore under his breath, as he closed the door of the office behind them.
‘Ollie Chiles, language! Don’t make me clutch my pearls,’ his mother feigned disapproval over his word choice – a reproval made even funnier because everyone in this room had heard Moira swear like Billy Connolly on a rampage when riled.
‘And don’t burst my wee bubble of joy, because that was truly magical.
If it wouldn’t spoil my make-up, I’d cry again, and we all know I don’t do that often because I’m a really ugly crier. ’
Moira sat down on the couch, groaning with relief as she kicked off her heels, while Ollie went for the chair over at her desk. Calvin chose to stand and pace.
‘It just needs to happen, though. Mum, you were amazing. It was like watching my childhood play out, but with a hundred kids. You deserve ten fricking series of that show.’
‘Look, son, we’ll hear when we hear,’ Moira said, deploying the kind of mother-logic that she lived by.
She swore her calm pragmatism came from listening to Doris Day singing ‘Que Sera Sera’ on a loop as a child.
‘If they renew it, that will be the most fabulous thing ever because everyone in this building deserves it. But even if they don’t, tonight has been one of the best nights of my life and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for giving that to me. ’
Ollie wasn’t a crier either, but there was a lump like a hairball in his chest right now, so he handled it the way his family handled everything. ‘Extra socks for Christmas then?’
Moira immediately jumped on the humour bandwagon. ‘Three pairs and there will be patterns,’ she replied, deadpan, but the glint in her eyes said everything and Ollie felt that right in the heart.
Before he could answer, there was a sigh from where Calvin stood, flicking through messages on his phone. ‘You have got to be kidding me.’
Ollie recognised the tone – it was the one Calvin used when he was stressed, anxious or missed a Tom Ford sale.
‘What’s going on, pal?’
Calvin turned his phone around, so that Ollie could see the screen. It was a post on one of the most popular celebrity gossip websites, Bring Popcorn. Ollie was too far away to read the small print, but he definitely caught the headline.
‘OLLIE’S SECRET LOVER ATTENDS SCREENING.’
Underneath, was an image, clearly taken in the Academy theatre tonight.
‘For months, we’ve been reporting that our favourite TV star has a secret lover, and chums, here’s just another little nugget of evidence.
Tonight, the actor was at the screening of his new documentary, The Academy of Dreams, and we can confirm his mystery lady was in attendance.
Bring Popcorn has long been aware of the identity of his alleged lover, but we’re holding the secret until all is revealed by the person in question.
Dying to know? Stay tuned, because later tonight we just might have the update that tells all. ’
‘Whoever this is has access and proximity, and Ollie, we need to handle this. Do you have any idea who—’ Calvin began, but Ollie cut in, brushing it off.
‘Not now. At least five other things come before that.’
The one at the top of the list? Stevie. His heart had stopped when he’d seen glimpses of her on the screen tonight and he’d had an almost physical ache because she wasn’t sitting beside him.
What the hell was going on? How could they go from being great to being broken in such a short space of time?
Had he been so blinded by love for her, that he’d overestimated her feelings for him, or underestimated how much she loathed the idea of being with someone in the public eye?
Years ago, he’d been blindsided by his ex-wife’s affair.
Was he just really crap at reading the signs in relationships?
He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and dialled her number.
Answer. Come on, babe. Pick up.
Straight to voicemail.
Fuck. Again.
He tossed the phone on to the desk, feeling a level of frustration that no amount of swear words could defuse.
Calvin had already moved on to the other thing that made his top-priority list right now.
His friend came around beside him, opened Moira’s top drawer and took The Clansman contract back out, then placed it in front of him.
‘Okay, but this one can’t wait. They’re blowing up my phone, and I know they’ve been trying to call you too. The board meeting is in half an hour, but we need to go and finish filming at the reception, so this has to be done now.’
Ollie didn’t argue. He’d been postponing it all day, but he was now all out of options.
‘Mum? What do you think?’ He’d asked her the same question several times today, but he wanted to hear if her opinion had wavered.
Over on the couch, his mum sighed, and he knew her well enough to understand the conflict of emotions on her face.
‘I think you need The Clansman money to continue to subsidise the Academy. I think we’ve seen tonight how special it is and I’d be devastated if all this ended…’
Ollie felt his heart sink. She was right. She was honest. She was now leaning forward, her eyes locking on his.
‘But I stand by what I said this morning. Your happiness is more important to me than anything else, son. If this place is meant to be, then we’ll find a way. Netflix will give us a bloody great big contract. Or we’ll come up with a different plan to fund it. Or I’ll… I’ll put Calvin on the game.’
‘That’ll buy us a lunch. Maybe keep the lights on for an hour or two,’ Calvin piped up, and Ollie felt a sweeping wave of gratitude for their efforts to counter the pressure they knew he was feeling right now.
His mum picked the baton back up. ‘So what I’m saying, son, is that whatever you decide, I’m right there with you.’
Ollie waited for a punchline, but for once, there wasn’t one. That was her true, heartfelt reply and he knew she meant every word.
‘I love you for that, maw.’
‘I love you too, son.’
‘But it doesn’t help a fricking bit,’ he added, making her smile.
Ollie glanced up at the other person who’d never steered him wrong.
‘Calvin?’
The man who’d known him since he was a kid groaned and stopped pacing for a moment to speak, but when he did, he just sounded weary.
‘I could list the pros and cons again, and we could ruminate over it until the end of time, but I don’t have enough Botox in my face to withstand that.
At the end of the day, you need to make the decision, Ollie.
There’s a canteen full of people and a documentary crew out there waiting for you.
There’s a boardroom full of people in LA waiting for you.
And if we don’t get this done now, we’ll run out of time.
Look, I know it’s tough and I’ll support whatever decision that you make, but we can’t keep them hanging any longer on this. It’s your call.’
Ollie leaned back on the chair, hands behind his head, eyes closed, the absolute bedlam of a riot kicking off in his brain.
Again, he thought through the dilemma that had been spinning in his mind all day.
If he signed now, the decision was made.
Even if he could somehow persuade Stevie that they should be together, this would effectively make it impossible to have a future here with her.
However, if he didn’t sign and lost that income, he could be taking away extraordinary futures for so many other people. And it might all be for nothing anyway, because Stevie clearly wasn’t feeling the same way as him.
He had to give her one last chance. He pressed redial on his phone.
It rang. Then rang. Then… went straight to voicemail again.
There was his answer.
He sat forward. Picked up the pen.
Sign. Don’t sign.
There was no right. No wrong. Either way, he made some people happy and others got hurt.
He inhaled. Exhaled. He locked eyes with his mum and the love that stared back at him made him think about everything he’d seen in this building here tonight. The joy. The talent. The success. The ambition.
He’d already lost Stevie. He couldn’t risk losing all those other dreams too.
Ollie Chiles picked up the pen and signed his name, committing five years of his life, in return for a paycheque that would guarantee the future of the Academy.
Then he got up and walked out of the door.
There were people waiting and he wasn’t going to let them down.