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Charlie shook her head. ‘I was thinking that you could be in charge of Gertie, while she’s here. That would allow me to start planning some more tours, contact more vendors for the food markets, so that when we’re finished here and summer comes around, everything is sorted. It makes so much sense, Lila. Why don’t you do it alone tomorrow – Em said we could borrow one of the catering team if we need cover for lunch or breaks – and we can take the weekend to assess how it’s gone? We’ll get double the work done, and you’ll have more opportunities to talk to the cast.’
‘If they have time to come and see us,’ she said grudgingly, but her stomach was doing somersaults. Gertie, the set and all within it would be hers for the conquering. Without Charlie’s safe, watchful eye she might be able to sneak in some of her questions, maybe even take Toby up on his offer of a set tour. It would be her chance to shine.
The next day Lila was on the bus early, dressed in skinny black jeans, a coral-coloured blouse and sparkly Converse. The sun was only just rising above the distant horizon, and everything was a pale, silvery blue that made her catch her breath with wonder. The earth smelt sweet, the scent of early spring flowers reaching her through Gertie’s open door, and she opened all the windows, filling the bus with fresh air.
She laid out stands of muffins, sausage and cheese rolls, mini arancini that she and Charlie had made the previous night; mushroom risotto balls filled with gooey mozzarella. They were bite-sized, so not even the most appearance-conscious actor could protest. She tried to pile them up like a tower of Ferrero Rocher, but the rice balls had other ideas, and she settled for a less dramatic presentation.
‘Hello? Are you accepting visitors?’
Lila looked up to find Sam hovering in the doorway. She was reminded of his cute Marmite moment, and wished Charlie hadn’t kept her dog with her in Porthgolow today.
‘Of course,’ she said, pushing a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. ‘What would you like? Other than an arancini, because they’re obligatory, not optional.’
Sam raised his eyebrows. ‘You’ve progressed from mothering to force-feeding, now? Where’s Charlie?’
‘Charlie is working on summer plans for the Cornish Cream Tea Bus, back in Porthgolow. You’re stuck with me, I’m afraid.’
‘What a hardship,’ Sam said lightly. Lila gave him a questioning look, but his expression gave nothing away. ‘I was after a coffee, if possible.’
‘One black, double-shot Americano coming up. What’s your favourite bean?’
Sam leaned against a table. He was wearing a scruffy grey jumper with the neckline pulled out of shape, and dark jeans. His feet looked huge in rugged, tan-coloured boots, and in the early morning light his hair seemed to glisten.
‘Favourite bean?’ he asked. ‘I quite like jelly beans, except the ones that taste like washing powder. Not a huge fan of baked beans, and I haven’t really considered how I feel about borlotti beans. I’ve not had cause to, so far in my life. Magic beans, though. They’re something else. I once played Jack in a stage version of Jack and the Beanstalk, and—’
‘I meant coffee beans,’ Lila said, laughing. ‘But good to know you’re ambivalent about borlotti beans. I am, too.’ Their eyes held for a moment. Lila was the first to look away. ‘It’s a moot point anyway,’ she continued, ‘because Charlie only has arabica beans, and only one type of roast, but I’m going to order some other varieties in next week, maybe do a coffee tasting one day.’ Now she was in charge, she had all these exciting plans.
‘I’m not sure how much time we’ll have for coffee tastings,’ Sam admitted, taking an arancini when she held the plate out to him.
‘No,’ Lila said, deflating. ‘I suppose not.’
‘It must get a bit dull, waiting here for someone to turn up.’
She shrugged. ‘It’s taking a while to get used to it, but it feels like a privilege to be here, too. It’s just a bit of an adjustment.’
Sam nodded. ‘You’re not the only one adjusting. This is my first lead role, and while I’m ready, I’ve been working up to it for a long time, to be honest … I’m bricking it.’
‘Wow. You seem …’ She couldn’t say she had guessed as much, but she was touched that he’d chosen to confide in her. ‘I mean, well done. Good luck! Shit, that all sounds so patronizing. Sorry. You’re here, and you’re doing it – and alongside Toby Welsh, no less! That’s super impressive.’
He gave her a weary smile and picked up his coffee cup. ‘I’d better be getting back. Thank you, though, for the good wishes. We’re both new at all this, so let me extend my good wishes to you, too. You’re certainly making breaks better than they might otherwise have been.’
‘Thank you,’ Lila said, unsure how to act in the face of his sudden formality.
‘And I’m sure you’ll find a way to make things more entertaining. I imagine that you can be very resourceful, when the need arises.’
She smiled, surprised that he’d already guessed that about her. ‘Resourcefulness is one of my more useful skills.’
‘I thought so. Have a good day.’
‘You too, Sam.’ She watched him walk off the bus, drawn to the way his hair tufted into a point at the back of his neck, and the tanned skin beneath.
At lunchtime, Max – the young, friendly man she had met in the catering tent on their first morning – took her place on board Gertie. Lila picked up an apple and a packet of Monster Munch from one of the other craft stalls and slipped away from the catering area.
The day was fresh and bright, but her blouse wasn’t protection enough against the wind. She shivered as she wove between the parked vehicles, past a large trailer called the Video Village, and down towards where she could hear waves crashing against rocks. There were so many people milling about, so much activity outside the bus, that Lila found it hard to take in. She remembered what Toby had said about the scale of the operation needed for filming a few hours of drama, and she wanted to find that central hub, the Ground Zero of the Estelle juggernaut.
She picked up her pace, rounded the corner of a long vehicle with high, blind-covered windows and almost bumped into someone. Her apple and crisps fell to ground as she jolted back, and she let out a helpless squeak.
‘Sorry,’ said a deep, resonant voice, and Lila discovered it was attached to a tall man with a crop of reddish-brown hair and intelligent eyes behind frameless glasses. He gave her a curious look.
‘I’m sorry too,’ she said. ‘I was going too fast.’
‘You need a new apple.’ He bent to pick it up, and then looked at it intently, as if it was something more impressive than a Royal Gala covered in dirt.
‘I do,’ Lila said, amused. ‘Would you like this one? You seem very enamoured with it.’
The man laughed and held out his hand. ‘It’s given me an idea. I’m Gregor, the director. I don’t recall having seen you before?’
‘I’m Delilah – Lila,’ she managed to say, though her pulse was suddenly racing. She’d almost bumped into the director while she was trying to spy on the filming. ‘I’m running the Cornish Cream Tea Bus, the quirky addition to the craft services.’
‘Ah yes,’ Gregor said. ‘Winston is very pleased with himself about that particular move. I should come and get a coffee. Have any interest in the filming, Lila?’
‘Oh yes,’ she said enthusiastically. ‘I was actually hoping to find …’
She brought herself up short, and Gregor laughed. ‘We’re all on our way to the catering tent for lunch, so filming’s on pause. But next time you get a chance, come and have a look. See what your culinary efforts are helping to fuel.’
‘I’d love that! Thank you.’ She resisted the urge to hug Gregor who, despite his strange fascination with her fallen apple, didn’t seem too intimidating. He wanted her to go and watch the filming. She waited until he’d gone, then made her way back to Gertie, her stomach growling. She stepped back on board just as a young woman, mobile pressed to her ear, was collecting a coffee. Lila whispered a thank you to Max and set about rearranging her display, unable to help overhearing the woman’s conversation.
‘Yes, tonight. A few of us are going. Not far, down at Portheras Cove.’ Lila pricked her ears up as the woman continued, oblivious to her interest. ‘I’m not really into all that equinox stuff, but it hasn’t been too cold today, and it should be a bit of a laugh. Yeah, I’ll see you then, OK? Cheers.’ The woman ended her call and gave Lila a quick smile.
‘Arancini?’ Lila asked, holding out the plate.
‘I’ve already had a couple, but what the heck! They’re great.’ She reached forward and selected two more, then strolled off the bus.
For the rest of that afternoon, Lila’s thoughts kept returning to what she’d heard. She hadn’t done much exploring since she’d been here, and a beach party – albeit one in March – would be the perfect way of celebrating her first week on set, especially if some of the crew were going to be there. It would be a chance to integrate more with the Estelle team away from Gertie.
Sam’s words popped into her head: I’m sure you’ll find a way to make things more entertaining. For some reason, she wanted to prove him right.
She heard shouting somewhere far away, a smattering of applause carried to her on the wind. They were all still working. She was supposed to stay later this evening, to be on hand when the actors had finished their twilight shoot – Charlie had pinned a schedule of their hours at this location to the wall before they’d even arrived – but it was already half past five, and surely everyone would want to get back to their accommodation when they were finished, to hot meals and glasses of wine or beer, not start their weekend off with a latte.
Lila did a quick search on her phone, found directions to Portheras Cove and started to shut down, checking everything was put away and switched off. When she was done, she jumped off the bus and locked the door. Nobody would notice she was missing, and if they did, by the time Monday morning rolled around, it would be forgotten about.
‘Right,’ she said, brushing away the niggle of unease that she was disobeying Charlie – and Winston’s – orders. She hurried to her Volvo and slid into the driver’s seat. She sent Charlie a quick message saying she would be out for the evening, but that she’d drive her back to set first thing in the morning so she could pick up Gertie and take her back to Porthgolow for the weekend. Then she put the car in gear, reversed out of the car park, waved goodnight to Claude on the gate and set off, the amber of a spectacular sunset pushing through the driver’s window as she headed towards her destination. ‘Spring equinox festival, here I come.’
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