Just a Fan (21 page)

'It's OK, Connor,' I assured him. 'You see I've kept my promise to you!'

He chuckled, his laugh musical and charming in my ear even over the phone line.

'
Aye, you have
.'

There was still something I needed to tell him, and there was no way of getting out of it. I took a deep breath. 'Listen, Connor, um...my mother called a while ago, and, er...'

'
...doesn't like the sound of me?
' Connor supplied grimly, given the wrong impression by my hesitation.

'No, not at all! She's a big fan of yours,' I reassured him hurriedly. 'It's just that she, er...wants to meet you...'

'
She does? When?
' he sounded very optimistic.

'Wednesday.'

'
That would be great, I'd love to meet her
,' Connor said.

I bit my lip.

'You would?'

'
Yes.
'

'Alright, then...that's settled,' I replied, feeling relieved that he wouldn't disappoint my mother, but at the same time beginning to feel some mild trepidation. He sounded just as eager to meet her as she was him...

Connor and Mum? Oh, dear...

Chapter 14

Mrs Harwick and Company

The sight of Connor MacGowan in the narrow, floral-wallpapered hallway of my mother's house was simply unreal. He looked so out of place there, in that boring hall with his lovely leather jacket and his luxuriant curls combed into submission. It felt almost dream-like, to be standing in such a familiar place hand-in-hand with a movie star like Connor...

'Oooh! Mr MacGowan, what an
honour
to meet you!' my mother squealed, almost bouncing with her excitement, fortunately remembering his surname. I could see that she had put on more makeup than usual today, and was wearing a dress that was most definitely
not
meant to be worn simply around the house. I guessed that she had probably been preparing herself since yesterday.

'Lovely to meet you, too,' Connor replied amiably with a nod, a charming grin curving his lips. 'You can just call me Connor.'

My mother giggled girlishly, unable to take her eyes from him. I could see her mentally slicking his hair back and dressing him in a dark suit just as he had been in the film
Esquire
.

'Alright, then,
Connor
,' she said in an all too flirtatious tone. 'Call me Mary. Come in, come in, let's not have you standing in the draughty hall. Living room's on the left.'

Before I passed her, she hugged me quickly and whispered to me: 'Quite a catch, Lilly! I still can't believe it!'

We all sat ourselves down in the living room. Connor sat leaning casually back upon the sofa, as per usual, and I took my place beside him. From the way my mother was smiling as she perched opposite us, I could very well guess that the cushions Connor was leaning against would either be sold or turned into great conversation pieces at the end of the day.

'So, Connor,' my mother began avidly, putting particular emphasis on his name as she visibly savoured the informal, amical way it sounded. 'I hear you're starting a new film?'

'Yes, I am,' replied Connor with a smile, sitting up straighter on the squashy sofa and casually resting the side of one ankle on the opposite knee. I saw my mother eye the dark shine of his shoe approvingly. 'It's set in nineteenth-century England, and it's called
Twenty Miles Below
. It's a really short film, but the script is great...'

'Lilly tells me it's about miners,' my mother put forth smugly, raising her eyebrows conspiratorially at me. I gave her a feeble smile in return, and Connor chuckled.

'Aye, it is,' he affirmed, giving me a quick wink. 'But the plot's mainly about how one particular miner deals with being away from his wife, and also how he reacts to a cave-in at the end...but I suppose I'd better keep my mouth shut in case I give too much away!'

My mother laughed. 'Ooh, yes, that's right!' she chuckled playfully. 'But you can at least tell me who else is going to be in it, can't you?'

'Of course - there's Olivia Weston, Ben Kingsley, and Franz Gauthier as part of the cast,' Connor revealed. 'They're all great people to work with - they were really nice when I met them.'

'Olivia Weston?' gasped my mother. 'Isn't she the girl who's in whatsit...erm...'

'
Hartley's Moor
?' I supplied. It was a famous film, and I recalled the stunning beauty of the lead actress very well.

'Yes, that's the one, thank you Lilly,' she said.

'What's she like in real life?' I asked Connor musingly, stealing my mother's next question.

'Very cool indeed,' Connor answered. 'She has a lead role in this film, too - she plays the wife of my character.'

'Oh, that's nice,' I commented as lightly as I could, trying not to be filled with unease at the thought of such a lovely lady acting out scenes of romance with my Connor. My mother didn't say anything, but she had a big smile on her face and was looking up at me pointedly with her eyebrows raised.

'Oooh...jealous, Lilly?' she teased me mercilessly. I reddened, mortified.

'Mum,
please
!' I said in outraged embarrassment, then attempted to redeem myself by adding haughtily: 'I know very well that Connor has to do his job, and that he's only following a script which does not necessarily reflect his own personal feelings towards someone. And please stop grinning at me like that, Connor.'

This only served to widen his grin, and make him chuckle fondly on top of it.

'Isn't she just adorable when she's angry?' my mother said affectionately, to Connor. The latter nodded, his eyes fixed firmly on me.

'Indeed she is,' he replied, a glint of insufferable mischief in that blue gaze of his. I narrowed my eyes at him, and grumpily poked him in the ribs.

But before they could gang up on me again, the doorbell abruptly rang, making me start. My mother sprang up immediately, saying rather loudly: 'Well, well, well, who
could
this be?'

She bounced out of the room and I looked at Connor apologetically. He only grinned and patted my knee.

'
Are
you jealous?' he asked me softly with a cheeky grin.

I frowned. 'Of course not. It's silly to be jealous for no reason.'

Connor raised a dark eyebrow. 'I think it's quite flattering,' he replied knowingly, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead. 'Shows me you care.'

'Hmm,' I grumbled, not amused.

Just then, the familiar voice of one of my mother's friends floated down the hall, getting nearer. 'I'm so sorry, Mary, I think I've
forgotten my handbag
somewhere in the living roo -
oh
! Oh my! What a surprise!
Connor MacGowan
?' my mother's friend Betty gasped rather theatrically. I strongly suspected a set-up.

Connor smiled patiently, and gallantly stood up to greet her.

'Nice to meet you,' he said with a charming smile as he shook Betty's trembling, proffered hand. Her plump, round cheeks were going a fiery red, and she, as well, was a little too well-made-up to be entirely casual. Her greying, frizzy hair was neatly tied up, something which she usually did on special occasions.

'Oh,
Connor
, how wonderful it is to meet you in real life!' she squeaked breathlessly, her glowing face shining like a beacon. 'My name's Betty, and I thought you were absolutely
wonderful
as Laurence Myers in
La Ferrassie
! And you were brilliant in
Esquire
, as well!
And
in
Waiting For Rain
, too!'

Connor gave a modest smile. 'Thanks a lot, Betty,' he replied candidly. The hyperventilating Betty seemed ready to explode with bliss at the sound of her name being spoken by such a well-known, alluring actor.

'Gosh, I never would have thought that I'd
ever
meet a famous man like you, let alone
here
in humble little Wetherby Avenue!' she prattled on, her eyes wide. 'What luck, eh?'

Connor chuckled politely. 'Aye...it's really thanks to Lilly that I'm here,' he told her, turning back to grin at me with a wink. I grinned back.

'Oh! Lilly, I didn't see you there!' Betty said in surprise, with slightly less enthusiasm. 'How are you, darling?'

'Fine, thanks,' I replied cheerily. Her eyes were already back on Connor.

'I can't believe you're really here!' she squealed again, making Connor look at his feet bashfully.

'Well, I
am
,' he replied modestly with a shrug and a wide smile that accentuated those lovely laugh-lines around his mouth.

I could hear voices again in the hallway, and about a second later the infamous "Sue from down the road" skipped in, burbling something about having left her lipstick on the sideboard. I could see Connor reel slightly in surprise at the sight of her, and I certainly couldn't blame him. Sue Harris was a tall lady who, despite her age, dyed her hair scarlet, wore tight black trousers and strappy heels, and often showed a bit too much cleavage to be perfectly decent. Her eyebrows, which were entirely plucked out and pencilled on high above her eyes, were raised even more at the sight of Connor, and her cherry-red mouth was in the shape of an "o". She had put so much make-up on today that she didn't look as if she remotely
needed
that lipstick she had "forgotten".

'Oh my God! Aren't you the tall hunky dangerous guy from
Esquire
?' she asked in a husky voice.

'I...suppose I am,' replied Connor carefully, trying to blink away his shock. 'Also known as Connor, by the way.'

Sue laughed coquettishly, beginning to make me feel bad-tempered. She was wearing a top that was so revealing it made me want to cover Connor's eyes protectively, in case he became scarred for life.

'I'm Sue,' she introduced herself. 'It's nice to meet you. I knew you were just as smokin' hot in real life as you are on the screen.'

'Er...thanks,' Connor said, looking flattered but still a little traumatised. This woman was just about old enough to be his
mother
.

Saving him, I rushed around the room, found the women's two "missing" articles and handed them back quickly, stepping between them and poor Connor.

'Here's your handbag, Betty, and your lipstick, Sue!' I interrupted with a big smile. 'Lucky they were easy to find! It was nice to see you again.' I was just politely but firmly ushering them out, when we met my mother coming the opposite way down the hall, with Letitia and Karen from next door in tow, looking very expectant.

'Lilly! Where're you off to?' my mother asked. 'Don't be rude to our guests - look, Letitia and Karen have popped round, so why not let them all stay for a cup of tea?'

'Mum...' I pleaded, trying to quietly reason with her.

'Come on, Lilly! Don't be a spoilsport!' she said cheerfully. 'In you go, ladies, I'll just put the kettle on!' Before the squealing and fluttering could begin, she looked into the living room and brightly asked Connor: 'Would you care for a drink, dear?'

* * *

'Well, that was certainly...very nice,' Connor remarked later on as we drove back. 'Come on, Lilly - stop worrying. That went quite well.'

I grimaced. 'Debatable.'

For a good hour or so I had been obliged to sit mutely beside Connor, sipping my tea while all of the aged women giggled and sighed over my famous boyfriend. They had asked him all sorts of embarrassing questions, such as:

'Early in your career, you had a extras role as "Shirtless Man #3", didn't you?'

'Did you really have to lick that lady's armpit in your second ever film?'

'In
La Ferrassie
, were you really in the water with no clothes on?'

'What was it like, having a snake up your trouser leg in
Waiting For Rain
?'

My mother had been of very little help, considering she had allowed them to stay "for a while" in the first place. She had taken great amusement in periodically reminding the ladies that their much-admired actor was 'already taken', looking pointedly at me when she did so. The others' enthusiasm had not been dampened by this, however, and poor Connor had been made to answer their queries while I sat wishing I was dead.