Milo was posing for photos next to the cinema entrance. He’d brought his mum as his date, a clever move which no doubt would win him more fans, and also leave him free to be with Timothy later on. Jenna wasn’t sure if she was happy or sad for Timothy, but he had a choice and at least Milo wasn’t lying to him about anything; just to himself.
Of course after filming had wrapped and the weeks had gone by with Jenna back in London and Milo filming in the US, the gossip about them had died down. Her brief notoriety had been usurped by Heidi, and her ‘fling’ with Milo carried on for months afterwards, cementing Heidi as a firm fixture in the gossip magazines. Far from feeling jealous of the attention Heidi got, Jenna felt only relief. Although she was enjoying the glitz and glamour of the premiere, she didn’t want that kind of scrutiny to be a part of her everyday life.
Finn stood back and grinned at Jenna as she had a photo taken with two young girls in the crowd. She signed autographs for them and took hold of Finn’s hand again. They reached the wall of photographers and journalists and the noise intensified. People shouted her name, bombarding her with questions from all sides. She’d worked as a model and she knew her best angle, so she posed, one leg crossed in front of the other beneath her red carpet-skimming dress. She held her clutch bag in one hand and put the other on her hip, and with her chin tilted slightly down, she focused on the cameras flashing in front of her. Finn stood back, allowing her a moment in the limelight.
‘Are you upset your relationship with Milo Blake is over?’ a journalist called out.
‘Not at all. I’m really happy.’ She looked at Finn and he joined her. The journalist smiled and gave her a knowing look.
There was no point in correcting the media. As far as they were concerned, she had a brief fling with Milo while they made the film until he moved on to Heidi and she found new love with a Cornish builder. She was certain everyone thought Heidi got the better deal, but Jenna knew the truth. Heidi may have gained notoriety from having a ‘famous boyfriend’ but it was for show only, a kiss here and there for the paps and no real affection beyond that. What a life to lead. The supposed ‘hot sex’ she’d been having with Milo was far from fiction with Finn.
‘Jenna! Jenna!’ Whistles and shouts from the press grew as they reached the cinema entrance.
Jenna turned, and with her arm firmly hooked in Finn’s she smiled and waved. She leant closer to him. ‘Let’s get inside.’
She didn’t want to get used to this kind of attention. The truth was, the more fame she gained, the more she shrunk away from it, which in the end had helped her to get her priorities right over the past twelve months.
~
The cinema was packed. Nearly two thousand faces gazed up as Jenna made her way on to the stage with the rest of the cast, the producers and the director. Her heart beat faster as the director introduced the film, and she zoned out as he sung Milo’s praises. She heard Cornwall mentioned and the incredible welcome the production had received when it took over Mullion and the surrounding area for a whole summer.
Jenna only realised that Heidi was standing next to her when she took Jenna’s hand in hers and whispered, ‘This is insane, isn’t it?’
Jenna nodded, but couldn’t quite believe in the sincerity of her words, not when less than a month earlier she’d walked the red carpet for the Bond premiere, the biggest movie of the year. It eclipsed this one by a long shot.
Milo took the microphone from the director and stepped to the front of the stage. Someone wolf-whistled from the back and laughter echoed around the cinema. He was dressed impeccably in a smart fitted-suit, and his dark hair, tanned skin and handsome face commanded attention. Jenna squinted in the dim light of the auditorium to make out Finn sitting next to Ade. She could see Lily and Amanda too and suddenly felt a fraud up on the stage, even more so when Milo mentioned her. She had no idea what he said, she just smiled politely and was glad when the audience erupted in to applause and they could return to their seats.
The theatre lights dimmed and the filming board classification for The Cornish Affair came on to the screen. There was an air of anticipation in the movie theatre as voices hushed. Jenna squeezed Finn’s hand tighter. Amanda was on the other side of Jenna, her hand gripping the armrest between them. It was a big moment. Jenna had seen herself on screen before but to be featured in a film as big as this one was something special.
Along with almost everyone else, Jenna watched the film for the first time. Scenes and locations were so very familiar, and yet in post-production the sense of history and the way it had been edited together made it fresh and new. It was like watching a film she barely knew the
