smiled. ‘Wait, you mean . . . we might actually be able to have a grown-ups’ night out on our own? Although if we’re going to see a Grant Thorn movie, I don’t know if “grown-up” is the right term. I mean, they didn’t even use the title of my book.’ She gestured at a framed print of its cover above the desk, the words In Search of History and her name superimposed over an atmospheric photograph of a golden statue on the seabed. ‘ The Hunt for Atlantis ? It’s not exactly subtle.’
‘They’ll have changed a load of other stuff too,’ said her husband. ‘It’s Hollywood; they always do. They’re not even using our names for the main characters.’
‘Which makes me nervous from the get-go. They can have them do anything and we can’t complain about it, because they’re technically not us.’
Macy returned with more pictures. ‘Oh, what are these?’ her father asked. ‘Are these fish too? They’re really good!’ He looked back at Nina as he perused the crayoned artworks. ‘I wouldn’t worry about it. Grant’s a big star, and Marvin’s a successful producer. They know what they’re doing.’
‘I know,’ she said, trying to reassure herself. ‘I just hope they didn’t change too much . . .’
A month later, Nina had her answer.
‘That was,’ she hissed to Eddie as the credits began to roll to teen-friendly rock music, ‘the biggest pile of . . . of shit I have ever seen!’ As the other audience members applauded, she hurriedly stood and headed for the aisle, pulling her husband after her.
Eddie grinned. ‘See, you do swear loads more than me now. I really enjoyed it, myself. Didn’t like that they changed me into an American, but that’s Hollywood for you.’
‘You liked it? It was . . . it was idiotic ! It was even more ridiculous than Grant’s stupid car movies, and I didn’t think that was possible. At the end, when they jump out of the jet without parachutes? There’s no way they could have survived!’
‘We actually did that,’ Eddie pointed out as they exited the auditorium and started down the stairs to the lobby.
She glared at him. ‘Yes, but – but it didn’t happen that way. Then there was that ludicrous action sequence where you – I mean Jason Mach ’ – a snort of contempt – ‘steals a train and chases after me, or rather Eden Crest?’
‘That happened too.’
‘Shut up! And Eden Crest, what the hell kind of a name is that? Sounds like an environmentally friendly toothpaste. Also,’ a deeper scowl, ‘I really hated that they made you into the perfect hero and turned me into the damsel in distress who always needed rescuing.’
‘Yeah, I wasn’t keen on that either,’ he admitted. ‘Hopefully they’ll fix it in the sequel. You should have a word with Grant at the after-party.’
‘I don’t want to go to the after-party,’ she protested. ‘I just want to get home and see my little girl.’
‘After all that time you kept saying how great it’d be to finally have a night out without Macy, now you can’t wait to get back to her?’
‘This wasn’t what I had in mind.’
Before he could ask what she did have in mind, they’d passed through the lobby doors – and Nina stopped in her tracks. Many of the members of the press attending the premiere had made a beeline for the foyer to catch the celebrity guests as they emerged. ‘Oh God,’ she moaned. ‘ Please don’t let anyone ask me what I thought of it.’ She shook her head. ‘I can’t believe I accepted that clause in the contract about not publicly bad-mouthing the movie. Marvin might seem friendly, but I bet he’d slap me with a lawsuit in three seconds flat if I told a reporter what I really thought about it.’
‘I can say whatever I want, though,’ said Eddie. ‘I didn’t sign any contract.’
‘Yeah, but you liked the damn thing!’
He squeezed her to him as more audience members thronged past them into the foyer. ‘Come on, love. It
‘They’ll have changed a load of other stuff too,’ said her husband. ‘It’s Hollywood; they always do. They’re not even using our names for the main characters.’
‘Which makes me nervous from the get-go. They can have them do anything and we can’t complain about it, because they’re technically not us.’
Macy returned with more pictures. ‘Oh, what are these?’ her father asked. ‘Are these fish too? They’re really good!’ He looked back at Nina as he perused the crayoned artworks. ‘I wouldn’t worry about it. Grant’s a big star, and Marvin’s a successful producer. They know what they’re doing.’
‘I know,’ she said, trying to reassure herself. ‘I just hope they didn’t change too much . . .’
A month later, Nina had her answer.
‘That was,’ she hissed to Eddie as the credits began to roll to teen-friendly rock music, ‘the biggest pile of . . . of shit I have ever seen!’ As the other audience members applauded, she hurriedly stood and headed for the aisle, pulling her husband after her.
Eddie grinned. ‘See, you do swear loads more than me now. I really enjoyed it, myself. Didn’t like that they changed me into an American, but that’s Hollywood for you.’
‘You liked it? It was . . . it was idiotic ! It was even more ridiculous than Grant’s stupid car movies, and I didn’t think that was possible. At the end, when they jump out of the jet without parachutes? There’s no way they could have survived!’
‘We actually did that,’ Eddie pointed out as they exited the auditorium and started down the stairs to the lobby.
She glared at him. ‘Yes, but – but it didn’t happen that way. Then there was that ludicrous action sequence where you – I mean Jason Mach ’ – a snort of contempt – ‘steals a train and chases after me, or rather Eden Crest?’
‘That happened too.’
‘Shut up! And Eden Crest, what the hell kind of a name is that? Sounds like an environmentally friendly toothpaste. Also,’ a deeper scowl, ‘I really hated that they made you into the perfect hero and turned me into the damsel in distress who always needed rescuing.’
‘Yeah, I wasn’t keen on that either,’ he admitted. ‘Hopefully they’ll fix it in the sequel. You should have a word with Grant at the after-party.’
‘I don’t want to go to the after-party,’ she protested. ‘I just want to get home and see my little girl.’
‘After all that time you kept saying how great it’d be to finally have a night out without Macy, now you can’t wait to get back to her?’
‘This wasn’t what I had in mind.’
Before he could ask what she did have in mind, they’d passed through the lobby doors – and Nina stopped in her tracks. Many of the members of the press attending the premiere had made a beeline for the foyer to catch the celebrity guests as they emerged. ‘Oh God,’ she moaned. ‘ Please don’t let anyone ask me what I thought of it.’ She shook her head. ‘I can’t believe I accepted that clause in the contract about not publicly bad-mouthing the movie. Marvin might seem friendly, but I bet he’d slap me with a lawsuit in three seconds flat if I told a reporter what I really thought about it.’
‘I can say whatever I want, though,’ said Eddie. ‘I didn’t sign any contract.’
‘Yeah, but you liked the damn thing!’
He squeezed her to him as more audience members thronged past them into the foyer. ‘Come on, love. It
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