The Sacred Vault_ A Novel - Andy McDermott [11]
‘Probably for the best - mind you, I skived out of school all the time, and it never did me any harm,’ Eddie told her, smirking at his sister’s sarcastic snort. ‘Anyway, it’s good to have the whole family here.’
‘Not the whole family,’ Elizabeth said pointedly.
Eddie forced himself to ignore her. ‘So, who wants another drink?’
‘Me!’ Holly chirped, holding up her champagne glass.
‘You’ve had enough,’ her mother said firmly.
‘Aw, come on! I’m seventeen, I’m almost old enough.’
‘Not here, you’re not,’ said Eddie. ‘Drinking age is twenty-one in the States.’ At Holly’s appalled look, he went on: ‘I know, how crap is that? But if you had any more, Amy here might have to arrest you.’ He tugged the sleeve of another guest. ‘Isn’t that right, Amy? I was just telling my niece about how strict you American cops are about the drinking laws.’
‘Oh, totally,’ said Amy Martin, joining the group. She regarded Holly’s glass. ‘I mean, that’s a potential 10-64D right there. I’m off duty, but I might have to call that in and take you downtown.’ Holly hurriedly put down the glass.
Eddie laughed, and introduced the young policewoman to his family - then looked round at a commotion from the function room’s main entrance. ‘I might have bloody known he’d cause a scene. Hang on.’ He crossed the room to close the doors, a task made harder by the press of onlookers trying to see inside. ‘Private party, so piss off!’ he warned the gawpers as he shut the doors, then turned to the new arrival and his companion. ‘Glad you could make it. You’re only an hour late.’
As usual, the sarcasm went completely over Grant Thorn’s head. ‘Sorry, dude,’ said the Hollywood star. ‘Jessica couldn’t decide on a dress.’
Eddie recognised his partner as Jessica Lanes, a starlet-of-the-moment famous for a couple of successful teen comedies and a horror movie, as well as her willingness to remove her clothes for lad-mag photoshoots. ‘Nice to meet you,’ he said to the blonde, who smiled blankly.
‘Eddie here saved my life,’ Grant told her. ‘He’s a cool dude, even though he’s a Brit.’
‘Wow, you saved his life?’ asked Jessica. ‘Awesome. So, you’re like a lifeguard?’
‘Something like that,’ Eddie replied, deadpan. Someone else tried to peer into the room; he moved behind Grant to secure the doors again, whispering, ‘Thought you were bringing that other Jessica? You know, the dark-haired one?’
‘Old news, man,’ Grant said quietly. ‘Besides, a Jessica’s a Jessica, right?’
Eddie shook his head, then escorted the pair through the room, which had suddenly been energised by the injection of star power. Holly in particular was dumbstruck by the appearance in three dimensions of a man who had previously been limited to posters on her bedroom wall. ‘Everyone, this is Grant and Jessica, who . . . well, you probably recognise.’
Nan peered at the pair as Eddie completed the introductions. ‘Ooh, I know you,’ she said to Grant. ‘I saw you on the telly. You were in an advertisement, weren’t you?’
‘Nan!’ hissed Holly, mortified. ‘It was an advert for his film! That he was starring in! As the star!’
‘Oh, that explains it. I don’t watch films these days,’ Nan confided to Grant. ‘They’re all so noisy and violent, just silly nonsense. But I’m sure yours are very good,’ she added politely.
Eddie held in a laugh at Grant’s discomfiture. ‘Anyway, I was getting drinks, wasn’t I?’
He headed for the buffet tables, passing Nina along the way. ‘Who’s that with Grant?’ she asked.
‘A Jessica.’
‘I thought his girlfriend was the one with dark hair?’
‘Keep up, love. You’re a celebrity yourself, you should know this stuff.’
‘I am not a celebrity,’ Nina said, faintly irked by the accusation.
‘Right. Being seen on live TV inside the Sphinx by two hundred million people doesn’t count.’
She groaned. ‘Don’t remind me. See you later.’ Giving him a kiss, she continued circulating, spotting some friends and workmates at one table. ‘Matt, Lola!’ she called, joining them. ‘Everything okay?