A Starlit Summer

by Kate Frost

  ‘I’ve worked on films before – all bit parts. This will be the longest shoot I’ve ever done.’

  ‘The whole summer in Cornwall. Pretty exciting. I’ve not seen you at the hotel?’

  Jenna closed her eyes as the make-up lady dabbed the sponge on her cheeks and forehead and swept it across her face. ‘I’m not staying there. My parents have a cottage down here, left to them by my mum’s aunt, so I’m staying there.’

  ‘Oh nice.’

  ‘What’s the hotel like?’

  ‘A-maz-ing. Right on a clifftop with sea views. It’s lush. You’ll have to come and see it.’

  ~

  Jenna was comfortable with the routine of a day of shooting, even if it differed slightly from project to project. Hair, make-up and costume kicked the day off with filming in-between a lot of downtime. People new to the film or TV industry were always surprised by how much waiting around there was: waiting for scenes to be set, lighting and sound checks, and walk-throughs. Jenna was also relieved that her first day of shooting didn’t involve having to learn any lines, although she’d done her homework and was prepared. She only had a light splattering of lines over the whole film, but her character was featured a lot. Day one was an easy scene with the three girls played by her and Lily, and Amanda who she’d met in the costume tent. They giggled together as they walked along the harbourside in front of fishermen’s cottages.

  As a first day went, it was a good one. It was also Jenna’s first experience of being a part of the named cast on a major film and on a period one too. There was something even more special about going through hair, make-up and getting into costume when you got to peel away modern day clothes and step into the life of someone from long ago. Or on this film, the 1940s. The World War II backdrop made her think of Aunt Vi and the soldier she’d been in love with. The women Jenna, Lily and Amanda were playing were glamorous with beautifully curled hair, red lipstick, and costumes that were much more comfortable than when she’d been squeezed and pulled into a corset for an eighteenth century period drama. Two months ago she’d been in a skin-tight top and a mini skirt filming a scene in a south London nightclub, now she was in the depths of Cornwall, the unspoilt surroundings perfect to depict summer in the 1940s. She had to pinch herself that this was really happening and that she was in a film on location for two months. Life couldn’t get much better than this.

  ~

  Jenna settled into a routine of early starts and long filming days. The weather was warm and sunny, the ideal conditions for both the shoot and the work on the cottage. Leaving early in the morning, Jenna hardly saw Finn, but mid-week she had a later call time and Finn and his dad arrived before she’d left. She made them coffee, talked through what they’d been doing and said goodbye. Each day when she arrived back an improvement had been made with the slate roof tiles slowly being removed and replaced.

  It was four days into filming when Jenna had her first scene with Milo Blake, the lead actor. She’d worked with big-name actors before but had never shared a one-on-one scene with them or had played the love interest like she would with Milo. There was a buzz at the base the morning when Milo Blake was first on set. Jenna could sense it with extra security on the gate to the base, supporting artists whispering together as they waited to be bussed to location. Milo’s trailer was a focal point for everyone’s attention.

  ‘He arrived at the hotel yesterday,’ Lily said as the three girls walked together from the costume trailer to hair and make-up. ‘Bet you regret staying at that cottage now.’

  ‘Not really, I think it would do my head in everyone going dippy over a film star.’

  ‘He is hot though.’

  ‘Only the second sexiest man alive though according to Hot Now Magazine.’ Amanda hooked her arm in Lily’s and Jenna’s.

  Jenna laughed. ‘Only number two, eh?’

  ‘They’re obsessed by him.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘The magazine. And women in general.’

  Milo Blake was hot, in a movie-star kind of way. He had luscious dark hair with brooding full lips and large deep brown eyes. He was clean shaven, tanned and wasn’t averse to getting his top off at every opportunity. Jenna imagined he’d look just as good in a soldier’s uniform from the Second World War as he did in jeans and a T-shirt. She was also certain of the distraction he’d be at the hotel where he was staying with the rest of the main cast. She was pleased she would escape the craziness, yet she was also anxious that she was the only one who had yet to meet the infamous Milo Blake.

  ~

  ‘Lily, Jenna, Amanda. You’re all on the minibus that’s about to leave.’ The First AD scanned the paper on the clipboard he was holding. ‘Head over to the car park and you’re in the first minibus.’

  Freshly out of hair and make-up with their long hair pinned neatly back in 1940s style waves, the three of them walked arm in arm across the base.

  ‘Timothy’s nice too,’ Amanda said as they reached the car park. ‘He arrived a couple of days ago and I think him and Milo already know each other.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Lily said. ‘He said they worked together before.’

  ‘Aah, here she is.’ A deep brooding voice took her by surprise. ‘Jenna Wilson, last but not least of a very lovely trio of ladies.’

  He’d spotted her before she’d clocked eyes on him. Lily nudged her and Jenna looked to her left and came face to face with Milo Blake.

  He held out his hand. ‘Milo.’

  She shook it. ‘Hey there, it’s good to finally meet you.’ She stopped herself in time from spilling the beans that everyone had been discussing him all morning. But she guessed he knew that already.

  ‘I hear you’re not staying with us at the hotel. Holed up somewhere by yourself.’

  ‘Yeah, I wasn’t sure what the arrangement was going to be when I said yes to the job. If I’d known everyone was going to be put up in a fancy hotel...’

  ‘I’m sure it’s not too late to change your mind and come join us.’ He slid open the minibus door and let her on first.

  ‘Ah, well I’m overseeing the building work on the cottage for my parents, it’s how I negotiated staying there for the summer. I kinda like it there too.’

  ‘The hotel has a hot tub and a swimming pool.’ Milo winked and sat next to her, while Lily and Amanda slid on to the seat behind them. Lily caught Jenna’s eye and raised an eyebrow.

  ‘That is tempting...’

  It was a short journey to that day’s filming location, just enough time for Milo to tell her a bit about the last film he worked on. She didn’t mind sitting back and letting him talk. The whole minibus could hear him; it was evident he liked being the centre of attention and thrived on it. Jenna imagined he had plenty of stories to tell from working and partying with Hollywood’s elite. He moved in completely different circles to her. She knew actors who’d performed at the RSC and worked on TV series for the BBC, even someone who’d got a part in a Netflix film, but no one who’d made it in Hollywood like Milo Blake had. Here she was, literally rubbing shoulders with him, as they bumped along a potholed lane to a secluded Cornish farmhouse with far-reaching views of the ocean.

  ~

  Jenna had worked as a film extra before and during drama school and her one worry had been getting snubbed by the actors. As with everything in life, some people were lovely, some were arseholes, and actors were no different. Jenna vowed that however successful she got, she’d always make time for everyone – cast, crew and extras alike. A handful of bad experiences when she was younger made Jenna notice how actors treated people. The more famous they were, the more she noticed. Milo commanded attention, but he also made time for everyone, chatting with the crew, flirting with the make-up ladies, teasing one of the supporting artists, and that made him all right in Jenna’s mind. She came to that conclusion during the first two days of filming with him. He was good looking and fit as anything, but that didn’t always go hand in hand with being decent.

  She mostly had
scenes with Lily and Amanda, but there were plenty with Milo too, and Timothy, plus a few of the older character actors who she hadn’t met yet. There’d be plenty of time to get to know everyone better, and she was already firm friends with Lily and Amanda who were a similar age and at a similar point in their career. And although Milo was hugely successful and much further along in his career than she was, he sought her out, chatting to her between takes, inviting her to sit with him at lunch and waving her over whenever he saw her. It was noticeable because he didn’t do that with Lily and Amanda, unless they were all together.

  ~

  The heat increased as the week went by and continued over the weekend and into the second week of the shoot. A heat wave from Spain caused chaos in the UK which was unused to those kinds of temperatures and not set up for working in such conditions. The location where Jenna was filming also changed from the cool but cramped farmhouse and yard shaded by a sweet chestnut tree, to the suntrap of a sandy beach backed by cliffs. By the afternoon on the hottest day, everyone was flagging with the sun relentlessly beating down and a shimmery heat haze over the golden sand. Jenna envied the holidaymakers who got to spend lazy days on a beach beneath the shade of an umbrella, swimming in the sea and splashing about in rock pools. Filming on a beach wasn’t quite the same when downtime was beneath the shade of a roasting-hot marquee wearing a 1940s swimming costume. And no sunbathing was allowed. No one wanted to risk the cast getting sunburn. There were times she had to remind herself how lucky she was to work on a big-budget film on location in a beautiful part of the world.

  Chapter Seven

  ‘That’s a wrap!’ The First AD’s announcement was met with a collective sigh of relief from everyone. ‘Let’s get out of here before we all get heat stroke.’

  It was nearly two in the afternoon and the temperature wouldn’t have been out of place in the Mediterranean. The beach had little shade, the marquee for use between takes was as hot as an oven. Even umbrellas held over the actors plus copious amounts of cold bottled water did little to help. Everyone was hot, sticky, sweaty and miserable. No wonder countries like Greece and Spain had siestas. All Jenna could think about was lying down somewhere cool.

  In the minibus on the way back to the base everyone was talking about cooling off in the pool at the hotel before heading to the nearest pub for a beer. It sounded rather appealing to Jenna, but at least the cottage with its thick stone walls kept the heat out. It was unbearably hot in the costume tent, and no one stayed longer than they needed. With relief, they slipped back into more comfortable summer clothes.

  ‘Come back to the hotel with us,’ Lily said as they escaped the stickiness of the tent for the equally humid air outside.

  ‘Maybe later.’

  ‘I’ll message you.’

  They split off; Lily to the minibus that was taking some of the cast back to the hotel, while Jenna got into her baking hot car. Sweat immediately beaded her forehead. She started the engine and wound down the windows, cursing that her car didn’t have air-conditioning. Her top stuck to her back as she bumped out of the field and turned into the lane. Warm air rushed in as she picked up speed. She squinted in the brightness even with her sunglasses on. As she went over a hill, the countryside spread out in front of her, a mirage of greens with splashes of colour breaking up the view: the gleaming white of a cottage; the mustard-yellow of a field of rape; the red, pink and blue of wild flowers in the hedgerows; the deep blue cloud free sky.

  She’d only been in Cornwall for little more than a week but driving back to the cottage felt like she was going home. Even more than her flat in London did – it was where she slept, showered and cooked food, but she had no affinity to the place. Yes, she liked having her own space but she didn’t feel as relaxed as she did here. It was also an oasis, away from the heat on the coast, with the garden surrounded and shaded by tall trees.

  Jenna turned into the drive and parked alongside Finn’s van. The slam of the car door was loud in the quiet of the garden. Startled wood pigeons flapped into the air from the trees. As she headed to the front door she heard scraping and assumed Finn was working round the back of the cottage.

  Compared to outside, the kitchen with its flagstone floor, thick stone walls and small windows was cool. She dumped her bag, went over to the sink and peered out of the window. She could just make out a bucket and the side of Finn’s tattooed arm as he worked on the cottage wall.

  Jenna opened the fridge’s freezer compartment, pulled out two ice creams and went outside. She made her way round to the back of the cottage and on to the lawn. As soon as she’d got the lawn mower at the weekend, she’d cut the grass and it had transformed the garden. It looked even bigger with some of the wildness tamed. The sun pounded down, and out of the shade it was even hotter than by the sea. The trees surrounding the cottage garden were completely still, the only movement the occasional bird swooping between branches.

  ‘Just you today?’ Jenna shaded her eyes and watched Finn repairing the stone next to the kitchen window. ‘Fancy a break?’

  ‘Hell, yeah.’ Finn turned and dropped the trowel into the bucket.

  Jenna smiled and chucked him a mini Magnum.

  ‘I didn’t know if your dad was here.’

  ‘No, just me today.’

  Jenna waggled the remaining Magnum. ‘I’ll have this one then.’

  Finn wiped his arm across his forehead and stepped out from the shadow of the cottage. ‘You’re a lifesaver.’

  Sweat glistened on his face and chest, and with no T-shirt tucked into his back pocket, it looked like he hadn’t even bothered to wear one at all.

  ‘Bit hot isn’t it?’ Jenna sat on the dry grass and peeled the wrapper off. The chocolate beneath was already beginning to melt. ‘The heat even shut down filming today, which hardly ever happens.’

  ‘So you’ve got the afternoon off?’ He joined her on the grass and sat next to her. He leant back on one hand with his Magnum in the other.

  ‘Yeah, back in early tomorrow though.’ Jenna cast her eyes away from him to the cottage. ‘You seem to be getting on well. The roof looks great.’

  ‘Yeah, Dad’s on another job for the rest of the week now the roof’s done. I’ve started on the wall; there’s a really damaged bit which probably accounts for the damp you’ve got in the kitchen beneath the stairs.’

  The reclaimed slate tiles Finn and his dad had used blended in with the original tiles, but now the roof was crack-free and water tight, a hint at how the whole cottage would look once Finn had finished with it. Jenna couldn’t do anything to the inside of the cottage besides clean it, until the work putting in new sockets, unblocking fireplaces, repairing the windows, ripping out the kitchen and re-skimming the walls with plaster had been done. Until then she was happy to tackle the garden.

  ‘This,’ he said, waving the ice cream, ‘is the next best thing to a cold pint in a pub garden.’

  ‘Oh God, I couldn’t think of anything better.’

  ‘But I’m working, so this is perfect.’

  ‘There must be some good pubs around here though. Where do you go?’

  ‘Not to the really touristy ones, although lots of those have the best beer gardens or are close to the sea. We usually just go to the one in the village.’

  ‘Where do you live?’

  ‘In Mullion.’

  ‘Oh really? That’s near to where most of the cast are staying. Bet it’s a bit different living down here rather than being on holiday for a couple of weeks though.’

  ‘Yeah, part of me wants to get away from here; live somewhere more exciting.’

  ‘Seriously? I’d love to live down here.’

  ‘You are.’ He motioned to the cottage in front of them.

  ‘Only for eight weeks.’ Jenna bit into the ice cream. The coldness made her cheeks clench and a piece of chocolate dropped on to her bare leg. She whipped it off her skin and popped it into her mouth. ‘I’d love to live somewhere like this. I’m fed up of city living. I
t’s not all it’s cut out to be.’

  ‘Neither is living in the country or by the sea.’

  ‘Shame we can’t swap.’

  ‘I guess you need to live near London for work? I mean I know you’re working down here but I presume it’s a one-off?’

  Jenna nodded. ‘Most jobs are in or around London.’

  Finn finished the last bite of his ice cream and rested back on both elbows. The sun beat down and even with Factor 30 on, she could feel her skin sizzling in the heat. Finn looked like he was used to working outdoors, his chest golden, no tan lines on his arms. His skin gleamed, the tattoos edging the top of his chest and down his arms, black and bold in the sunshine.

  Jenna realised she was staring. ‘When did you get your first tattoo?’

  ‘At eighteen.’ He pointed to the tribal band at the top of his arm. ‘Kinda got hooked. Saved up to get one each year ever since – or at least expand on the ones I’ve already got.’

  ‘Nice.’

  ‘Have you got any?’

  Jenna smiled. ‘I may have.’

  ‘You going to show me?’ He met her eyes and grinned.

  ‘They’re not exactly in an obvious place – it’s easier in this job not to have tattoos on show, really. I’ve done quite a few period dramas. Easier getting cast without them.’

  ‘Do you get typecast?’

  ‘What, the girl next door parts?’

  ‘I didn’t mean it quite like that, but yeah I guess. I mean you’re pretty. Like really pretty.’ He dropped his gaze from her and looked at the cottage instead.

  Jenna brushed a stray hair from her face; she was already hot but her cheeks flushed even more. She didn’t want the silence to grow and it to suddenly be awkward between them.

  ‘It’s funny, I was having a similar conversation with my friend back in London. She’s got this epic, like totally unique look which sets her aside from other people and bags her some great roles, but she was saying her looks rule her out of so many other opportunities, like the love interest. The sort of stuff I get to audition for.’