Star Struck by Anne-Marie O'Connor Read Free Book Online Page A

talent.’
    Richard calmed down and then began saying something else to Jason, which Andy could barely hear. Then Jason’s voice: ‘It won’t happen again … absolutely, absolutely … yes, straight away.’ Andy stifled a laugh at the sound of Jason’s grovelling.
    A few moments later, Jason came out of the audition room, smoothed his shirt down and stretched his neck from side to side as if limbering up. He looked at Andy. ‘They want to see that bloody girl again.’
    ‘Really?’ Andy asked, surprised.
    ‘Am I standing here telling lies for the sake of it? Of course, really. Go find her. And don’t come back without her.’
    Catherine, still stunned by her family’s performance, was standing in the taxi bay of the hotel, shivering in the cold drizzly Manchester weather and wishing that Claire would hurry up. She had just called her sister and pleaded with her to turn around and pick her up. It didn’t take much pleading. Claire was rightly contrite. Thankfully, they hadn’t got far and Claire soon screeched to a halt outside the hotel – the scene of Catherine’s shame.
    Catherine was soaked. She hadn’t thought to dress for the rain.
God knows why
, she thought. Twenty-four years in Manchester should have taught her that the chances of rain were high even if a drought of Biblical proportions was predicted.
    ‘What happened?’ Jo asked, excited.
    ‘Don’t ask.’
    ‘Oh my God, were you booted off? The shame,’ Maria said.
    ‘Thanks for the understanding.’
    ‘But we’ll be on telly looking like wrong ’uns now,’ Maria complained.
    ‘And that’s Catherine’s fault, how?’ Jo asked. Then something seemed to occur to her. ‘Eh, maybe they’ll get us back to be on the final show, you know like they do with all the divs who can’t sing. How top would that be?’
    ‘Not very top at all,’ Catherine said quietly.
    No one seemed to notice she was angry. Her family were so thick-skinned that Catherine would probably have to murder one of them for the others to notice she was annoyed.
    ‘Sorry, Catherine,’ Jo said, nudging her sister affectionately. ‘You’re right. Not top at all.’
    Catherine looked at Jo. It was OK for her, a knock like this was nothing to Jo. She breezed through life. Catherine only wished that she were one of life’s breezers.
    Catherine couldn’t catch her father’s eye. She knew he was annoyed that she hadn’t told him of her plans to audition. ‘Well, I’m glad that’s done and dusted is all I can say,’ Mick muttered.
    ‘And all I can say, Dad …’ Catherine said bravely, ‘is who the hell is Colonel Tom Parker?’
    ‘Who … what … who the …’ Mick stammered as if he was utterly agog at his daughter’s lack of knowledge. ‘Only Elvis’s bloody manager, that’s who!’
    ‘Elvis Presley?’
    ‘What other Elvis is there?’ Mick asked, outraged.
    ‘Costello?’ Claire said.
    ‘Who’s bothered about Elvis Costello? Jesus H. Corbett,’ Mick said, shaking his head in disgust.
    ‘So, you knew him well then, did you, Dad? Elvis’s manager?’ Jo asked.
    ‘Like that,’ Mick said, prodding his entwined fingers in Jo’s direction.
    ‘Where did you meet him?’
    ‘Brighouse.’
    Catherine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The fact that she had just had possibly the worst morning of her life seemed lost on her family. ‘Can we go please?’ she asked.
    ‘I need the lav,’ Mick said, clambering out of the car.
    ‘No, Dad. Not in there.’ Catherine didn’t want her dad trying to get back into the hotel.
    ‘I’ve got my disability badge with me, what are they going to do, chuck me out? I’ll go to the
Manchester Evening News
with it if I have to.’ Mick was always threatening to go to the
Manchester Evening News
. It didn’t matter how unreasonable he was being about something, he naturally assumed that he was somehow fighting the corner of the little man. He’d once been arrested and cautioned for staging a sit-in and singing