His answer was immediate. “Yes. God, yes. Are you kidding? My sister will lose her mind.” He was already laughing, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t wait to tell her. This is gonna be epic.”
His excitement rolled over her. Hillary caught herself smiling again, caught herself leaning into it.
After a minute, Murphy pushed back his chair. “I should go. Coach will bench me if I’m late to video review.”
She reached for the coffee he’d brought her, taking a sip. Perfect.
“Thanks for the coffee,” she said, her voice more even than she felt.
“Anytime,” he said, flashing her one last grin before heading out.
The door shut behind him, and his presence left the room like the sudden silence after a storm. Hillary exhaled slowly, staring at the muffin still sitting on her desk.
Why had she offered that? She still had to talk it through with Sasha, make sure it fit their PR strategy. And spending more time with Murphy, especially in front of cameras, was dangerous.
The heated words they had exchanged that night after karaoke played in her head, as they often did. She hated that sideof herself, the self-preservation side that lashed out at anything that made her seem weak. Yet, nothing had changed. Being together was still a bad idea.
The door shut behind Murphy, and Hillary forced herself to breathe. She reached for her phone, thumbs flying over the screen.
Hillary: Need to talk boy band logistics when you have a minute.
She had barely set the phone down before Sasha appeared in her doorway, eyes wide and practically glowing.
“Please tell me you just texted me about North Star,” Sasha said, slipping into the chair Murphy had just vacated. “Because I have been trying to figure out how to get a collab going with them since I found out Glendale was a tour stop..”
Hillary couldn’t help the corner of her mouth from twitching. “That’s exactly what I texted you.”
“Girl.” Sasha clapped her hands once. “This is going to begold.Now—five players. That’s the sweet spot.”
Hillary nodded, already flipping open her planner. “Wes and Ethan. They already do TikTok dances for team content. They’ll be naturals.”
“Agreed,” Sasha said. “And Conner and Cash. Team favorites. Conner’s a ham, Cash will grumble, but he’ll do it.”
“Okay,” Hillary said, making notes. “That’s four.”
Sasha leaned back in her chair, tapping her pen against her lip. “Sven. Crowd pleaser. This is right up his alley.”
Hillary grimaced. “Of course, it is.” She hesitated, the words catching in her throat before she forced them out. “What about Murphy?”
Sasha tilted her head, eyes narrowing just slightly. For a split second, Hillary swore she caught a knowing gleam there, but Sasha only smiled. “Yeah. He’s perfect for this. Likable, easy on camera. Everyone loves Murphy.”
Hillary’s pen scratched across the page, but her chest ached with unspoken agreement. Everyone loved Murphy. She knew that all too well.
"I think if we head down there now, we can catch them at the end of video review."
Hillary took a breath and another sip of her coffee, biting back the smile that wanted to cover her face before they made their way over to the video review room.
The sound of last night's game filled the video room, broken only by Coach Wagner’s voice as he replayed clips from last night’s game. Hillary and Sasha slipped in quietly, standing along the back wall.
Usually, whenever she and Murphy were in the same room, she could feel his attention, his warmth. He lavished it on her so easily she sometimes wondered if anyone else noticed. But today, he didn’t look her way. He was hunched forward in his seat, brow furrowed in concentration, eyes locked on the screen. The happy-go-lucky golden retriever part was gone, replaced by a man locked in focus. He looked older like this. More serious. For one dangerous moment, the thought slipped in that maybe there was more to him than she’d let herself believe.
She shoved it away. That line of thinking would only get her in trouble.
“Special teams,” Coach Wagner barked, shutting his laptop. “Quick practice before tomorrow’s game.”
Players pushed back from their chairs, stretching and talking as they gathered their things. Hillary nearly forgot why she was here until Sasha nudged her with a pointed elbow.
“Right.” Hillary cleared her throat, stepping forward. “Coach Wagner, can I have a word with Conner, Cash, Wes, Ethan, and Murphy?”
