Hillary cleared her throat. “All right. That’s settled. You’ll get choreography details next week.”
Cash groaned again. Conner was already humming, Wes and Ethan looked like they were about to start practicing right there in the room, and Murphy was still beaming, like she’d just handed him the world.
Hillary straightened her notes, pulling the group back from their chatter. “We’ll film over the next break—two weeks from now, when North Star is in town. Here’s what it looks like: shots of you hanging out with the band, showing them the locker room, backstage content before the show, and one performance together during the concert.”
The guys all leaned in with varying degrees of excitement—or dread, in Cash’s case.
“You’ll each get two tickets,” Hillary added. “So plan accordingly.”
“Hell yes,” Murphy said immediately, grinning. “I’m bringing my sister. She’s going to lose her mind.”
His joy was so unfiltered, so big, it was impossible not to feel it. Hillary caught herself smiling back before she snapped her folder closed. “All right. That’s all for now. Sasha and I will finalize the logistics.”
The players filed out, still ribbing one another. Murphy lingered for a beat longer, his grin so wide it made something inside her chest tighten.
As she and Sasha turned to leave, Hillary forced herself into business mode again, rattling off next steps. But the smile on Murphy’s face lingered in her mind like an echo, leaving her more contented than she had any right to be.
19
HILLARY
Hillary sat cross-legged on Sydney’s worn couch, a paper plate of greasy pizza balanced on her knee and a half-empty glass of box wine in her hand. The apartment smelled like takeout and fabric softener. And despite the chaos of work waiting for her back at home, she felt herself exhale for the first time all week.
Sydney leaned back against the armrest, phone in hand. “So, Natalie finally called me. She got fired.”
Hillary frowned, setting her glass on the coffee table. “Fired? For what?”
Natalie was Sydney’s roommate for two years in college and her best friend, also one of the sweetest people Hillary had ever met.
“For reading a banned book to her kids,” Sydney said, her voice sharp with disbelief. “A story about a boy with two dads. One of her students’ parents complained. The administration caved.”
Hillary shook her head, anger curling hot in her chest. “Unbelievable. Natalie’s the best teacher they’ve got, and that’s what they fire her for?”
“Yep.” Sydney took another bite of pizza. “She’s crushed.”
Hillary stared at her wine for a long moment. “She’ll find something better. Any school worth a damn will snatch her up.”
Sydney smirked faintly, but her eyes stayed troubled. “I hope so. I asked her to move up here.”
“Good,” Hillary said firmly. “I hope she does. We need more people like her here anyway.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes, the easy kind that only existed between sisters.
“So,” Sydney said eventually, taking another sip of wine, “tomorrow’s the big day, huh? The boy band thing?”
Hillary rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smile. “Yeah. Tomorrow’s filming. Sasha’s practically vibrating with excitement.”
“Wish I could be there,” Sydney muttered. “But noooo, med school owns me.”
“That’s what you get for becoming a doctor instead of going into PR,” Hillary teased, their long-running joke slipping out automatically.
Sydney laughed, tossing a crust at her. She looked at her brilliant, stubborn, determined sister. The only bright spot in a family that had spent years dragging both of them down. How their parents couldn’t see it, Hillary would never understand.
“Have you talked to them since Grandma came home?” Sydney asked carefully.
“Yes,” Hillary said, her voice tight. “But that’s it.”
Sydney chewed her lip. “Christmas is coming up. We’ll have to figure it out.”
