“It’s the last show, Lexi, and I still haven’t told Mom and Dad I’m moving to New York indefinitely.” My head drops onto my dressing room table, fresh flowers to my right and left.

“I brought reinforcements.”

With my eyes closed and forehead pressed against the cool wood, I groan, “Zoe can’t help me with this. God bless her but she keeps urging me to drive over there and tell them. Or call them. Or text. I can’t!”

Our baby brother’s voice surprises me. “You need a few lessons, Sam. Learn from the best.”

I sit upright to discover Hunter standing next to Lexi, the two gingers with their arms crossed like they mean business.

“We don’t have a lot of time, so let me cut to the chase.” He locks the door, muttering to Lexi, “Can never be too careful.”

“Are you going to teach me how to live under the radar?” I gasp, excited I might learn about Hunter. He is like a stealth ninja, living a life of secrecy. None of us even knows where he lives. We’ve never met his friends. When he and I were at the same high school I saw them walking with him sometimes, always in silence with the kind of masculine strut you see in action movies when there’s something blowing up behind the hero.

He jogs his square chin to Lexi. “I’m not the only one who sneaks around, not that I call it sneaking. That’s more what Lexi does.”

“Hey!”

“Don’t play dumb. It insults me. It’s a good thing you called me, because if Samantha learned from you that would be a joke.”

Lexi drops her hands. “Hey!”

“We all know who Brad is. You have any idea who I am dating? Have you ever heard of any person I have ever dated?”

“You didn’t have Samantha running around with you as a witness.”

I defend myself, “Never once have I ratted on you and Brad. You’re the one who always gets caught. I always play innocent.” Pointing at her, I remind her, “How many times have you seen me acting dumb when Max or Caden grill me?”

Hunter chuckles, “This is your problem. Both of you. Your emotions rule you. How do you think you're going to live covertly if we can read everything you’re thinking on your faces, or you fly off the handle at the slightest provocation?” He holds up one finger. “Lesson one. Hide your feelings.” Another finger pops up. “Lesson two. Don’t ever tell anyone what you’re up to.” A third finger. “Lesson three. If they ask, don’t answer.” He crosses his arms, cuts a superior look to Lexi before landing it on me.

I’m staring at him, soaking it in. Dryly I ask, “That’s the big stealth ninja webinar?”

He frowns, “Well, it’s not a webinar. I’m standing right in front of you.”

“Hunter!” I cry, throwing my arms out. “That is not helpful!”

“I’m catching what you’re throwing down,” Lexi smirks.

“Lexi gets it. The reason you don’t is because you are too good for this.”

“Are you calling me stuck up?! I’m not stuck up!”

“I meant good as in sweet, Sam. Untaintable.”

Lexi cocks her cherry eyebrows. “Is that a word?”

“You knew what I meant, didn’t you?”

“This is all been very educational,” I begin. “But we are talking about Mom and Dad. It’s not like I can move out of the city and have them not notice. At least not for long.”

Hunter says, “Why not? If they have a family dinner, you fly in for it. Or say you’re not feeling well and ask them to move the date so you can book that ticket and change your existing schedule around.”

Lexi and I are staring at him. I’m the one to call it out. “Have you always lived in Atlanta, Hunter?”

He stares at me, expression unreadable, and does not say a word.

Lexi wags a finger at him. He snatches it like he’s going to pull it off. She bends it like he was successful. And they both say at the same time, “Oh!”

They’ve been doing that since we were kids.

I turn toward the pink roses Mom sent, thinking about this strange advice. “I don’t see them face-to-face that often. Maybe once every couple weeks.”

In unison, my siblings say, “Exactly.”

Tugging out the card, I read it again. To the biggest star in Atlanta. Love, Mom.

Do I want to just be the biggest star in Atlanta—which I’m not—or do I want a chance to shine even brighter with audiences three times the size? Maybe four, five, six!

I’ve never been to New York.

What is it like?

There’s a sneaky smile in Lexi’s voice behind me. “She’s thinking about it. See that?”

“I am.”

“What could it hurt? You go. You check it out. If you like it, then you tell them!” I meet her eyes as she shrugs away any implications that this is a terrible idea. “And if you don’t, then you just come back here as if it never happened. Zoe and I will save your room. You have enough money to keep paying rent, right?”

“Yes.”

Three knocks sound on my door. “Places, Samantha!”

"Coming!” I turn to the mirror to check my makeup, running my finger along the edge of my lips for a clean line of pale pink lipstick. I’m supposed to look like I sprung from his dreams, a cloud he can’t catch hold of.

Hunter says, “You’re too tied to the family, Sam. Live a little.”

I roll my eyes and stand up, locking eyes with him in the reflection. “If Max and Caden knew what we were talking about right now, we would be in such trouble.”

Their laughs are so mischievous that a smile cracks through my concern. I spin around, the decision made.

She hugs me, “Have a fantastic last show in Georgia, Broadway star!”

“Knock ‘em dead, Sam,” Hunter smirks, skipping the hug to vanish out of my dressing room door.

Lexi whispers to me, “He has lived outside of the city, hasn’t he?!”

“It’s so weird!”

“I bet if I look outside he will be gone.” She snaps, jumps over, peeks out, looks over her shoulder and hisses, “I knew it!”

I flip the switch, sending shadows flying in. “How did he get to be so cool?”