Page 57 of Claim to Fame

“I assure you, teenage girls have no idea who Midnight Storm is,” Molly, Jo’s roommate, said. “They haven’t had a hit in almost a decade.”

“I loved Midnight Storm,” Jo said. “I was a Beckett girlie.”

“Of course you were.” Kyla rolled her eyes.

“What? Tall, dark, and tatted. What’s not to like?” Jo said with a shimmy of her shoulders.

“You guys suck at not talking about things,” Ethan said.

“How long are you in town for, Hannah?” Caleb asked.

“Just another week. I need to be back in New York for the premiere of the pro shot.”

“What’s a pro shot?” Gavin asked.

“It’s a film of a stage production. In our case, they filmed the closing week ofBridget Jones’ Musicaland it’ll have a limited release in movie theaters across the country.”

“That means you’re not just a Broadway star. You’re a movie star,” Sabrina said.

“Hardly,” Hannah demurred.

“When’s the premiere?” Jamie asked.

“Next Friday.” Ethan stiffened beside her.

“Oh. You’ll miss Dad’s birthday.” Tessa glanced between the two of them as she absent-mindedly bounced Julie on her lap.

“It’s your birthday next week?” Hannah turned towards him, their knees brushing. He leaned into the contact.

“Next Saturday,” he answered tightly.

“He’s turning forty-five,” Gavin offered.

“Oh, it’s a big birthday,” Hannah said. She felt like she should have known somehow.

“No birthday’s a big birthday after twenty-one,” Ethan said.

“You should come with me to New York.” The words were out of her mouth before she could think better of it, but now that she’d said them, they felt right. Hannah twisted to face him fully, setting her hand on his knee. “You could be my date to the premiere, and we can spend your birthday celebrating in the City.”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ll take you to all the best spots,” she continued, suddenly feeling it was incredibly important that she convince him to go with her. “Central Park and the Met and the Highline.”

“What about the paparazzi?” Sabrina asked gently.

Hannah’s cheeks heated. For a minute there, she’d forgotten all about the paparazzi. “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she bluffed. “After the premiere, they’ll have no more interest in little ol’ me.”

“You should go, Dad. I’ll help you find a suit if you want,” Tessa offered.

“I have suits.” Ethan’s eyes darted between Hannah’s and she held her breath as he considered her proposal. “You really want me to come?”

“Yeah. I really want you to come.”

He nodded slowly, sliding his hand over hers where it rested on his knee and lacing their fingers together. When he smiled, his eyes crinkled at the corners and her heart fluttered. “Alright, city girl. Let’s go to New York.”

Warmth gathered in Hannah’s chest, a glowing ball of heat that felt an awful lot like happiness. She squeezed his hand and tried to memorize the moment, the way his hand felt in hers, the soft denim of his jeans, the pleasantly full feeling of having thoroughly enjoyed a meal without concern for how many calories were in each bite, the laughter of new friends around the table as the conversation moved on without them. She wanted to remember it all, to freeze it in amber and keep it forever.

To keep him.

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