Page 7 of The Comeback Summer

I sit up straight in my chair, mimicking Hannah’s perfect posture.

“If we’re going to work together, y’all will have to walk the walk,” Lou says. “It’s impossible to truly understand the power of crushing your comfort zone if you haven’t crushed your own.”

“You want us to crush our comfort zones?” Hannah repeats, sounding skeptical.

“Exactly!” Lou says, her eyes sparkling.

Scott perks up, clearly excited. “You’ll give them one of your twelve-week challenges?”

“Damn right,” Lou tells him before turning back to us.

Judging by Scott’s reaction, these challenges can’t be too hard. It could even be fun, challenging myself to dosomething like learn a new language or read a dozen self-help books.

Lou leans forward. “So, are you in?”

Hannah and I look at each other, utilizing our sisterly power to communicate entire sentences with our eyes. Hers are asking,What do you think?And mine are saying,I think we have to do it.

Her eyes widen in alarm, but before she can telepathically tell me to slow down and think this through, I turn to Lou and say, “We’re in.”

Hannah kicks me under the table as Lou whoops with joy.

“I was hoping y’all would be up for the challenge.” She pushes her chair back and stands, looking down at us like a proud fairy godmother. Something about her makes me feel all warm inside, like her words have given me a hug and made me believe in myself—in us—again.

“Libby,” Hannah whispers. “We need to—”

“Let’s talk about next steps,” I say to Lou, ignoring my sister.

“I’ll send you the questionnaire,” Lou says. “Once you complete it, my team will need forty-eight hours, and then I’ll assign your challenges.”

“And if we do that, you’ll hire us to do your PR?” I ask. I want to make it clear that we’re doing this in exchange for her business.

Lou shakes her head but softens it with a smile. “You’ve got to play the game to win the prize, my dear.”

“Libs,” Hannah whispers again. She looks nervous, but honestly, I’d be worried if she wasn’t. It’s her job to worry about the details of the deal. It’s mine to imagine our future with Lou as a client. I can picture it—the halls bustling, filledwith staff. The office looking trendy and chic. Maybe we’ll have enough money left over to set up another scholarship in GiGi’s name.

“Thank you for considering us for this amazing opportunity,” Hannah says, breaking the spell. “But my sister and I would like to talk it over before we commit our resources.”

Before we what?I’m about to jump in and tell Lou not to listen to her, that we’ll do whatever it takes, when Hannah lays her hand on my knee. She doesn’t make eye contact, but the gesture tells me everything I need to know.

My unflappable sister doesn’t have an impulsive bone in her body, but once she wraps her head around the logistics, she’ll agree with me that this is the best—the only—way to save our family business.

“Fair enough,” Lou says, smiling as if she heard every word Hannah and I didn’t speak out loud. She turns to Great Scott and takes one of the two cups in his hands. “Thanks for the Americano, doll.”

And with that, she’s gone.

Four

HANNAH

Lou walks out, leaving the conference room with the eerie calm that follows a thunderstorm, the air infused with electricity.

“She’s an absolute legend,” Libby says. She sounds like she’s seen the face of God. “I am literally obsessed with her.”

“Youliterallynever heard of her until twenty minutes ago,” Great Scott says.

Libby faces him. “Yeah, well, that just goes to show how amazing she is.”

I know what my sister means—Lou commands attention, even more so in person than on her podcast. It’s why she can go by her first name only, like Beyoncé or Adele.

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