I turned to see my manager smiling, stepping through the sliding glass doors and onto the deck. “Leon.” I approached, and he took both of my hands in his, giving them a warm shake. “Thank you for stopping by. I would have come into the office.”

“No, I was heading to another meeting across town and your place is on the way,” he said, glancing at the ivy. “Also, this is great. Especially since I’ve been sitting in a boardroom for most of the day.” We both took a seat at the four-person glass table. Even though the sun was setting, the heat of the day hadn’t quite burned off yet. But it was comfortable under the awning that covered the space. Leon sighed, gazing out to the hills for a moment, his eyes lingering on the silvery lavender sky. I turned toward it as well, the horizon a shade I didn’t recall ever seeing before. How was it that I’d witnessed thousands of sunsets in my life, and yet one could still stun me? “Do you ever forget there’s a world out there beyond boardrooms and recording studios?” he asked.

I smiled, and it felt like the first real one all day. “Sometimes,” I admitted.

He cleared his throat, seeming to come back to himself. “So, listen, Emily,” he said, tapping his open palm on the table for a moment as he studied me. “I’ve been ironing out the contracts with several of the team members joining the tour, and I wanted to talk to you about a few of their suggestions.”

“Oh, okay.”

He reached in his briefcase and removed a stack of papers. “I’ve approved all of these. They just need your signature. Take a few days to read them over and give me a call if you have any questions.”

I nodded, sliding the stack of contracts toward me and glancing at the top one. It was for a lighting crew. Just looking at my name at the top of the page was surreal. It was hard enough to believe I had a manager and an assistant, a bona fide team. But now I had a lighting crew! Tasked solely with lighting my show.

And a bodyguard. Now you have a bodyguard.

I pushed that thought aside, clearing my throat and thanking Leon.

“One other thing,” Leon said, and the way he paused made me tense. He looked like he was about to deliver bad news. “I’d like you to lip-synch.”

Confusion made me gape. “Lip-synch? Lip-synch…what?”

“Your show.”

“My show?” I let out a small laugh that died a quick death when Leon stared at me with zero amusement in his expression.