“I can’t stand that guy,” Luke muttered as he watched the actor saunter off.

“Well, get over yourself, because he’s the best performer we have,” Penelope said, her tone completely unsympathetic. “Which is why I paired him up with the reviewer.”

“You did that?” Luke turned to his sister. “On purpose?”

“I just said I did.” Penelope set the stack of papers she was holding on the counter. “Go on.” She fisted her hands on her hips and looked at him expectantly. “Tell me why that was a bad idea.”

He smashed his lips together, trapping his response before it escaped.

“You made me the game master,” she reminded him.

“I know I did.”

“And you said you were going to trust me to handle it.”

“You’re right.” Luke tried to rein in his concerns. “I’m sorry, Pen. You’ve barely had a chance to step into the job and here I am second-guessing your first move.”

Her face softened. “I understand why you’re worried about Zach. He can take things too far.” Before Luke could respond she continued, “But that’s also what makes him so good at this. He commits to his role one hundred percent. You saw him with the reviewer last night; they were having a great time together.”

“They were,” Luke agreed, careful to keep his tone light. He seemed to be back on neutral ground with his sister and he didn’t want to lose that. He hated arguing with her. They teased each other all the time, but serious disagreements didn’t happen often, even when they’d been kids. They were too busy navigating the minefield of their parents’ fights. “I just don’t want anything to backfire.”

She smiled. “I guess it’s a good thing you’ve decided to be a part of the game, then. You can keep an eye on him.” She paused to poke him in the ribs. “But if there’s a problem, let me handle it. Deal?”

He nodded. “Deal.”

“We’re in this together, right?” Pen reached up on her tiptoes to give him a hug.

Luke bent and met her halfway, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off her feet. “Right.”

“We’re a team. You and me.” She gave him a tight squeeze. “And Jay.”

“We are,” he agreed, setting her down. A little sting pierced his heart. It was stupid and selfish and small of him, but he couldn’t seem to help it.

“Speaking of the third pea in our pod, Jay’s waiting for me downstairs.” Penelope gathered her papers from the counter. “Oh, and Mrs. W. wants to see you in her office. That’s what I was coming to tell you, before I got distracted with having to break up the playground pissing contest.”

“It was not a—”

“Save your breath.” Penelope shook her head. “And no punching Zach. We need to keep that pretty boy’s face intact.”