“Bubby’s not actually her grandmother. She’s my father’s mother.” As she saw the confused looks around her, she added, “Huvy’s my half-sister, didn’t you know?”

“I should’ve worn a sheitel,” Gabriella muttered to Melanie, after receiving yet another appraising stare, this time from the purple-haired young woman

There’d been something strange in Gabriella’s expression, something hurried in her manner as she’d hastily walked them through their rehearsals and then rushed to the filming

Rina seemed blithely unaware of just how much each day of filming was costing them, as she insisted on take after take

“How nice! You’re so lucky!” Rina heard herself gushing. She always gushed when she was trying to mask jealousy

Boy, did she sound dumb now. Rushing to explain herself, she said quickly, “Okay, so why does an introvert with a capital ‘I’ try out for a role in a movie?”

Rina stared at her for a moment, as she struggled over how to respond. Part of her was screeching to call out Gabriella on her chutzpah

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw her mother, wearing what Huvy privately called her professional smile

“Ha!” Atara bounced onto her bed, folding her legs underneath her. “I’m not dumb. Though maybe you are, deciding to try out for Mommy’s film”