Five a.m. arrived with the usual canine cacophony of yapping corgis parading past Luke’s door. Mrs. W. took them out for their morning constitutional at the same godawful time every morning. He hadn’t needed an alarm clock since he’d arrived at the resort.
He blinked and stared at the ceiling, waiting for the synapses in his brain to start firing. The mental fog seemed to take longer than usual to dissipate today. Not surprising. Last night, simultaneously riding the contact high of spending time with Julia and worrying about Zach messing things up with the reviewer, he hadn’t gotten much sleep.
What could have been ten minutes or an hour later, Luke groaned and rolled out of bed. He opened a few drawers in his dresser, pulled on a pair of jeans and, as he did every day, grabbed the first shirt he saw. He was about to tug it over his head when he stopped and actually looked at the shirt. It was, like almost all the T-shirts he owned, a video game shirt.
This particular tee had an image from a space alien shooter that had been popular in the eighties. He loved that game. He loved the eighties. He loved this shirt. But Jay had a point. Perhaps Luke’s closet could do with a refresh. Nothing major, though. He didn’t care how much his friend made fun of him, he was not getting rid of his collection. But he could add a few new things. Maybe some shirts like the one he wore last night.
The one Julia had liked.
Luke shook himself and put on the shirt. Eighties space aliens would have to do for now. He rushed through the rest of his morning routine, his mind on Julia the entire time. She’d said she liked his shirt because it matched his eyes. Warmth tickled in his belly at the memory. He caught the goofy grin spreading across his half-shaved face and raised a mocking brow at his reflection. Enough nonsense. He was going to be late.
Meetings were held in the employee rec center located on the far southwest side of the floor reserved for staff. The space had turned out to be another unexpected perk of the job. There was an indoor pool, a small kitchen stocked with snacks and drinks, and best of all, a game room furnished with plenty of seating areas and a giant flat screen for video presentations.
He stopped to grab a bottle of high-octane cold brew from the staff fridge and chugged half of it right there. It was the closest he could get to injecting caffeine directly into his veins. Feeling more alert already, Luke found a spot on one of the many couches scattered about the game room and greeted the other employees as they trickled in. He took a quick head count, pleased to note that most of the actors participating in the sim were already in attendance.
Good. Following the morning briefing, they were supposed to head down for breakfast with the guest players at eight. One face, however, was absent. Zach. Figures. Captain Romance Hero probably needed to catch up on his beauty sleep. Luke gritted his teeth. Maybe he could arrange a drive-by yapping of the corgi parade.
At precisely seven a.m., Mrs. W. swept into the room in a swish of purple satin, said parade of corgis at her heels. Penelope brought up the rear, face wreathed in smiles as she dodged the little fur balls.
His sister had always wanted a dog. She would have been happy with any pet, really. But their parents had never allowed it. When he was younger, Luke assumed it had something to do with keeping Pen safe. Her immune system had been so fragile then, there was a lot of stuff that wasn’t allowed. Eventually, he realized the truth. His parents simply didn’t feel like dealing with it.
Luke shoved the unpleasant memories away and tried to focus on the meeting. But as his boss waxed on about how this resort was her passion project, Luke’s thoughts drifted. Pen’s birthday was next month. He should see what kind of dog she might like. Something small. Maybe like one of Mrs. W.’s corgis. A burst of applause sent the pack into another yapping frenzy. He grimaced. Maybe not.
Mrs. W. stepped aside to let Penelope take over. Unlike the rambling jumbled word soup of their boss’s speech, Pen was brief and concise. She’d often run morning meetings with the staff before, but this time his tech-averse sister even had a PowerPoint review of the daily schedule of activities. She was wrapping up the meeting with a reminder about performer expectations when Luke spotted a thatch of artfully mussed dark hair in the back of the room.
Speak of the manscaped devil.
Luke slipped past the clumps of actors lingering to chat and cornered Zach in the employee kitchen. “Brennan.”
“O’Neal.” Zach parroted Luke’s serious tone.
“You’re late.”
“I’m here now, aren’t I?” he asked, filling a sports bottle from the water cooler.
“You missed the meeting.”
“A tragedy. Whatever shall we do?”
Luke clenched his jaw, working to keep his temper in check. “Where were you?”
Zach took his time squirting water into his mouth before replying, “Around.”
“‘Around,’ huh?” Luke leaned back against the counter. “Could you be a little more specific?”
“Relax. I was at the gym. Never miss a Monday,” Zach said, a douchey grin accompanying that douchey expression. He passed an assessing glance over Luke. “I’m guessing you’ve missed a few, though.”
Zach lifted his arm to chug some more water, and Luke swore the guy was flexing on purpose. He crossed his own admittedly much less impressive arms and considered giving the bulkier but shorter man a demonstration of Newton’s second law of motion. He might not have the power, but he had the reach.
“What’s going on in here?” Penelope demanded, appearing in the kitchen. “Is something wrong?”
“Nope.” Zach flashed her an easy grin.
She turned to Luke, crossing her arms and mirroring his stance.
“Nothing’s wrong,” he agreed, relaxing. “Zach was just leaving. Weren’t you, Zach?”
“Yep. Gotta get downstairs.” He wiggled his eyebrows and did something debatably obscene with the water bottle. “I have a breakfast date with my new friend, Bridget.”
“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.”
“What about below the belt?” Luke asked. “Mrs. W. was pretty clear he won’t be needing that while on the clock.” Luke dodged the pencil missile his sister torpedoed at him. “I’m kidding. Go help Vijay. I’ll be down in a bit.”
He waved his sister off and grabbed another bottle of cold brew. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet and he was exhausted. Mrs. W.’s office was directly across the hall from the staff rec center. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but the corgi coalition announced his arrival before he got close enough to bother.
“Enter.”
Luke opened the door. Thankfully, the noisy fur balls recognized him and settled their overfluffed bottoms onto their custom-made doggie divans, resuming the other half of their very difficult lives of napping and yapping. “You wanted to see me?”
“Ah, Luke. Yes.” She gestured to a chair. “Please. Sit.” Mrs. W.’s British accent was always toned down when she was one-on-one. It was one of many eccentricities he’d noticed about the woman. After their first project consultation, almost a year ago, Luke had started a running list in his notebook. Out of habit, he patted his back pocket, relieved to discover it tucked safely inside. He’d been so out of it this morning he couldn’t remember grabbing it before leaving his room.
“I know you need to get downstairs to join the others, so I won’t keep you long.” Mrs. W. pulled one of the dogs into her lap, scratching the spoiled beast beneath its little fox-face snout. “I see you’ve joined the game in a more active role. Maybe I missed something during our earlier conversations, but was that always part of the plan?”
“Um, no. That was a recent development.” Luke squirmed, resisting the urge to pull out his notebook. Not because he needed to check his notes but because he wanted to hold it. Maybe Pen and Vijay had a point about it being his security blanket. “I decided I could do a better job making sure the players are having an optimum experience by getting involved directly.”
“Ah. See the lay of the land.” Her mouth pinched thoughtfully. “This leaves your sister with the bird’s-eye view, then?”
“She has taken over control of that aspect of the game, yes,” Luke said slowly, trying to gauge his boss’s reaction. Was she upset he hadn’t cleared the change with her first? There wasn’t anything in their agreement that would require him to. For all intents and purposes, Luke had complete creative control. “I trust Penelope to handle any situations that come up.”
“Oh, I know she is quite capable. I have no concerns there. I wouldn’t have hired her otherwise.” Mrs. W. scooted the dog off her lap and stood, walking to the window and looking out across the Lake Michigan shoreline. “I’ve had a good feeling about all of you ever since you first replied to my job posting for this project. The three of you together were exactly what I’d been looking for. Serendipity, one might say.”
“I was thinking the same thing this morning myself,” Luke admitted.
“I commend you on your commitment to the success of this project.” Mrs. W. waved a hand, indicating he should join her at the window. “In fact, I’ve been so impressed by your dedication throughout the development process that I’ve been thinking … maybe I should increase the bonus I promised.”
“It’s already very generous,” Luke said. He hesitated, gathering his thoughts as he watched the morning sunlight glitter on the water. Aside from getting to live and work with his sister and Jay, Luke had accepted Mrs. W.’s job offer because of that bonus. It would provide security for his sister and allow him the opportunity to go after his own dreams. Dreams he’d put on hold since … well, since forever.
He’d always wanted to run his own game company, but establishing a start-up came with a lot of risks—risks he’d been unwilling to take. If it was just himself, if it was only his life and his future on the line, Luke would have gone for it right out of college.
But he had Pen to think about, her life and future to consider. His sister graduated high school the same year Luke earned his masters in computer science. When she decided to get her business degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, he’d set his dreams aside and had gone to work as a developer for a software firm in the same city. It was boring as hell, but it paid the bills and allowed him to be nearby in case Pen ever needed him. He’d told himself it had been enough.
And he’d even managed to convince himself that was true, until Mrs. W. came along with her wild offer. Suddenly the possibility of more was within his reach, and Luke finally admitted to himself how much he wanted to chase that dream.
However, Luke had concerns about the details. He knew his boss was good for the money. He knew she would honor their bargain and pay the bonus if her expectations were met. The problem was, he was still unclear on the precise parameters of those expectations.
The contract only stipulated that the bonus would be triggered if—and only if—Mrs. W. decided she was satisfied with the results of the romantic-comedy experience they created. At the time, he’d been unconcerned about the vague language.
Frankly, he would have signed that contract regardless. It took care of his immediate interests. Luke had been worried about what would happen after Penelope finished school. He knew he was protective—overprotective, according to Pen—but he had good reason to be. It meant a lot to him that he’d been able to keep his sister close. Earning the bonus was a bridge he’d cross later, a problem for tomorrow.
Well, tomorrow was now, and Luke had to figure out what steps he needed to take to cross that bridge. Dealing with Mrs. Weatherfork was tricky. Yes, she was eccentric, but he’d also seen evidence of a brilliant mind beneath the oddities. She reminded him of a steel trap with a faulty lock mechanism.
“Since you brought up the subject,” he finally said, setting aside his musings and turning away from the window, “I had a few questions pertaining to the bonus.”
“Oh?” She folded her hands and encouraged him to continue.
“I was hoping you might provide more concrete guidelines.”
“Concrete,” she repeated.
“For how you plan to evaluate the game’s success,” Luke elaborated.
“The game’s a success if I say it is.”
“Yes,” he agreed, struggling to keep the irritation from his voice. “But what factors will you be basing your decision on?” Unable to resist, he grabbed his notebook and flipped it open. “Are you looking at registration numbers? Hotel revenue?”
“I don’t give a fig about the money.”
How nice for you. “What about notoriety? I know about the reviewer who’s here to cover the grand opening. Are you looking to build public interest?”
“Not exactly.” Mrs. Weatherfork returned to her desk chair. She patted her lap.
For a horrified second, Luke thought she was inviting him to sit there.
“Young man…” She waited until the ball of fur that had jumped up settled down, little black nose tucked into her arm. “You know I started this venture to make a point to my husband.”
He shifted uneasily. Luke had yet to meet the infamous Harold Weatherfork, but by all accounts, the goose was as goofy as the gander.
“Of course, I want the project to meet all standard benchmarks of success in terms of revenue and registration.” She stroked her hand along the back of the dog in her lap, smoothing down the tufts of fur. “But I also consider success to be based on what I’m trying to prove.”
There was that steel trap. “Which is…?”
“That romance is real, of course.”
Snap. And there went that faulty lever he was worried about.
“I want to show Harold that people are coming to this little rom-com world you’ve created because they believe—like I do—in the magic of two people falling in love against all odds.”
“True love.” Luke blinked. “That’s what you’re expecting me to deliver?”
“Don’t look so concerned.” She chuckled. “I’m expecting you to deliver the romantic experience. I want to prove to my husband that it’s possible to create a place where people believe, at least for a little while, they really are part of a romantic comedy. If I’m satisfied you’ve done that, you’ll have your bonus.” She met his eye with a shrewd little wink. “Understand?”
“I think so.” Luke scribbled down some notes, dominoes lining up in his mind. His boss was an eccentric entrepreneur, but crafty too. Grandiose claims of proving to her husband some intangible concept about romance aside, her concept for the resort was rather brilliant.
What she was asking for was abstract, yes, but he’d seen it in action plenty of times before. Every time he watched a rom-com with his sister, in fact. With each movie, Pen went on an emotional journey with the characters, experiencing the highs and lows, laughing and crying … falling in love.
As for himself, Luke wasn’t sure what it felt like to fall in love. He’d never been in love before, not romantically. And after watching the way his parents had eviscerated each other, Luke wasn’t sure he was all that interested in experiencing that kind of love. He loved his sister. He even loved Jay. But he wasn’t so obtuse as to think that was the same thing as wanting to ride off into the sunset with someone. So while he couldn’t fully appreciate what Mrs. W. wanted her guests to experience, he understood the concept in theory.
What his boss described was intangible, but not impossible. And not immeasurable, either. Difficult to extrapolate, but if he had the guests fill out evaluation forms at the end of the week, rating and describing their experiences, their responses would provide concrete data points he could interpolate.
Technical details aside, in the end, Luke knew that, ironically, his real shot at that bonus hinged on his ability to create exactly what Vijay promised in the hotel’s website promo.
For the chance to achieve his dreams, Luke had to do one thing.
Make the fantasy real.