After his escapade in the rain, Luke needed a hot shower. Or maybe a cold one, since he couldn’t seem to stop replaying what he’d been doing in the rain. A smile crept across his face. Despite muscles cramping from his race through the woods and a bruised backside from the tumble off the log, Luke would relive those few minutes alone in the woods with Julia in a heartbeat.
The way she’d looked at him, the swirling colors in her eyes, even more chimerical in the shadowy light beneath the trees, her storm-drenched hair hanging down her back in thick waves of amber and honey, mahogany and chestnut. He still couldn’t decide what shade her hair was. If Luke was writing her character description for a role-playing game, he’d probably say auburn, her eyes hazel. But neither of those words did justice to the real thing.
That had not gone at all like he’d expected, and yet Luke wasn’t sorry his plans had been derailed. Like he’d told Julia, no regrets. Not about that, anyway. He couldn’t help wondering if he’d regret his decision to step back from his responsibilities by stepping into the game. The whole point of doing so, at least he kept telling himself, was to ingratiate himself with the reviewer. How he was planning to manage that when he kept getting sidetracked by Julia, Luke wasn’t sure.
It wasn’t like him to act so impetuously. He never made a change of plans without carefully thinking things through and analyzing the options. But in this case there hadn’t been time. More significantly, he’d allowed logic to take a backseat to impulse. He frowned, trepidation clouding his mind like mist rising off the lake.
“What’s your problem?” Vijay demanded.
Luke’s head snapped up. “Huh?” While his thoughts had been otherwise occupied, his feet had gone on autopilot and taken him to the control room.
Vijay eyed him. “And why are you hovering in the doorway?”
“I’m not hovering.” Luke crossed his arms, chagrined to realize he was indeed hovering.
“Do you think it’s a good idea for you to be in here right now?” Jay asked.
“Depends.” Pulling the door closed, he grabbed the seat next to Jay. “Where’s my sister?”
“She’ll be here soon. She’s dealing with a last-minute request from Mrs. W.”
“What kind of request?” Luke asked warily.
“Nothing you need to worry about. Don’t get your Mario underwear in a twist.”
“I haven’t worn Super Mario Brothers underwear since I was a kid.”
“Dude. I distinctly recall you wearing a pair in high school.”
“It was junior high. And it was only that one time.” Sometimes it sucked having a best friend who’d known you forever.
“Whatever you say, man.” Vijay leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms overhead.
Luke was only too happy to drop the subject. He sifted through the stack of papers on the desk. “Are these the completed itineraries?”
“They are. And the bonus lists, too.”
Craving a return to a sense of normalcy, Luke logged in to the resort’s management system he’d created and opened the program he’d developed to organize the data for the rom-com sim. He pulled the first page off the stack and began entering the information.
“Pen and I can take care of that, you know.”
“I know,” Luke acknowledged as he continued typing, soothed by the simple, straightforward task. He handed Jay the page he’d finished entering and grabbed another.
Vijay fiddled with the edge of the paper. “What’s up with you?”
“Nothing,” Luke insisted. A blatant lie. The second page done, Luke handed it off and picked up a third. He’d designed the programs to work symbiotically but hadn’t had a chance to test the applications in real time. “I still think we should have had a trial run before the grand opening.” Luke shoved another finished page at his friend.
“And I still think we should have created an online entry form for the guests instead.” Vijay tapped the pages against the desk, straightening them. “I could link it on the hotel’s website so people could fill it out before they arrived.”
“I told you, I don’t want to do it that way,” Penelope snapped from the doorway.
Luke and Jay froze, exchanging guilty looks. It didn’t matter if what they’d been doing was wrong or not. It didn’t matter that Penelope was six years their junior. She’d always had the ability to make them feel like they’d been caught stealing from the cookie jar.
“Why not?” Jay asked, standing up and offering his chair.
Penelope ignored the offer. “Because it’s too much like filling out a dating app.”
“How many dating apps have you filled out?” Jay demanded.
“None of your business.” She sniffed, wrinkling her nose as she stepped closer to Luke. “Ugh, you smell like a soggy picnic blanket.”
“That’s you?” Vijay flapped the pages he was holding at Luke, as if to air him out. “I’ve been wondering what that stench was.”
“It’s because of the walking tour.” Luke shrugged. “I, uh, got caught in the rain.”
“Most of the stragglers arrived back in the lobby a few minutes before the storm started,” Penelope said, brows furrowing. “What were you doing out there for so long?”
He flushed under his sister’s suspicious gaze.
“And what are you doing in here?” Her eyes narrowed. “You came to check up on me, didn’t you?”
“Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t plan to stop by?”
“No,” Penelope said flatly. “That doesn’t sound like you at all.”
“It’s true,” Luke insisted, still freaked out by the recent glitch in his brain. “I was on my way to take a shower and somehow ended up here.” He held his breath, waiting for his sister to call BS.
Instead, she glanced over his shoulder at the computer screen and bristled. “Are you entering the itinerary data?”
He smiled feebly. “I figured since I was here I might as well help.”
“Luke! Stop micromanaging things! I can handle this. Why won’t you trust me?”
“I do trust you.”
Her face puckered in doubt.
“Really.” He made a show of standing up and slowly backing away from the computer.
Gloating, Vijay met Luke’s eyes and silently mouthed, “I told you so.”
Pen huffed and slid into the chair, picking up where he’d left off entering responses. Her fingers attacked the keyboard with rapid, angry clicks. “You should have seen some of the dirty looks I got last night when I told people we’d be keeping their phones for the week,” Penelope pouted. “Technology ruins everything.”
“Says the person currently entering data into a computer,” Vijay teased.
Only Jay would risk taunting Pen when she was in one of her moods.
“Shut it,” Penelope sniffed. “I could figure out the schedules by hand if I wanted.”
“You could,” Luke agreed. “But without my program, it would take you most of the week.”
“Your brother’s right.” Jay dropped back into his chair and rolled closer to Penelope. “By the time you had all of this organized, it would be time for everyone to pack their bags and go home.”
“I know he’s right,” Penelope grumbled, handing Jay a sheet and moving on to the next. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Luke grinned, heart aching with bittersweet tenderness for his sister. Maybe it was because of all the years she’d spent hooked up to machines as a kid, gadgets and gizmos monitoring her every breath, heartbeat, and a host of other bodily functions, but she’d never been a fan of tech stuff. “While you’re at it, can you make sure to match up my schedule with the reviewer’s friend?”
“Your plan to get in her good graces is going that well, then?” Penelope asked, flipping through the files. “Did you two enjoy yourselves on the trail?”
“Why?” Luke asked, suddenly nervous. “Did someone say something?”
“Say something about what?” His sister swiveled on her chair to look at him. “What happened?”
“Why do you think something happened?” Luke hedged. Nobody could have seen him with Julia in the woods. They’d been completely alone … at least he’d thought so. The fact that he was worried he’d been seen concerned him on several levels. He was supposed to be doing a job and had crossed a line. Luke wasn’t sure whether the fact that he’d completely forgotten there’d been any lines in the first place was a point in his favor or a strike against him.
“I didn’t think something happened until you started acting like something did.” Penelope scowled.
Despite the storm clouds gathering in his sister’s gray eyes, Luke relaxed a fraction. She didn’t know about the kiss. He mentally scrambled for an escape route. “I know something that didn’t happen…” he improvised.
“And what’s that?” She cocked her head at him.
“Zach didn’t show up for the tour today.”
“What do you mean he didn’t show up?” Penelope frowned. “He was with the reviewer at breakfast.” She tapped her chin. “We both saw them together there.”
“Right. And he should have been with her on the tour.” Irritation crept into his voice. “He’s an actor. He’s getting paid to be here. He needs to show up on time, when and where he’s supposed to.” Luke sighed. “This is exactly what I was worried about. I’ll deal with him.”
“How many times are we going to have this conversation?” his sister asked, throwing up her hands. “You put me in charge. That was your decision.” Penelope stood and faced him, spine stiff. “Which means now I get to make the decisions,” she declared. “I chose to pair Zach with the reporter. I’ll deal with him.”
Luke was about to protest, when a look from Jay stopped him. He sighed. His friend was right. The middle pea in the pod, keeping the peace.
“That reminds me,” Pen said, settling back into the chair and shifting her attention to Jay. “Were you able to deal with that thing I asked you about?”
Jay nodded “All set.”
“Perfect.”
“What thing?” While Luke was glad his sister was no longer glaring at him like she wanted to remove his stubborn head from his body, he didn’t like the vibe he was picking up. Something was going on, and he hated being out of the loop. “What did she ask you to deal with? What’s all set?” he demanded. “What’s perfect?”
“You.” Penelope grinned up at him. But it was the evil kind of grin shared between siblings when one was about to do something unpleasant to the other. “Or, you will be as close to perfect as we can make you.”
“Does not compute.” Luke shook his head. “Need more data.”
“Your sister sent me on a little shopping spree for a new wardrobe.”
“No,” Luke said.
“For you,” Jay elaborated.
“I figured that part out, thanks,” Luke growled, not about to admit that, this morning, he’d been thinking about doing the same thing himself. “No,” he reiterated.
“Yes,” Jay countered, his grin almost as evil as Penelope’s.
“Go take your shower,” Penelope said. “We’ll meet you upstairs in an hour.”
“What’s happening in an hour?” Luke wondered, not sure he wanted to know the answer.
“A new activity has been added to your itinerary, Lance.” His sister held up Luke’s form. “Makeover montage.”
“You’re joking.”
“Your T-shirt is a joke,” Jay neatly rejoined.
“It’ll be fun,” Pen said. “Ooh!” she chirped, turning to Vijay. “We can have him do one of those mini fashion shows for us, like in the movies.”
Luke grimaced. “Absolutely no—”
“Great idea, Pen.” Jay clapped Luke on the back, cutting him off. “Come on. Let’s take you from a Before to an After.”
True to their word, minutes after Luke got out of the shower, Pen and Jay appeared at his door, loaded down with shopping bags. By the time they’d finally finished with him, he could wear a new article of clothing every day for the rest of the month.
Luke adjusted a sleeve on the shirt Penelope had picked for him to wear tonight. Unlike the one he’d borrowed from Vijay, this one was his actual size. But it still didn’t fit right; shirts rarely did. He tugged at the cuff again. Jay suggested Luke should get some custom made by a tailor and he’d snorted with laughter at the idea. “Modeling” outfits for the two of them had been insufferable enough.
Even after a solid hour of that torture, there were still a few hours to go before dinner, and Luke was starving. He headed to the staff kitchen for a snack. Scrounging up a box of crackers, Luke wandered into the game room. A handful of employees were scattered about the space, eating a late lunch and chatting or watching TV. Over in one corner, reading a magazine with his feet propped on the seat next to him, was Zach.
Temper flaring, Luke knocked the magazine out of the actor’s hands.
“Something on your mind?” Zach leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, the sleeves of his T-shirt straining against his biceps.
Grabbing the back of the chair holding Zach’s feet, Luke yanked. “You missed the walking tour.” He took a seat in the now empty chair and folded his hands. He would keep his promise to Penelope and wouldn’t touch pretty boy’s face, but Luke couldn’t resist putting him in his place. “I don’t care what you do on your free time, but right now, you’re on my time. The resort’s time. You’re not a player, you’re a performer. Participation is not optional.”
“I did you a favor.”
“Pardon?”
“By skipping that whole traipsing-through-the-forest thing.” Zach leaned forward. “Look, I’m supposed to be charming the blond one. Bridget, right?”
“Something like that.”
“How well is that going to go if we start by spending an entire day together?”
“Your charm runs out that fast, does it?” Luke smirked.
“Hardly.” Zach smirked right back. “I don’t want to overpower her. She got her first taste of Zach cake last night at the cocktail party. And a second helping this morning at breakfast. I bet she’s been thinking of me all day. And now, I bet she can’t wait to see me again.”
He can’t be serious. Luke’s lip curled in distaste “Please don’t ever use the term Zach cake ever again.”
“This is basic stuff, man. Romance one oh one. Whet their appetite, then leave them hungry for more.”
“Romance one oh one, huh?” Luke sneered. “That sounds more like Introduction to Being an Asshole to me.” Even though the concept seemed crude to him, Luke couldn’t help thinking about all the time he’d spent with Julia in the past twenty-four hours. If anything, the more he was with her, the more he wanted to be with her.
But what about her? a voice buzzed inside his head. How long before she gets tired of spending time with me?
Earlier, he’d asked Penelope to align his itinerary with Julia’s, telling himself it made sense to do so because it would match up with the reviewer’s schedule as well. At breakfast this morning, all three friends had selected the same group activities. The only differences had been their choice of bonus experiences.
Had it been a mistake to plan so much time with her? Maybe he should skip dinner tonight. Give her some space before she started to get annoyed by his company. Luke was aware of his own flaws. He knew he could be aggravating. He tended to talk too much and for too long about stuff most people weren’t interested in. The point of joining the sim was to make sure she and her friends had a fantastic time, not to bother them or bore them out of their minds.
As much as he hated to admit it, Zach might be onto something.
“Fine,” Luke said. “But I expect to see you charming the pants off her tomorrow.” He paused, frowning. “I did not mean that literally.”
“Why are you so focused on what I’m doing with her, anyway?” Zach asked.
“We want to make sure all our guests have an enjoyable experience.”
“Yeah, but why did Penelope make a point of assigning her to me? Why are you two so focused on this one particular guest?” Zach narrowed his eyes, cool blue gaze assessing. “What’s going on? Is she like Mrs. W.’s niece or something?”
“That’s not your concern.” Luke leaned forward. “Just make sure she has a good time.”
Another smirk. “Oh, don’t you worry about that.”
Luke ignored the blatant innuendo. The actor was testing how far he could push him. He was going to find it was a very short leash. “You’re on the schedule for paintball tomorrow.” Luke stood. “Don’t be late.”