The “stage” for the talent show was a sizable dais in the center of the gazebo, with a circle of folding chairs fanning out from the raised space. Julia sat with the other performers waiting their turn, attention drifting from the act currently onstage. The interior of the gazebo was spacious and elegant, with twinkly fairy lights dripping from the rafters. Near enough to the lakeshore that one could hear the crashing waves, the spot had a moody, romantic vibe.
Too bad all that romantic ambience was going to waste. She glanced at her friends, seated on folding chairs on either side of her. They’d arrived for the rehearsal only to discover that their partners were all MIA. Maybe Luke was going to bail on her again. He hadn’t seemed overly excited about the prospect of performing in the talent show when she’d asked him about it. In fact, the man had taken off like a bat out of hell. She shrugged. She’d signed them up to perform together. If he didn’t show, maybe she’d be off the hook.
Julia turned to Kat. “How does Zach feel about the Dirty Dancing idea?”
“He seemed really into it.” Kat sighed. “Honestly, a little too into it.”
“Why do you say that?” Andie wondered.
“He told me he needed go work on his ‘Patrick Swayze look.’ Whatever that means.”
“It means he’s staring at himself in the mirror while making sexy faces. Or feathering his bangs with hair spray.” Andie snorted. “Probably both.”
Kat laughed. “You’re probably right.” She nudged Andie. “What about Curt? Is he busy doing more wedding party stuff?”
Andie lifted one shoulder in a noncommittal shrug. “Possibly. He was rather vague on the details.” She wrinkled her nose. “I swear I heard him say something about dance practice.”
“Ooh, maybe they’re going to do one of those flash mob dances at the wedding.” Kat grinned. “I’ve always thought that would be fun to do.”
“As your future maid of honor, I hereby declare that to be a hell no,” Andie said.
“Hey!” Julia poked Andie. “Who decided you get to be the maid of honor?”
“You will both be my maids of honor,” Kat announced.
“What?” Andie shook her head. “You can’t have two maids of honor!”
“It’s my wedding.” Kat crossed her arms. “I can have whatever I want.”
“How about you figure out who you’re going to be marrying at this hypothetical wedding before we get too wrapped up in the details,” Julia suggested.
“Too late for that,” Andie snarked affectionately.
Julia laughed. It was true. Maybe it was because she was a florist, but when it came to wedding planning, Kat didn’t have a list of ideas, she had an entire book. Her friend wanted the happy ending so bad.
If she was being honest with herself, they all did. Their own version of it, anyway. Julia wasn’t sure what her version of happily ever after looked like, exactly, but she knew it wouldn’t be like what her parents had. She wanted to be with someone who made her feel. Immediately, her thoughts turned to Luke. There was no question she had many feelings where he was concerned. But could she trust those feelings? Could she trust him?
She replayed the events of the past few days and wondered if the “romanticness” of their moments together was causing her doubt. The kiss in the rain, the make-out session on the beach as the waves crashed, the goofy, sweet things he said … It all seemed too good to be real. Imperfectly perfect, to use Luke’s expression.
What if he was an actor after all? The suspicion had crossed her mind more than once this week. She’d even gone so far as to wonder if it was possible to train a seagull. But why would he do that? What would be the point?
Julia tried to shove the negative thoughts away. She had a habit of assuming the worst, and it had destroyed more than one relationship. Take, for example, any guy she’d dated in college. The better things seemed to be, the more she would second-guess and overanalyze. It was like she was looking for a problem. Waiting for something bad to happen to give her a reason—an excuse—for having doubts. Proving herself right.
This time, she had to hold out hope she was wrong.
“Earth to Jules,” Andie called. “Come in, Jules.”
“Huh?” Julia blinked.
“Oh good, you’re not having a stroke,” Kat said drily.
“I told you she was just tuning out the train wreck onstage.” Andie winced as the couple singing a country music duet together hit a particularly sharp note.
“Sorry.” Julia shook her head. “I guess I got lost in my thoughts.”
“Well, I hope you found what you’re looking for,” Kat said, pointing. “Because someone is looking for you.”
Julia caught sight of Luke on the other side of the gazebo. Her heart flip-flopped. “Stop that,” she hissed, pressing a hand to her chest.
“What?” Andie cocked an eye at her.
“Nothing.” Julia stood. “I’ll be back.” She made her way around the outside of the circle, past the clumps of people practicing their acts. She took her time, moving casually, when what she really wanted to do was run into his arms and wrap her legs around him while sucking his face off. She also had the urge to demand what the hell did he think he’d been doing by taking off on her earlier.
Face sucking first, though.
But she didn’t do any of that. “Hey,” she said, opting for an attempt at playing it cool. She crossed her arms and waited for him to make the next move.
“Hey,” he said back. “Sorry about earlier. You, uh, caught me off guard. But I had some time to think and I was wondering … Would you like to do a magic show together?”
“Magic, huh?” She paused, considering. “To be honest, I didn’t appreciate your disappearing act.”
“I know. I really am sorry.” He cleared his throat nervously, only adding to the awkwardness that she found irresistibly adorable. “You asked me if I had any ideas up my sleeve, right?” He grinned, throwing his arms out dramatically and pulling a bouquet from one of the cuffs. “For you,” he said, presenting her the flowers with a flourish.
Julia took the bouquet. Completely charmed despite herself, she sniffed the blooms, hiding a smile. He’d won her over, but she wanted him to work for it a little more. “Hmm,” she hesitated, voice teasing now. “You’re not going to try sawing me in half or anything like that, are you?
“Definitely not,” he assured her.
“Would you wear a cape?”
“Um…”
She raised an eyebrow in challenge.
“Yep,” he capitulated. “I’d love to wear a cape.”
“Deal.” She beamed at him, not ashamed to revel in how quickly he’d surrendered to her wishes. “Should we shake on it?”
“I’ve got a better idea,” he said, leaning in to press a soft kiss to her mouth. Electricity crackled between them. “Now that’s magic,” he whispered.
Julia giggled.
“Oh, God,” he groaned. “That was corny, wasn’t it?”
“Very,” she agreed. It was the most ridiculous, corniest thing in the world he could have said, and Julia loved it. Her heart squished. “You want to hear something else that’s corny? You make my heart feel like a marshmallow.”
“What?” He chuckled in surprise, a low rumbly sound in his chest.
“It’s true.” She dropped her gaze, studying the petals on the flowers. “When you look at me, my heart puffs up. It gets all squishy and I feel warm and sweet inside.”
“Oh,” he breathed.
Embarrassed by her revelation, Julia risked a glance at him.
He was smiling down at her, gray eyes shining like a sunny sky after rain. “Have I ever told you I love marshmallows?”
Squish.
Julia was about to go up on her tiptoes and kiss him again when Penelope, the game master, approached. She was holding a clipboard and looked like she meant business.
“You two,” she pointed. “You’re going to be on deck soon. Are you ready?”
“Um, we haven’t really had a chance to practice,” Julia admitted.
“No problem,” Penelope said easily. “I know this was all kind of last minute. We’ll just have you do a quick entrance and exit on the stage for now. As long as you’re sure you’ll be ready tomorrow night.”
“We’ll be ready,” Luke assured her.
Was it Julia’s imagination or did he just exchange a strange glance with the woman? She shook her head. She was doing that thing again. Looking for trouble when there wasn’t any. But when Penelope grinned up at Luke, her gray eyes bright with mischief, something clicked into place.
“Holy shit.”
“Pardon?” Penelope blinked at her.
And there it was again, that same twinge of recognition Julia had felt when meeting Penelope on the first night. That was why the woman had seemed so familiar. Julia had recognized those eyes. Eyes that looked so much like Luke’s.
“You’re his sister, aren’t you?”
If Julia wasn’t sure before, the uneasy glances passing between Penelope and Luke, as well as the guilt written all over both their faces, was proof enough. The marshmallow in her chest turned into a brick. “I can’t believe I was such an idiot.”
“Julia—” Luke began.
“No.” She stopped him, not wanting to hear his excuses. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. I mean I did, but I kept ignoring it.” She looked at him then, the warmth she’d felt moments ago draining away. “This is all fake.” She laughed bitterly. “I know it’s all supposed to be fake, but I thought you … I thought we…” She stopped, choking back the rest. “I mean, come on. Who says stuff like ‘Whoops-a-daisies’? That’s straight out of Notting Hill.”
“Whether you want to believe me or not, I’ve been saying that stupid phrase for years,” Luke explained, jaw tight. “But you’re right; I did get it from Notting Hill. I told you my sister loves rom-coms. That wasn’t a lie. After watching that movie together, I said ‘Whoops-a-daisies’ when I did something clumsy, as a joke. But it made her laugh, so I did it again, and what started as a joke stuck.”
“What about us? Are we a joke?” Julia took a breath. “What the hell, Luke? Your sister is the game master, the GM or whatever. Why didn’t you just say so?”
“That’s my fault,” Penelope cut in.
Julia turned to look at her. She’d been so focused on Luke, so entrenched in his betrayal, she’d almost forgotten the other woman was standing there.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my brother can be, ah, a little awkward.”
“Thanks, Pen,” Luke grumbled.
“Joining the game has been a way to socialize more. Get out there and meet people.”
Luke’s sister seemed so sincere. And Julia had to admit, the explanation was plausible. She turned to Luke. “Are you playing the game as one of the actors?”
“No.” He shook his head emphatically. “I was never one of the actors.”
Like his sister, he seemed sincere, his words ringing true.
“Julia,” he said quietly, reaching for her hand. “I was never playing a game with you.”
And damn it, there went her heart again. Squishy, gullible, asshole heart.
“I’m, um … I’m going to let you two sort this out.” Penelope met Julia’s eyes. “I’m sorry if it seemed like we lied to you. And my brother can be mad at me for saying this, but I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.” She paused, a sardonic grin identical to the one Luke made teasing her lips. “And he never, ever, sang to anyone else.”
Julia watched Luke sister’s stride away, returning to the center of the action onstage.
“I should probably tell you, I know about the review.”
Ice flooded Julia’s veins. She froze. “What review?”
He took a step closer and lowered his voice. “The one your friend is doing for TrendList.”
“Oh. Right.” She forced herself to breathe slowly. “My friend.” Of course, being the brother of the game master, he would know about that. Or would think he knew.
“I hope that doesn’t make things weird for you. Because, what my sister said? It’s the truth. I’ve never done anything like that for anyone before,” he admitted, almost shy as he met her eyes again. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone before.”
Squish. She wanted to be wrong, but Julia couldn’t help the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach warning her that something about this whole thing with Luke was still off. Maybe that had more to do with her than with him. Even if it turned out he was as real as it gets and was not lying to her, she was lying to him. Or, if not lying, then withholding relevant information. And wasn’t that also a form of lying? If she was being honest, yes, it was—which meant she’d been lying to him as well.
Julia could come clean right now, tell him about TrendList, explain how she was the one here to do a story on the resort—and oh, by the way, she’d been letting her friend pretend to play that role—but something held her back. Maybe it was because she sensed Luke was still holding something back, too.
Or maybe it was because she feared that none of it mattered anyway. She’d known, going in, that this whole thing was supposed to be a fantasy. No matter what she might be feeling right now, in less than two days she’d be back in Chicago, and who knows what would happen then? She should just embrace the moment and have fun.
Deciding to do just that, Julia did what she’d meant to do a few minutes ago, before everything went off the rails. She got on her tiptoes and kissed Luke.
“Are we okay?” Luke asked.
“Okay.” She nodded, warmth stealing through her again as she recalled the last time he’d asked her that question. She was okay for now, and she convinced herself that was enough. Decision made, Julia led Luke back through the crowd of people, over to where she’d been sitting with her friends. Kat was absent but Andie was still there, bobbing a soccer ball on her knee. “What’d I miss?”
“What’d I miss?” Andie shot back. “I’d say I wasn’t spying on you, but I totally was. What was going on with you two and the GM?”
Julia hesitated, not sure what to say. It wasn’t exactly her secret to tell.
“Oh, you mean my sister?” Luke asked.
Well, that took care of that.
“The game master is your sister?” Andie asked. She dropped the soccer ball and it went rolling.
Stretching one long leg out, Luke stopped the ball’s progress. He handed it back to Andie, glancing around. “I’d prefer you keep this information to yourself, if that’s all right.”
“Sure.” Andie bounced the ball on her knee again. “It’s none of my business.” She stopped, dark eyes sharp and unyielding, as she added, “Just don’t hurt my friend.”
In the awkward silence that followed, Kat returned, accompanied by Zach. “Look who I found!” she declared.
“A bit late to the party,” Luke observed, his tone sharper than Julia had ever heard it.
She turned to look at him, but his attention was focused on Zach, gray eyes hard and cold as steel. Julia knew Luke wasn’t fond of the actor, that had been obvious from day one. At first she’d assumed he was jealous, figured he’d wanted to be the one spending time with Kat. But that wasn’t it. There was something else here, an undercurrent of tension. Whatever it was, Julia didn’t like it.
“Perfection like this takes time,” Zach said, adjusting his collar. “You wouldn’t want me to give anything less than my best, right?”
Dressed in black slacks and a black button-down silk shirt, it was clear the man had been doing exactly what Andie had predicted. “He’s right, Luke.” She tugged on his arm, surprised at the tension in his body. She stifled a nervous giggle. “I bet he was feathering his bangs with hair spray for at least an hour.”
“Close.” Zach winked. “I know how important it is to make sure I leave a good impression.” He wrapped an arm around Kat’s waist. “Especially when I have such a special partner.”
“Zach and I are going to go practice the lift,” Kat announced abruptly. She switched back to her fake British Bridget voice and added, “But first we’re going to take the lift.”
Andie chuckled. “I see what you did there, cheeky girl.” She sobered and poked Zach in his silk-sleeved arm. “Remember to stay out of her dance space, Johnny.”
Kat stiffened, blue eyes shooting warning daggers.
“Aw, come on,” Andie protested. “I at least get points for the movie reference.” She waved her hand. “Go on, get out of here, Baby.”
Kat shook her head, mouth twitching with loving disgust, before she made her exit, dragging Zach along with her.
After they left, the tension diffused, and Julia almost choked on the gurgle of relieved laughter that bubbled up.
“You two want to blow this Popsicle stand?” Andie asked.
“I thought it was ‘blow this pop stand,’” Julia said.
Luke shook his head, brow wrinkled in thought. “I believe the expression is ‘popcorn stand.’”
“Any bets the answer is ‘D, all of the above’?” Andie grinned. “And popcorn is an excellent suggestion. I heard they were setting up a popcorn machine in the lobby. They’re doing a movie night.”
“What’s playing?” Julia wondered.
“Shouldn’t it be obvious? We’re at Notting Hill Resort,” Andie pointed out. “What movie do you think is playing?”
Julia glanced at Luke, that marshmallow feeling spreading all through her as he gave her a knowing smile.
By the time the film ended, Julia was stuffed with popcorn, cozy from snuggling with Luke, content in the tender afterglow of a good rom-com, and ready for bed. She sighed, enjoying the feel of Luke’s arm warm around her shoulders as they joined a small crowd of other guests waiting for the elevator.
“This damn thing must be broken again,” someone grumbled, poking the buttons in irritation.
“Again?” Julia met Andie’s eyes and knew they were both thinking the same thing. “Ah, maybe we should take the stairs.” She glanced at Luke, wondering if she should ask if he wanted to come up to her room.
“Can we escort you ladies?” Curt asked.
Nicely done, Curt. Julia smiled, nodding approvingly. He’d shown up during the movie, around the time Hugh Grant’s character spills juice on Julia Roberts. Ironically enough, Curt had proceeded to spill his soda all over Andie, and the two of them had left to get her cleaned up.
Julia had honestly been surprised when they’d returned not too long after. Apparently, Andie was better at following the no hanky-panky rule than she was. And better than Kat was, as well. When they reached their floor, Julia pushed open the stairwell door to reveal Kat and Zach locked in an embrace on the elevator’s threshold, their entwined bodies jamming the door.
There was no telling how long the two of them had been at it … Long enough for a few wardrobe malfunctions to happen. Kat’s sweater was a pink puddle on the elevator floor and Zach’s linen dress pants looked like they were about to drop. He stepped backward into the hall—and there they went.
Apparently, Zach’s version of Johnny Castle went commando.
“Oh my,” Andie whispered.
“It’s not like we haven’t seen it all before,” Julia whispered back, as the elevator door slid shut behind the oblivious couple, leaving them to carry on in the hallway.
“Oh, yeah?” Curt asked.
“He was the model when we did paint night,” Andie explained.
“Technically, he was the subject,” Julia couldn’t resist adding. “It was all very tasteful.”
“I’d like to change the subject,” Luke muttered.
“Should we go back downstairs?” Julia asked under her breath, not sure why she was trying to be quiet when it was clear that Zach and Kat were too busy getting busy to hear anything.
“What if someone else comes?” Andie hissed.
Curt snickered.
Andie punched him. “I mean, I know we’re dealing with two exhibitionists here, but I don’t think voyeurism was part of Kat’s bonus activ—”
The elevator dinged, and a second later the door slid open, releasing a deluge of corgis.
“Uh-oh.”
“Oh shit.”
“This is bad.”
Julia wasn’t sure who said what, but she had to agree. This was indeed very, very bad. She stood shoulder to shoulder with the others, still huddled in the doorway of the stairwell, watching in suspended horror as Mrs. Weatherfork observed the tableau before her.
“Mister Zachary Brennan!” the woman bellowed, voice booming as she stepped into the hall.
Julia was surprised the wineglasses on a nearby room service cart didn’t shatter. The sound was enough to set off a torrent of yapping, canine alarm bells. That got her friend’s attention. Kat shifted away from Zach and took in the scene around her. Julia and Andie waved awkwardly.
“I believe this is yours?” Mrs. Weatherfork asked, holding out a bundle of pink fabric.
Kat nodded meekly, face flushing the same color as her sweater.
Zach turned toward the stairs to make his escape, and they got a front-row seat to the frontal view.
“Don’t worry,” Andie reassured Curt. “We already saw that, too.”
“Stop right there, young man,” Mrs. Weatherfork commanded.
Zach listened to his boss and froze, pants at his ankles, while the corgis ran circles around him, still barking.
The cacophony had begun to draw guests from their rooms. Doors opened and curious heads peeked out into the hall.
The owner of the resort ignored all of this as she stared her wayward employee down, bosom heaving. “You are aware we have strict rules regarding player intercourse—”
Another snicker from Curt.
“I’ve warned you about this,” Mrs. Weatherfork continued. “Put your heart and soul into your performance, not your”—she paused and glanced down—“cockie.” She sighed and hushed her dogs. “Oh dear, I find we are in quite the pickle.”
This time it was Andie who snickered.
“Pull your damn pants up!” someone yelled from down the hall.
Zach bent awkwardly, tugging on his trousers.
“Party pooper!” another voice called.
“I don’t want to fire you, but I have to consider my bottom line.” Mrs. Weatherfork glanced up and down the hall, clucking her tongue. “Perhaps, if you’d avoided such a public display, I might have been able to overlook it.” She released a long-suffering sigh and pressed the button for the elevator. When it arrived, she swept inside, corgis on her heels. She gestured for Zach to join her.
The actor flashed Kat an apologetic smile but did as he was told. As the doors slid closed, he blew her a kiss and winked.
Curt whistled. “You gotta admit, the guy has balls.”
“I assume you mean that in the figurative sense?” Andie quirked a brow. “Though I suppose the literal interpretation applies here as well.”
Julia ignored them and hurried toward Kat, standing alone in front of the elevator, looking a little shell-shocked. “Hey.” She reached for her friend, pulling her in for a hug.
“You don’t think she’ll actually fire him, do you?” Kat wondered.
“I think it’s possible,” Julia admitted.
“But it’s all my fault!” Kat wailed.
“I doubt that,” Luke protested. He left the stairwell and joined them in the hallway, Andie and Curt close behind.
“But it’s true.” Kat’s lip quivered. “I forced Zach to come up here with me.”
“Forced?” Luke made a dismissive noise in the back of his throat. “Does he seem like the type of guy who would do anything he didn’t want to?”
“No,” Kat sniffed.
“From what I observed, he appeared to be a willing participant,” Andie added drily.
“Oh yeah,” Curt agreed. “Very willing.”
Kat flushed and glanced around. “How much did you see?”
“Enough to know he was enjoying it,” Andie said. She patted Kat’s shoulder. “As one of the actors, he knew the rules. Don’t blame yourself for the consequences of his actions.”
“She’s right,” Luke said. “If anything, he owes you an apology.”
Julia glanced up at Luke, grateful for his soothing words to her friend. She reached for his hand. “Change in plans?”
He smiled in understanding, bending to press a soft kiss to her cheek.
Curt bade Andie a similar farewell.
Their good-byes said, Julia and Andie looped their arms around Kat and headed down the hall.
“Do you ladies need anything?” Curt called after them.
“Ice cream!” Andie shouted. “And lots of it.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Send it to the Princess Suite.”