Page 38 of Business or Pleasure

The woman gives me a tight smile. “We’ll call you. Most delayed luggage turns up within the next twenty-four hours. We hope it doesn’t keep you from enjoying your trip to the Twin Cities!”

“Is there any way you can help her out in the meantime?” Finn asks.

“Yes, of course.” She passes me an amenity kit with the airline logo stamped on it and packets of soap, shampoo, and toothpaste inside.

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” I say, grasping the kit like a life preserver.

Fortunately, I kept my electronics in my carry-on, but there’s a week’s work of layers in that missing bag, all my favorite T-shirts and too many extra socks and hair products and that moisturizer I hate to admit I love so much. And—oh god, my vibrator is in there, too.

I know I shouldn’t be this emotionally attached to T-shirts, but I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off-kilter, even as Finn steers me toward the airport shops to find some replacement clothes.

That’s how I end up getting ready for Supercon, a convention dedicated entirely to the paranormal, in hastily applied werewolf makeup and a shirt that says Someone in Minnesota Loves Me. Because after all the chaos of my lost luggage, Finn has the gall to tell me that I might feel out of place if I’m not dressed up for this one. At least he had the decency to look sheepish while doing it.

“I don’t know about this,” I say to Noemie on FaceTime, after I’ve checked into the hotel. I tilt my face one way and then the other, giving her a full view of the cheap paint and ears I found at a dollar store a couple blocks from the hotel. “I look like that old Snapchat dog filter.”

“You look adorable.” Noemie has the phone propped up on something, and in the background, she’s rummaging around the kitchen. “Cuter than Meg did, even. Please tell me you’ve seen that episode?”

“Yesterday,” I say. And I’ll admit, it was a good one: the season one Halloween episode, where Meg dresses up as a werewolf as an inside joke, since only a couple people know she really is one.

“Ugh, I wish I could watch with you. I miss you.”

It’s strange, talking to her and not sharing everything going on with Finn. The rest of our time in Phoenix was uneventful. That single make-out session must have loosened both of us up, even if I blushed at least three times as much as normal the next morning. We made minimal progress on the book, focusing on the basics about his career. Still, I haven’t made another move and neither has he. He seems to be very clearly giving me the reins, which I appreciate.

“By the way, that new murder mystery box came in the mail,” Noemie says. “Do you want me to wait until you get here to open it?”

“You know that’s my favorite one. Yes please, if you have the willpower.”

A smirk. “I’ll do my best.”

After we hang up, I meet Finn in the lobby. When he spots me, he breaks into a grin, lighting up his face in this pure, genuine way I’m not sure I’ve seen on him yet. “Chandler Cohen,” he says. “You look fantastic. Even with the Minnesota T-shirt.”

Despite the compliment, I bring a hand to my face. Suddenly, it hits me that I’m dressed like the character played by Hallie Hendricks, Finn’s ex-girlfriend. I don’t want him to think I’m doing this because I’m playing a similar role—because everything with Hallie was real. What Finn and I are doing is not.

If I underestimated Nocturnals fans before, it’s nothing compared to this afternoon, which helps to distract from my lost bag anxiety. Finn can barely move through the halls without being swarmed.

Backstage, he introduces me to Zach Brayer, the show’s creator, and Bree Espinoza, who played Sofia, introduced in season two as a second love interest for Caleb, Hux’s former bully turned good friend.

The rest of the cast is busy with media at other cons. Ethan Underwood was Caleb, the undisputed lead of the show. Juliana Guo: Alice Chen, a headstrong popular girl who doesn’t take anyone’s shit. Cooper Jones: comic relief Wesley Sinclair, a friend of Caleb’s. And Hallie Hendricks, of course. They’ll be together at Big Apple Con in New York in November, which their teams designed for maximum exposure.

“Looks like we’re really doing this thing, huh?” Bree says backstage. She’s tall, tan, with brilliant white teeth and a cute gingham dress. If Alice was Caleb’s bad-girl love interest, Sofia was the girl next door, the one brought on board specifically to compete with Alice. Because it’s not a teen show if young women aren’t pitted against one another. The Calice fandom, sometimes called Callous because of how cruel Caleb and Alice could be—both to other people and to each other—is stronger than Caleb/Sofia, and I wonder if it’s simply because their portmanteau is catchier.

“Guess so,” Finn says, sipping from a bottle of water. “You handling everything okay?”

Bree shrugs. “My social media’s a nightmare, but that’s nothing new. Although I could really do without all the Sofia hate.” A shake of her head. “Funny how Caleb’s the one who cheated on Alice and I’m the one getting death threats for coming between them. Still. All these years later.”

“Jesus,” I say. “That’s really fucked up.”

“I hate to say I’m used to it, but...” She trails off with a wave of her hand.

Bree and Zach start talking about a new pilot they’re working on. For some reason, I expected Zach to be some seasoned industry vet, but he’s only a few years older than Finn, dressed in a canvas jacket and dark jeans, several days of stubble on his face.

A staff member approaches us. “It looks like we’re down a mod for this panel,” he says. “We accidentally overbooked. But not to worry, we’re looking for a new one now.”

Zach points to me. “What about her? What’s she doing during the panel?”

I blanch, eyes going wide as I look to Finn.

A furrow appears between his brows. “She’s not here to work the con. She’s a journalist.” The way he says this makes it sound like a much more serious career than it is. Makes me want to live up to it.

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