Page 11 of (Un)Expected

“Anything greasy. Bonus points if it’s a burger. Nothing vegan.”

She nodded her head, her typing echoing in the quiet lobby. “I think I can figure something out. Give me about thirty minutes, and I’ll have two meals sent down to your room.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

“For that, you’re getting a veggie burger.”

FOUR

“No, Mr. Walters,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes with my fingers. How was this man still going? Twenty minutes of talking in circles should’ve been enough, but no. He needed to make sure I knewexactlyhow badly I messed up. “Yes, I understand that you requested a private sauna in your room. However, as we discussed when you made your reservation, none of our rooms have that option.”

I glanced over at Javier, rolling my eyes in exasperation. He chuckled, probably thankful Mr. Walters had taken a liking to me instead of him. “No, we will not be able to install one before tomorrow.”

As Mr. Walters continued to prattle on in the background, I couldn’t help but zone out, wishing I could hang up on the belligerent man. As he bemoaned my perceived incompetence, I tried to type out a couple of emails for other requests, but even those seemed to make my eyes feel heavy.

“How am I supposed to plan a romantic evening without a sauna?” he screeched through the phone. “Ipromisedmy wife we would have one!”

Just as I was about to give Mr. Walters the same response for thefiftieth time, Adam strolled into the lobby, pulling all my attention away. He looked like the poster boy for coastal charm. His navy board shorts showcased his muscular calves, and his white linen shirt was unbuttoned enough to show a hint of the broad chest hidden beneath. It was almost unfair how attractive he was. How was I supposed to go about my everyday life when he was here? As if able to read my thoughts, Adam caught my stare, giving me a little wave as he passed by. I tucked my chin, trying to hide the blush that covered my cheeks.

I wasn’t the only one starstruck. Trailing behind Adam was a group of fans, people of all ages, watching his every movement. Most of their faces were obscured by their phones, trying and failing to take stealthy photos and videos. For the most part, Adam greeted them with a tight smile, taking their stalking with a grain of salt.

Today, there was something missing. It wasn’t the same blinding smile from yesterday. No, it was almost…sad, strained. It took everything in me to stay at my desk, to not walk over there and shield Adam from the people violating his privacy. It seemed cruel, like he was an animal trapped in the zoo.

“Are you even listening to me?”

Mr. Walter’s shrill voice pulled me out of the daze. As the restaurant doors closed behind Adam, I tried to focus back on my phone conversation.

Luckily, it only took ten more minutes to talk Mr. Walters down, but by the time the call ended, my head was throbbing, a tight knot forming around my temples. I rubbed in small circles to try to alleviate some of the pain, but it was barely helping.

“How did it go?” Javier asked as he passed me a fresh cup of coffee. Thank God for this man. He was one of the few people who understood my desperate need for caffeine and kept it in steady supply.

“Fine,” I said after thanking him and inhaling one glorious sip. “All it took was a few free meals for him and his date. He was practically giggling by the time we ended the call.”

“You have the magic touch.”

“Don’t go that far,” I grumbled, staring at the computer screen. As I tried to focus on another request, the words went fuzzy and didn’t make any sense. Leaning back, I rubbed my eyes, my dried contacts like sandpaper behind my lids. When I looked back at the screen, it was the same.

This day needed to end.

Last night, all I could do was toss and turn, wondering if my phone would go off in the middle of the night. Although Cole and Adam seemed thankful when I dropped off their dinners, a part of me feared it was some sort of test, that maybe making me jump through hoops was some sick entertainment. While I might love my town, I wasn’t under the illusion that it was as thrilling as cities like LA. They were probably crawling the walls in boredom.

I still wasn’t sure why I agreed to help them in the first place. I could have easily pretended nothing was open. It wasn’t like they knew about my connection to the best restaurant in town.

Maybe it was because Diane spent thirty minutes explaining how important it was that Adam Rice enjoyed his stay. With an influx of other people from the movie flying out soon, she could practically smell the dollar signs, which was why she had no problem sacrificing my mental health for her bankroll.

That had to be it—some sort of sick loyalty to the place that paid my bills.

It had absolutelynothingto do with Cole Campbell.

As if I conjured him by thoughts alone, Cole stepped into the lobby, stealing my breath in a different way.

While Adam drew your eyes to him with his charm and magnetism, Cole was a very different story. He didn’t pull the room’s attention like Adam; instead, it was like he purposely tried to hide from the world.

Yet, for some unknown reason, I couldn’t manage to tear my eyes away.

It had to be because I couldn’t read Cole and never knew what to expect when he opened his mouth. The man slung insults as well ascompliments, and I didn’t really know how to respond to either. So far, my gut reaction had been annoyance. Even when I brought the food to the villa, all he did was nod in thanks.

No annoying dig, no sorry attempt at flirting.

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