Page 4 of (Un)Expected

All too soon, I broke my gaze away and moved behind the concierge desk I called home.

Or hell.

It depended on the day.

Javier, my other half, smirked at me as I ducked under the counter. “Please tell me you’re late for a good reason.”

Javier was one of the first people I met when I started working at the resort, and he had become my lifeline in this place. From the moment we met, I fell head over heels in love. Not only because he was ridiculously tall and built like a professional athlete, with smooth, dark skin and a smile that made most patrons' toes curl, but also because he was the kindest person I’d ever met. He took me in when I was at my lowest, declaring that I was now part of his family.

If only he wasn’t married to the most fantastic guy. Otherwise, he’d be my soulmate.

“I wish,” I breathed out. “Someonewas supposed to call me earlier in case my alarm decided not to go off again.” I gave him a pointed stare. “But he called me too late. Last time I ask him for help.”

“Or,” he countered, “instead of blaming your friend, the same one who showed up fifteen minutes early to cover your ass, you could be an adult and get an alarm clock that works. I told you to stop buying things based on the cute factor.”

As I stepped closer, Javier held out his hand. “Watch out,” he said, nodding toward the floor. “You’ve got a visitor hiding under your station.”

It was half a second too late; my foot caught on a precarious pile of books stacked underneath my computer.

“Seriously?” I huffed, grabbing the edge of the desk before I fell. “You decided that was the best place to hide out?”

“I tried to tell her that twenty minutes ago,” Javier said, his eyes never leaving his computer screen.

My other best friend, Calla, smirked from her spot on the floor, surrounded by countless romance books and stacks of Post-its. Her red hair was swooshed into a messy bun, pens and highlighters sticking out of the middle. Her long limbs were curled underneath her, making her look much younger and innocent, but reality was a very different story. Exhibit A: none of those books were suitable for anyone under eighteen.

She shook her head. “I saw this video on annotating romance books so you can always find the best moments, and I…mighthave gotten carried away?”

“Might?”

“It’s better than the alternative.” Calla shrugged. “My mother already threatened to kick me out if she sees me.”

As if on cue, Diane poked her head out of her office, scanning the lobby for her errant daughter. My spine stiffened at her presence. If Igave off the slightest hint of joy, she’d come storming over here. After several long seconds, Diane deflated, walking off into a different room in search of Calla.

Shaking my head, I leaned back down. “Don’t you think you’re a little old to be hiding from your mother?”

“You know her, Alex.” Calla lifted her hand, letting me help her to her feet. “I’m not up for another round of the whole ‘you’re throwing your life away’ conversation.”

“You still haven’t told her that you deferred law school again?”

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Hard pass.”

“What are you going to do in January? You promised you were going next semester. I think she’s going to notice if you’re still hanging around here in the spring.”

“That’s another day’s problem,” Calla grumbled. “Besides, if I tell her I’m not going to school, she’s going to push me to take a job in my dad’s company.”

As I watched her face fall, guilt sunk into my stomach. I should have known better than to bring up the law school thing. If there was one thing that could sour Calla’s mood, it was her parents’ involvement in her life. Her parents developed “the plan,” or so she dubbed it in the eighth grade, to ensure she continued to build their family’s legacy. They gave the same speech to each of her sisters, and they followed it every step of the way. The eldest, Laurel, clerked for a New York City judge, while Devyn recently started as an associate at one of the premier law firms in the city.

Calla has been the only one to resist—the only one of the three who dared to question the “Winters way.”

With a shake of her head, Calla’s easy smile returned, a sign she was changing the subject. “So…did you learn any more about the VIP?”

“Nope,” Javier said, his words clipped. “Your mother is refusing to tell us who it is.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with the movie they’re filmingin town?”

“What movie?” Javier and I asked in unison, turning to face Calla.

“I swear, it’s like you don’t even try to pay attention,” she sighed, pulling her phone from her back pocket. With a stealthy glance around the lobby to make sure no one was approaching our station, she tapped the search engine, typing too fast for me to make out the words. “No…no…yes! I knew I saw something!” She pushed her phone toward me. “They’re filming some kind of epic romance movie downtown. It’s supposed to start in the next month or so. It’s starring…” Calla scrunched her nose. “Everly Watson? Oh! I think that’s the girl from that show. You know the one. And umm…oh.Oh.”

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