Page 5 of (Un)Expected

I quirked a brow. “That good?”

“Adam. Rice.”

“What?” Javier exclaimed while I asked, “Who?”

“Adam Rice!” “TheAdam Rice.” Calla and Javier snapped the words simultaneously before proceeding to recite the guy’s entire IMDB page, as if that was going to make me join in.

“Never heard of him.”

“Seriously?” Calla shrieked. “Alex, I love you, but you have got to get a life.”

No shit. As I turned back to my computer, logging in to check for any requests that popped up last night, the two of them continued their conversation around me.

“I can’t believe he’s coming here!”

“Yup!” Calla said, taking back her phone to scroll through the article. “He’s had enough superhero movies for a while and wants to try something different.”

Even I have to admit, it would be pretty surreal to see a true movie star walking around our town. We’ve always had a steady list of VIPs, but they tended to be managers of Fortune 500 companies, trust fund babies, or other legacies. You know —people who have a lot of clout and money but not necessarily the level of stardom and fame actors and celebrities possess.

As I imagined a movie star walking around our town, I almostchuckled. The morning gossip train was going to have a field day with that one. Saint Stephen’s Lake was a small place; like,painfullysmall. When I moved here, it took less than twenty-four hours for the entire village to know my name.

I’d give it an hour from the time his fancy-pants SUV crossed the border for everyone in town to know he was here. A strange knot twisted in my stomach as I took a peek at our reservation page. Trailing my finger down the screen, I stopped once I hit the private villas.Just as I thought.The biggest one was marked off as VIP for the next two months.

“Holy shit.He’sthe VIP,” I whispered.

It must have been loud enough to cut through Javier and Calla’s conversation, because they both turned toward me, eyes wide and mouths hanging open.

“No….” Calla said. “He can’t be.” She shifted my computer monitor, studying the same reservation block as me. “It’s not his name, but we all know actorsneverreserve rooms under their real names.”

“We do?”

“Duh,” Calla chuckled. “They can’t have the public finding out where they are, so most of them use aliases.” She shakes her head. “Have I mentioned you need to get out more?”

“Once or twice.”

“They’re checking in at ten, so I guess we’ll find out then,” Javier said.

My jaw tensed.The VIP wasn’t checking in until ten?Diane gave me hell because I showed up at 7:01. My hands clenched at the thought. She had the nerve to sayIwas the one embarrassing the resort? Fuck off, Diane.

There really was a special place in hell reserved for that woman.

The next coupleof hours passed by painfully slowly. Every single guest was determined to trump the last for an over-the-toprequest. From hunting down a vintage canoe (“it’s for the aesthetic”) to orchestrating an elaborate proposal complete with a horse-drawn carriage, I was mentally drained.

Luckily, Javier volunteered to give the VIPs their tour of the villa, because my sparkle vanished shortly after my arrival.

As the sun rose high above the lake outside, my desk finally cleared enough for me to take a breath. Once upon a time, I was good at this, able to fake my way through this job. My smile came easier, and I made myself bend for every single guest who walked through our doors.

Somewhere along the way, though, that changed. My happiness was a veneer, and every day seemed to grate more and more on my patience.

I should be grateful for this job—to evenhavea job. God knows that when I interviewed, I barely had the qualifications. Despite my business degree, I had almost zero on-site experience. This was just supposed to be a temporary fix.

But here I am, three years later, and I haven’t moved from this spot.

This fresh start wassupposedto be exciting, a new chapter where I could reshape my fate. However, instead of crafting a life of my own, I’d become stagnant, chained to a career I never wanted in the first place.

“So stupid,” I groaned into my palms. “So very, very fucking stupid.”

“Excuse me?” a deep voice called out.

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