Page 44 of (Un)Expected

When I stepped behind my desk again, waving Javi off for the night, a beautiful woman wandered over, smiling brightly at me. She was dressed like an old Hollywood film star, down to the patterned scarf wrapped around her hair and the oversized sunglasses. One glance at the expensive handbag she plopped on the counter was enough to make me sigh enviously.

Tipping down her glasses, she smiled brightly. “Hi. I was hoping you could help me.”

“Of course,” I answered. “Are you a guest of the resort?”

“Yes,” she said, motioning behind her to the front desk. “I just checked in. I’ll be staying in one of the lakeside villas.”

“Wonderful,” I said, injecting a false cheeriness into my words. “Those are some of our best rooms. How can I help you today?”

“I heard that Adam Rice is staying here as well. We’re old friends, and I wanted to drop off a gift for him.”

My chest tightened at her words. Now that she’d shed her disguise, it was easy to declare that she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen. Her dark umber skin glowed with a youthful radiance, her hair crafted into intricate braids that fell past her waist. Still, none of her features held a candle to her smile. It was the kind that lit up the whole room.

All my insecurities came crashing down around me,exacerbated by Cole’s rejection. What was Adam thinking? Why would he pick me when he had a plethora of beautiful women surrounding him? No wonder those articles questioned him dating me.

“I’m sorry, Miss,” I answered. “Unfortunately, we cannot give out that information. If you would like, you can leave it at the desk, and I will ensure he gets it.”

She frowned and then looked down at my name tag. I braced myself for a verbal lashing. Instead, she grinned widely. “Alexandria? As in Adam’s Alex?”

“I wouldn't go that far,” I chuckled.

“I would! He spent all last week talking about you. You’ve made quite an impression on him. Oh, where are my manners?” She held out her hand for me to shake. “I’m Everly Watson. I’m going to be the other lead on this project.”

“Oh!” I said, quickly meeting her handshake. “Of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”

“That’s what I was going for,” she winked. “Has Adam returned yet?”

“No.” I shook my head. “He should be back tomorrow.”

“Pity.” She frowned. “You and Ihaveto go out one night. Adam has talked all about this town, and I’d love to see it through your eyes, figure out what this place means to my character.”

What it meant to her character? I didn’t even understand what she was asking, much less how I could help her. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to wrap my head around actor mentalities. First, it was fake dating, and now, it was trying to embody their characters. For the first time, I was grateful for my straightforward job. It might have had its negatives, but at least I didn’t have to shift into another person entirely.

“That sounds great, Ms. Watson,” I said, pulling myself from my thoughts. “I’ll let Mr. Rice know you were asking for him.”

As she walked away with a little wave, Javi bumped my hip with his. “I cannot believe that wastheEverly Watson. She’s literally in almost all my favorite movies.”

“Why does that not surprise me?”

“Don’t blame a guy for loving a good rom-com,” he replied. “Those happy endings get me in the heart every time. And who knows?” He pointed to my now lit-up phone. “You might be living one.”

“Right,” I dryly laughed as I picked up my phone. However, the number wasn’t one I recognized. As I tapped the messaging app open, my heart almost instantly skipped a beat.

Unknown Number: Hey…It’s Cole. I got your number from Adam.

Unknown Number: I know I’m the last person you want to talk to, but I thought you might want this.

I gasped as I opened the attached image. It was the best picture of me I’d ever seen. The light highlighted my gentle, genuine smile. Surrounded by one of my favorite places in the world, I looked like someone I didn’t recognize, someone full of hope, who still dared to dream. The girl I desperately wanted to be.

For the second time today, tears made my vision blur. It wasalmostenough to take away the sting of Cole’s words, hating how he crafted such a painful memory in a place I loved. But looking at the image, I knew it wouldn’t matter in the long run.

I’d already proven that I was stronger than I realized.

Nothing, especially not Cole Campbell, was going to change that.

A little after midnight,I trudged into my house, letting the door slam closed behind me. I didn’t even bother kicking off my shoes in the doorway, instead face-planting into my couch. Each day seemed longer than the last.

Have a movie film in your town, they said. It’ll be fun, they promised.It’d be a story you can share for years. Funny how no one mentioned the constant demands from the actors and the endless equipment filling every spare space in the resort. No joke, one of the supporting roles sent back their room service four times because they insisted they could taste the gluten in their salad. Considering that none of the items in their order even contained gluten, it was hard not to flip out.

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