But when he got to the control room, Luke was surprised to discover the door wouldn’t open, which was odd, considering his key card was coded for access to all the resort’s offices. He tried again and realized the system was working fine; the problem was that the physical lock had been bolted from the inside. He jiggled the handle. “Pen?”

He knocked. “Penelope, are you in there?” Luke glanced around the hall. He doubted he’d run into anyone from the sim in this part of the hotel, but he really should be more careful. He’d been so busy enjoying his time with Julia, he’d all but forgotten there was any reason to be a part of the game other than being with her.

Hell, he’d all but forgotten it was a game.

Rustling sounds and incoherent chatter from inside the control room brought his attention back to the door. Luke thought he heard the lower timbre of a familiar male voice. “Jay?” He knocked again. “Open up. I’m locked out.”

Scuffling noises. Was that a giggle? Now Luke was getting irritated. His sister and best friend were screwing with him. He knocked harder. “Cut it out, you two.”

He pressed his ear to the door. More whispers and rustling sounds. And then the click of the dead bolt being unlatched. The door swung open. Penelope stood there, Jay directly behind her. Luke crossed his arms and glared at his sister and best friend. “I know what’s going on here.”

“You do?” Jay asked.

A signal passed between his sister and best friend and Luke wondered if their behavior had something to do with that secret project for Mrs. W. they’d been hinting at.

“Luke…” Penelope stepped aside as he marched into the room. “We can explain—”

“I get that you two are mad at me for ditching you,” he cut her off. “But locking me out?” He closed the door and shook his head. “I thought we were a team.”

Penelope’s cheeks flushed, and Luke felt bad for going on the offensive. Whatever was happening, she was doing her job, the one he’d asked her to do. He sighed. “I know you wanted me to let you handle this on your own, but I still should have been here for you.”

“It’s okay—”

“No. It’s not okay.” He cut her off again. “I’ve been gallivanting around the past few days, completely ignoring you and abandoning my responsibilities.”

Jay snorted and Luke paused. “What’s so funny?”

“I’ve never known you to go ‘gallivanting around’ before,” his friend teased. “And what responsibilities? Pen’s got everything under control. She’s a great GM.” Jay put an arm around Penelope’s shoulder. “No offense, but honestly, I think she makes a better game master than you.”