“Well…” His sister straightened her shoulders, as if gathering courage for what she was going to say next. “Mrs. W. wants to hire me full-time. Beyond this contract. She asked if I would be willing to spearhead the program and run themed experiences at the resort year-round.” Penelope glanced at Jay. “Jay plans to stay here, too. Mrs. W. asked him to be her head of marketing.”

Luke turned his attention to his best friend. “Is that so?”

Vijay cleared his throat. Maybe it was Luke’s snarky response, but something nudged his friend into action. Jay leaned forward, speaking for the first time since Luke had entered the room. “Not just for the immersive experiences, but for the entire resort.”

“How nice for you.” Luke couldn’t keep the acid from his tone this time. How had all this been happening right under his nose? Disappointment and betrayal simmered in his gut, but he quelled the urge to snap, keeping the angry words trapped behind his clenched teeth. “Is there a reason you felt you needed to go behind my back?”

“It’s not like that,” Penelope objected. “Working on this game has been a dream come true for me, but I know it was supposed to be a onetime thing for you—your dream is to launch your own start-up.” She shrugged. “I didn’t want the possibility of developing new projects here to make you feel like you had to stay and help, out of a sense of responsibility or obligation.” Her voice dropped. “That’s kept you from going after what you want long enough.”

“I don’t regret it, Pen, and I don’t resent you for any of it.”

“I know,” she said gently. “I told you, you’re not Dad. I’m not Mom.”

“You will always be my little sister,” Luke said, heart aching.

“But I’m more than that, too.”

“Damn straight she is,” Jay stood. “She’s an amazing woman, and I hope she will be my wife.” He stared at Luke, chin jutting out with stubborn purpose. “I want to marry your sister.”

“You do?” Luke asked, bewildered.

“You do?” Pen echoed, equally bewildered.

“I do.” Jay spun around to face Penelope. “We’ve known each other a long time. You were my best friend’s sister, and for years I thought of you as a little sister, too. But then something changed. I’ve always loved you, but that love shifted, grew, became something else. I started noticing all these little things I’d never really paid attention to before, each one making me love you a little more. The way you make that soft little sigh at your favorite part in a movie or song. The way you dissect your sandwiches and eat them in layers. The way you love watermelon but hate anything watermelon-flavored.”