“You didn’t happen to run across any alien pods while out on the beach, did you, Luke?” Vijay asked, sitting down next to him. “Maybe they abducted your brain along with your shirt.”

“Hilarious.” With a couple more clicks, Luke had created a new character profile, one for himself.

“Jay has a point, dear brother. You never want to play a part in the sims. And putting someone else in charge?” She paused, the sarcastic tilt of her head echoed by her tone. “Did anyone check the temperature in hell today?”

“I ran into a few of the guests on the beach.”

“So?”

“So they think I’m a guest too, here for the game, just like they are.”

“Why would they think that?”

“Because it’s what I told them.”

“Why?” his sister repeated, eyeing him.

“I’m getting to that,” Luke said, while his character sheet printed. “Has the reporter checked in to the hotel yet?” he asked.

“Just finished up.” Vijay pointed at one of the surveillance camera screens for the lobby. He tapped his finger on a trio of women standing together near the bellhop station, confirming Luke’s suspicions. “That one. Blond hair. Pink dress.”

“Are you sure?” Luke asked, even though he was already sure himself.

“Yep.” Jay bobbed his head. “After Mrs. W. had the call with the reviewer to make the arrangements for her stay, I flagged the reservation. Told the front desk to make sure she got one of the best suites.”

Luke frowned. “But won’t that make it seem like we’re pandering to her for a good review?”

“Well, aren’t we?” Pen blinked at him. “Isn’t that what you were off brainstorming about?”

His sister made a fair point. He had been trying to come up with ways to ensure the reporter had a great time in the hopes of securing a great review. And then he’d stumbled into Julia and everything had gone haywire. He laughed ruefully. This was either a perfect storm of opportunity or a bigger clusterfuck than he’d imagined.

“What’s so funny?” Vijay asked.

“Those other two?” Luke flicked a glance at the security screen. “They’re the guests I ran into on the beach.”

“Ah.” Penelope tapped the dimple in her chin. Like their gray eyes, it was another feature they shared. “This could be really good.”

“Or really bad,” Vijay countered.

“Exactly. We all agree we need to make sure this reporter has a fantastic experience, right? I’ve already met the two people she arrived with, who I assume are her friends.”

“You know what happens when you ass—” Vijay began.

“Don’t.” Luke held up a hand. “This is more than an assumption. I heard them refer to her as their friend.”

“They told you their friend was reviewing the resort?” Penelope blinked. “That seems bold.”

“They didn’t tell me that part. I made the logical deduction.”

“Pardon me, Sherlock,” Pen snarked.