“Don’t look so concerned.” She chuckled. “I’m expecting you to deliver the romantic experience. I want to prove to my husband that it’s possible to create a place where people believe, at least for a little while, they really are part of a romantic comedy. If I’m satisfied you’ve done that, you’ll have your bonus.” She met his eye with a shrewd little wink. “Understand?”

“I think so.” Luke scribbled down some notes, dominoes lining up in his mind. His boss was an eccentric entrepreneur, but crafty too. Grandiose claims of proving to her husband some intangible concept about romance aside, her concept for the resort was rather brilliant.

What she was asking for was abstract, yes, but he’d seen it in action plenty of times before. Every time he watched a rom-com with his sister, in fact. With each movie, Pen went on an emotional journey with the characters, experiencing the highs and lows, laughing and crying … falling in love.

As for himself, Luke wasn’t sure what it felt like to fall in love. He’d never been in love before, not romantically. And after watching the way his parents had eviscerated each other, Luke wasn’t sure he was all that interested in experiencing that kind of love. He loved his sister. He even loved Jay. But he wasn’t so obtuse as to think that was the same thing as wanting to ride off into the sunset with someone. So while he couldn’t fully appreciate what Mrs. W. wanted her guests to experience, he understood the concept in theory.

What his boss described was intangible, but not impossible. And not immeasurable, either. Difficult to extrapolate, but if he had the guests fill out evaluation forms at the end of the week, rating and describing their experiences, their responses would provide concrete data points he could interpolate.

Technical details aside, in the end, Luke knew that, ironically, his real shot at that bonus hinged on his ability to create exactly what Vijay promised in the hotel’s website promo.

For the chance to achieve his dreams, Luke had to do one thing.

Make the fantasy real.

CHAPTER 12

JULIA

Julia snuggled deeper into the plush pillows, drifting in and out of a very pleasant dream involving gray eyes and great hands. She stretched luxuriously, spreading her arms and legs out as far as they could go, relishing the decadent freedom of a king-size bed. When had she ever had a king-size bed all to herself?