Guilt poked holes in her good mood and she deflated a little. She had ditched her friends while out on the trail, and now she’d skipped spending time with them this afternoon, too. Not to mention the fact that she was supposed to be taking in as much of the resort’s rom-com experience as possible for her “Take Me!” article.

She’d had quite the experience today, just not exactly something she could include in a review. Having a bit of fun was one thing; the point of this place was to indulge in romantic fantasies, after all … But how far was too far?

It was time to clear her head and regroup. After the canoe excursion, the plan had been to retreat to their rooms to freshen up, then meet in the lobby so they could go in to dinner together. Since she’d already showered and changed and was now ahead of schedule, Julia decided to head downstairs. She’d get there early and take a few notes while waiting for her friends.

Finding a comfy spot on one of the lobby sofas, Julia pulled out her notepad and settled in. Instinctively, she reached for her phone before remembering it was still in the hotel lockbox. She had to admit, it was rather nice to spend a day without constantly checking emails and social media updates, free from the general chaotic noise of the constant stream of information and expectation that was usually within arm’s reach at all times. An unexpected perk of living in fantasyland for a week.

Without the distraction of her phone to occupy her, Julia lounged on the cushions and did a bit of people watching instead. From what she’d seen at the cocktail hour last night, there were about fifty to sixty people participating in the role-playing game. Adding in the performers, the total was closer to seventy-five.

She wondered whether the hotel was booking guests other than those involved in the rom-com simulation. She added a note to look into that, as well as to find out more about the resort’s plans for expanding the program. Did they intend to run it on a weekly basis? Monthly?

“Hey.” Andie flopped down onto the sofa next to her.

“Hi.” Julia blinked. “I didn’t see you come in.”

“I know. You were tuned out.” Andie grinned. “You had your reporter face on.”

“What’s my reporter face look like?”

“Like my game face. Focused. Intense.”

“Sorry I missed canoeing,” Julia apologized. “How was it?”

“Wet.”

Julia’s eyes widened, “Someone fall in?”

“Several someones. Including this someone.” Andie jabbed a thumb at herself. “Thanks to a certain Cheesehead who doesn’t know how to steer a canoe.”

“Curt?”

“The one and only.”

“Please tell me he recited some bawdy limericks.”

“No.” Andie’s mouth quirked. “But I did.”