Loving Reese (Tremont Lodge Series Book 2) Read online

  “Uh, yeah…I mean, yes. I’ll call the doctor. You can wait in our employee room. There’s a nice couch in there.” Connor helps the woman to the back room while Bobby watches me fumble with the phone directory to locate the doctor’s extension.

  “It’s 3003,” he barks.

  I dial the number for the doctor and wait for the tongue-lashing that’s sure to come. “I’m really sorry, Bobby. I’m sorry I missed your call.”

  “You were supposed to have your phone on. Now I’ve got ten people out on the course all alone still wearing their gear in this blasting heat. If one of them goes down, we’re all screwed because I left my post.”

  “I get it!” By now, I’m tired of the abuse, and I’m just plain tired in general. Ted has me working from sun up to sun down in some near impossible race to some unclear prize, and maybe none of this even matters. “I made a mistake. I owned it. Get off my back!” I throw down my clipboard of activities showing where various guests have checked in for the afternoon and grab my purse as I head out the back door and away from the responsibilities that loom over my head.

  I don’t know where I’m going, only that I need to get away for a while. The music from the stage pulls me in the direction of the handsome brown-haired man with the matching dimples and butterfly tattoo floating on his neck. The crowd is applauding as I walk closer. It’s too early in the show for the tips to be delivered to his guitar case, but a young woman is standing in front of the stage waving a dollar bill in the air. I walk faster. Finn sets down his guitar, pushes off the money, and instead greets the woman with a big bear hug, the kind you only give to someone you know. A pang of jealousy surges through my body. I tell myself that maybe the woman is Finn’s sister Tabitha. After all, she’s due to visit sometime this fall, and maybe she simply arrived early as a surprise. But it’s not Tabitha. Because I can clearly see that the woman Finn is so affectionately hugging is the bride-to-be Samantha that I met earlier in the lobby. No sense worrying anymore, I lean against a tree that adjoins the sidewalk near the stage and observe. Finn picks up his guitar again and begins to strum.

  “Ladies and gentleman, a very special friend is joining us tonight, and I’d like to dedicate this next song to her.” He turns to the woman who is sitting in an Adirondack chair center stage, leaning her elbows on her knees, her hands on her face, like she’s captivated with Finn. “This one’s for you, Samantha.” I swear he winks at her before he starts singing Wouldn’t It Be Nice by the Beach Boys, a song about wishing you were old enough to marry. I know that because my grandmother used to listen to the Beach Boys when she cleaned. My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach as I try to process what I am watching, and then it hits me. Sam. Samantha—the girl who stole away Finn’s heart during her yearly visits to Tremont Lodge—until Lawson slept with her and sent Finn a text showing as much.

  My stomach aches, and my head is pounding. Nothing at Tremont Lodge makes any sense. But has it ever? I turn toward the dormitory and walk back to my room, away from the lawn, the music slowing dying away like my hopes for a normal future.

  Tinley is applying a fresh coat of makeup when I get back to the room. She’s wearing a large towel wrapped around her body and flip flops with rhinestones that match her bright blue toenail polish. “Hey, you’re back early! Yeah! I get to play dress up with my favorite Barbie doll one more time.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, Tinley,” I say, tossing my purse on the bed and flopping down in the tangled heap of blankets.

  “Yes, you are. You promised!” She throws down her mascara wand and starts rummaging through a packed suitcase. “Here. Wear this. You look good in green. It goes well with your dark hair.” A green strapless sundress lands next to me on the bed, but I push it away. “Hey! That dress is from Dolce & Gabbana. You might as well take a wad of hundred dollar bills and rip them up the way you treat high fashion.”

  I bat at my eyes which are filling with tears and walk past Tinley toward the bathroom, but she stops me by pulling on the back of my navy blue skirt. “Cut it out!” I yell just a little too loudly.

  “What’s the matter, Reese?”

  The dam in my eyes breaks open and a fresh cascade of tears falls out. “That bride who’s getting married on Sunday…she’s…she’s Finn’s Samantha.”

  “His ex? Okay, that’s weird, I guess. But she’s marrying someone else, you imbecile. What difference does it make to you that she’s here?”

  “Because I caught Finn and her hugging, and he dedicated a song to her—Wouldn’t It Be Nice—by the Beach Boys.” Tinley hands me a tissue from her dresser. I take it and blow my nose.

  “I don’t get it,” she says.

  “It’s a song about wishing you were old enough to marry.”

  “Yeah, she’s getting married—in two days. We covered that already. Geesh, you are so dense for being a Midwestern girl.”

  “No, it’s about him wishing they’d been older so they could be married, I mean, not now, but that’s how he felt then which means he must still wish that now and….”

  “Shut up. Just shut up. Look at yourself.” Tinley puts her hands on my shoulders and turns me toward the mirror. Mascara streams down my face. My eyes are puffy, and my navy camisole is stained with grape jelly from the sandwich I downed on my lunch break today. Nobody even told me. Nobody wants me to succeed. Why do I even give a damn?

  “Yep, I’m a loser. Thanks for pointing that out,” I say as I stare at my reflection, wishing I was getting ready to go back to Michigan State University instead of pretending I could run some old ski lodge in the forests of the upper peninsula of northern Michigan.

  “Put that on,” says Tinley, pointing at the dress on the bed. “Wash your face. Reapply your makeup. Go red for the lips. Wear those sexy black wedge sandals you own. Heaven knows they are the only shoes you have worth keeping. And get your ass outside. You march to that stage, grab hold of your guy, and show him what he means to you. I promise you have misread that little show with Samantha. All that girl has on her mind is whether or not that torrential storm they’re predicting is going to blow her ceremony inside. She does not care about an ex-summer fling.” She hugs me to soften her biting orders, and it provides all the courage I need to follow through with her directives.

  When I am dressed, I survey myself in the mirror again. It’s hard to make a strapless push up bra work its magic, but I think it does a pretty good job in Tinley’s froo-froo designer dress. I pin up one side of my hair and spritz Happy perfume behind my neck because that’s my sweet spot—and Finn knows it.

  “You look great, Reese,” says Tinley. “Meet Murphy and me at the party after dinner. Hey, aren’t you supposed to be working now?”

  I tug up the dress and slip into my sandals. “I kind of walked away from the rec department today. There was a little…mishap.”

  “Well, don’t you go letting that jerk Jeremy give you a hard time. You’re Oakley’s blood. Ain’t nothing going to break that bond.” Sure, only there was never a bond to break anyway because he forgot he ever had me until I showed up on his doorstep with my mother when I was five, and look where that web of lies tangled itself.

  “See you later, Tinley. Thanks.” I wave goodbye and walk down the stairs toward the staff courtyard before crossing over to the lawn. When I turn the corner, I practically bump into Anthony, the groom-to-be, who is carting one too many suitcases all by himself. “Do you need a hand?” I ask, feeling sorry for the guy.

  “Oh, um…yeah, sure. That’d be great.” He sets down one of the bags.

  “I’m Reese,” I say.” He looks confused. “The girl from the lobby who helped you get the room you’re heading to now.”

  A surprised look crosses his face. “Oh, you look, uh—you look different—I mean that as a compliment.” He shakes his head from side to side. “I am such an idiot.”

  I’m not used to guys being embarrassed around me, but it’s kind of cute. “No, you’re fine. I hope this is a step up from my navy blue s
uit.” I laugh, and he relaxes his shoulders. “So, I’ll show you to your room. It’s in the next building over there.” I point to building A, and he follows me up the stairs. We pass Finn’s room on our left. Two doors down I set down the bag I’m carrying and motion for Anthony to open the door. “I really think you’re going to like it over here. It’s a fun, relaxing vibe,” I say.

  “I’d love to be staying here. Relaxation is exactly what I’d prescribe myself.”

  “I don’t understand,” I say, following him into the room.

  “Oh, I’m a doctor, so, you know, the whole prescribing….”

  “No, I mean, I thought you were staying here.”

  “I wish, but for some unknown reason to me, Sam is insisting that she wants to stay at the dormitory, which is truly counter to everything she loves, like soaking in the hot tub or getting a facial at the spa. But if it makes her happy to separate herself from the rest of our guests by staying here, then I’ll sacrifice my state of mind for her.” He smiles and sets his bag on the desk at the end of the bed.

  The weight of my fears pounds against my chest. Samantha is bunking two doors away from Finn—on purpose. Does he know? Does he care? Does it matter? “I…I have to go, Anthony. Please tell Samantha if she needs anything, to…to call the front desk. I’ll see you both tomorrow afternoon at the wedding planning meeting.” I slip past him and nearly trip over my feet as I run down the back stairs and toward the lawn where I very much hope that I will not run into Samantha again.

  Finn is walking toward the recreation department office, and I run to catch up with him before he has a chance to talk to Bobby and learn about my afternoon. “Hi, stranger,” I say, grabbing hold of Finn’s waist and spinning him around to face me.

  “Reese! You got off work early. That’s awesome.” I just smile. He reaches down and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. I try not to read into it, though Finn has never been one to shy away from PDA. “Let me take my guitar back to my room and change. Then we can grab some dinner.”

  “Uh, can’t you take your guitar up the mountain with you? I’m starving.”

  “I can do that, but it’s hotter than hell out here, and I really need to shower.”

  “You look fine,” I say, trying to keep him as far away from the dormitory right now as possible.

  He looks at me oddly. “You’re acting weird,” he says. “I’ll be done in ten minutes. It doesn’t take me hours like you and Tinley.”

  I slug Finn on the arm. “Hey, not fair. I do not take nearly as long as Tinley to get ready.”

  “I bet you did today.” He runs his eyes up and down my body which gives me the good kind of chills. “Not your dress, is it?”

  “You don’t like it?” I curtsy and spin in a circle for his viewing pleasure.

  “Now, I didn’t say that, did I?” He sets down his guitar and pulls me in closer, a sea of people passing on either side of us as they scurry to the next agenda for the holiday weekend. I arch my body against his and let the sun bathe my face as I lift it toward Finn’s for a more proper kiss. He doesn’t disappoint.

  “Now, let’s see about that shower,” he says, grabbing my hand and leading me across the cobblestone road, past the shops outside the lodge, and up the stairs to his room at the dormitory. At least the back stairs are the closest option, so we don’t see Anthony again.

  I am scrolling through my phone reading the latest Facebook status updates for the past week that I haven’t had time to read when there is a knock at the door. The shower is still going, so I get up to answer it.

  I about lose my lunch when I see who is standing on the other side of the door. “Lawson.” The name lingers on the tip of my tongue, barely coming out as a whisper.

  “Damn. Reese, what are you doing here?”

  “No, what are you doing here?” I ask, closing the door to put more separation between the two of us. The last time I saw Lawson he’d just shoved me onto a bed, knocking my head against the nightstand, and sending me to the hospital with a concussion.

  “I’m here to see Finn,” he says, putting his hand back on the door to keep me from completely shoving it in his face. “And I’m not causing any trouble,” he adds.

  Lawson avoided any real jail time after our last encounter. A lenient new female judge took note of his clean criminal record and slapped him with jail time served, which was only three weeks, and put him on probation for a year. I didn’t even get to testify since he pled guilty. It’s not that I was mad that he didn’t serve more time. I just didn’t expect him to come back to Tremont Lodge. But, really, where else does he have to go? Even though Ted’s not really his biological uncle, he’s got no family left. Tremont Lodge is home, and home is where you can always land safely no matter how far your fall, I suppose.

  “Finn’s in the shower,” I say.

  “Do you mind if I wait? It’s really important what I have to say to him.”

  “Maybe you should come back in fifteen minutes.”

  A commotion in the hall gets the attention of both of us. “Can’t you do anything right? Dammit, I told you I needed my Chanel bag from the car. It’s got all my makeup in it. How am I supposed to get ready without my makeup? If I hadn’t seen you with your nametag at the hospital myself, I’d have sworn you were nothing but a stupid ass orderly with brains about as grand as a stiff in the morgue. Well, don’t just stand there. Go get my bag!” Lawson and I both watch Anthony run past Finn’s door and to the stairs, the same look of shock on our faces.

  Then the bathroom door opens. “Hey, babe, what do you think I should wear tonight?” Finn is standing in the room wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, warm drops of water trickling down his bare chest and back. I think of all the things I wish could be happening right now instead of all that has to happen instead, all because I opened that stupid door. He wipes his face with another towel and shakes out his hair over the carpet.

  “Uh, we have company.”

  “Finn! You have no idea how good it is to see you.” Finn, Lawson, and I all turn toward the open door to the hallway, through which Samantha is walking, her arms outstretched to hug Finn for the second time today.

  “Sam, what are you doing here?” He holds up a hand to keep her away before she embraces his rock hard, nearly naked body. Then he looks at me, looking at her, and starts to say something before seeing Lawson standing behind me, leaning against the doorframe and smiling. It’s the kind of snarky, amused smile that defines Lawson so well. I guess he hasn’t changed much after all. “Lawson?”

  “Lawson?” Samantha whips her head around so fast, her blonde ponytail hits me in the face. She is standing directly in front of Lawson, her blue eyes blazing. “What the hell are you doing here?” She shoves Lawson in the chest. He doesn’t budge.

  “I would love to know the answer to that question, too,” I say. “But right now, you both need to leave.” I point to the door. Then I look at Finn. “Finn, here.” I pull a red v-neck t-shirt out of his closet and a pair of khaki shorts and green boxers out of his drawer. “Go into the bathroom and get dressed. I’ll take out the garbage.”

  He takes the clothes from my hands and slips the t-shirt on while still in the room. “You two have met?” he asks, pointing at Samantha.

  “Yes, we met in the lobby.”

  “The lobby? I didn’t meet you in the lobby. I have no idea who you are.” With every heave of her ample chest, she moves closer to Finn. “Finn, make these people go away. I told you I was owed a dinner, and I’m simply trying to collect on your promise.”

  I move to stand in front of Sam, blocking her view of Finn. “He has dinner plans, and you have a fiancé waiting for you.” Her eyes shoot imaginary daggers in my direction.

  “How do you know I have a fiancé?” she challenges.

  “Because I’m your wedding coordinator, and I scored you that little room so you wouldn’t have to lose your innocence with your husband-to-be two nights before the big day, but seeing as you’ve slept w
ith both of the men in this room, I hardly think that’s going to be a problem after all, now is it?”

  I don’t realize I am even yelling until Bree pops her head into the room. “Uh, is everything okay in here? People are starting to crowd the halls to catch a listen.” She looks ridiculous standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by Lawson and Finn and Sam and me, all five feet of her stretched to the max as she surveys our faces. I wish I found it funny enough to laugh out loud, but I don’t. Nothing about this situation is funny at all.

  “I was just leaving. Call me, Finn.” I half-heartedly wave goodbye as the crowd of people parts to let me out of the room, the air outside a welcome reprieve from the suffocation inside.

  Bree follows me outside. “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?” Bree asks.

  “I wish I knew.”

  Chapter 3:

  Finn has been texting me for the last hour and a half. I don’t care if he doesn’t understand. I needed a break from the lodge, and Bree was a willing dinner date at the Mexican restaurant in Tremont City. Man, did it feel good to get off lodge property for a while. This place has been sucking me dry.

  “You can’t ignore his texts forever,” says Bree as the phone dings for the fifth time when I’m pulling back into the employee parking lot at the dormitory.

  “I won’t, but it still makes no sense. Why on earth would Samantha want to get married at the lodge when she has a history with Finn here? And what about Lawson? There has to be a hidden agenda.”

  “Like I told you at dinner, you’re overthinking it. Call him.” She picks up my phone from the dashboard of the car and hands it to me while whistling Payphone.

  “You’re right. Thanks for the date.” I give Bree a quick hug before hopping out of the car and dialing Finn on my way back to the dormitory.

  “Dammit, Reese. Why didn’t you return my calls?” he asks.

  “I’m sorry. I just needed to clear my head.”