Finding Reese (Tremont Lodge Series Book 1) (3 page)

“Those books are reserved for the guests.” I didn’t even hear the door opening behind me. I jump back, startled.

“S…sorry, I didn’t realize—oh, it’s you.” Lawson is leaning against the thick green curtains that cover the windows.

“My uncle has a strict policy about the help being in the lodge away from their assigned positions,” he says. “This kind of rule breaking along with your pool visit could get you fired, you know?” I am fuming mad, but I can’t show it. Going home won’t be an option. It’s too soon. I need answers about my family—at least the opportunity to try and find them.

“It won’t happen again, Lawson. Someone told me about the library, and I have this thing for books. I’ll be leaving now.” As I’m walking past him, Lawson reaches for my hand and jerks me toward him. He smells like he just drank the whole pitcher of beer at the pizza parlor.

“I’ll believe you if you can name one book written by George Orwell.” This surprises me because I did not peg Lawson for a literate
anything
let alone a literature scholar.

“Animal Farm
or
1984.
I’m not really into books that invoke fear. I prefer books that make me happy.”

“Happiness is fleeting. Fear propels movement because you never know when something bad can happen,” he says.

“Don’t I know it?” I don’t even realize I’ve spoken it aloud, but he releases my hand.

“I’ll try not to make such a mess tonight,” he says, “you know, for you to clean.”

“You’re so thoughtful.” I don’t even realize I’m shaking until I close the doors behind me and run back onto the open lawn.

A magician is entertaining the guests from the stage while the girl with the whistling tick is stoking a campfire and preparing sticks with marshmallows for the children nearby. I guess she has two jobs. That would suck. I don’t even see Finn, who is putting away his guitar next to the side of the stage, until I nearly trip over him as I cut across the lawn toward the dormitory.

“Whoa, Reese, what’s your hurry?”

“Sorry, Finn. I was…well…I was actually trying to—I’m going to my room.”

“But it’s still early in the evening. You’re not mad about my little serenade, are you?”

“Oh, that?” I can’t help but smile. “That was really nice. Thanks, Finn.”

“So nice to see you smile. You should do that more often. You have nice teeth.”

“Nice teeth?
Is that the best come-on line you’ve got?” I say.

“It’s no come-on, just stating a fact. But, if you’re opening the door to the possibility of a come-on, then I’ll be more creative next time.”

“That’s assuming there will be a next time,” I say.

“Funny you should say that. Some of us are jamming at the top of the mountain tonight if you want to join us. It’s supposed to be a beautiful night, about as beautiful as you.” I burst out laughing. His face turns as red as the strawberries at my grandparent’s fruit farm.

“Oh my gosh, that is worse than telling me I have nice teeth!”

“Fine, then make your own plans for the night.” He slams his guitar case shut and stands up to leave.

“Wait, I’m sorry.” He walks toward the dormitory. “Hey! Seriously, I heard about the party from Murphy. He wants me to get Tinley to go. If I can drag her away from the rich guy at the pool, then I’ll come, too. I’d like to hear you play again.
Really.
” We walk together toward the dormitory in silence except for the banging of the guitar case against his leg. “Do you make a lot of money in tips?”

“It depends on the night. Weekends are more profitable.”

“Have you been here for a while?” I ask confused since most of the college help arrived a week ago.

“I’m here year-round,” he says.

“Oh, that’s cool, so then I guess you’re from Michigan, too.”

“Not born and bred but long enough. This is my stop, Reese.” He stands at the bottom of a staircase that leads upstairs to the
A
wing of the dormitory. I’m in wing
B.

“Maybe I’ll see you later,” I say. He nods his head in an
It’s cool if you do, it’s cool if you don’t
kind of way. I stand there watching him walk up the stairs.

“You know it’s creepy to stare,” he yells, not turning around.

“I wasn’t…I…
bye!
”

Tinley has been MIA for the last hour. I would normally consider that a blessing, but tonight I need her. I’m not going to that party alone, and for some reason unknown to me, I really want to see Finn. Maybe it was Grandma’s call earlier tonight or Blake’s texts that reminded me that I won’t get this summer back and I should try to have a little fun, too. I pull out my ponytail elastic tie and let down my hair. Usually by this time in the summer it’s a golden brown, but I’ve been too busy cleaning to spend much time outside during the day to get that glow.

Not changing clothes would be the easiest option, but before I go on the hunt for Tinley, I decide to put on a ruffly peasant top with a sweetheart scoop at the chest. I’m hoping it gives the impression that I’m sweet, not easy. I leave on the shorts and lace up my tennis shoes for the ride up the chair lift. No sense losing a shoe in the tall grass below the lift.

From the lawn, I strain to look through the bushes that protect the lodge pool from peeping toms like me. I can’t think of any good reason to give as to why I’m in the bushes, so I hope I can find Tinley quickly—but I don’t. She’s not there. I also don’t see Harrison or Dean, so goodness knows where that girl could be. The sound of whistling nearby spins a new plan in my mind. When no one is looking, I crawl out from the bushes in a nonchalant,
everyone hides in the bushes
kind of way.

“Hi, uh—what’s your name?” I ask the girl from the cleaning crew and resident campfire builder. She stops whistling and turns toward me with a confused look on her face.

“Are you talking to me?”

“I am. My name’s Reese. I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name before. I clean on floors 7, 8, and 9.” She keeps staring without changing her facial expression. “I’ve seen you on the elevator.”

“Oh, right. You do look kind of familiar. She smiles, revealing a mouthful of braces.” Poor girl. My braces were off before I even left middle school. The thought of wearing them in college just seems cruel.

“Anyway, I’m going to a party tonight, up on the mountain. It’s all staff, and some people are going to be jamming on their guitars and…well, I’m not sure what else they play, but I know you like music, so I wondered if you’d like to go.”

“How do you know I like music? You don’t even know my name.” She has a point there.

“The whistling…”

“Are you making fun of me?” she asks.

“Not at all. I like your whistling.”

“No one likes my whistling.” She puts her hands on her hips and pivots to walk away.

“I do! I, well, when my parents were little we’d play a game when we traveled.” She turns back around slowly. “It’s kind of silly, I guess, but my parents would take turns whistling popular songs and the other parent would guess the tune. I was super little. It’s actually the earliest memory I have.” It’s one of the only memories I have, I want to add.

“I don’t realize I’m doing it half the time,” she says. “It’s not done to annoy people on purpose. People don’t get that.”

“I do. What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t, but my name’s Bree.”

“Bree, would you like to go to a party with me tonight?” I smile and think about Finn’s comment about my teeth which makes me smile wider.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Bree meets me in the courtyard of our dormitory twenty minutes later. She’s put a rhinestone barrette in one side of her short blonde hair which makes her look super chic. That, and the v-neck white chiffon top with a pale pink tank top underneath and cropped jeans and strappy silver sandals that are not likely to fall off her feet while dangling on the chair lift. I’m kind of speechless. I didn’t know she could clean up so well. I am suddenly feeling very underdressed.

“Is your friend coming?” asks Bree.

“Do you mean Tinley?”

“That blonde, leggy girl you’re always with on the elevator,” she says.

“I lost track of her a long time ago. It’s her loss.”

We follow small groups of other college kids who walk toward a chair lift behind and to the left of the dormitory that I had never even noticed before. It’s nearly hidden by the large evergreens that dot the back of the property. After climbing a small path between the trees we come to a clearing that houses the lift.

“What are we supposed to do?” Bree asks as we watch the lift moving up the side of the mountain with groups of two people at a time in each bucket chair.”

“Just sit down and watch your head,” I say. We watch the couple in front of us and wait our turn, taking our seat when the next chair is available. The scenery below is pretty stunning. Northern Michigan is a lush green paradise in the summer. We have to soak it in for the reserves we need to get through the long winter. It’s not so much different in the southwest corner of the state, either. I wonder if I rode the chair lift to the top of the mountain the last time I was here. Nothing seems familiar—
not one thing
. The whole purpose of this summer job was to get answers, to find purpose for my life, and nothing,
nothing
is making sense.

“REESE!”
I snap my head away from the mesmerizing tree line and realize I’m about to climb back down the mountain. I jump toward the side of the car and land hard on the ground below. Jeans would have been a better choice. Now both knees are bleeding and dirty. A hand reaches down. I grab it for help standing up and brush off my knees.

“You kind of suck at ski lifts.” It’s a male voice. I look up to see two dimples dancing on the face of Finn.

“Yeah, first time,” I say.

“There’s got to be a first time for everything.”

“Not really, not if you never try,” I say.

“Something tells me you’d try just about anything once,” he says. Silence floats between us. “Did I upset you or something?”
No, you just understand me, and I don’t even know you.

“Does anyone have a bandage?” I ask. Bree hands me tissues from her purse.

“This is all I have,” she says. “I’ll go ask around.”

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of her. My name’s Finn.” He sticks out his hand to shake Bree’s who makes her own introduction.

“I’ll get us something to drink,” says Bree, walking toward the bar that sits on a patio outside the one and only building within sight. We both watch Bree walk into the crowd of people that’s congregating at the top of the mountain, an entire world away from the vacationers below.

“She seems like a better fit for you,” says Finn.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“She might actually have a heart.”

“Tinley has a heart, too,” I giggle, “somewhere under all those boobs.” I don’t even realize Finn is still holding my hand until we reach the building and he releases it to open the door. There are less people inside the building that looks like an old restaurant, but the conversations nearby seem light-hearted and fun. After the stressful day I’ve had keeping up with Tinley and bantering with the boss’ nephew, it’s nice to relax.

“Are you in any pain?” Finn hands me a wet paper towel from the bathroom and points to a booth.

“No, I feel stupid. Thanks for your help.” I take the wet towel and press it to my knee. He squats in front of me and uses another towel to blot my other knee. He’s so close I wonder if he can feel my accelerated heartbeat. The tattoo on his neck is inches away, the shape of a butterfly illuminated in bright colors. What an interesting choice for a guy. I reach out to touch it without thinking. Finn looks up, startled, and instinctively shakes my hand away. “S…sorry.”

“It’s nothing, really.” The heat in the air is accelerated by the charge pulsing between the two of us right now, and it terrifies me. A singular purpose dominates this trip, and any outside distractions will only sidetrack my intent. Finn may feel the same way because he stands up quickly. “I’ll go find a bandage. There’s got to be a first aid kit around her somewhere.” He’s gone before I can stop him.

As I wait for Finn to come back, I see Murphy standing outside the large windows. He’s talking to a group of guys and girls while holding a bottle of beer. He’s going to be pissed that I didn’t bring Tinley. He tilts his head back to swig the beer. That’s when I feel the heat flush to my face, rising at the speed of sound, like my head’s going to explode. I’ve been here before. Something about this place, the beer, a man.

“All I could find were little band…Reese? What’s the matter? Is it the blood? Does that make you sick?” Finn feels my cheek with the back of his hand. “You’re burning up.” I clutch his arm because I might fall over.

“I think I need some air,” I say.

“Sure, yes.” Finn puts the bandages on my knees and helps me up. I can’t stop staring at Murphy.

“You like that guy or something?” he asks.

“N…no.” I shake my head. “He just reminds me of someone.” Finn grows quiet, but I can’t fill in the blanks I’m positive he’s filling with all the wrong thoughts.

When we are outside, Finn deposits me on a bench with Bree who is talking to a group of people, some of whom I’ve seen around the lodge, others whom I have not. Then he turns to leave. “Where are you going?” I ask.

“You have a boyfriend, Reese. I may be horny, but I don’t operate that way.” The guy next to Bree laughs.

“You’re wrong.” But I don’t chase after him because the ghosts in my past are far more dangerous than a relationship with an imaginary boyfriend.

Bree and I spend the night mingling with other college staff and drinking. There is a lot of drinking. I only have one beer, but Bree surprises me again by her extracurricular vs. work persona. She’s not wasted, but she’s definitely loosened up and enjoying the attention of several different people: guys and girls, and even stranger, apparently when she’s drinking she doesn’t whistle. That could be a dangerous cure for her tick. I drift off toward Murphy when I get bored.

“Man, Reese, where the hell is Tinley? You said you’d bring her.”

“No. I told you I’d let Tinley know about the party.”’

“And did you?”

“Well, no.”

“Of course not!” His anger is fueled by his alcohol consumption. Something inside me stirs another reminder, and I don’t want to be here anymore. I bite my cheek and turn toward the chair lift with a sudden urge to flee. Behind me I hear
Brown-Eyed Girl
strumming on the guitar. Excusing myself between the crowds of people I reach the chair lift just as a couple is getting off.

“Damn, girl, you look like shit.” It’s Lawson. I ignore him and jump on the closest chair, careful to not hit my head and knock myself out completely. He jumps on, too, and there’s not a thing I can do about it. I turn my head and wipe away my tears. “Are you
crying
?”

“Shut up,” I say through clenched teeth.

“Who’s the bastard that messed you up? I’ll have him fired.” Lawson is like a bad nightmare that’s stuck on repeat. He tries to put his arm around me, but I shake him off. “Do that again and you’re liable to land in a mangled heap on the ground.”

“Take that back,” he says. An expression of anger sits on his face, but I don’t answer. As soon as we reach the bottom of the mountain, I jump off and run all the way back to the dormitory, not stopping to see if Lawson is following me.