orange ones you sent to the rec office. Jeremy called me over this morning before this madness.”
My phone dings, and Finn reaches into his pocket, reading the illuminated screen. “Do you have some plans later tonight that I should know about?” he asks.
“What? Give me that.” I take the phone from Finn’s hands and read the text.
I look forward to seeing you later.
I feel the blood draining from my face as I realize the text and the balloons are from the same creep who’s been sending me messages all weekend.
Just then Lawson shows up holding a pile of towels that go all the way up to his nose. “Special delivery for a fantastic wedding, I hear.” I can imagine his sarcastic grin behind the towels.
“It’s nice to see you doing something useful around the lodge for once,” I say, grabbing the towels out of his hands.
“Hey, baby, I aim to please.”
“Don’t be a jackass,” I say.
Finn watches us carefully, his head bobbing back and forth like he’s at a ping pong match. “Did you send balloons to Reese?” he asks Lawson.
“Balloons? No, I did not send balloons or flowers or candy to your girlfriend. The only thing I’m bringing are these towels…and my hotness, but that’s only handled by those that are worthy of me.” Finn and I stare at him blankly. “Look, it’s a joke. Wait a minute. Is that same person who’s been sending you texts now sending you gifts?”
“Someone’s been sending you texts?” asks Finn, accusingly. “And you didn’t tell me? And you told Lawson before you told me?”
Helen peeks her head out in the hallway. “There you are. We are having a cake issue. It seems that the minister bumped into the table on her way to the bathroom and may or may not have caused the cake to take a minor tumble.”
“Oh, my! Here, take these to Samantha.” I shove the towels in Helen’s arms, leaving her barely any room to see over them and rush toward the door. “It’d be nice if my boyfriend trusted me a little more,” I yell over my shoulder.
“The same goes for you, Reese,” he spits back.
Why is it that when you open your heart an inch, someone can work his way in until you feel like you’re ripped wide open and the slightest slip of the tongue can cause such pain?
Chapter 10:
I sit on the patio outside the ballroom as the final cleaning wraps up for the evening. I wouldn’t call the wedding a success, but then the marriage won’t be either, so what a fitting start to Anthony and Samantha’s life together. Once the wedding party dried off and reapplied their makeup, the festivities had continued as planned, minus the eating of the top tier of the vanilla cream wedding cake which ended up in the trash after multiple attempts to reshape it. I don’t think Samantha even noticed when Helen rearranged the miniature Barbie and Ken dolls atop the cake. When Anthony was writing the final check for the service of Tremont Lodge, he’d told me what a magical night he had had and that the lodge would forever hold a special place in his heart. I can guarantee that the lodge evokes the same feelings for Samantha, though it isn’t Anthony that fills the role of Prince Charming in her dreams.
I check my phone. I have two new texts from Tinley. She’s home now. I wonder how Murphy’s being received in Tinley’s real world and wish upon the stars that she doesn’t change him too much because the image of a Gucci-clad Murphy is too comical to consider. Bree has also texted to tell me that she and Jeremy are going to a movie and that she will catch up with me tomorrow. There are still a lot of guests out and about on the lawn as it’s the last night of the weekend before people scurry off to their jobs and students return to school. There is a crowd of teenagers waiting to take the twin ziplines across the pond. Their laughter floats through the now still night air, the storms long blown away. There are no new texts from the mystery texter, and the more I think about
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