Loving Reese (Tremont Lodge Series Book 2) by Marcy Blesy Page A

it, the more I think that Samantha is behind the cryptic messages. She was just trying to make Finn jealous and cause trouble between us. She kind of got her way, too. He played beautifully on the guitar during dinner, but then he slipped out of the ballroom when the band took over for the first dance. He didn’t even tell me goodbye.
    The last of the staff still in the ballroom comes to tell me he’s going home. I’m folding up the last chair on the grass outside for maintenance to put away in the morning when they are all dry. I thank him, walk over to the Adirondack chairs by the now-empty stage, and sink into the nearest one. I close my eyes, shaking away the stress of the evening. I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep, but the crick in my neck tells me it’s been at least a few minutes. I shake my head and squeeze my eyes open and shut to wake up. An unexpected cool breeze makes me shiver. I scroll down on my phone to text Finn that I’m coming up to his room. Our fight was only a silly setback, nothing more. When I stand up, I am surprised to see a box sitting on the ground next to the chair. I pick it up and find my name written in black marker across the brown cardboard butcher paper that wraps around the box. Looking around, I don’t notice anyone nearby. In fact, there are only a few people scattered on the sidewalks walking toward the lodge or Jack’s Bar. The lawn is nearly bare as the stage acts have all gone home. I trace the letters of my name: Reese Prentice . The box is no larger than my hand and nearly as flat. My phone dings, a new message illuminating the screen.
    Hope you like what I picked out for you.
    This is ridiculous. Samantha has gone too far this time. I rip open the brown paper and pull off the white lid on the box underneath. I remove the blue tissue paper which seems such a contrast to the rough wrapping paper. When I look beneath the paper, my senses start to blend in a whirl of confusion and fear, and I feel a panic attack coming on. I brace myself on the table with one hand and count to ten to steady my beating heart, but then I see stars as my fingers tingle. Oh my God. Oh my God. Why? Who is doing this to me? And then it all goes...
     
    Someone is shouting into my ears. It’s so loud. Why is he shouting? I push him with all my might to get him away from me, to leave me the hell alone.
    “Reese! Reese! ”
    “Lawson?” I ask, my eyes setting on his steely gaze, forcing me to make eye contact.
    “That’s better,” he says. “I need to know you’re human again.”
    “How would you know what it’s like to be human?” I spit out.
    “That’s my girl. I’m glad to have you back.” He wipes a strand of hair off the side of my face where it’s been plastered.
    “What happened, Lawson?” I ask, using his arm to pull myself upright.
    “You tell me. I was walking across the lawn with my buddies on my way to Jack’s when I saw a big old lump lying in a heap on the ground. Imagine my surprise when I found you were the lump.”
    “You aren’t helping,” I say. Then I look at the arm of the chair where my phone rests next to the box…and the contents inside. I clutch Lawson’s arm again.
    “What’s the matter, Reese? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    “I think maybe I have.”
    “Reese! What’s going on?” Finn grabs my other arm and pulls me away from Lawson. “What the hell is going on? I got your text that you were on your way to my room and then you didn’t show, and you’re not responding to my texts and… what did you do to Reese?” he asks, glaring at Lawson.
    “He didn’t do anything. He saved me—I mean—he found me.”
    “Panic attack?” Finn asks. I nod my head. “Come on. Let’s go back to my room.” He puts his arm around my shoulder, but I don’t move. I can’t stop staring at the box on the table. “What is it, Reese?”
    I point to the box. “Someone’s been watching me,” I whisper. I take off the lid and pull out a