Finding Reese (Tremont Lodge Series Book 1) Read Free Page B

blue eyes and a head full of perfectly gelled blonde hair and no smile is staring back at me. I pull off my headphones.
    “Sorry.”
    “Are you deaf or something?” he asks.
    “No. I was wearing these,” I say, pointing to the headphones. “Are you blind?”
    “You can kiss your tip good-bye , you stupid…”
    The frustrations of the last 24 hours come pouring out of me like an opened dam. “Don’t call me a bitch.” I push against the stranger’s chest with all 120 pounds of my might. He stumbles toward the wall.
    “I can’t believe you just did that.” He grabs my wrists and pushes me away from him, hard enough that I fall back on the bed, landing in the box of leftover pizza. Greasy cheese clings to my elbow.
    “Reese, how are you doing today, dear? Just checking on…oh my goodness!” Helen stops mid-sentence, with feather duster in hand. “Lawson? What’s…?”
    “It’s okay, Helen. It seems that Reese tripped over the vacuum cord and made an ungraceful landing in last night’s dinner.” My mind registers confusion. Who is this guy?
    “Well, that is most unfortunate,” she says. “You’re back early from your golf lesson. So sorry your room was not made up yet.”
    “It’s okay, Helen. I won’t tell Mr. Oakley.” Lawson laughs, though no one else does. “It’s a joke, Helen. Relax. You know I love you.”
    “Yes, yes, Lawson, you are such a jokester. Well, Reese, let’s get finished in here for Lawson. Nothing but the best for each of our guests.”
    “Especially for a certain favorite nephew, right?” Lawson jabs Helen in the shoulder.
    “Every guest is special. Every single one.”
    “Sure thing, Helen. Now run along. I know you have things to clean. I’ll make sure Reese gets back on track.” He grins at me, revealing a perfect set of teeth that with the rest of his exterior most likely gets him out of a lot of trouble, but I don’t buy the façade for one minute. As soon as Helen closes the door, I jump up from the bed and brush pizza crumbs on the floor. “You know you’re just making more work for yourself, right?” Lawson says.
    “Who is your uncle?” I spit out.
    “Wouldn’t you like to know?” He laughs again, loud and obnoxious.
    “I don’t ask questions I don’t want answers to.”
    “You sure are feisty. Typical brunette. I’d be a little nicer if you want to keep this little job. Let’s just say that I have a bit of influence with what happens around here.” I bite my cheek and count to five in my head while breathing deeply. In…out. In…out. I need this job. I need to be here. I need answers. I wipe my hands on my shorts and thrust my hand at Lawson.
    “My name is Reese Prentice. Lawson, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
    “Well, that’s better,” he says. “Nice to meet you, Reese Prentice. My name is Lawson Oakley.”
    “You’re Mr. Oakley’s son?” I ask.
    “No. Mr. Oakley doesn’t have any children. He’s too busy mingling with the ladies to settle on just one woman. I’m his favorite nephew, his only nephew,” he says with emphasis.
    “If you don’t mind me asking, Lawson Oakley, why is it that the nephew of the owner of Tremont Lodge lives in a standard hotel room?” I see a flicker of anger pass through his eyes before he settles his sight back on me.
    “I choose to stay in this room rather than with the college crew across the street. I have my own room. And my uncle likes to have insider reports about what is happening at his lodge. How else can he know what his staff is really up to if he doesn’t have a soldier on the ground, so to speak?”
    “And what war are you fighting here, Lawson?”
    “The war against incompetent help.” I switch on the vacuum cleaner to suck up the pizza crumbs and drown out Lawson’s voice. He darts back and forth in front of me at every turn I make in the room like some toddler tormenting his mother. I didn’t know it was possible to hate someone so much after just meeting him. When he