FATAL OBSESSION (EBOOK)

One summer can change everything. And for me, that summer would reshape my life completely, pulling me into a web of lies I still hadn't fully grasped.

I still remember arriving at the resort that summer, the summer between my junior and senior years in college.  

Freshly turned twenty-one, I looked forward to enjoying a glass of wine with my parents over dinner and lording it over my little sister, to afternoons lounging by the pool, and to nights…well, nights that were best kept private.  

When we pulled up at the main lodge, my father behind the wheel, arguing with my mother about whether or not to unpack first or eat lunch, I’d glanced up at the thick wooden doors, surprised that it looked more like the country club we were members of at home than a lodge.  

Beyond the sprawling building, I glimpsed high-end cottages dotting the lake–a far cry from the quaint shacks I'd expected. 

“Maggie, please,” my father said with a shake of his hands at her, “I want to get the unpacking done first.  There’s nothing I want to do less than unpack this car with a full stomach.”

“Why you don’t let the bellhops handle it is beyond me, Walter,” my mother said with a shake of her head and that disdainful look she got when she disagreed.

I shot a sideways glance at my sister, Grace, who wasn't even in high school yet and still excited for a whole summer with our parents.  

She giggled as she slouched down in her seat, her earbuds firmly in place to block out the arguing.  

“Dad’s right, Mom,” I said, knowing it would irritate her.  “We should unpack first.”

My mother scoffed. “I don’t think you’ll be doing much of anything in that dress.”

I glanced down at my summer sundress, pink, flirty, and totally unsuitable for lifting suitcases out of a car.  “You wanted me to wear something nice.”

I adjusted a lock of my blonde hair out of my face as I arched an eyebrow at her.

“I can see that face you’re making, Tess, and I don’t appreciate it at all.”

“This vacation is starting out to be a blast,” I said with a sour tone.

“Come on, Prescotts,” my father said with a jab of his fist through the air. “This is supposed to be our summer together.  Tess is going to be out of college soon, and Grace is nearly there–”

“Not nearly enough,” my sister said, betraying the fact that she could still hear us even with the earbuds. 

“You’ll be there soon enough, Grace.  Enjoy your childhood, for heaven’s sake,” my mother said with a huff.  “Well, if you want to unpack, Walter, get in there and check-us in before I melt to death in this car, for heaven’s sake.”

She took her book from inside her purse and fanned herself with it.

My father twisted around in the leather seat of his beloved Mercedes and grinned at me.  

I hadn't noticed how much salt and pepper had mixed into his hair until I looked at him in that moment. When you're growing up and figuring things out, it's easy to forget that your parents are doing the same. 

“Well, T-bear,” he said, “what do you say?  You want to come in and help your old dad out with these new fangled check-ins?”

I cocked my head, offering him a playful half-grin.  “I think you can manage swiping your credit card, Dad, but if you need help, I’ll go with you.”

I cracked open my door as he slid out of the car and hurried around to meet me.  “Truth is,” he whispered as we stepped through the doors held open by one of the staff members, “I just want to show off my beautiful daughter.”

I chuckled at him. “Careful, Dad, one of these guys may think you mean it.”

“I do,” he shot back as we approached the desk. “I know you’re growing up, honey.  Pretty soon, you’re going to be a college graduate.  And it won’t be long after that that I’ll be walking you down the aisle.”

His features turned wistful as he said the words, but I laughed it away.  “Oh, Daddy…you have to let me go sometime.”

He offered me a wrinkled nose glance before he stepped forward to the desk.  “Hi, Dr. Walter Prescott.  We have one of the–”

“Cabins on the lake, yes, doctor,” the woman in her crisp navy jacket said as she stepped back to a marble desk to retrieve a welcome packet.  “We have been so excited for your arrival.”

“See that?” my father said with a jab at the woman. “She’s been excited about our arrival.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t excited,” I answered with a click of my tongue, crossing my arms against the icy chill of the air conditioning blowing down on top of me.  

“Yes, you did.”  He wagged a finger at me.  “My daughter thinks this is going to be boring.”

“Quite to the contrary,” the woman said as she tapped on her keyboard to check us in.  “We have a lot to do here, especially for someone your age.  There’s water sports, hiking, tennis, golf, the pool, the spa.  And in the evenings, we have dancing, game nights, and more.”

She patted the thick envelope she’d grabbed with our names on it.  “All of the events are listed on a calendar in here, and we’ve even gone through and made a list for each of you based on what we think would appeal from the survey you filled out and your age group.”

I screwed up my face as I glanced at my father. “I didn’t fill out a survey.”

“I took care of that.”

“Oh, great,” I answered with a groan. “My activities should include coloring and cartoons.  My dad still thinks I’m five.”

“That isn’t true.  You are a beautiful young woman who I think will enjoy the carefully curated night life that this resort has to offer.”

“And the young men,” the woman behind the desk said with a wink.  “There are plenty of eligible bachelors here for the summer, Ms. Prescott.”

I offered her a coy smile, trying to pretend to be interested for my father’s sake.  The truth was, I couldn’t have cared less who was here for the summer.  

None of the resort's carefully curated activities interested me. The only summer plan I cared about was safely hidden in my phone, under a fake name.