Page 46 of Moonstruck Kiss

“So no cleaning up by ourselves here, huh?”

She shakes her head.

I slide as close to her as I dare and whisper in her ear. “We’ll find some alone time soon.”

“I hope so.”

“Maybe I can visit you in the middle of the night?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to pass through my parents’ driveway to get to my place. They have motion-sensor lights.”

I pass a hand across my face. “Maybe you can sneak into my cabin. Ollie can have another sleepover at his grandparents or his Auntie Liss.”

“I’d have to ride a bike and light up my way. That would attract attention.”

We sigh together. Having a secretive fling in this town is proving to be trickier than I expected.

Ollie, Joey and I are approaching Struck and Stuck on foot, having parked our cars half a block away. Moonstruck Cove’s popular pub seems to be bursting at the seams. There are a lot of people milling around outside.

“Everyone in town seems to be out this evening,” I say to Joey. “Are you sure there’s no occasion?”

“Maybe our parents invited more people to dinner.”

“Why?”

Her lips quirk. “Don’t know.”

I narrow my eyes. “You do know something.”

“What? I don’t,” she says unconvincingly.

“They’re clapping at us!” Ollie announces, pointing to the people up ahead.

The crowd is indeed clapping at us. Well, I assume they are because everyone is looking our way. I have no idea why, though.

I glance at Joey and find that she’s lagged behind, grinning from ear to ear. She starts clapping, too.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Moonstruck Cove’s police officer-in-charge—Senior Constable Magnus Walton, if I remember his name correctly—parts the crowd. “Over here, Brax and Ollie.” He directs us towards the sideyard of Struck and Stuck, where my parents and sister are standing next to a lilly pilly tree. Next to them is the mayor of Moonstruck Cove, Sally Davies.

“Brax and Ollie,” Mayor Davies says in a loud voice. She takes a leisurely look at the crowd before continuing. “We’re here this evening to thank you for your contributions to Moonstruck Cove.”

My brows jump up. What’s she talking about?

“We can’t deny that your presence here was caused by certain circumstances that no one would have wished on anyone. But you have Ollie with you now, and that’s the bright spark from all that.” She smiles at Ollie. “This is not about forgetting what mustn’t be forgotten. This is about celebrating the good and positive outcomes from the unexpected.”

My lips curve up, grateful that while she’s acknowledging what happened to Ollie’s mum and her partner, she’s chosen words unlikely to upset my son.

“We, as a community, are very excited to have in our midst a child prodigy in the arts. Not only that, I believe that this truth was uncovered right here in Moonstruck Cove. We’re so very excited and privileged.”

Rapturous clapping erupts.

“We also want to thank you for the increased visitors to our town,” the mayor continues after a beat. “I know it’s sometimes not fun being mobbed by fans, but I hope that Operation BO has given you some well-deserved privacy.”

I grin. “Thank you to everyone for that.”

“My dad told some girls they have body odour,” adds Ollie.

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