Page 12 of Moonlight Feels Right
"Are you sure?"
"When I make a promise, I keep it," she said.
"Then I'll see you Sunday."
She ended the call and sat down on her kitchen stool, feeling a little dizzy, and not at all sure she should have agreed to go. She had so many deep and painful feelings about her mother that her aunt was asking her to put aside so they could save her. But her mother had never wanted to be saved. That was the real problem.
How could she help someone who didn't want to be helped? How could she allow herself to hope her mother might finally choose her when she had never done so before? As she remembered the night her aunt had taken her away, her mind moved to Olivia. She'd seen the same confusion and pain in Olivia's eyes that she had felt when she'd ended up living with a woman she barely knew.
Forcing thoughts about meeting her mother out of her mind, she focused on what she needed to do right now, and that was make Olivia feel more comfortable with Hunter. To do that, she would need to help Hunter feel more comfortable, too. But he seemed a bit intractable. Hopefully, taco night would change that.
Chapter Four
The courtyard was bustling with activity when Hunter walked Olivia into the courtyard. The pool lights were on and gleaming, the tables pushed together and covered with colorful tablecloths. Lexie, the manager's niece, was setting up a margarita machine with help from Kaia, who, despite her dark-red hair and fair skin, was one of the most devoted sunbathers in the group, often relaxing on a lounger by the pool when she wasn't working as a paramedic.
Both were beautiful women in their late twenties and good friends with Emmalyn, who was often with them. There had been a time in his life when he would have appreciated being surrounded by so many attractive, energetic people his age, but that was not now. When Gary had died, a part of him had died, too.
He drew in a breath at that thought. He couldn't start thinking about Gary; that wasn't going to help. He looked toward the barbecue area where Liam and his fiancée, Ava, were talking to Gabe and Madison, who were creating amazing smells with whatever spicy meat or fish they'd thrown on the grill.
He had bought food from Gabe's food truck before he'd ditched it to open a restaurant with Madison. He didn't know much about her, except that she and Gabe had competed against each other in a cooking competition that had been the buzz of the building for a week at the beginning of summer. Now, they were apparently in a relationship, and there was a familiarity and intimacy between them as they cooked and chatted with their friends.
Olivia yanked on his hand, drawing his attention to her.
"Where's Emmalyn?" she asked, her worried gaze scanning the courtyard, as if desperate to find someone she could count on.
"I'm sure she's coming soon. There's a kid over there who looks about your age." He tipped his head toward a little boy who was throwing a beach ball to an attractive dark-blonde woman who he thought was named Paige. It was amazing how much information he'd picked up just by having his windows open on warm days.
"There she is," Olivia said with relief, pointing to Emmalyn, who was coming down the stairs with a platter of cookies in her hand.
Olivia dragged him around the pool until they reached the dessert table where Emmalyn set down her cookies.
"You're here," Olivia said, giving Emmalyn a hug.
Emmalyn smiled as she patted Olivia's head. "Of course I'm here. Have you met everyone?"
Olivia shook her head.
Emmalyn glanced at him.
"We just got here," he said defensively. "And while I've picked up a few names over the last several months, I don't really know anyone."
"Well, we are going to change that, because I know everybody. Let's start with Henry and Paige."
They walked around the pool to where Paige and her six-year-old son, Henry, were batting a beach ball back and forth to each other. Within minutes, Olivia started playing with Henry while Paige and Emmalyn chatted about some book they were reading for a book club.
He felt awkward and very much on the outside, but at least Olivia was smiling and having a good time. That was why he was here, so mission accomplished.
After a few moments, Paige interrupted the kids' game to ask them if they wanted to help her choose some toys to bring out. That was met with excited agreement, and he gave a nod as Paige asked if it was okay for Olivia to come with them.
As they left, Emmalyn said, "Shall I introduce you around?"
"I'm sure I'll meet people as the night goes on. No need to force anything," he replied.
"Whatever makes you comfortable. I remember feeling out of place the first time I came to one of these events, but now it just feels like a family dinner. Not that I actually know what a real family dinner is supposed to feel like," she muttered, talking more to herself than to him.
He tilted his head to the right, giving her a thoughtful look. Every now and then, she said something a little odd, and then stopped abruptly, as if she was sorry she'd said anything, which was exactly what she did now.
"Did you grow up with regular family dinners?" she asked.
