Page 60 of Moonlight Feels Right
Emmalyn's answer came quickly: I'm glad. Olivia needs her mom. I hope she doesn't have to leave Ravenswood.
Bree wants to get a job and a place to live around here. I'm going to ask Josie if there's anything open in the building.
It would be great to have them here and good for Olivia not to have to make another big change. But maybe Bree should settle somewhere closer to family since you might be leaving soon.
He actually hadn't thought about that. Would it be good for them to get an apartment here when he could be gone within a couple of weeks?
But Henry, Paige, Emmalyn, and all the other residents who had been so kind and friendly to Olivia would still be here. They would make Bree part of the family, just as they'd done for him. It was strange to think about them living here without him, but Ocean Shores had always been just a temporary pit stop. He was going back to his career, a job he loved, that he was good at, that had always been his identity. If he had to trade Ocean Shores for that, well, he'd make that deal. But the problem wasn't just the building, the neighbors—it was Emmalyn. She was the one he didn't want to trade.
Another text came in from Emmalyn: On second thought, I think living here would be good for Bree. I found a family here, and it seems like she needs one, too.
She does. I wish we could talk more, Em. Tomorrow…
She gave him a thumbs-up, which made him frown because he felt like he was back in the friend zone, and that was the last place he wanted to be.
Chapter Eighteen
Saturday morning, Hunter knocked on Josie’s door around nine. If Bree couldn't live at Ocean Shores, he would need to help her find something else, because they couldn’t go on sharing his small apartment indefinitely.
Josie answered the door, wearing a colorful kimono robe, and holding a mug of something that smelled like coffee and whiskey, although it seemed a little early to be drinking. But he wouldn't be surprised if Josie mixed alcohol into her morning coffee, as she always seemed to be exceptionally happy.
"Well, well, Hunter Kane," she said, her brow arched in surprise. "You're the last person I expected to see. You've been my lowest maintenance tenant since you moved in. Until recently, I sometimes forgot you were even here. What can I do for you?"
"I heard there might be a unit available to rent."
She nodded. "There is. It's a two-bedroom. Are you looking to move into something bigger? Because I heard you might be leaving us altogether."
"This is for a friend of mine. You were at the pool last night when Olivia's mom, Bree, showed up. They need a place to stay, and I think Ocean Shores is where they belong."
"Well, Olivia is a sweet little girl, and she's gotten to be good friends with Henry, but didn't her mother drop her off with you without much warning? That doesn't sound like a very responsible person."
He realized that the Ocean Shores grapevine had probably been gossiping about Olivia since she'd arrived. "Bree has had a rough year. She lost her husband, Gary, my best friend and copilot, seven months ago in the same crash in which I was injured."
"I'm sorry about that," Josie said, her smile dimming as she gave him a kind look. "Why don't you come inside, and we'll talk? Would you like some coffee?"
"No, I'm fine," he said as he stepped into her home. He was momentarily distracted by the insane amount of color everywhere, and the smell of oranges and cinnamon, or maybe it was incense. Whatever it was, it was intense. The décor was bohemian and artsy, which fit her personality, but it was also even more extreme than he would have guessed.
As his gaze swept the room, a wall of photos caught his eye—film stills, magazine clippings, and a framed image of a younger Josie, radiant in a red gown, holding an Oscar. A brass nameplate at the bottom read: Josie Bell, Best Supporting Actress—Heart of the Wolf.
He blinked. "Wait. Heart of the Wolf? I know that movie. That was you?"
She gave him a half smile. "Yes. I played a single mom whose kid adopts a wolf. Hollywood loved it. Got me a little gold man and a messy divorce at the same time."
"I had no idea."
"My past has never been a secret."
"The Oscar and your divorce were tied together?"
"Sadly, they were. But I left LA and came here, and life eventually got good again. Now, tell me more about Bree. Does she have a job?"
"She's looking for one, but I'll cosign on the apartment. I'll give you however many months you want up front. I need them to be safe and secure in their housing for at least the next year. Olivia just started first grade at Ravenswood, and she's doing well. I don't want to mess that up."
"You're really looking out for them, aren't you?"
"Yes. Because that's what my friend would have expected from me, and what I expect from myself."
"That's very generous. Has Bree done any work in the past, or has she been a stay-at-home mom?"
