Page 33 of Moonlit Kisses

I shrug, shaking my head. “I dunno. I wish I knew the answer to that.”

We’re both quiet for a little while. “Have you always lived here?”

“Yeah.” She studies her boots again. “I’ve never been brave like you to move somewhere new.”

“I wouldn’t say I was brave. I’d lost my family, my job, and my home in a matter of weeks. I had nothing left there, so I thought I’d quell my curiosity about the place where my mom grew up. Maybe if I were living here, I wouldn’t have moved. From what I’ve seen so far, this is a pretty great city.”

Ronnie shrugs, returning her gaze to her boots. She’s quiet for long moments and I wrack my brain, trying to come up with something else we could talk about, but maybe she’s had enough for now.

“Uh, did you want me to show you to your bed and you can have a shower, then grab something to eat?”

She sighs and nods. “That’d be great.”

Standing, I gesture for her to follow me, and I show her through to the dorm without cribs. She’s got a single backpack with her and she’s holding it close to her body. If she’s anything like me, it contains all of her most important possessions.

“It looks as though the two beds at the end are still vacant. You wanna take one of those?”

“Sure.” We make our way between the beds until she arrives at her space for the night.

“There’s a lock cupboard here.” I show her how to use it. “We have some donated clothes, if you want to check them out. They’ve all been freshly laundered.”

Ronnie locks her backpack in the cupboard, and we make our way toward the room with the donated clothes for women and children. In another room, there are a few suits and fancier dresses the women can borrow when they go for job interviews. This place truly is impressive with its attention to the details, which will help women move forward with their lives when they’re ready. On the way, I show Ronnie the bathrooms and then leave her with the offer to catch up in the dining room later if she wants to.

When I enter the kitchen, Rhonda greets me with her usual enthusiasm. “Mols, you’re finally here! How are you, sweetie?” She wraps me in her tight embrace, almost knocking me over and we both giggle.

“I’m great, Rhonda! What have you been up to since I saw you on Tuesday?”

“Oh, you know, this and that. Catching up with all of my boyfriends.” She winks at me and I chuckle. Anyone would assume she plays the field, but she’s actually talking about book boyfriends. She talks about them as though they’re real people.

“Oh yeah? Who are you dating this week?” I ask as I move toward the sink to wash my hands.

“Jake. Jake Normanton from the Leah Reynolds series.” She fans herself. “That man brings everything to the table and I do mean ev-er-y-thing!” She finishes with an exaggerated wink.

Rhonda puts me to work and tells me all about Jake and Leah and their love story, which started back when they were kids. Leah’s the daughter of a serial killer and Jake’s the son of a drunk. It sounds like a fabulous read.

“Who’s the author? I might check it out.”

“Uh, hang on. I’ll grab my Kindle and check. I’d hate to get her name wrong.” She bustles off to the storeroom as I cut the bread rolls. “T. Maree. It’s a series of five books. A real slow burn.” She gets this smirk on her face. “But oh so worth it!” I chuckle. “How come you were late?”

“I wasn’t late. I was chatting with a lady who’s staying overnight. Veronica or Ronnie? Do you know her?”

“Oh yeah. Pretty girl with two different colored eyes. She comes in now and then. Haven’t seen her for quite some time, though. I was hoping things had improved for her.”

“I didn’t know she’d been here before. She must think I’m an idiot. I was showing her where everything is.”

Rhonda waves me off. “Nah. She’s a sweetheart. Doesn’t talk much and keeps to herself, but she’s super polite. Not sure what her story is because she keeps everyone at arm’s length.”

The evening passes by in a blur. It’s always crazy when I help Rhonda in the kitchen. I didn’t even have time to step out and check that Ronnie grabbed something to eat. All the lights are out in the dorms as we close the kitchen down and put everything away. Rhonda’s busy soaking a measured amount of chia seeds to add to the oats in the morning when Simone strolls in. She releases a heavy sigh and slouches against the counter.

“This is the first chance I’ve had to catch a breath. How are you ladies tonight?”

“Exhausted but good.” I answer at the same time as Rhonda does.

“I’m ready to head home and soak my feet.”

“Me too. Thanks for your help tonight, Molly. Did you manage to chat with Veronica at all?”

I lean back against the opposite counter. “A little. She said I could call her Ronnie or Ron. Told me she’s always lived here. Something she said suggested that her family has hurt her.” I shrug. “She didn’t really talk all that much.”

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