Page 8 of Moonlight Feels Right
When they got back to Ocean Shores, Emmalyn suggested he put the new sheets in the laundry while she and Olivia put the groceries away. Since Olivia seemed to feel more comfortable and happier with Emmalyn than with him, he was happy to follow that suggestion. He also wanted privacy to call Bree again.
Deciding he might as well wash more than just the sheets, he grabbed his hamper and headed across the courtyard to the laundry room. There was no one in the small room, so he set the hamper on the ground and pulled out his phone to call Bree. She didn't pick up, and he left another pleading message for her to call him back as soon as possible, assuring her that he wanted to help her.
He thought briefly about calling Bree's parents. He'd met them a few times at family events, but after what she'd told him about her mom and dad, he decided to leave them out of this situation. Clearly, she was at odds with them, and he didn't need to stir up more drama.
As he slipped his phone back into his pocket, Liam Nash entered the laundry room with a full basket of clothes. The laid-back, brown-haired former professional surfer was one of the few people he'd spoken to in the complex. There was something about Liam's easygoing nature that had reminded him of Gary, a man who had never met a stranger. Liam seemed much the same way.
While they hadn't talked much, he knew that Liam had recently taken over the ownership of a sporting goods store called the Beach Shack and that his girlfriend, Ava, was some kind of numbers whiz, who was building her own financial investments business. Ava's sister, Serena, and her husband, Brad, also lived in the building, and the foursome often spent time together by the pool. They'd been celebrating what sounded like an engagement a few evenings ago, although he wasn't quite sure. There were a lot of celebrations in the courtyard. He'd never lived with a happier and more celebratory group of people.
"Hey, Hunter, how's it going?" Liam asked with a friendly smile.
"It's going," he replied as he opened the door of the nearest machine and began to load his laundry.
Liam nodded as if that was the answer he'd been expecting since most of their conversations had gone this way. Hunter would have made his usual quick exit, but he wasn't in a hurry to get back to his apartment where he had a lot of other problems to deal with. So, he said, "Did I hear something about you getting engaged?"
Liam's smile spread rapidly across his tanned face. "Yes. Ava finally said yes."
"Finally? Didn't you just meet like six months ago?" he asked dryly.
"Yes, but it feels a lot longer than that," Liam answered with a laugh. "In a good way." He paused. "Did I see you and Emmalyn with a kid earlier?"
"You did. I'm watching my friend's child for a few days."
"That sounds…fun?" Liam asked, a question in his gaze.
He sighed. "I'm not sure I'd call it fun. I don't know much about kids, but my friend was desperate. Emmalyn has been nice enough to help me get set up to take care of Olivia."
"That explains the unicorn sheets," Liam said with a laugh, tipping his head at the brightly colored sheets he was about to put into the washer. "They don't seem your style."
"Definitely not. Emmalyn thought Livvy needed sheets suitable for a child to sleep on. I didn't know that was important."
"I wouldn't have known that, either, but Emmalyn is an expert, so you're lucky she's around to help."
"She's been very generous."
"That's Em," Liam said with a nod. "You're in good hands. She's the real deal."
"I'm grateful," he said as he finished loading the sheets and then turned on the machine. "How's your store doing?"
"Business is good. School is back in session, but with the warm weather, there's still a lot of action at the beach. The surf school I started has also grown in popularity. You ever surf?"
"A couple of times when I was a teenager, but that was a while ago."
"If you ever want to go out, let me know. I'll give you a refresher—on the house."
"That's a great offer, but I'm focused on getting back to work."
"You look like you're feeling better these days. When will you return to duty?"
"That's the big question," he admitted. "I have some hoops to jump through before that can happen, but I'll get there."
Liam nodded, a gleam of respect in his eyes. "The Marines are lucky to have you."
He was hoping the review board would feel the same way.
"Are you coming to taco night?" Liam asked, changing the subject. "Gabe's fish tacos are not to be missed."
"I am going to come tonight," he said.
