Page 61 of Moonlight Feels Right
"She was a stay-at-home mom for the past several years. With Gary gone a lot, it was better for Olivia if Bree was there to take care of her. But before that, Bree worked as an admin, and I think she also has retail experience. Hopefully, she'll be able to find a job around here soon."
"Maybe one of the tenants will know of something. You should ask around."
"That's a good idea."
"All right. Why don't I show you the unit, and then you can make a decision? Do Bree and Olivia want to come along?"
"They actually went down to the beach park this morning. I wanted to check things out before I got their hopes up. Olivia loves it here. I know she'll want to stay, but I wasn't sure if it was possible."
"It's definitely possible. Let me just change, and I'll be right with you."
As Josie disappeared into her bedroom, he looked back at the wall, reading some of her clippings. Josie might have only won a single Oscar, but she had been in several other blockbusters with well-known movie stars of her generation. He wondered how she'd gone from celebrity stardom to running an apartment building at the beach. That was probably a well-known story, but he had never asked about Josie or about anyone else, really. He'd just started getting to know them. And this wall of history made it clear that he probably didn't know nearly as much about anybody as he thought he did.
Everyone was more than they appeared to be at first glance. Emmalyn was a prime example of that. She was friends with everyone in the building, but the only one who knew about her past was him. Maybe Ben knew something now, and maybe Em would continue to open up. He thought that would be a good thing, because she really shouldn't be embarrassed about her past. She'd made a life for herself after everything she'd been through, which was incredibly impressive.
"I'm ready," Josie said as she reentered the room, wearing white linen pants and a short-sleeved floral shirt, her dark-red hair brushed and pulled back with a clasp. She grabbed a key ring off a hook by the kitchen wall and led him out the door.
The apartment was on the second floor, just above the laundry room and across the courtyard from Emmalyn's unit. The two bedrooms were rather small, but Bree and Olivia could each have their own space, and their bedroom windows looked out to the beach, which was a definite plus. The one bathroom was accessible from the hallway and should work for the two of them. There was a gray couch sitting in the living room, but otherwise, the apartment was empty.
"What do you think?" Josie asked.
"It's great," he said. "I'm surprised it's been empty for a while."
"Some people who want two bedrooms also want two bathrooms. This unit unfortunately only has one."
"It will work for them. Bree and Olivia will be back in about an hour. Would it be okay if I bring them here to take a look?"
"Of course. I'll leave you the key," she said as she took it off the key ring. "Just get it back to me this afternoon, and I hope Bree will take it."
"She will."
"You better check with her before you make any commitments. I know you want to help her fix what's wrong, but she may want or need to do that herself."
"Her options are limited, but I see your point," he said, knowing that what Josie was really telling him was to include Bree in on the decision so she would feel invested. "What about the couch? Will it be staying?"
"I can have someone pick it up, unless you think Bree might want it?"
"I think she might."
"You can let me know when you bring the key back."
As Josie left, he walked around the unit one more time, becoming even more convinced this was the right spot for Bree and Olivia to start over. Maybe he wouldn't be here more than a few more weeks, but the others would be. Olivia would still have Henry, Paige, and Emmalyn as well as all the others. Not that Bree knew any of those people, but he thought he could get Olivia to convince her if she had any doubts. Not that he should be using a six-year-old to forward his agenda, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And he wanted to get them set up before he had to leave.
The thought of leaving didn't give him as much excitement as it used to. But he'd get that back once he knew for certain the future he'd been working toward was actually going to happen.
He walked out of the apartment and locked the door. Then he decided to circle the building and stop in at Emmalyn's to say hello. As he walked down the corridor and around the corner, he heard a man's voice. Sharp. Demanding. Threatening.
Then Emmalyn yelled, "Get out."
What the hell?
He turned the next corner and ran toward her apartment.
"I said get out," Emmalyn cried again.
A terrible crash lit up the air. Ben came out of the apartment a few doors down.
"What's going on?" he asked.
