Page 86 of Moonlit Kisses

–molly–

I’m still floatingwhen I walk intoShelter. I can’t believe Max proposed to me. It’s all happened fabulously fast.

“Afternoon!” I wave and call out to Simone, who’s at the desk assisting a young woman. The young woman turns around, her duo-colored gaze locking onto me. “Hey, Ronnie. It’s nice to see you.” I walk toward the young woman, noticing bruising up her arms. My eyes slide up to Simone and she subtly shakes her head. I take the hint and keep my mouth shut. “Once you’ve signed in, we can catch up. Do you wanna meet in the dining hall and we can have a juice or something?”

She smiles at me and gives me a wordless nod. I thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll check the coffee buffet is stocked. Chat later?”

“Sure.” She returns her attention back to Simone. The door opens and a woman, balancing a baby on her hip while trying to wrangle a toddler, as well as struggling to carry what looks like their worldly possessions enters. I head straight for the woman and reach for her possessions. She twists her body away from me, blocking my help.

“Hey. I’m Molly. I volunteer here a couple of nights a week. Would you like me to help you with your things?” I give her my brightest smile and glance down at the little girl who’s making life difficult for her mom. I drop to my haunches. “If we help your mom, we’ve got some great toys and crafts you can play with.” I drop my best smile on her, too, but she’s not buying it at all.

The woman turns back to me, her posture relaxing. “Thanks.” She gestures for me to take her belongings, a grateful smile on her tired and battered face.

Simone comes around to greet her. “Hi, I’m Simone. Welcome toShelter. We’re glad you found us.” She gestures over to the same set of chairs we first chatted in and the woman sighs as she sits, her daughter climbing onto her lap. Simone glances up at me. “Would you mind taking those to room six? I think that will suit nicely.”

“No problem.” I wave at the little girl, and she gives me a pout in return. I get it. I truly do. Life is miserable when you’re torn from your one safe place and everything’s different. Ronnie notices my struggle to balance everything and rushes forward to help. She slings her backpack over her shoulder, then takes one of the ladies’ bags, and we head through the building to room six. “How have you been, Ronnie? I haven’t seen you around for a while.”

She shrugs. “I only come in now and then when I want a proper shower and a decent night’s sleep without worrying about perverts.” She looks over her shoulder back at the new woman with her two small children. “Other people usually need the bed more than I do.” She says it like it’s no big deal.

But I know itisa big deal. Awful stuff happens to the homeless who live on the streets and have nowhere to go. We were fortunate to have our car. Mom kept me away from a lot of the stuff that happens on the street as a kid. She was always selective about where she parked, choosing locations that were in the nicer areas that she felt would be safer.

We stow the family’s belongings in room six and close the door. “Do you want to come and chat with me while I stock the coffee buffet?”

Ronnie shrugs again. “I’d rather have a shower first. If that’s okay?”

“Of course. I’ll see you in a little while, then.” We separate, her heading for the showers, me to the dining room.

“Hey, Rhonda!” I call out as I step into the kitchen.

“Hey, gorgeous. You look particularly happy today.” She studies me closely.

I’m bursting to tell someone my news. We told the guys after soccer last night, but they’re Max’s friends. I step closer to Rhonda, ready to burst. “I got engaged.” My smile must be stupid big.

She squeals and pulls my left hand up to her face. “Where’s the ring?”

I pull my hand back. “I don’t have one yet. It was an impromptu thing on Saturday night.”

“Well, whoever he is, he’s one lucky man. Congratulations, Molly. I’m so happy for you, girl!” She leans in, wrapping me in a hug. Her hair smells like roast beef and her hug feels like a warm blanket.

“Thank you.” I shake my head and smile at her. “I can’t believe it, but I’m over the moon. He’s a great guy, and he’s been amazing to me since I moved here.”

“Well, I’m glad. I’d love to stop and chat in depth, but this dinner won’t cook itself and it looks like we’ve got a full house tonight.”

I blow out a heavy breath and nod. “I’ll quickly make sure the buffet’s stocked, then I’ll come and help in the kitchen.” I’m not sure how I ended up in the kitchen every time I come here, because I’m pretty useless. But Rhonda’s been teaching me some of her tips and tricks, and I’ve been enjoying her lessons. I’m finishing up when Ronnie steps through the doorway to the dining room. She glances around the room and when her magical eyes lock on me, she heads my way.

“Hey. Do you need any help?”

“Thanks for asking, but I’m almost finished. How was the shower?” Her chocolate-colored hair looks even darker now that it’s wet.

She sighs and a slight smile touches her lips. “It was heavenly. It’s the one thing I miss. Regular showers.”

I nod. “I know, right? It gets tiresome doing the rough wipe down in public toilets.” Her eyes widen. “I was homeless until I turned eleven when Mom met this fantastic guy.” Her nose crinkles in disgust, but I ignore it. I gathered from our previous chat that she hasn’t had the best experiences with men. “Then when I lost my family late last year, followed by my job and my home, I moved here. I didn’t know anyone and had little money; so I was living in my car.”

“Shit. You come across all sunshine and smiles. I figured you’d had it easy and were volunteering here out of some sense of duty because you’re better off than the rest of us.”

I’m not offended by her judgment call. I worked hard to portray that everything in my life was perfect. Too prideful to ask for help. “Yeah, well. You can’t judge a book by its cover and all that.” I shrug.

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to be. How would you know what my life was like? Just like I don’t know what your life is like.” I turn my body to face her fully. “But I’m here because I want to give back. Mom and I would stay in shelters when it got too cold to sleep in the car. Especially when I was a baby. She was like you. She didn’t want to take a bed away from someone who needed it more. She always said we had our car, which was more than other people had.” I nod at her arm. “Do you need anything for that?”

She looks down at it as though she’d forgotten it’s bruised. “Nah, I’m okay. A guy got a little handsy last night. I kicked him in the balls and made a run for it. Pretty sure he won’t be adding to the population anytime soon.” She snickers and I join her.

“Good for you.”

“Molly! Could you help me in here for a minute?”

I look over my shoulder at Rhonda. “Sure.” I turn back to Ronnie. “Sorry, gotta go.” I touch her arm gently. “If you need anything, just shout.”

She gives me a lopsided smile. “Thanks.”

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