Evan took my hands again and pulled me toward him. “No, that’s not it at all. I wanted you here because I didn’t want you to be alone in your big, fancy apartment. But now I’m thinking I’m doing more harm than good.”
I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
“I talked to your therapist,” he said quietly. Evan must have seen the hurt in my expression because he hurried to explain. “I was worried about you. You won’t go anywhere unless I drag you out. You stay here all day, and you don’t interact with anyone but me and Raphael. Your therapist told me I was enabling you. You don’t have to go out because everything you need is here, and I don’t make you because I hate to see you upset.”
Now that the panic was gone, I could truly listen to my friend and hear what he had to say. I knew he was right. My therapist had already said these things to me on multiple occasions. But I’d chosen to ignore her. I didn’t want to acknowledge the truth. “Damn it,” I whined. “Why do you always have to be right?”
Evan grinned. “It’s a gift.”
I barked a laugh and shoved him. “Fine. But what the hell am I going to do inNew Jerseyfor a month?”
My best friend rolled his eyes at me. “There’s plenty to do. Just ask around. Maybe even meet some new people.”
“Too many people,” I said with a shudder.
“It won’t be too bad,” he countered. “It’s still early May. Things don’t get hot and heavy until Memorial Day weekend.” He smiled wickedly. “Maybeyoucould get hot and heavy in Jersey. There are a lot of LGBTQ+ friendly places down there.”
If I’d rolled my eyes any harder, they would have gotten stuck in the back of my head. “I amnottrolling for a hookup on the Jersey Shore. Or anywhere else, for that matter.”
“I’ve noticed,” Evan said wryly. “Maybe you need to wander around in different circles for a change. Maybe find someone more down to earth. Someone who’s not afraid to get a littlemessy.”
I felt my cheeks heat. Evan knew me as only a best friend could. Pierce had been a neat freak, and that extended to the bedroom. I shook my head vigorously. “I amnotgoing there with you, Ev. After Pierce, it’s clear I have horrible taste in men. I just want to get back to playing the piano.”
“Well,” Evan said, “I talked to the owner of the inn, and he said it will be no problem for you to use the piano when the restaurant is empty.”
I looked down at the picture on the tablet. The piano was gorgeous and obviously well cared for. The place looked beautiful. It wasn’t trendy and sleek like the hotels I was used to staying in. It seemed more homey, friendly even. Maybe it would be a nice change for me. I wrestled down the anxiety that tried to choke me. “Fine. I’ll go. But I’m not driving. I’ll have Tony take me.”
“Good,” Evan said. “I was going to suggest that anyway. You don’t need to drive down there. You can Uber anywhere you want to go or have Tony pick you up. And a lot of places are within walking distance. Besides,” he added, “you need to put some color on that pasty white skin of yours.” He rose, taking me with him, and pulled me into a bear hug. “I’m so proud of you.”
I felt my throat constrict at his praise. He was my lifeline. He’d literally saved my life, and I wanted him to be proud of me. I didn’t want to leave him, but I knew I had to if I was going to get back to being myself. I pushed away from him a little. “All right, you bear. I need to breathe.” I glanced down at the tablet again. “What’s the name of this place, and who’s my contact?”
Evan chuckled and took a step back. “The owner’s name is Sean O’Neil, and the place is called Moonlight Inn.”
TWO
SEAN
I leaned forward in my chair to get a better view of the flickering image on my computer screen. “Hey, bro,” I said, hoping my voice sounded cheerful. My brother Liam was a nurse practitioner. In his bid to save the whole world all by himself, he joined Doctors Without Borders or, more properly, Médicins Sans Frontières.Now he was in some refugee camp somewhere near Syria. My mother and I worried about him every day, but I tried hard not to let him know that. “How’s it going?”
“Not too bad,” Liam replied. He seemed tired, and it looked like he’d lost weight. “We’re pretty busy here, and new people come in every day.” The image pixelated for a moment and then went back to normal. “So far, the militia have kept their distance. I guess it’s because we help everybody.”
“I hope it stays that way, little brother,” I said. “We want you back here in one piece.”
Liam made a dismissive gesture. “I’ll be fine. We’re well protected.” He frowned. “How are you doing? I know I left you high and dry.”
Now it was my turn to ease his fears. “I’m fine. Really. Besides, running Moonlight was my dream, not yours. I have Cait and Chris, and they’re awesome.”
Liam smiled. “I’m so glad they’re working out for you. I had a good feeling about them when I met them at the shelter. They’re a great couple. How’s Maya?”
I chuckled. “Six going on thirty. The kid’s smart as a whip, and she knows it. Chris and Cait have their hands full for sure.”
“You got that right,” he agreed. “How’s business?”
“Picking up now that it’s close to summer,” I replied. “We have a big wedding in June. The couple is renting the entire place for a week.”
Liam whistled. “That’s a lot of money. Is it someone famous?”
I shook my head. “No one I’ve heard of. Evan—the one who made all the arrangements—is a musician of some kind and his fiancé, Raphael, is a lawyer in the City.”
