Page 117 of When In Doubt

“Oh, jeez.” She sighs. “I’ll be back in a second.” She gives my arm a final squeeze before hurrying down the hall. Oscar moves to take her place, his arm coming around my waist.

“Alright?” he says next to my ear.

“Uh-huh.” I smile up at him. “Joni’s nice.”

“She’s a menace.” He chuckles. “But yeah, she’s great. And it’s good that Mack’s got her to keep him in line.”

I nod again, trying not to let myself get swept up by what awaits us beyond these doors. Oscar pulls me into a quick hug against his side and I take a second to relax into him.

With one last breath, I pull away, steeling myself for a night of socializing. “Okay.” I paste on a confident expression. “Let’s do this.”

Oscar turns us to the doorway. “They’re gonna love you.”

I don’t know what I expected, if there was going to be some record-scratch moment where everyone turned and stared, but nobody seemed to notice us enter. There’s music playing from a portable speaker and the smell of something incredible coming from the grill.

Maybe fifteen people litter the patio in small groups, most of them dressed in the same dark trousers and t-shirt that Oscar’s wearing. This must be the fire crew. I recognize a few of them from the Open House, one or two who I knew growing up, and in the corner I see Ryan, who came by my store with the flyers.

“Murph!” someone calls to us, I look to see Oscar’s captain making his way over. “You made it!”

Oscar releases me to give the man a back-slapping hug. “How’s it going?”

“Better now that you’re here. I need someone to help me with the burgers.”

“I’ve been here ten seconds and you’re already giving orders?” Oscar chuckles. “Thought we’d left work?”

“Aah, well, you can take the captain out of the firehouse, I guess.”

“Sure.”

He turns to me with a warm smile. “Freya, it’s good to meet you under better circumstances.”

My face flushes, remembering him catching me and Oscar in the parking lot.

“I’ve got shoes on this time,” I say, wincing internally. Very natural.

“So you do!” He chuckles. “And has Joni seen you yet?”

“She met us at the door,” Oscar replies.

“How was she?”

“About how you’d expect,” Oscar says good-naturedly.

Mack turns to me. “My wife has been hell-bent on getting this guy set up with someone for the last two-or-something years?”

“About that long,” Oscar grumbles.

“She’s been beside herself since hearing about you two. I’m surprised she hasn’t been down to your store, the way she’s been wanting to meet you.”

“Oh.” Oscar said a similar thing earlier. My cheeks burn and I’m not sure how to respond. Everyone’s acting like he and I are this established couple. Is that what he’s told them? I feel a twinge of apprehension, thinking back to the way Aaron just started introducing me as his girlfriend, as though it were a foregone conclusion.

“Jesus, Mack.” Oscar huffs. “Way to make a first impression.”

Mack laughs, rolling his eyes. “Sorry to steal your man, Freya, but he’s the only one of these knuckleheads I trust not to wander off and burn everything.”

“It’s okay.” I step back, pulling out of Oscar’s hold. “I’ll just be…” I trail off, looking around. My heart starts beating fast as I realize that I don’t know a single other person here.

“She’s going to come hang out with me and Bird,” Joni singsongs. I turn to see her approaching, Birdie in her arms. “That okay?”