Page 99 of When In Doubt

“Me.” I scroll to my mom’s contact and fire off a quick message, though she’ll have heard what’s going on down here by now. I’m half expecting her to be on her way already.

Freya looks at me with a questioning frown as I put the device away.

“You good with staying at my mom’s place tonight?” I ask.

She worries her bottom lip. “I don’t want to put her out.”

Her apartment building was ablaze twenty minutes ago, but she’s worried about inconveniencing my mother.

“You’re not. She’ll be excited to have someone at the house who can keep up with her knitting talk.”

“Only if you’re sure.” She glances around the parking lot. “This looks like this might take a while.”

“Everything’s gonna be okay, I promise.” I lean in to kiss her, not able to hold myself back anymore, but footsteps approach before our lips can find each other’s.

“Freya, you doing alright?” Mack asks from behind me.

She looks over my shoulder, giving him a wry smile. “I’m fine, not that this one believes me.” She jerks her head in my direction.

“I’m sure he doesn’t.” Mack slaps me on the back. “But I do. So, if you’re sure you’re going to make it, you mind if I have my firefighter back?”

“By all means.” She gives my hand a quick squeeze.

I sigh. “You need anything, just wave.” I press a quick kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be right over there.”

“Come on, lover boy.” Mack slings an arm around my shoulders and steers me toward the truck, where the crew are getting ready to start the inspection of the building.

When my mom arrives about ten minutes later, I hand off the clipboard I’m holding to Ryan and jog over to her. As soon as she sees me, she wraps me up in a tight hug.

“You doing okay, sweetheart?”

“Yeah,” I huff out, not sure how true it is. “Just… just take care of her, okay?”

She reaches to tuck some of my hair behind my ear, same way she’s been doing since I was a kid. “Of course.”

She turns to reach back into her car, pulling out the pair of shoes I asked her to bring.

“She’s over there.” I point to where Freya’s still sitting. I don’t even know whose truck that is, or where they are.

At least now I know that she’ll be safe, taken care of by the one person in the world I’d trust with her right now. I watch as my mom heads over there and hands Freya the shoes, along with a thick coat I hadn’t noticed her holding.

She’s alright.

She’ll be alright.

Chapter Thirty-Two

FREYA

“Here.” Valerie presses a mug of tea into my hands as I sit cross-legged in the corner of the couch.

“Thank you.”

“You feeling okay?”

I sigh, rubbing my thumb along my eyebrow. “I think so. I mean, it’s not like any of my stuff got damaged.” Oscar texted about an hour ago to say that the fire had been contained to one of the apartments on the ground floor, that it was something on the stove that got out of control. He’s back at the station now, finishing his shift.

Valerie tips her head to the side as she sits by me, eyes as perceptive as ever. “That doesn’t mean it isn’t scary.”