Page 116 of When In Doubt

“Party’s the wrong word. He’s firing up the grill and having some people over.”

“Which people?”

“Just some folks from the station, they’re all really cool.”

I chew the inside of my lip. It’s not that I don’t want to go, I just don’t know if I have the energy to meet a whole bunch of new people, especially after talking to customers all day. Going over to see Becca was enough of a stretch.

“If you hate it, then we can leave, I promise.” He takes hold of my elbows, rubbing slow circles against the fabric of my duffel coat. “But I think it’ll be fun.”

“You really want me to go? I don’t mind if you need to bail on dinner…”

“I’d like you to meet some of my friends. If you want to.”

“Are you sure?”

He nods, brow furrowed. “Please?”

I take a deep breath, trying to ground myself. It feels like a big step, meeting the people in Oscar’s life. But I guess I already know his mom, and I’ve run into a few of the crew already. It’s hard not to, in a town like this. This would just be more… official. Which is scary. But he looks so excited, I don’t want to ruin that.

“It’ll be casual, promise.”

“And we can go early if I need to?”

“I swear.”

“Okay,” I sigh out, trying to muster a smile. I’m sure I’ll have fun when I get there, it’s just thinking about it that feels a bit daunting.

Oscar grins, giving my arms a happy shake. “Awesome!” He snags my handbag and loops it over his shoulder before lacing his fingers with mine, steering us down the sidewalk toward the opposite end of town. “You’re going to love them, and Joni’s going to be so happy to meet you.”

“That’s Mack’s wife?” I think Oscar’s mentioned her a few times.

“Yeah, and she’s been trying to get me to start dating for years.”

I almost stumble at his words. “And that’s what we’re doing?”

“What, dating?”

“Umm, yeah?” I know we’ve been headed that way, but it’s not as if either of us has said anything. I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet. The last week has made it so easy to fall into a routine with Oscar, but this is a lot.

“Have I not been obvious enough?” He arches a brow.

“Oh, no, I just, well I didn’t want to assume anything.” I feel my cheeks burn red.

Oscar just gives me a gentle smile. “I guess I’ll have to be a lot clearer from now on.”

He moves so fast that I squeal in surprise, his arms coming around my waist as he twists, dipping me low. I start laughing at the absurdity of the action, but get silenced when his mouth comes down on mine, kissing me thoroughly until we both have to come up for air.

“Oh my goodness, look at you!” The woman who I assume to be Joni gasps when she opens the door. The house is a large two-story on the edge of town, wooden steps leading to a front porch decorated with hanging bulbs. Oscar palms the small of my back and I lean into the touch, flexing the tension out of my hands as anxiety climbs up my spine. One, two, three, four, thumb. Thumb, four, three, two, one.

“Hey, Joni.” He hands her the bottle of wine we picked up on the walk over. “This is Freya.”

“Oh, I’m so happy to meet you! I’ve heard a lot about you.” She ignores the offered bottle and pulls me into a tight hug. I’d usually shy away from being touched by a stranger, but there’s an openness to her that reassures me. “Come on, I’ll show you to the yard.” She loops an arm through mine, pulling me away from Oscar and into the house. I look back, bewildered, but Oscar’s just grinning and shaking his head. “You can put that in the fridge!” she calls. He nods and walks in the opposite direction to put the wine away.

The house is decorated with wooden paneling, and trinkets on every available surface. It’s stylish, but lived-in, with mismatched rugs covering nearly every inch of the hardwood floor.

I start to hear voices as we near the back doors and my earlier nerves return in full force. Where’s Oscar? I don’t want to meet all these people without him here. Just as Joni goes to open them, I hear footsteps hurrying toward us.

“Hey, Jo?” My breath hitches as Oscar’s voice gets louder, almost like I conjured him here with a wish. “You mind helping Birdie in the kitchen? I tried to make her chocolate milk but she says I’m doing it ‘weird.’” He mimes air quotes.