Page 76 of Sheltered By Love

In a room full of people I can’t ask her what’s wrong, so I file it away under ‘questions to ask’ when this night is over.

My gut has started to churn, and I’ve started to sweat. I’ve been on ops that filled me with less dread than this has.

Garrett winds up his pep talk but it doesn’t reassure me.

With every minute closer to the 1800 kick-off, I’m fighting the urge to run as far away from the Bay as I can.

As Levi jumps to his feet, grinning at me, Garrett just shakes his head while Jax throws me a sympathetic look.

Only Dave is dumb enough to say anything as we all trail out of Jax’s office.

“Dead man walking,” he mutters under his breath.

Felicity

Blueskin Bay’s town hall is one of the oldest buildings in the Bay. Built from stone with little embellishment, it’s not pretty, but it’s survived almost two hundred years.

With a lot of fairy lights inside, a disco ball, and little seating, the town hall isn’t quite as festive as I’d thought it would be.

The only saving grace is the lighting means behind the bar set up at the back of the hall, I’m completely out of the limelight.

Thanks to Jaxson supplying me with one of his uniforms for the Outrigger, I’m dressed in black pants, a black t-shirt, with my hair pulled back, glasses, and wearing sensible shoes, no one could mistake me for a party goer.

Nor could they recognize me should any footage get back to Arizona.

My stomach is a ball of nerves, so much so that my hands are shaking, and I drop the tokens Jaxson hands me.

He smiles as he pushes a keg into place. “Don’t worry about it.”

Strangely, I don’t mind admitting to him I’m anxious. “I’m not really good with crowds.”

He picks up the tokens I’ve dropped and gestures for me to pick up the stamps before he starts walking to the entrance.

“That makes three of us. Levi’s the only one who’s looking forward to this. But he loves to be the center of attention.”

I smile wryly. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

We’ve barely gotten the tokens and stamps at the front door when three volunteers arrive, all dressed the same as Jaxson and me, and one of which I recognize from the Blueskin Bay library.

Thelma Ray is sixty-seven, wears floral dresses with her rainboots, and is responsible for the small library having a lot of bodice ripper romances.

I’ve not had many occasions to speak with her, usually, I’ve scuttled in and out of the library but now I’m thankful to see a familiar face.

She raises her hand in greeting and seems genuinely pleased to see me. “Wonderful! A fresh volunteer this year. It’s young Felicity, isn’t it? You have an overdue book. What was it now...oh that’s right, Seducing the Highlander.”

Inwardly, I groan as my cheeks burn. Thankfully Jaxson and the two other volunteers have moved to the back of the hall so they don’t hear I’m a sucker for historical romance.

Thelma shrugs into one of the volunteer jackets at the front of the door. “Alright then!” she says with a smile.

“Let’s raise some more money for our marvelous Search and rescue boys!”

I open my mouth to ask how exactly this raises more money when the doors open, and past two uniformed policemen, I catch sight of a stream of women approaching like a tidal wave from the main street.

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