I sat at the table, blinking as the conversation carried on around me with ease. Ben had dragged me out for dinner with his friends, one of which was Hernandez—who I clearly knew very well, since we worked together. The others—Carrie, Finn, Riley, and Noelle—I’d never met before, but they seemed friendly enough. The four I’d just met were all married, and very happily so, from what I could tell. Noelle and Riley had been stealing kisses all night, and Carrie and Finn were just as enthusiastically hanging on one another.

That left me, Ben, and Hernandez as the odd men out.

Finn, a man with tattoos up his arms and sandy blond hair, leaned closer to me and said, “How’s it feel, coming back home after being on the east coast?”

“Weird,” I admitted. “Californians are so different from the people over there.”

He nodded. “I know. They’re actually polite on the east coast.”

I choked on a laugh. “Are you from there originally?”

“Kinda.” He shrugged. “I was a kid in Cali, but then my dad got a job on security for Carrie’s father in DC, so I spent most of my life there, until she moved out here for college.”

“And you two went to the same school?”

“Not exactly,” he said dryly.

Riley piped in from across the table. Clearly, he’d been listening in on our conversation. “He was her secret guard. He watched over her without her knowing it. They ended up falling in love, and then she found out the truth and told him to kiss her ass.”

My eyes went wide. “Seriously?”

Carrie, a beautiful redhead with bright blue eyes, crossed her arms. “Seriously.”

“Clearly, we worked through it.” Finn threw his arm around her shoulders. “Right, babe?”

She pursed her lips, snuggling against him despite her: “Hmph.”

“And you two?” I asked, smiling at Noelle, who was the quietest of them all. “What’s your story?”

“We met in a hotel bar, and she brought my drunk ass to her room out of pity since they were all booked up.” Riley grinned. “Something I took full advantage of.”

She pushed her husband playfully. “Hush, you.”

“Sounds pretty normal,” I said, picking up my drink and taking a swig.

“It was…until I left her money on the dresser, and she thought I thought she was a hooker, and it all went crazy from there on out.”

I choked on my beer.

Finn burst into laughter.

Carrie smacked his arm.

“Ow,” he said, glaring at her.

Hernandez grinned. “I remember that.”

“We all do,” Noelle shot back, scowling at her husband.

I looked at Hernandez. “And you?”

“Uh…” He raised a brow. “What about me?”

“How do you fit into this little group?”

“I was in the military with Finn. When he went overseas, I took over his bodyguard duties with Carrie. Then, later when I decided on a career change I went to college, met Ben—and the rest is history.”

“But…” I gestured at the other people. “No great love stories like theirs?”

Hernandez stiffened. “Nope.”

“Actually—” Carrie started.

“I said nope.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “Whatever, man.”

“Who is she?” I asked, focusing on Ben since he was the most likely to spill his guts.

Ben sighed. “Carrie’s old roommate. Marie.”

Hernandez shot the middle finger his way.

“They had a thing for one another, but nothing ever happened,” Carrie explained. “Just lots of tension and awkward silences that still continue to this day when they see one another.”

I frowned. “Is she married?”

“No.”

“Dating someone seriously?” I asked again.

Finn shook his head. “Not right now, anyway.”

I looked at Hernandez. “So why is she just a story, and not sitting here with us?”

“Because she isn’t a story, or anything else. She’s just an old acquaintance,” Hernandez said, his mouth pinched tight. “These guys just want to pair us off to complete the circle.”

Ben lifted his beer. “Bullshit.”

“It’s not bullshit. There’s nothing between me and Marie. Never has been.” Hernandez turned his attention on Ben, and I stiffened, knowing what was coming next. “Speaking of which…why don’t you tell them your story?”

“Fuck off,” Ben shot back.

Finn leaned forward. “Do tell. The girls would love to hear it.”

“The girls can speak for themselves,” Carrie muttered to him.

“I know. But we know you want to know,” Finn argued.

“I would,” Carrie said. “But still.”

Noelle perked up for the first time that night. “There’s a story?”

“There’s always a story,” Riley said, grinning.

Ben flexed his jaw, staring straight ahead.

I found my napkin suddenly very interesting.

“They used to be high school sweethearts,” Hernandez said, since we weren’t about to. “Were happy as could be, until one day Sarah decided to up and move across the country without telling him why.”

“Oh shit, this is her?” Finn asked.

“Shh,” Riley hissed.

Oh God, they’d talked about me?

Noelle looked from Ben, to me, and back again. “But… Why?”

“Yeah, why?” Hernandez said, grinning at me.

“Because I’m an asshole,” I said.

At the same time, Ben said, “She thought she saw me in my bed with another girl.”

“What?” Hernandez said.

Carrie’s eyes widened.

“Ben,” I hissed.

“We might as well tell them the truth,” he said, shrugging. “They’re not going to give up until we do. Besides, we have nothing to hide.”

I sagged in my chair.

He continued: “I let a buddy use my bed, and when she went in and saw who she thought was me in the bed with someone else, she lost it, packed up, and accepted an offer at Duke. The rest was history, till she came back and our captain partnered us up.”

Finn whistled through his teeth. “So, all this time, you thought he cheated on you…”

“And you thought she left you for no reason,” Noelle said with wonder. “I need to write this down. Give me a pen, Riley.”

I blinked at her. “Excuse me?”

“Sorry.” She took the pen from Riley. “I write romance.”

“And Riley writes mysteries,” Carrie added, smiling.

“O-Oh. Cool.”

She wiggled it in the air. “Do you mind?”

I shook my head.

Ben waved a hand at her. “Do what you must.”

“So, what’s it like now?” Carrie asked, watching her closely. Too closely. “How is it working together with all that history?”

“It’s good,” Ben said.

“Fine,” I added.

We looked at one another.

Finn cleared his throat. “Wow.”

“Yeah.” Ben turned away first. “Wow.”

Noelle finished writing, and bit her lip. “Why did he partner the two of you up in the first place? Just bad luck?”

“Something like that.”

Ben snorted.

“So he hates you both?” Carrie asked.

“Something like that,” I muttered again. “Though, really, just me.”

“Their captain is Ben’s father, remember?” Finn said to Carrie.

“Ooooh, that’s right.”

Noelle lifted her head and gasped. “Let me guess, there’s a strict anti-fraternization rule in the precinct?”

Ben pointed at her. “Correct.”

Noelle picked up her pen and started writing again.

I groaned. My life was about to become the plot of her next bestseller. Inside the pages of Noelle’s book, her story would end happily. I couldn’t help but wonder…would mine?

“Change of subject?” Ben interjected, shooting me an apologetic grin. “How is Marie, Carrie?”

“She’s great. She asked about you the other day.”

I stiffened.

Hernandez glowered.

“Oh yeah?” Ben asked, seemingly unaware of both those things. “What she say?”

“Actually, she asked if you were still single.” She shrugged, side-eying Hernandez. “She has a thing for cops.”

Ben grinned and rubbed his stomach. “Hell yeah, she does. Last time we saw one another at your Halloween party—”

“I’m getting a drink. Anyone want one?” Hernandez shot in gruffly.

I raised a hand. “Me.”

“Me too,” Ben said.

“Fuck off,” his best friend shot back.

Carrie gasped.

Finn laughed.

Hernandez walked away.

Ben sighed dramatically.

“Why do you do that to him?” Riley asked.

“Because I’m sick of them both being stupid and stubborn.” She leaned back in the chair and took a sip of her Coke. “They need to just hook up already, and put all of us out of our misery.”

“I know,” Ben agreed.

I still sat stiffly.

“Nothing happened between me and Marie,” Ben said under his breath.

“Whatever.”

Carrie glanced at me and smiled. “She didn’t really ask if he was single, Sarah. Relax.”

“I am relaxed,” I said immediately. “Why wouldn’t I be relaxed?”

Finn snorted.

Carrie elbowed him.

Noelle kept writing.

Riley rubbed her back and watched as she wrote.

“Welcome to the group, Sarah,” Ben said dryly.

They all smiled at me, even Noelle, and I couldn’t help but think…

What had I gotten myself into?