Page 69 of Sidelined Love

“Because Queen didn’t flow as well.”

I roll my eyes. “Tell me the real reason.”

“It’s one of the most powerful pieces on the board and that’s how I view you and your strength.”

I have no words and thankfully we’re only a block away from Brewed Beginnings. We get there in record time, thanks to it being super early in the morning. He pulls up close to the entrance and throws the SUV into park.

“Thanks for the ride—and for breakfast,” I say as I unbuckle my seat belt. The words sound lame coming from my lips, but I’m not sure what else to say after his nickname explanation.

Levi turns to me and says, “Anytime.”

If this was a romance novel, this would be the moment where we lean into each other slowly and kiss over the console. But this isn’t a romance novel.

Instead, I pull back and grab my backpack. “See you later then,” I say with a small wave as I step out of the SUV.

“Yeah, later,” he says as I close the door behind me. I can feel his eyes on me as I walk toward Brewed Beginnings. I shove any thoughts of Levi into the furthest corner of my mind because if I don't, there's not a chance in hell I'll be productive for the remainder of the day.

27

HAILEY

Iroll my eyes for what has to be the fiftieth time in the last twenty minutes.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but it doesn't negate the fact that every second that ticks by is one second closer to us being late for the meeting I need to attend.

Jade, who is usually on time, is running late because she overslept after hanging out with some of her other friends too late last night. I'd suspected something like this might happen, so I even built in a small buffer by telling her we needed to leave ten minutes earlier than we actually did, but we are still cutting it close.

I let out a heavy sigh and drum my fingers on the steering wheel. I'm debating sending another text message telling her to hurry up or just giving up on getting there on time.

I grab my phone out of the cupholder and stare at it, willing Jade to at least text me and give me an update. No dice.

But there's something else I can do while I wait.

My thumbs hover over the screen of my phone. Biting my lip, I find the text message thread between my dad and me and start typing.

Me: Hey, Dad, how was the date last night?

Without Emily's help, there's no way I would have been able to send that text message without having stared at it for ten years to make sure I actually wanted to send the message. To my surprise, Dad texts me back almost immediately.

Dad: It went great! She's amazing and we had a great time. Thanks for asking.

Me: Of course. I want to know about your life, and I want you to be happy. This is a win-win.

Dad: I definitely am. It feels good to be getting out there again, and she's really easy to talk to. We're planning on going out again next weekend.

Me: That's awesome, Dad.

Just as I'm about to ask him about what he did on his date, I get a notification for another message—a text from Jade this time.

Jade: On my way! SORRY!!!

Me: It's okay. Hurry up though because we're late.

Jade: Gimme 2 mins.

I shake my head as I go back to texting my dad.

Me: What did you do on the date?

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