Sidecar Crush

“And recently, I decided I wasn’t going to keep lettin’ life pass me by,” Dad said.

Betsy blushed again. “He kissed my hand first, and asked if he could trouble me for a real kiss.”

I put my hand on my chest and sighed. “Oh, Daddy, you are a romantic.”

Dad laughed. “I reckon. I’m just happy she didn’t smack me.”

Betsy nudged him with her arm. “I’d been wonderin’ if you were ever going to get around to it.”

“I’m relieved you’re all right with this,” Dad said. “Been a bit worried about how you’d take it. Guess I got myself all tied up over nothing.”

“You sure did,” I said. “I’m so happy for you both. Really.”

“Do you have plans to see Jameson tonight?” Dad asked.

“I do, as a matter of fact,” I said. I’d seen Jameson every day for the past couple of weeks—ever since our day at the lake and the magical night that had followed. We’d had picnics and dinner dates. He’d taken me out on his four-wheeler again to recover more scrap metal from the old car. Last night we’d driven outside town and lain in the bed of his truck to look at the stars. We’d talked and kissed for hours. Then he’d made love to me out there in the open air. My core tingled a little just thinking about it.

“You planning on staying in Bootleg long term, then?” Betsy asked. “Seeing as how you’re getting cozy with Jameson Bodine and all.”

I nibbled my lip and shrugged. “I’m not sure. I do have to think about making a living.”

“You’ll find a way,” Dad said. “I always knew you’d make your way back to Bootleg. I’d sure love to see you settle down here.”

“Thanks, Daddy,” I said.

I’d been a little nervous to tell my dad I was dating Jameson. Turned out, there was no need, considering Jameson had beaten me to it. The day after he’d kissed me for the first time, he’d come to visit my dad for a little man-to-man chat. He hadn’t asked my dad’s permission to date me—and my dad hadn’t expected that of him. Dad was old-fashioned, but not quite that old-fashioned. But Jameson had told me it was important to him to let my dad know we were dating, and that his intentions toward me were honorable.

It had certainly been the right move if Jameson had been hoping to win points with my dad. He admitted he liked to do things old-school. So even though I was a grown woman, he’d appreciated Jameson’s gesture and later told me, more than once, he hoped I’d settle down with Jameson Bodine. It was a far cry from his reaction to Kelvin.

I stayed a bit longer to chat with Dad and Betsy. They were so cute together, it gave me all kinds of warm squishy feelings. Betsy had brought over supplies to cook dinner for the two of them, so I said my goodbyes and left.

It was early yet, and Jameson wasn’t picking me up for several hours, so I decided to stop for some coffee and a pastry. Yee Haw Yarn and Coffee had the best blueberry muffins, so I found a parking spot and went inside. It was busy, but there were still a few open tables. I ordered at the counter and took my coffee and muffin to a table near the back.

The table next to me had a group of ladies with knitting needles clicking away. They talked quietly over their coffee as they knitted. A group of younger women dressed in tank tops and shorts over swim suits—probably tourists—came in a few minutes later and sat behind me.

I flipped through my Instagram feed while I sipped my coffee. The cell signal was good in here, which wasn’t the case everywhere around town. I followed a number of fashion bloggers and designers, and it was always fun to see their posts and creations. I had a lot of unread comments on my posts, but I left them be. Most of them were probably about the show, and nothing I wanted to read. I might have been missing the odd supportive post, but it wasn’t worth it to see all the negative ones.

My phone buzzed, the little text icon popping up at the top of my screen. I swiped to see who it was from. Kelvin. I didn’t even read it. He’d started texting me again a day or two ago. The first one had just said, you need to call me. I’d replied, no thanks. He’d responded with it’s important, but I’d ignored it. Yesterday he’d texted again to say I needed to call him, but I had decided to stop replying. If he kept it up, I was going to figure out how to block his number. The guy needed to move on.