Page 25 of Love on the Sidelines

I decide the splurge is worth it and stand in line behind five other people.

My phone rings. Marsha’s name is on the screen. “Hey, I’ll be there in a minute.”

“They’re almost done boarding.” There’s a panic in her voice and I pull the phone away from my ear to glance at the time. We’ve still got thirty to thirty-five minutes before the flight takes off.

“Why so early?”

Granted, this is my first flight in around eight months, but boarding times are a lot like the security spiel they always give about fastening seat belts and finding exits should something happen.

“Apparently, they’re shutting the doors fifteen minutes before the flight now. Hurry and get here.”

There’s some mumbling behind her and I hurry to put the book back before speed walking toward the gate. I’m usually the queen of the early bird status, but I’m not sure why I misjudged my time so badly.

I breathe out as I make it with the door open, searching for my boarding pass. It’s usually on my phone, but a problem with the booking meant I had to have a printout. I freeze, my heart pounding in my chest. It was in the book I was going to buy.

Sprinting back to the bookstore, the book is in the same position I left it. And thank goodness my boarding pass is inside.

I rush back to the gate, panicking as the airline worker closes the door to get onto the plane.

Trying to be as polite as possible under the circumstances, I say, “Hi, I’m supposed to be on this flight. I coach a girl’s lacrosse team and they’re all in there already. Here’s my boarding pass. Can I still get on?” My chest constricts while I watch the attendant’s face give me a small smile.

“I’m afraid that we’ve oversold this flight. You’ll have to be booked on the next one.”

My chest sinks. “But I have my boarding pass here.” I stretch it out to her and she gives me another polite smile.

“We had to give your seat away when you didn’t check in. The next flight to Nashville leaves at 7:15 pm. I can give you an aisle or a window seat for that one. May I see your ID, please?”

My cheeks are probably as red as when I’ve been outside too long without sunscreen. This is why I’m extra early for everything. I’m not sure what happened this time. Maybe my brain shorted out when I thought I had time to stand in line for a book.

Why is this my life? Some example I am for the girls. Actually, this is probably the best example ever of what not to do.

The woman behind the desk prints off something and hands me a ticket and my license back. The boarding time is six hours from now. At least it will be tonight. The girls need to be well-rested and at the elite camp early tomorrow. Not that I have to be there for the camp, but I’d like to encourage them on the way to the facility.

Calling Marsha, I say, “So, bad news. Apparently I now have to take a later flight that doesn’t leave for six hours.”

“So you’ll be on the same one as Charlie?” Marsha says.

“What do you mean?” Why is that how my day is going?

“I don’t think he made it either. Emily got a text from him right before you called that the doors were shut.”

“Great,” I say, dragging the word out.

She chuckles. “I don’t know. That might give you some good one-on-one time. The guy seems to be the real deal.”

“What? Like a tool?”

“You know that’s not how he is,” Marsha chides.

Blowing out a breath, I turn in a circle, scanning the crowd for Charlie. He’s looking very relaxed for having just missed the flight. He’s studying his phone and I want to strangle him with how calm he is.

Marsha is right, but I don’t want her to know that.

“Will you be okay until I get there?”

“Ava, I have children. I’ll be fine. You enjoy your date with Charlie.”

She hangs up before I can form a retort. I put my phone back into my pocket and glance around. What am I supposed to do for six hours at an airport? And why, of all the people in the universe, did Charlie miss the flight?

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