He's not my dad

part 19

I blinked as Chuck pulled up outside the coffee shop near my office. “Here we are,”
he said, killing the engine.

I grabbed my bag and gave him a quick smile. “Thanks for this… and the ride,” I added, still feeling a little giddy from the night before

I stepped inside, scanning the familiar crowd—and froze. Greg was there, casually leaning against the counter, scrolling on his phone. My stomach tightened, but I forced myself to smile.

“Hey,” I said softly.

He looked up, a little flustered. “Hi… Taylor. How are you?”

We made small talk for a few minutes, the air thick with unspoken tension. Then he leaned in slightly, voice lowering, almost nervously. “So… do you have any plans for Saturday?”

Before I could answer, the door swung open. Chuck stepped in, casually confident, and my stomach did a flip.

Greg’s eyes went wide. His body stiffened. Then, slowly, Chuck walked over, slipped his arms around my shoulders from behind, and leaned down, resting his chin near my ear.

“Hey, Dad,” Chuck said nonchalantly.

I spun slightly, eyes wide. “Wait… your—what?”

Greg blinked rapidly, looking between us, caught off guard. “Uh… hello?”

Chuck chuckled. “Were you asking my girlfriend on a date?” he said awkwardly, the teasing edge in his voice unmistakable.
Greg’s confusion melted into surprise.

“Your… girlfriend?” he repeated. “I wasn’t aware… you’re dating?”

“It’s… new,” I said quickly, cutting in before Chuck could jump in with more sarcasm.

Greg raised his hands slightly, laughing nervously. “I was actually going to try and set Taylor up with you. She’s the young lady I mentioned—the new member of the team. But… uh…” His eyes darted to Chuck, then back to me. “Well, I guess that plan’s… changed.”

Chuck tightened his hug slightly, smirking, and I felt a little thrill at how easily he had bought the whole story. I couldn’t help but wonder, though… was Greg’s “blind date setup” for real, or was he planning to ask me himself?

Greg shook his head and laughed, a little awkwardly now. “You’ve saved me a job by meeting each other. You two look… right together.” He nodded once decisively before making an excuse to leave, giving Chuck a small, wary nod as he passed.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

Chuck smirked at me as we watched him go. “i cant believe my dad was gonna send us on a blind date?” he teased.

“Yeah… me neither,” I whispered, laughing softly, leaning back into him.

He tightened his arm around me, grinning. “Well, glad it worked out better this way.”

I smiled, resting my head against his shoulder, thinking that sometimes, the universe had a very strange—but very effective—way of setting things right.

.......

The morning felt deceptively calm as I stepped into the conference room. The sunlight spilled across the long polished table, glinting off laptops and water glasses, and for a moment, I allowed myself to breathe. Today was just another meeting—or so I thought.

I slid into my seat near Kate, who gave me a curious look. “You okay?” she whispered.

“Yeah,” I murmured, not wanting to jinx it. I wasn’t sure why I felt on edge, but something about this morning felt… different.