Tinsel (Lark Cove #4)(20)

“Yep.” Charlie pulled off her gloves. “We went sledding.”

“That sounds like fun.” Sofia smiled at them then looked up at Hazel and Xavier. “Nice to see you both again.”

“Yeah. Didn’t hear you come in.” I shook Xavier’s hand. “What’s up?”

“Nothing much, bud. We were just out and about with the kids and thought we’d say hello.”

Hazel made her way past the kids to give Sofia a hug. “How’s this place treating you so far?”

“Well, I haven’t broken anything today, so that’s a plus. And Dakota’s been teaching me how to make drinks.”

“He has, has he?” Hazel turned to me, her eyes narrowing as she looked me up and down.

Fuck my life. She was worse than a damn bloodhound when it came to sniffing things out—gossip, trouble or romance. If not for my uncle’s interruption, there was no doubt in my mind I would have kissed Sofia.

Hazel knew it too.

“Can we have some pizza, Dakota?” Collin groaned. “I’m starving.”

“You got it.”

The kids ate here enough I knew exactly what kind of pizza they all liked. Collin loved ham and pineapple. And since he’d interrupted Hazel’s inspection, he’d be getting extra of both.

“Sofia, you’re the bartender,” I announced as I walked away from the group and toward the kitchen.

“What?” she gasped. “O-okay.”

I retreated to the kitchen, hoping for a second alone to shake off that heated moment, but my uncle’s footsteps followed me.

“How goes it?” he asked.

“Good. Slow today.” I opened the fridge and took out some pizza dough. “Tomorrow will be a shit show.”

He hummed. “Call the station if anything bad goes down. Don’t try to handle it yourself.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll call.”

As the town’s former sheriff, Xavier had spent many New Year’s Eves out patrolling the streets and making sure everyone made it home safely. But I had no doubt that if trouble did break out, there would be no need for a phone call. This was Lark Cove’s one and only bar. The deputies would be hanging around anyway.

“Hey, um, sorry.” Sofia appeared in the doorway, giving Xavier a wary glance as she walked my way. She crossed into my space, practically standing on my toes as she motioned me lower.

“What?” I asked.

She waved me even closer until my ear was next to her lips. “What’s a ditch?”

“Huh?” I leaned back, taking in the flush of her cheeks.

“A ditch?” She angled her head to the side, hiding her face from Xavier as she spoke. “Hazel told me to make Xavier a whiskey ditch. I didn’t want to ask her what that meant.”

“Oh.” I should have known what she’d meant, but the woman had scrambled my brain. “It’s water. One shot Crown Royal in a highball. The rest ice and water.”

She nodded, backing out of the kitchen as quickly as she’d approached, hurrying out to the bar to make my uncle his favorite cocktail.

Xavier watched her leave, giving her a few moments to disappear. Then he crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s beautiful.”

“I know that.” I went to the fridge and took out various tubs of pizza toppings, cheese and sauce.

“She lives in New York.”

“Know that too.”

“What are you thinking here, bud?”

“I don’t know.” I closed the refrigerator door. “She’s . . .”

Sexy. Enchanting. Rich as hell and way the fuck out of my league. But there was so much heat between us, it could level this whole place to the ground.

“Just make sure you do right by the both of you.”

I nodded. “Got it.”

Without another word, Xavier walked out of the kitchen and left me to make the kids’ pizza.

My uncle was my confidant. He was the man I’d looked up to ever since my father and I had gotten into a fight the day before I’d left home for the dude ranch.

Normally, I’d tell him everything about how I was feeling. But women wasn’t a topic we delved into much, mostly because I hadn’t had a girlfriend in a decade. I had no idea what he’d say, especially since he was in love with Hazel.

The last thing I needed was for him to push me into a relationship because he’d found one of his own. I didn’t need him telling me to settle down and find someone to share my life with.

I’d dealt with that shit from my parents for years. Though their “advice” had always come with the understanding that the woman I chose shared our heritage.

Christ. If my parents saw me and Sofia together, they’d be crushed.

Which meant if something did happen between us, it needed to stay quiet. I didn’t have the energy to deal with my family if they found out I was hooked up with a woman like Sofia.

Though I would take Xavier’s advice. I’d do right by us both.

Was I considering making a play for Sofia Kendrick? Despite my better judgment, the fact that she was my boss’s sister-in-law and the slew of other reasons this was fucking stupid, the answer was yes.

I was considering it.

Maybe if we could come to an understanding, a kiss in the bar wouldn’t be out of the question. Maybe Sofia and I could have a little fun for the next nine days, then go our separate ways.