Tinsel (Lark Cove #4)(23)

When I’d gotten up yesterday morning, I’d promised myself I would keep a positive attitude at the bar. I’d make the best of the situation.

And to my delight, we’d had a good day.

Some might even call it fun.

“When are you coming home?” Mom asked.

“As soon as Thea and Logan get home. The plane will be here already so that way the pilot won’t have to make a special trip back for me.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

“It’s okay. It’ll be time for me to come home anyway.” Hiding in Lark Cove wasn’t a long-term solution to my problems.

“Let’s have dinner when you return.”

“I’d love that. Anyway, I’ll let you go. I just wanted to say hello. Happy New Year. I’ll give you and Dad a call tomorrow.”

“All right.” But before I hung up, she stopped me. “Sofia?”

“Yes?”

“I’m proud of you for helping Logan and Thea.”

My chest swelled. “Thank you.”

“Good-bye.”

I was smiling as I took the phone away from my ear. When was the last time she’d said she was proud of me? It had to have been a while. The rush of pride running through my blood, warming me from head to toe, felt foreign.

Lillian Kendrick, a woman well-known for her social stature, exquisite taste and impeccable manners, was proud of her daughter for working in a rustic, Montana bar.

I can’t wait to tell Dakota.

That thought jolted me in my seat. I’d only known the man a couple of days, yet he was consuming my thoughts.

The same thing had happened when I’d met my second husband, Bryson.

I’d been recovering from my divorce with Kevin, keeping a low profile because I’d just been made a fool, thanks to my cheating husband. But a friend had begged me to attend her art gallery exhibit. Get back out there. Show him he didn’t deserve you in the first place. That’s what she’d told me.

Looking back, I realized her motives were entirely selfish. She’d wanted my attendance to create a buzz for her show. The only time I’d heard from her since was when she was hosting another event.

Bryson had been there that night. He’d introduced himself, handed me a glass of champagne and flashed me his sexy smile. I’d fallen into him instantly. And he’d consumed my thoughts from that moment on, holding them captive until we’d unraveled so spectacularly.

According to the gossip circle, he’d married his mistress after our divorce and they now had a little girl. They were living comfortably, thanks to the check I’d written Bryson to go away forever. I didn’t know how long the pair had been playing me—I hadn’t asked—though I assumed from the very beginning.

I’d been a blind fool. Again.

So as much as I wanted Dakota to kiss me up one side and down the other, his uncle’s timing had likely saved me from another mistake. I didn’t need to get wrapped up in a man right now, not after my last three disasters.

Though, Dakota seemed different. Even with my track record, I knew he was nothing like Kevin, Bryson or Jay. Dakota didn’t pander to me. When I annoyed him, his voice was full of irritation and he’d snap. He clenched his jaw when he was losing his patience. When he did give me a compliment, it was short and sweet. None of my exes would have ever let on that I was driving them crazy. And their gushing praise was always over the top.

Dakota was different because he had pride. It was part of his makeup, like bones and muscle. It ran through his blood.

It was insanely sexy.

I checked the time on my phone. I had about ten minutes before he was due to pick me up. It was going to be hectic and stressful at the party, but I was giddy with excitement for tonight. Not just for the festivities, but to show Dakota that his faith in me wasn’t misplaced.

I was going to be at my absolute best tonight. I’d make him proud. Maybe I’d make myself proud along the way too. I was facing a new year from a strange place and a strange position. But maybe this shake-up was long overdue.

Maybe it was time to start a year off in tennis shoes instead of stilettos.

I stood and left the living room, heading toward Thea’s closet to borrow another pair of shoes. I was just passing the front door—the locked front door—when the deadbolt flipped and the knob turned.

I gasped, staggering backward as my heart lodged in my throat. I was about to scream my head off when Piper swung open the door.

“Hi!” She came inside with a stack of papers tucked under her arm.

My entire frame fell, my heart dropping back into its normal place from my throat. “Oh my god. You scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry.” She winced. “I should have rung the doorbell first.”

“It’s fine.” I waved it off as she came over and gave me a quick hug.

Piper was Logan’s assistant at the Kendrick Foundation, our family’s charitable organization. She’d worked for him for years in the city and was his most trusted and favorite employee. When she’d gone through a nasty divorce a while back, he’d convinced her to move to Montana and work with him out here.

I’d figured the move would be temporary, but then she’d met her handsome husband, Kaine, and Montana had become her forever home. They had twin boys who were almost one.