Tinsel (Lark Cove #4)(57)

My racing heart stopped cold. And I blurted the first nightmare that popped into mind. “You’re pregnant.”

“What? No! No, I’m not pregnant.” She giggled. “But thanks for that. I needed to laugh.”

Fuck. Me. She wasn’t pregnant. My head was spinning so I took a step away from the edge of the dock, not wanting to end up in the water. Would it have been the worst thing in the world if she had been pregnant? No. Yes. Whatever. It didn’t matter because she wasn’t pregnant.

“Are you good? You’re okay?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m good. On the cusp of great.”

My heart had just started beating again, but with that, it flatlined. This was the part where Sofia told me she’d met someone. That she was getting remarried or she was in love with another man. This was the part where I lost her for good.

“What’s up?” My voice was cold.

“Are you busy?” she asked. “I can call back later.”

“No. Tell me.”

“Okay. Here goes.” She paused. “I found it.”

“Found what?”

“My passion.”

Her passion? What was she—her passion. How could I have forgotten? I’d told her to call me when she’d found her passion. “You found it?”

“Yes. I’m opening a dance studio.”

A smile split my face. “That’s fantastic.”

“I’m really excited. I’ve been renovating this studio over the last three months and it’s almost ready. I’m opening it in two weeks. On May fifteenth.”

“I’m happy for you, babe.”

“Happy enough to come over for the opening?”

I blinked, replaying her sentence. Had she just invited me to New York? Yes, she had. And there was no way I could afford to go.

If I hadn’t just bought two new properties and sunk all of my reserves into a down payment, I would have blown some extra cash on a flight, no problem. But in two weeks? I couldn’t swing it.

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Please? I’m not above begging. I really want you to be here.”

“Why?”

“Because so much of this is because of you. I’ve felt different since I left. That magazine article. Working with you in the bar. I guess it inspired me to do more with my life. And honestly, I’ve missed you. I can’t imagine opening this place without you here to see it too.”

Saying no wasn’t an option now. “I’ll see if I can get some time off.”

“Thank you. Let me know.”

I hung up the phone, staring out over the water.

She’d found her passion. The smile on my face wouldn’t go down.

A trip to New York City meant something in one of my new rentals would have to get delayed. Maybe new carpet. Maybe I’d find a renter who didn’t care if the fridge was pea green.

I was brainstorming ideas for coming up with plane-ticket money as I turned and walked back down the dock. I said a quick good-bye to Hazel and Xavier, thanking them for dinner. Then instead of going home, I went to the bar.

Thea gave me a funny look as I walked through the front door. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

“I need a favor.”

“Okay.” She set down the sketchpad in her hand. Whenever it was slow, Thea drew pictures. I’d seen a couple sketches with my own face in them before, but tonight’s was one of Camila.

“Can you trade me weekends in two weeks? I need it and the following Monday and Tuesday off.” I hadn’t asked for a day off in years. And I never changed the schedule. It felt strange asking for something.

“Um, of course.” She nodded. “I’m sure either Jackson or I can be here. Is everything okay?”

“I’m good. Just had a last-minute vacation come up.”

“Good for you. You never take vacations. Going anywhere fun?”

I tensed because there was no way I could hide this. “I’m actually going to New York.”

“New Yor—the studio.” She gave me a knowing grin. “You’re going to Sofia’s studio opening.”

“I’d like to.”

“I honestly didn’t think you guys were still talking. Sorry. I should have thought of it sooner.”

“It’s fine. We haven’t been talking. But she called and invited me. Sounds important to her.”

“It is. She actually didn’t tell us about it until last week. I think she’s really nervous about what we’ll all think. It’s nice of you to be there for her.”

“She’d do the same for me.” I shrugged, not wanting to make a bigger deal about it than it was. I was just going over as a friend. Right.

Thea and I hadn’t discussed all that had happened with me and her sister-in-law. So it was no surprise that she hadn’t told me about Sofia’s studio. It had become this non-discussion topic, probably because everyone thought we’d just been a fling.

No one knew how much I still thought about her.

“Take as much time as you need,” she said. “Logan is going too, so you might as well fly over with him.”

“Nah, that’s okay. I can get a ticket.”

“Or you can fly in a private jet for free.” She rolled her eyes. “The Kendricks have money, Dakota.”