Tinsel (Lark Cove #4)(64)

He nodded. “Tell her good luck for me.”

“Will do.” I waved and walked inside the studio.

The second the door opened, the hushed whispering inside stopped, and the room went dead silent.

“Everyone, this is Dakota. We’re—”

“Coworkers.” I smirked, remembering how she’d introduced herself to my family.

A slow smile spread across her gorgeous face. “Coworkers.”

“Are there more of him where you used to work?” one of the women asked Sofia.

The entire group burst out giggling except for the tall, lean Asian man behind the reception counter who shook his head. “Can we please focus? We have one hour. Let’s make sure everything is ready to go.”

With a chorus of agreement, the reception area cleared, leaving just me, Sofia and the man.

“Dakota Magee, meet Daniel Kim,” Sofia said. “Daniel is my operations manager here at the studio.”

I shook the man’s hand over the reception counter. “Good to meet you.”

“Same to you.” He nodded. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“That so?”

Daniel chuckled. “I have you partly to thank for my job. She gives you a lot of credit for this place. Or the motivation to try, at least. I’m glad you could be here today.”

“So am I, but I get no credit for this. It’s all her.” I held Sofia’s dark eyes, making sure she heard this next part. “You did this. It’s all you. And it’s incredible.”

“It hasn’t even opened yet,” she mumbled, dismissing the compliment.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s still true.”

This studio would be a success, I was sure of it. But Sofia would need time to find that confidence.

She’d spent too many years sitting idle. Too many years believing that she was nothing more than the woman others told her she was.

This place would change it all.

“I’ve been trying to give her compliments for weeks.” Daniel walked around the counter. “She brushes mine off too. Doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying.” He went right up to Sofia’s side and threw his arm around her shoulders.

With that move, Daniel got my full attention. My eyes narrowed, looking him up and down. He wore a fitted black suit, the dress shirt under his jacket also black, and two buttons from the collar were open.

Unbuttoned that far down, I should have seen some chest hair. But Daniel must believe in waxing because his skin was smooth. Was that what men did here in the city? Waxed to get the attention of a woman like Sofia Kendrick?

They worked together. I knew firsthand how easy it could be to fall for Sofia when she was your coworker. If I called her in a few months, would she be with Daniel? Would he be the one watching her get ready in the bathroom mirror? My jaw ticked as jealousy brewed like a thunderstorm inside my chest.

Daniel must have sensed it, because he grinned and let her go, discreetly flashing me his left hand and the gold band on his ring finger.

I breathed, glad there was one less man in Manhattan I had to worry about when I left.

Sofia came over and slid into my side, unaware of the exchange.

My arm went right to the place where Daniel’s had just been. This weekend, she was mine.

The door behind us opened, and Sofia’s parents, her sister and Logan came inside the studio. Logan was escorting an older woman who was smiling wide as she took in the room.

Sofia unhitched herself from my side, dragging in a steadying breath as she turned to greet her family. “Hi, Mom and Dad. Thanks for coming.”

Her mom came over and kissed Sofia’s cheek. “This is wonderful, sweetheart.”

“I love everything you’ve done here.” The elderly woman came over and gave Sofia a firm hug.

“Thank you, Granny. I’m glad you could be here.”

“Me too. Pop would be so proud of you.”

Sofia nodded, blinking a couple of extra times. No doubt she was on the verge of tears, but she was holding strong, keeping them back. Later tonight I’d probably find her in her closet, shedding the emotion from the evening.

“Congratulations!” Aubrey came over next, giving Sofia a quick hug before waving at me.

I nodded my silent greeting. It never failed to surprise me how much Aubrey looked like Logan and Thea’s oldest daughter, Charlie.

“The place looks fantastic.” Sofia’s father was still inspecting the place as he spoke and walked toward the counter. He picked up one of the flyers, the same one I’d read when I’d first come here. “Smart. This entire setup is so smart.”

“Thanks, Dad.” She swallowed hard, her eyes glistening. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“I missed a lot of stuff when you were a kid. I’m trying to do better. I wasn’t going to miss this.”

I took a step toward Sofia, ready to give her a reassuring hug, but her brother beat me to it.

“I wouldn’t miss it either.” Logan let his sister go then shook my hand. “How was the weekend?”

“Good. This is quite the city.” And spending it with Sofia had been the experience of a lifetime.

“Mom, Dad, Granny,” Sofia swung her arm out to me, “I’d like you to meet Dakota Magee. He works with Thea in Lark Cove. He flew out with Logan for the opening. These are my parents, Thomas and Lillian Kendrick. And my grandmother, Joan.”