Tinsel (Lark Cove #4)(65)

I shook Thomas’s hand first, hoping he couldn’t feel my own tremble. “Sir.”

“Dakota, welcome.”

Thomas was an older version of Logan. He wore an expensive suit that was tailored around his broad shoulders. The man had probably worn suits every day for the last forty years. His gray hair was styled and combed, and the smell of his aftershave wafted between us like he’d been freshly shaved.

“Thank you for coming.” Lillian came over next. After a slight embrace, she stayed close and offered me her cheek.

I hesitated, every second getting more awkward as she waited, then it dawned on me what she was after. I dropped a kiss on her cheek, she smiled and walked away. It was the strangest greeting I’d ever had, since I’d never kissed a stranger’s cheek before. It was just as strange to repeat it with Sofia’s grandmother.

“You’ll be joining us for dinner, won’t you?” Lillian asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” And thanks to Logan, who was wearing jeans, I wouldn’t feel completely out of place.

The door opened again and other people shuffled inside. Sofia went to greet them as I stood back and watched her family. They were in awe of her accomplishment, unable to soak it all in. They wandered around the reception area, touching chairs and walls and counters to make sure it was real.

Sofia had confessed the other night she’d kept this place a secret from everyone but Aubrey. They’d only learned about it a week before she’d called me. And none of them, not even her sister, had gotten to see the place.

I’d been the first.

“Excuse me, Ms. Kendrick?” A woman with long red hair tied into a twist came into the reception area. “We’re all set up with the champagne and appetizers in the common room.”

“Thank you, Carrie.” Sofia nodded then addressed the room. “We’re having a small toast for the opening before the first students get here. You are all welcome to some champagne as you meet the staff. Then please feel free to wander through the studio.”

The room emptied as people migrated down the hallway, leaving just me and Sofia in the reception area.

Her smile stayed in place until she was sure we were alone. Then her guard fell and underneath, she looked ready to puke.

“You okay?”

She nodded yes but her face said no.

I held out my hand, palm up. She immediately put hers in mine, lacing our fingers together.

“You got this.”

She took a long, deep breath then squared her shoulders. “I got this.”




“You crushed it, babe.”

“I’m trying my very hardest to be modest and not jinx myself here, but I so did.”

Sofia laughed and fell into my side, letting her head rest on my shoulder as the car wove through the dark streets toward SoHo.

In just a long weekend, I’d gotten used to riding in this position. It would be strange going home and driving myself. It would be stranger not having Sofia at my side.

“I’m so full.” Sofia sighed. “Dinner was delicious.”

“Best steak I’ve had in years.” Though if asked, I’d swear on my life nothing could beat Xavier’s grill.

The opening had gone as well as I’d imagined. I’d stayed in the wings, just watching and waiting. I’d kept my focus entirely on her in case she needed a reassuring nod.

She had at first, but then she’d stepped into her own.

And I couldn’t have been prouder.

The studio had been filled with friends and family members, since most of the staff had invited their significant others to come for the opening.

Sofia started the evening by thanking each employee by name. She gave a short speech, expressing how much it meant that they’d take a gamble on a new company. Then she raised her glass of champagne and toasted Midtown Dance Studio.

The room cheered.

After that, she welcomed the entire group to the studio, opening it up for an informal self-guided tour. Most everyone had a flute of champagne in their hand as they walked through the studio, while Sofia kept a bottle in hers, refilling glasses until the reception was over.

There were ten kids for the first class, all girls in pink tights, black leotards and huge smiles. Besides the three instructors in the studio, the rest of us sat with the parents in the observation area and watched the girls learn about first, second and third positions.

When the class was over, Sofia handed the duties over to Daniel to close down, and we rode with her family in their limousine to dinner.

The restaurant we’d gone to had required jackets. They only took reservations. We’d walked in, not having either, and found ourselves in a small room at the back with a private waitstaff and bartender.

“Your family is nice,” I told her.

“They are. I’m glad they got to meet you.”

“Same here.”

They were all down-to-earth and genuine. They used their wealth but didn’t flaunt it. Not once had they made it known they stood about ten classes above mine. They were just . . . people. People with money.

Her granny was a kick, her attitude and sarcasm reminding me of Hazel. Lillian was sweet, a more sensitive soul than the others. Kind of like her youngest daughter. Her dad and Aubrey were a pair. They’d started to talk about work during the appetizers, but Logan had shot them a look and it had ceased immediately.