Tinsel (Lark Cove #4)(7)

“I don’t need help.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

Dakota and Logan both spoke at the same time my stomach dropped. She wanted me to help? Here?

“With New Year’s Eve, it’ll be busy,” Thea said.

“Then I’ll call Jackson if I can’t keep up,” Dakota shot back.

Thea shook her head. “He and Willa made plans to go to Kalispell for New Year’s.”

“Fine.” His jaw clenched, the angles getting angry. “Then I’ll handle it. Alone.”

“Listen. I feel awful leaving you here alone on one of the biggest days of the year when I’d planned to help out. But this will be perfect. You can teach Sofia the ropes for a couple of days, and then she can help during the party. It’s a win-win.”

He grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest. But he didn’t argue with his boss.

“Thank you.” Thea smiled, knowing she’d won. “Thank you both for doing this. It’ll be great.”

How could she think me working in her bar would ever be great? I had no experience, let alone desire, to mix other people’s drinks.

Dakota’s stern expression turned arctic as he leveled his gaze on me again. It was no secret he didn’t want me here as much as I didn’t wish to stay.

I inched backward, hoping to make an escape while I had the chance, but my foot caught on the edge of a chair. My feet slipped in the puddle of melted snow that had collected underneath my boots. My arms flailed as I tried to keep my footing, but when one heel went skidding sideways, I was doomed.

A cluster of peanut shells broke my fall as my ass collided with the floor.

“Ouch.” My face burned with embarrassment as Logan rushed to my side.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine.” I nodded, letting him take my elbow to help me back up. When my feet were steady, I rubbed the spot on my butt that was sure to bruise.

“Those peanut shells can be slippery,” Thea told me. “My first two weeks here, I slipped constantly. But you’ll get used to walking on them. And I guess you might as well start work by sweeping them all up.”

“Sweep?” My mouth fell open. “I don’t know how to sweep.”

Dakota scoffed and turned on a heel, striding out of the room.

“Broom’s in that closet over there.” Thea pointed to a door next to the restroom then followed Dakota down the hallway.

Logan’s mouth was hanging open like mine as he stared at the spot where Thea and Dakota had disappeared. He shook it off, blinked twice, then unglued his feet and hustled after them both.

Which left me in a rustic bar, surrounded by peanut shells, while my nieces and nephews played like this was just another normal day in paradise.

What kind of fresh hell was this?





“Did I do something to piss you off?” I crossed my arms over my chest as Thea walked into her office behind me.

“I know you’re not happy.” She held up her hands. “I wouldn’t be either, and I’m sorry. But just . . . go with me here. Okay?”

“I don’t need help doing my job.”

“You’ve worked here for five years, Dakota. I know you don’t need help doing your job.”

“Just checking.”

We hadn’t worked a shift together in ages. I didn’t want her thinking I couldn’t handle this place on my own, even for an event.

While her business partner, Jackson Page, and I worked the bar, Thea was in charge of managing the business. She still bartended a weeknight here and there, and she covered every third weekend. But mostly, she spent her days in this office.

Jackson had cut back on night and weekend shifts too these past couple of years. He and Thea both had young families. They didn’t need to be working until two in the morning when I had nothing else to do and wanted the money. So I’d spent a lot of hours in this bar alone, and I’d learned quickly how to handle a large crowd.

In the summers, we’d often get a rush of people who’d just come off the lake looking for beer and pizza. Even with every table full, I had no problem making sure the bar was packed with only happy customers. The same was true in the fall when we’d get a crush of hunters looking to unwind after a long day in the mountains.

In five years, not once had someone complained to me or my bosses that I took too long to pour them a drink. I worked my ass off for each and every quarter in my tip jar. And I might not be the smartest guy in the room, but I sure as hell knew how to hustle.

New Year’s Eve did get crazy. People would pack themselves inside the bar like sardines in an aluminum can. But it was nothing I couldn’t handle. Alone. Something Thea knew.

So since that speech she’d just given in the other room was complete and utter bullshit, I was curious why she’d made me her sister-in-law’s babysitter.

“Do you want to tell me what this is really about?” I asked.

“Her.”

My eyes narrowed. “What about her?”

“She needs to find some purpose.”

“And she’s going to find it at the Lark Cove Bar?”

Thea shrugged. “Maybe. It’s worth a try. It worked for me.”

Logan walked into the office, shaking his head as he closed the door behind him and turned to his wife. “Well, that was interesting. You know I try and stay out of things at the bar unless you ask for my input, but do you think this is a good idea?”