28. Leslie

Chapter 28

Leslie

"Thank you so much for coming over!" Skylar says for the fifth time. "I'm so overwhelmed. I've never hosted Christmas before and I want everything to be perfect."

"I told you, I don't mind. Now, what do you need help with?"

"First, I need to make a billion batches of cookies for the thing at school tonight." She frowns down at her list.

"I don't know about a billion, but I can make a few dozen in no time." Sophia pushes her sleeves up to her elbows, stepping past us and into the kitchen.

"What kind of cookies is she going to make?" Skylar whispers.

"I don't know. Beggars can't be choosers though." I grin.

"Amen to that. I don't care how they look or taste. I thought I could do all of this by myself and Tucker's been warning me it's too much. But did I listen? "

"Absolutely not." I chuckle.

"Who are you?" Riley hops up on one of the stools at the island and watches Sophia move around the kitchen, gathering ingredients.

"I'm Sophia. Who are you?"

"Riley. This is my house, what are you doing here?"

"I'm making cookies. Do you want to help? Only helpers get to eat some." Sophia arches a brow, daring her to say no.

"I guess," she lets out a dramatic sigh. "Do you say naughty words?"

"Uh… not normally. Why?"

"Aw, man! I was really hoping you were like Uncle Colt. Daddy said if I get five more dollars by Christmas, I can buy something special."

"Five dollars, huh? And how much do you swindle out of me for each naughty word?" Sophia folds her arms across her chest and narrows her gaze on Riley.

"A dollar a word."

"That's pretty high. I used to only charge my uncles twenty-five cents when they used naughty words."

"Yeah, but I only have one uncle. How many do you have? "

"Uhh… too many to count? I don't know, at least twelve." She lifts her shoulders in a dramatic shrug, making Riley's eyes nearly pop out of her head.

"Twelve? I'd be rich if I had twelve uncles like Uncle Colt."

"Oh, shit," Sophia mumbles as she pretends to drop a stick of butter.

"That's a naughty word! You owe me a dollar!" Riley bounces in her chair.

"Alright, small fry, you got me." Sophia reaches into her pocket and pulls out a dollar bill. She slaps it on the counter and rolls her eyes like she's annoyed.

When Riley runs off to hide her money, Sophia winks at us and returns to her work.

"She's so good with Riley," Skylar says, almost sounding surprised.

"She's used to being around kids. I swear she's great with anyone she meets. She makes instant friends no matter how young or old the person is."

"She has that infectious personality. You just want to get to know her." Skylar nods her head as she lifts Duke into her arms and settles him on her hip.

"Should I be worried about being replaced as your best friend?" I narrow my eyes on her .

"Absolutely not." Skylar laughs. "How's everything with you and Colt?"

"It's great. He's the perfect boyfriend." I glance down at my feet as my cheeks heat with embarrassment. My mind keeps wandering back to last night.

After Colt told me to get some sleep, he made sure to keep me up for another hour. He showed me just how much he loves me and how much he cares about me. He told me he wasn't stopping until my mind was focused only on him and nothing else going on in our lives.

"Oh my gosh! You're thinking about something dirty! Your cheeks are so red!" Skylar swats at my arm, making me giggle.

"I don't want to discuss it."

"Good! He's like a brother to me. I'd rather know nothing about…" She motions to my body with a grimace. "Whatever he does to you. Ew, just thinking about it is making me nauseous."

"Let's just say I was happy I brought headphones with me a few nights ago." Sohpia scrunches up her nose, her attention still fully on the bowl of dough she's working on.

"You should probably focus on those cookies and not our conversation. The adults are talking. "

Skylar snorts with laughter as Sophia flips me off. Riley walks in right at that moment and plants her hands on her hips.

"Sophia, sticking up the naughty finger is two dollars." She holds a palm out, waiting for her money.

"Geez, you sure picked the wrong time to walk in here. I was good the entire time you were gone."

"I'm sure." Riley rolls her eyes.

"Now, point me in the direction of where you need me." I motion to the messy kitchen and living room. I don't think we're going to have time to go to the grocery store today.