Page 45 of Take Me to the Valley

“It should be me coming around to help you out of the car,” he says with a pointed look as I reach for the back seat door to help Skye out.

“Well, I look forward to it once you are able to drive again. Until then, you get to let me pamper you,” I say, smiling. When we walk into the distillery, there is no stopping Skye as soon as she sees Cody.

“Uncle Cody!” She yells and runs right to him, not caring that he’s talking to the couple in front of him.

Cody doesn’t miss a beat. Smiling at her, he bends down to pick her up, settling her on his hip while he finishes talking to the couple. Skye waits, resting her head on his shoulder while he talks.

Moments like these are what I miss, and I hope one day Cody will get to be the uncle to my kids just like this. Maybe one day. They are so cute together that I pull out my phone and snap a few photos.

“Will you send those to me? That one would be framed on the mantle,” he says in my ear.

Just being near Evan has me on alert, but his whisper in my ear sends shivers down my spine. Trying not to show how aware of him I am, I quickly send the pictures off to him.

Once Cody is done talking to the couple, he comes over and joins us.

“Hey, princess. Excited for the festival?” Cody asks.

“We just got here,” Skye says.

Turning my phone, I show Cody the photo I snapped of him and Skye. That picture captures Cody’s smile and the love in his eyes as he holds Skye.

“Will you send me a copy of it?” he asks.

“Already done,” I smile. I figured he’d wanted one, so I sent it to him when I sent it to Evan.

“Come on, let’s do a bit of tasting,” Cody says, turning to go to the counter.

“Oh, can we taste the sauce?” Skye asks.

I start to giggle because in this place that could mean so many things.

Thankfully, Cody knows exactly what she means and heads right to the barbeque sauce-tasting area before setting her on the counter.

“Okay, I made this one, especially with you in mind.” Cody puts some sauce on a cracker and hands it to her. Then he makes one for Evan and me.

Taking a bite, the sauce is mild and flavorful. Kind of like the sauce he’s always making at home. You can taste a bit of the whiskey flavor around the barbeque tang.

“I like it!” Skye gives Cody a thumbs up. “I want to try that one,” she says, pointing toward the spicy one with a flame on it.

“That one is really spicy. Like burn your mouth, make you cry spicy. I don’t think it’s for little princesses,” Cody says with a wink.

“Please, Uncle Cody?” Skye turns on the puppy dog eyes, and Cody looks at us for help.

“She has to learn someday,” Evan says, cringing.

“Let me get a carton of milk ready.” Cody reaches under the counter to where I’m sure he has a mini fridge.

“What’s the milk for?” Skye asks.

“Well, when something is too spicy, you drink milk and it helps relive the burn,” Cody says.

He then gets the spicy barbeque sauce on a cracker for Skye. Thankfully, he puts less than half the amount he placed on the mild one.

She confidently takes a bite and starts chewing. I’m filming the whole thing, and you can see the moment the spice hits her. Her smile drops and her whole-body freezes and she even stops chewing. Her little eyes water and Cody does well keeping a straight face while taking the rest of the cracker from her and handing her the milk. She chugs it faster than I’ve seen her eat or drink anything before.

I’m trying to hold back my laughter and keep the phone and video steady.

“It’s so spicy,” Skye hisses out once she drinks all the milk.

---