Page 50 of Don't Look Back

“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.

Chapter 29

---