Unfortunately, her job was the only thing she had now, so she’d have to figure out how to be happy with that.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Thanksgiving had never been Cole’s favorite holiday, but it turned out it was even worse when you couldn’t spend it with the person you loved.

Oh, he’d put in his time with his family, and yes, he loved them, every single one of them, brothers, cousins, and all, with all their foibles and irritating tendencies. But as content as he was to be at peace with his family, he would’ve happily skipped out on time with them today if he could’ve spent it with Sierra.

Because, yes, he was pretty damn sure he loved her.

“Didn’t expect to see you tonight,” Winona called out as he sat on a stool in roughly the center of the counter at Sunshine’s for a change. “Thought you’d be spending it with your family.”

“I did. Stayed as long as I could stand it,” he said.

Winona narrowed her eyes at him in the middle of drawing his usual beer. She finished it off, slid it over to him, then knowingly went for the Johnnie Walker Double Black.

“Thanks,” he said when she set a full glass of the whiskey in front of him. “Guess you know me.”

“Going on eight years now,” she said. “I’m no dummy.”

“Did you get some time off earlier?”

“Don took me to Cadence for their Thanksgiving buffet. We ate way too much. Pretty much the perfect holiday.” Don was her longtime beau who she refused to marry. He helped her out at the bar sometimes on the weekends, filled in for her when she was under the weather, generally seemed to take good care of Winona.

“Want food?” she asked, and Cole shook his head.

The place wasn’t busy so far, only two tables full, but it would fill up later, Cole knew from experience, when people hit their limits with family time and relatives and gathered at the watering holes that made a point of opening on the holiday. Winona headed around the counter to check in on the customers.

Dinner for the North family had been at Liz’s this year, because they all recognized if they’d allowed his mother to host the holiday, there’d be no getting her to relax and let others do all the work. She was weeks post heart attack now and so much stronger, but she still tired easily and would’ve exhausted herself before the turkey was even in the oven.