Page 27 of Wine, Whiskey, & Lipstick 2

“No offense, but brainless Barbie comes to mind, and I can’t say I’ve ever seen you date a black woman. I can’t say I’ve ever seen you date even a dark-haired woman, and Palmer is no Barbie.”

“Hey, I could say the same about you.”

“True, even though I was young when I got married and never dated a black woman, I did date different types of women. Blondes, brunettes, redheads, short, tall . . .”

“Yeah, yeah. I get the picture.”

“I’ve just always been a relationship kind of guy. You and Wyatt, y’all assholes, were as far away from that as it came.”

“Point taken. To answer your question, Palmer’s different in obvious ways. She has meat on her bones, but it’s the kind a man likes to hold on to. Her curves are dangerous. But more than anything, I’m attracted to her confidence. That blows me away. She’s smart, funny, and doesn’t take herself too seriously. But man, she’s so comfortable being Palmer. She’s not looking for me to affirm her. She affirms herself. She makes me feel like I must step up my game with her. Ordinary won’t do. I must be extraordinary.”

“Damn!”

“What?”

“You’ve got it bad.”

Lucas laughed. “I do, and whether she knows it or not, this fight is already over.”

“I likeyourconfidence. You’re going to need it. Wooing her won’t be easy. You can’t impress Palmer with material things. While she’s not rich, Dillyn and her friends are creative. Palmer gave up a big-time real-estate career in New York to move to Summer. That takes a certain amount of kahunas.”

“Easy? I don’t want easy. I want Palmer.” Something seemed to click. “Wait . . . I think you just gave me an idea.”

Ben laid back on the bench press, “What are brothers for? What great wisdom did I impart?”

Lucas was thoughtful. He sat upright as a slow grin spread across his face, “I think I’ve suddenly discovered I’m in the market for some real estate.”

Chapter 13

Thank God it stopped raining.The confidence Dillyn had before leaving the house was starting to wane. As a matter of fact, antsy would better describe how she felt. She hopped into her truck, opting not to take her 1967 red convertible Mustang, and glanced up into the review mirror.

They summed up perfectly why she felt the way she had.

Security.They followed Dillyn everywhere. It was a constant reminder of possible danger lurking around the corner. Until they could figure out the reason behind the shenanigans over the past couple of months, Dillyn couldn’t let down her guard, and that meant being followed by two beefy guys trained to protect her at all costs.Did that include killing someone?She wondered. Instead of leaning into those negative feelings, Dillyn suppressed them as she pushed the ignition button. She waited for her Bluetooth to connect, then spoke out loud. “Babe.”

The inside of her car was suddenly filled with a phone ringing. Seconds later, Ben answered.

“Hey beautiful.”

“Heeeeeeey. What are you doing?”

Ben placed his weights back into its cradle. “In the gym working out with Lucas. What about you?”

“On my way to the grocery store to pick up a few things.” Dillyn glanced into her review mirror again as she pushed the ignition button. The typical roar of the engine was silent. “Hold on a sec.”

Dillyn rummaged through her purse to locate the key fob. She found and inspected it. The battery seemed to be good. So, she pressed the ignition button again.

Her car still didn’t start. “Dammit!” Dillyn released an audible sigh.

Concerned, Ben asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Car is not starting.”

“I can come over and take a look.”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t want to interrupt your workout.”

“Can one of the security guys take you?”

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