Page 33 of Wine, Whiskey, & Lipstick 2

“Good! That’s the point.”

“What I don’t get is if he likes you and you like him, why won’t you both acknowledge it?” Dillyn was genuinely curious.

Cat was thoughtful in her response. “Neither of us are emotionally available, nor am I interested in a purely sexual relationship. If I were, I would have already slept with him.” Cat’s response did throw Dillyn off balance. “No offense, but that’s . . . new. You’ve only ever been interested in purely sexual relationships.”

“Yeah, but,” Cat sighed, “I told you moving to Summer is supposed to be a fresh start. That means no more sex as a crutch. We all came here for healing. Granted, that looks different, but it’s also the same.”

Dillyn nodded in agreement, “true.”

Cat joked, “Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be able to make love to a guy and not just screw him.”

Dillyn could tell her bestie was serious even as she tried to laugh it off. She saw the pain in Cat’s eyes and placed her hand on her. “I want that for you too.”

“Yeah, well, that day is not today. Anyway, you’ve deflected long enough. What’s the real deal with you? You’ve been so moody lately and all over the place. Ben has been so patient. I probably would have tossed you over my knee and whooped your ass by now.”

Slowly, Dillyn pulled her hand back and placed them in her lap. She could no longer hold Cat’s gaze. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Do any of us?” She laughed as she waited for a real answer.

Dillyn was slow but forthcoming. “I keep having these dreams about my mother.”

“Ah.” Cat nodded as if it all clicked.

“I don’t want to be like her.”

“From what you’ve described, you’re nothing like your mother. You’re warm, kind, and loving. You really care about your friends and the people around you. Doesn’t sound like your mom to me.”

“I don’tknowthat, and the unsure part is terrifying. If I’m honest . . . I mean really really honest, I don’t know if I can do this.”

Cat was hesitant, “Do what exactly?”

I don’t know if I have what it takes to be a mother. She didn’t say her thoughts aloud. Nervously, Dillyn nibbled her lower lip before saying the quiet part out loud. “I don’t know if I can have a healthy relationship with Ben. What if we don’t work?”

“That’s crazy talk.” Cat tried to reassure her. “It’s clear you two are falling in love. Just take your time and go with it. There’s no pressure. I mean . . . it’s not like you’re pregnant.”

It took everything within Dillyn not to spill her guts.

*****

As soon as Ben and Wyatt were out of the house, he asked the question that had his mind whirling with all possibilities, “What the hell was on that text?”

“It was Mike. He sent over this morning’s security briefing and said he needed to get with usASAPto discuss.”

“I’ll text Lucas and have him meet us at the house.”

They drove like a bat out of hell getting home. It took less than five minutes before they walked through the front door.

Lucas happened to be walking towards them at the same time. “Hey, I’ve been looking for you.”

Ben responded, “Yeah, I’ve been looking for you too.”

Wyatt kept walking to their office. “I’m going to grab the report off the printer. I’ll be right back.”

Lucas looked stressed, “I just received a call from Tony regarding Cat’s car.”

“That’ll have to wait. Mike called. He needs to talk to us regarding an urgent security matter.”

Lucas ran frustrated hands through his hair. “When it fuckin’ rains, it pours. What now?”

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