Page 7 of Wine Whiskey & Lipstick

Palmer’s smile grew wide. “I have to admit twenty-seven million is a lot of money but may not enough for a vineyard either. However, if the property is still for sale, I own a couple of properties I could liquidate for more capital. Plus, with my negotiation skills, it just might be possible. The rest we can figure out.”

It was clear that Dillyn and Palmer were on board with this crazy scheme. They just had to convince Cat. Palmer negotiated multi-million dollar deals every day.I can certainly close one of my besties. Can’t I?“Wecould do this, but it doesn’t work without you. As Dillyn said, it could be a fresh start for all of us.”

Cat was adamant. “I’m not a charity case.”

“We know that,” Dillyn said softly but firmly. “But you know wine. I can barely tell the difference between a seedless green grape and a red one. That’s as far as my expertise goes.”

“It would be a big risk, Dillyn. That’s a lot of money and pressure on me if it fails. I would hate to let you down.”

“Cat, I don’t give a shit about this money. Steven did. It’s the only reason why I took it. I still have my business which I can run from anywhere. And in all honesty, I’d love to move to a new place with new faces. Not having to run into Steven’s friends and them gawking at me when all of them knew about his affair would be a godsend.”

Cat was still hesitant as both Palmer and Dillyn stared at her while they waited for an answer. “We’ve been drinking. I’m sure this is the wine talking.”

“Maybe. Doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea.” Dillyn turned her glass up and finished off another glass of wine.

Palmer nodded. “It’s actually a fanfreakintastic idea and one I would never agree to if I were sober. Better take advantage of me now.”

Cat glanced between her friends. She was hesitant but wanted to come home for more than a weekend at a time. The more she thought about it, the more Cat realized it was what she wanted. “I’ll only agree to this crazy scheme if we speak with a lawyer. They would have to structure any agreement between us where I would pay you back a third of your investment and give you my shares totaling that amount in the event we decided to dissolve any partnership.”

Dillyn agreed. “We can do that.”

“You would? Seriously?” Cat asked.

Dillyn was more than sure. “Yes, I would.”

There was another pregnant pause throughout the bedroom before they realized they were about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Once it was settled, Palmer clapped her hands together. “This is crazy, but we are going to do this!”

Dillyn wanted to feel the hot flame of excitement but was still too numb. “I’m so down.”

Cat was hesitant but could also feel the same electrical charge of excitement emanating from Palmer. “I’m in!”

Dillyn grabbed what was left of the bottle of Merlot and lifted it. Cat lifted her glass, and so did Palmer. The three of them clinked their glasses together.

“Oh, my God.” Palmer held in a scream. “This is going to be so great for all of us!” She pointed to Dillyn. “And you can hook up with that handsome cowboy you met without any guilt!”

Chapter 4

Two Years Prior . . .

“Why am I always the one who has to drive?” Dillyn maneuvered her rented SUV down a long and winding road toward the Steele Orchard Ranch.

Palmer glanced back at Cat, who was sitting in the rear seat with a conspiratorial grin. “You’re better at it than us.”

Cat coughed to cover up her laughter. “Yeah. That’s it.”

Dillyn didn’t believe them for a second. She suspected her friends thought she might be a bit of a passenger-side driver, plus those heffas liked to drink . . . a lot. Dillyn was almost always the designated driver since she was more of an occasional wine drinker. This weekend she planned to change that. Dillyn wanted, no, needed to forget about her problems with Steven for just a little while. Nothing she did lately made him happy, and their relationship only seemed to be getting worse. Dillyn just wanted to relax and recharge. She was surprised that Palmer and Cat hadn’t already started drinking. After all, it was five o’clock somewhere.

“Plus, something I ate on the plane has upset my stomach,” Palmer added. “We need to get to the ranch quick so I can get to a bathroom.”

“You too?” Cat asked. “I thought it was just me. I wonder if it was the seafood salad.”

“I didn’t eat that,” Dillyn replied. As they drove closer to the B&B, their chatter started to die down, and a slight frown appeared on Dillyn’s face. “Um . . . Cat? This house doesn’t look like the image on the website.”

“No. It doesn’t,” was all Cat could say as she stared at the house coming into view.

“Oh, God. What in the world?” Palmer echoed Dillyn’s sentiments. “Cat, this place doesn’t look anything like the website. Well, maybe twenty years ago.”

“I planned this girl’s trip from Paris. I did the best I could, okay. Either one of you could have done it.”

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