Page 12 of Wine Whiskey & Lipstick

“I saved all of my calories for this weekend.”

Ben had noticed Dillyn was thin. He couldn’t help it. But now, up close, he also saw she was very curvy. Her jeans fit nice. Real nice. He coughed into his drink. “So . . . um . . . what brings you here?”Keep it cool, cowboy.

Dillyn tried to speak between chews. “My friends and I try to get together once a year for a carefree weekend.”

“Carefree, huh?”Don’t go there.

“Yep.”

Ben was grateful that Dillyn missed his unintended innuendo.

“We’re all so busy that we don’t have a lot of time to hang out. Cat found this place on the internet. So, here we are.” Dillyn shook her head. “I can’t believe they got sick.”

Ben caught himself staring at her mouth and quickly looked into the flames as they crackled and danced. “Summer is a great place. I miss it.”

“Miss it?” Dillyn asked.

“Yeah, I grew up here, but my life is now in Chicago.”

“By the tone in your voice, I’d wager a guess that you don’t like the Windy City?”

“It’s okay. I would prefer to raise kids here. Fresh, clean air. Lots of land for them to run and play, and the people are great.”

Children had been a sore spot between Dillyn and Steven. They had been trying to conceive but hadn’t been successful. “It does seem like a great place to raise a family. Your wife disagrees?”

“Not really.”Ben didn’t want to put Lana in a bad light, so he quickly changed the subject. “How about you? Do you have any children?”

“Not yet.” Dillyn put her plate down. “We’ve been trying for a while.” She hadn’t meant to share that bit of information. Dillyn hadn’t even shared it with her friends.

Ben could see a brief glimpse of sadness wash over her. “Everything always happens when it’s supposed to.”

“Being a parent just seems so scary. It keeps me awake at night, worrying I might screw a kid up. You seem to be great with Rylee, though.”

“I’m learning and doing my best. But I did hit the lottery with my parents. They were incredible. I had great role models.”

Dillyn wouldn’t know what that looked like. She took another sip of her wine. Her voice softened. “You lost them?”

“Yeah. About six years ago now. It was hard, but my family came together.”

Dillyn wondered what it must have been like to have a family you could count on.

“As far as children, don’t stress it. I can tell you one thing for sure; your heart will expand in ways you never thought possible.”

“Hmm.” Dillyn looked thoughtful. “Not sure that happens for all parents,” she said, imagining her own.

It didn’t take much for Ben to put two and two together. “You had a tough time growing up?”

“Understatement of the year. I have so many isms and phobias because of them. I don’t want to pass that stuff on to my child. Just being here with you tonight is a testament to years of therapy.” Dillyn didn’t know why she revealed all of that to Ben. Maybe it was because he seemed so calm, and it left her feeling . . . comfortable. He was also a stranger that she would never have to see again.

“Being here with me?”

Dillyn put up a single finger. “Hold on.” She took a long sip of wine.Might as well exercise these demons.“I’m sure you can tell that I’m a bit socially awkward.”

He smiled. “I wouldn’t say awkward, but I can say I’ve never actually met a genuine germaphobe before.”

Dillyn wasn’t a germaphobe, but she wasn’t going to admit that part. “I’ve just never really been good meeting people. It’s always been difficult.”

“You seem fine now.”

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