Page 30 of Wine Whiskey & Lipstick

“Do you always say what you think?” Ben asked.

I’ve lived too many years not fully expressing myself. Not anymore.“Yes, I do.” She was resolute. “Is Selah in some kind of trouble?”

Ben appreciated what appeared to be genuine concern. “No. She’s a good kid.”

Dillyn was losing patience. “I don’t understand.”

“Selah wants to be a big-time event planner. She wants to move to New York this summer to pursue her dream.”

“Let me guess. You don’t want her to?”

“Pursue her dream? Yes. Go to New York by herself? No. It’s not safe for a girl as young and naive as she is.”

“I can’t argue with that but sheltering her isn’t going to help. Still, I don’t know what we can do.”

Ben could admit that Dillyn had a point. “Lucas heard that y’all are hiring. Maybe you can give her a job. If Selah has an opportunity to learn from successful New Yorkers, maybe that will curb her appetite for leaving Summer for a while.”

Dillyn was touched by how much they loved their sister. “Do I need to tell you how controlling this sounds? Most young women her age are already exploring the world.”

Ben agreed, it wasn’t one of their best ideas, but they didn’t have any others. “It sounded like a good idea at the time.”

Dillyn couldn’t seem to help herself and had to ask the question that had been gnawing at her. “Can’t your wife help?”

Ben glanced away, but before he turned his focus elsewhere, Dillyn caught a flash of pain in his eyes. Ben didn’t completely answer her question. “I think your influence might be more helpful.”

“I see.” Why did she basically ask if Ben was still married when she didn’t care? Dillyn decided to stay on topic and focus on what mattered. Then she veered off, asking another question that she shouldn’t have. “Why were you so rude today?”

Ben appreciated her honestly. Most women fawned all over him. He sighed. “The truth is, today is a tough one. More so than usual.”

Dillyn wondered why today was so tough and why more so than usual but decided not to ask. If Ben wanted her to know, he would have told her.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them before Ben turned soft blue eyes back to Dillyn’s. “I apologize for my behavior earlier.”

He seemed sincere, but Dillyn had already proven that she was a poor judge of character. Still, she mumbled, “Apology accepted.”

Lucas, Cat, and Palmer stepped out onto the porch just in time to hear Ben apologize and Dillyn accept. Lucas’ shoulders relaxed. He was glad they hadn’t killed each other because Dillyn looked as if she was going to hurt Ben.

“Great to see things are working themselves out between you two.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Ben and I should have come by sooner to see if we could be of any help.”

Dillyn spoke before Palmer or Cat could. “Thank you, but we have everything covered.”

“Don’t hesitate to call us if you need anything. We know most of the people in the area. That kind of info might be beneficial.” Lucas pasted on a cocky grin as he focused his attention on Palmer. “Don’t forget, the barbecue is tomorrow at two o’clock.”

Surprised, Ben turned to Lucas. His eyes said it all.Why did you invite them?Lucas shrugged. A big smile spread across his face from ear to ear.

Ben shook his head. He hadn’t had time to reconcile his attraction to Dillyn with his feelings for Lana. Not that he planned on acting on them, but damn, he still felt guilty. And now, he was being forced to socialize with her . . . again.

“We’ll be there!” Palmer responded.

Ben tipped his hat, sighing in resignation. “Ladies. I guess we’ll see you tomorrow.”

Chapter 13

Selah had been buzzing around all morning, making sure everything was ready for the barbecue. It was an event her family threw every year to show their appreciation to their employees for their hard work. Meaning they ate good food, partied hard, and received nice big fat bonus checks. Her family was all about sharing the profits from their successful cattle business. Her dad, the late, great Willy Cash, always said people worked hardest when they felt like they were a part of something special. He took pride in knowing everything about the people who worked with him. He actually cared about their wellbeing. Ben was a lot like his dad. He had a big heart. At least Ben did until everything changed. He hadn’t been the same since Lana. She almost destroyed him. Selah knew this weekend was going to be difficult for Ben. She could only hope that he wouldn’t think aboutittoo hard.

Selah shook off those feelings. Instead, she thought of her mom as she walked around the house doing a final check. It was something Linda Cash used to do when Selah was young. Selah had tagged along, not realizing she was in training. If her father was the hard power of the family, her mom was definitely the soft power. Initially, Linda’s idea was to throw an end-of-summer party for the workers and their families. Willy made it his business to know his employees, but Linda knew the personal stuff like who was about to have a baby or if so-and-so was about to have surgery. They made a dynamic team, which was why folks loved to work for them. They had employees whose kids had grown up and now worked for them too. Over the years, the Cash barbecue had grown into a big celebration that almost all the people in Summer would attend.

The barbecue was a tradition that she and her brothers vowed to keep alive even after the death of their parents. Planning took almost a year in advance. It meant a lot to Selah to follow in her mother’s footsteps. They were big shoes to fill, but she was determined to try. This was the first barbecue her brother Wyatt wouldn’t be able to attend. He was off gallivanting around the world.

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