Page 3 of Wine, Whiskey, & Lipstick 2

Not missing a beat, Palmer looked around Cat and answered Dillyn as if she had been standing there the entire time. “A one-night stand does not make a relationship.”

Cat leaned over and whispered into Dillyn’s ear loud enough for Palmer to hear, “I thought it was more than one time.”

“At least a dozen,” Dillyn couldn’t stifle a giggle, and neither could Cat as they burst out into conspiratorial laughter.

Palmer beat back the grin threatening the edges of her lips. “As of this moment, my bedroom activities are off-limits.” She changed the subject. “Even though you two are latelate, I guess it was worth the wait. Franks ain’t going to know what hit ‘em when they see us tonight.”

“I guess,” Cat said nonchalantly. She wasn’t very excited about their upcoming evening.

“C’mon Cat! I need a bit more energy from you. We’re going to have so much fun, and Dillyn, don’t hurt Ben with that dress because,babyit’s hot. That cowboy ain’t going to be able to keep his hands off of you.”

“And I hope other parts of me too.” Dillyn released a throaty laugh as she twirled around in a circle.

Playfully, Cat rolled her eyes. “My besties are some hoes! I love it.”

“Hold up now. I’m a lot of things but a hoe . . .” Palmer pretended to think thoughtfully, “Well . . . nevermind. Maybe I am.” She laughed out loud as she high-fived Cat.

Dillyn could only shake her head. “We all know that’s a lie. Lucas has your heart in a chokehold. Is he the reason you’re wearing this new freak’um dress? You don’t have to answer. It looks so good on you.”

Cat nodded in agreement.

Palmer fluttered her lashes, and her voice hitched up an octave. “It’s not that new. At any rate, I’m not thinking about Lucas. I just want to have a good time.”

Dillyn couldn’t help herself, “Well, if we’re not going to Franks to keep an eye on Lucas, why are we going again?” The bar scene and going to clubs were never Palmer’s thing, nor any of them.

Cat chimed in. “Ding. Ding. Ding.Lie all she wants. That’s the reason why Ms. Palmer is in a rush to get to Franks. She wants to stake her claim.”

Palmer denied it. “That is absolutely not true.” It was partially true. “I just want to get out of the house. We’ve been cooped up here for days on end, afraid of our shadows. I want to let my hair down a little. Plus, tonight is Frank’s grand re-opening. I’d like to see what they’ve done to the place since it burned down.”

Dillyn was sure the drama of that night was etched into their minds. The panic they all felt as they searched for each other would never be forgotten. Still, she supposed tonight would serve as something akin to a do-over.

“Well, I didn’t dress up like you and Dillyn. These jeans and boots are the best you’ll get from me. My feet were on fire that night, and if I need to run, I’m prepared.”

Dillyn glanced down at herself. The yellow mini dress she’d worn hugged every curve and showed off her smooth brown legs. Ben liked her legs. No, it wasn’t appropriate for Franks, but, in her defense, Dillyn was wearing a pair of cute 3-inch heels versus a pair of stilettos.Can I run in these? Probably not.Maybe she should have made a better outfit choice, but Dillyn hadn’t gotten dolled up in a while, and she wanted to look sexy. Ben was probably sick of seeing her in sweats and a t-shirt. “You have a point about the shoes, but Cat, you look good in anything.”

It was true. Cat with her chestnut-colored pixie haircut highlighted in platinum blonde accented her heart-shaped face. A face that was almost makeup-free except for the fuchsia lipstick that matched her boots. She was a natural beauty. Cat paired her lipstick and boots with a fuchsia halter underneath a jean jacket. Those colors stood out against white chocolate skin that had been kissed gently by the sun.

Dillyn was under no illusions about Cat’s feelings regarding going out. It was obvious she had resigned herself to go with the flow. If Dillyn were honest, even she would have preferred being curled up in bed with Ben, watching a good movie. However, Palmer did have a point. They had to at least try to put the pieces of their lives back together. Guilt also played a heavy part in why Dillyn wasupfor the night. Everything that had happened over the past few months was her fault. Hanging out with her friends at the local bar was a small sacrifice.

Palmer’s voice drowned out Dillyn’s thoughts. “Waiting on you two,” Palmer pointed between Dillyn and Cat, “probably cost us good parking.”

“If that’s the reason you’re using to rush off to Franks, we’ll go with that.” Dillyn laughed. Even though there was some truth in Palmer’s words, she also knew Lucas attracted a lot of women. So did Ben and Wyatt, for that matter. “Think of it this way, you’ll get to make a grand entrance. Now stop fussing, grab the keys, and let’s go.”

“Grab the keys?” Palmer responded cheekily, “To what?”

“The truck.” Dillyn blinked innocently, “You’re driving, right?”

Her question generated an outburst of laughter. “Girl, now you know better. That’s your job!” Dramatically, Palmer twirled around, opened the door, and strutted out into the darkness.

“Yep. What she said.” Cat smiled wide and then proceeded to quickly follow Palmer outside.

“Really?” Dillyn placed her hands on her hips as she watched her friends walk out of the door, leaving it wide open.

Dillyn couldn’t even be mad when she hadn’t expected anything less. She picked up the keys from the hook on the wall, turned on the alarm, and walked out the door.

Some things never changed.

Chapter 4

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