Page 45 of Holly Freakin' Hughes

Itwas the truth. I hadn’t thought about anybody else all night, and it felt good.Refreshing. Safe.

Comfortable.

“Maybenext time I’ll make you my famous crockpot spaghetti and meatballs,” he said,and flashed me that dimpled smile.

Andthat was how I met Ben.

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

HOLLY

“I’m trying to understand somethinghere. So, you hadanotherhandsome manall over you, and you didn’t sleep with him?Again?” Esther asked indisbelief. The more time I spent with her, the more I began to see that Estherwas quite the naughty one back in her day. It was a wonder she had stayed withher late husband for forty-one years before he passed.

"Oh,Jesus Christ," I groaned. I looked to Liz to come to my defense, but despiteher straight-laced ways, she couldn't believe it either. What kind of persondid these people think I was? “I don’t need to sleep with everyhandsomemanI meet, and it wasn’t his fault. His mother texted him.”

“Please,you could have insisted that you get in a quickie before he had to leave.”Esther eyed me over the champagne flute before downing the rest of her mimosa.

“Youdidn’t have any objections to beggingBrandon,” Liz pointed out,spearing a pancake onto her fork. “If he had gotten a text to pick uphiskid, I bet youstillwould have begged him.” With a mouthful of food,she added, “Not that I would’ve blamed you. I’d ignore the house burning downif it meant getting a piece of him.”

Esthernodded, jabbing her knife in Liz’s direction. “You know something? You’reabsolutely right. Holly would have woken up inthathandsome man’s bedif she’d had her way.”

Myhand clapped over my eyes. “Okay, first of all, if you say ‘handsome man’ onemore time, I’m going to lose your dentures. And second of all, just because youdo something once doesn’t mean you do it again. Maybe I didn’t push it with Benbecause I didn’t want to screw things up.”

Iswallowed my guilt immediately for ever saying that I thought what hadtranspired between Brandon and me had been anything but wonderful. I would havegladly relived that moment, and not just for the physical gratification but forthe sensation of aptness that I got when we were tangled in the source of my fantasies.For the reminder of being a part of something so exciting, something so scary,and something so … perfect.

Myteeth bit against my bottom lip, as my inner voice yelled that kissing Ben wasnice too.

"So,Brandon was a mistake, huh? That's not what it looked like when we saw you guystogether,” Liz teased as she bit into a piece of bacon.

Movingback to the topic of Ben, Esther threw her hands up. "I just don'tunderstand how you could have a strapping young man all over you and you just …let him go."

AsLiz brought her glass to her lips, she replied to Esther with, “That’s what Itold her, Esther. And you should see him. He’snice. Maybe notBrandon-nice, but he’s still nice to look at. I’ve always thought he was kindof cute, but you know, I was married, so …”

Igave my sister an unnoticed sideways glance, and I could see a hint of ajealous flush. I tightened my lips, pressing them together in an attempt tokeep my mouth from running as I cut up my pancakes.

“Actually,”she continued, “let me see, maybe I can get apicture of him up on Facebook.” She grabbed her phone, and after her fingersflew across the screen for a few moments, she handed the phone over to Esther.“Okay, here you go. Can you see this? Do you want me to make it bigger foryou?”

Esthersnatched the phone away from her. “Elizabeth, I’mold. I’m not fuckingblind.”She squinted at the phone, bringing it about an inch away from her face. Liztried to reach around to help, but Esther swatted the hand away. “I’mfine—oh,Mother of Christ, Holly. You let this get away? If you don’t want him, I’lltake him. I’ll show him what a real woman can do.”

Groaning,I grabbed the phone from her, finding myself looking at the sweet and charmingman I had spent my night with. The picture, taken outside at what looked like abackyard barbeque, showcased his more characteristic assets; his eyes namely,and the dimples of his smile. The sunlight turned his eyes a paler shade ofgreen, a color that I could really only describe as breathtaking. I took noteof his arms, on display thanks to the short-sleeved t-shirt he was wearing,and—shame on me—I couldn’t help but compare them mentally to Brandon’s;tattooed and sculpted with hard muscle, and undeniably sexy. Still, Ben’s werepleasantly average with the slightest bit of definition. I looked at his eyesand the dimples of his grin, and I couldn’t help that little prickle of regretcoming from somewhere inside of me.

Therewas only one thing to do.

“So,how do I get in touch with him?” I asked, trying to sound casual as I handedLiz the phone.

Seeingthrough my façade, Esther nodded, wagging a bony finger at me. “You’reregretting not getting a piece of that. I can see it in your eyes.”

Lizgot up to grab a pad of paper and a pen. “Well, you’re in luck,” she said,“because I have his number, and he said to call him any time.”

Estherclapped her hands together in celebration of this grand discovery, and mynerves kicked into high gear as I took the number from Liz and grabbed my ownphone. I felt the eyes of Esther and my sister burning holes through me as Iswallowed my fear and dialed the number.

Onering, two rings, three …

“Hello?”

Iwilled my stomach to hold down my brunch of near-expiredBisquickand mimosas.

“HiBen, it’s Holly. You know, from the other night?” My voice came out tremblingand panicked, and I rolled my eyes at how ridiculous I was being.

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