Something funny was happening in my chest.

It wasn’t just Laurel’s words. Her compliments. It was the way her face lit up as she laid out those compliments for me.

There was no doubt in my mind that she was being a hundred percent sincere.

Her blue eyes were shining, her full lips were turned up, and the tone of her voice almost held a dreamy quality. It brought back a memory I’d forgotten. A good one, buried deep beneath the pranks and annoyance.

“Hey are you okay?”

I looked up to see Laurel standing next to the bench I was sitting on, my head in my hands.

My first instinct was to sneer and tell her to go away. To leave me alone. But I was too upset to work up the strength.

“Gabe’s been drafted,” I said softly, the words catching in my throat.

It wasn’t that I begrudged my cousin his success, because I didn’t. I was proud of him, and happy for him. And, of course, I’d realized that things were going to have to change. We were all graduating high school, after all, and would be going away to college, so I knew my happy little bubble in Cherry Springs had to burst. I just hadn’t expected it to begin so soon.

I thought we’d have one last summer to hang out, spend our days at the springs, and our nights at the drive-In.

“Yeah,” Laurel agreed, sitting down next to me.

“And Reardon and I are going to different schools,” I added, even though I knew I was sounding like a total pussy, whining about growing up and continuing my privileged life.

“You’re going to miss them,” she guessed, not sounding the least bit judgmental.

“Yeah, of course, but it’s just that nothing’s ever going to be the same again, you know?” I looked over at her, really noticing her, and was struck by how beautiful she was, without even trying.

Laurel nodded, then reached out tentatively and took my hand in hers.

“Things are changing, and you all are moving on, but you’re family. You’re guaranteed to always be in each other’s lives. Things may never be the way they used to be, but in some ways, they’ll be better. You’ll get married, have kids, and raise your children together.”

Smiling, I realized her words helped ease the pain in my chest a little, so I squeezed her hand and said, “Thanks, Laurel.”

“Anytime.”

“Thanks,” I said, finding my voice again after being struck by her words.

Laurel smiled shyly and gave a half shrug. “I speak the truth.”

“Well, I don’t know about that, but I appreciate it nonetheless.” I sipped my scotch and thought about what Jasmine had told me, and although I could tell by Laurel’s earlier deflection that she didn’t want to talk about her ex, -at least not with me, not yet,- I wanted her to know that she was also a catch.

“The same should be said about you, ya know, that whoever you end up with is going to be a lucky man.”

The light in Laurel’s eyes dimmed a bit, and she shrugged again, and replied, “I hope so.”

“I know so,” I countered.

“I didn’t say those things about you because I wanted you to say them back,” Laurel said suddenly, leaning closer to me over the table.

“I know you didn’t,” I replied. “That’s not what this is … I mean it, honestly. You’ll find your Gabe, or Reardon. He’s out there.”

Laurel’s blue eyes hit mine and she asked softly, “What if I don’t want a Gabe or a Reardon? What if I want a Dillon?”

Holy shit! Did she just ask that?

“Ahhhh,” I stuttered, unsure how to answer her, if she was serious or just fucking with me. “What?”

She took a deep breath, then a big sip of wine, as if trying to find the courage to respond.

After a few seconds she blew my mind and asked, “Why not try something different this weekend? What if, just while we are in Chicago, we enjoy more than great conversation?”

“Laurel,” I began, thinking this was an idea that could only lead to trouble, even as my body had an entirely different reaction to her proposition.

“Shhh,” she said, holding her finger up to her very plump, and, I was noticing, very supple lips. “Just hear me out.” At my nod, Laurel continued, “What if we forgo our separate rooms and enjoy the fantasy suite, so to say, while we are in Chicago. Just for the weekend, no strings attached. No one knows us here, so we’ll have anonymity while we have a great time in the Windy City. Then, when we go home, we’re back to being plain old Laurel and Dillon, who’ve known each other for ages and can barely tolerate each other.”

“I wouldn’t say we barely tolerate…” I began again, even though her statement was pretty accurate, but she reached out and took my hand, effectively cutting off my train of thought when she ran her thumb over my skin.

“Aren’t you at all curious? At all attracted?” she asked, somehow looking sweet and dangerous all at once. “I dare you…”

Turning my hand to capture hers in mine, I wondered if I was insane when I replied, “Oh, you’re throwing down the gauntlet, huh?”

“Come on, Dillon, I promise I’ll make it worth your while,” Laurel said, and although I had no idea where this confidence came from, especially since I’d never seen it directed at me, I was finding that it really turned me on.

“Just this weekend?” I asked, feeling a pull even as doubt niggled in the back of my mind.

“Yup,” she replied with a seductive smile.

“Your room or mine?”