Women Drinking Benedictine by Sharon Dilworth Read Free Book Online Page B

Maurice said. His French was lovely, all r’s and throat sounds. Amber wanted to kiss his language.
    â€œYou look so much alike,” Maurice said.
    â€œImagine that,” Sally giggled. She laughed so hard she spat up the bubbles of her champagne. “The three of us, sisters?”
    Amber did not look like her friends. They did dress alike—all of them wore a sort of traveling uniform. Identical black stretch pants, one hundred percent cotton with expandable elastic waistbands, perfect for hand washing in hotel bidets. On top they wore shapeless shirts, long sweaters, oversized vests. They dressed like onions, shedding layers as the afternoon sun rose in the Mediterranean sky, adding them when the chill of evening moved in. It was mere coincidence that Amber and Sally were wearing the same color Limited Express pullover that night. But Sally looked like someone’s Russian grandmother, and Jane, with the pen sticking out of the bun at the back of her head, looked anything but pretty.
    â€œMaurice and I are going for a walk,” Amber announced, deliberately changing the subject.
    â€œWhat about dinner?” Jane asked.
    â€œWhat about it?” Amber asked. Food was the least of her desires.
    â€œShould we order for you?” Jane said, taking the pen from her bun as if she meant to write down Amber’s dinner request.
    â€œDo what you like,” Amber said and looked into Maurice’s dark, dark eyes. His lashes were graying on the tips, giving him a gentle look. “And I’ll do the same.”
    â€œBe careful,” Sally warned.
    â€œOh, I don’t think we’ll have sex on the beach,” Amber said, knowing full well that Sally had not been talking about sex.
    When Amber returned a short time later, she was alone.
    She opened her menu, not wanting to answer any of their nosy questions about Maurice. “What’d you order for me?” she asked Jane, not caring that she had interrupted their conversation.
    Jane pointed to the third item on the menu.
    â€œYou ordered me liver?” Amber asked.
    Jane nodded. “You had fish last night, I figured you’d enjoy a nice piece of meat tonight.”
    â€œLiver is not a nice piece of meat,” Amber said. “It is a waste-filtering organ.” She reached for the breadbasket, but it was empty. Suddenly famished, she sneered at Jane.
    Jane slapped her hand away. “Someone had better be careful.”
    â€œWhere’s your new friend?” Sally said, obviously trying to change the subject. “What was his name? Mario? Morris?”
    â€œMaurice is running an errand. It’s a matter of business and shouldn’t take more than a few moments. He’s coming to get me in a few minutes,” Amber said. She realized how thin his excuse sounded. But it was the truth. He had promised her he’d be right back for her.
    Sally laughed aloud.
    â€œYou don’t know him,” Amber said, coming to Maurice’s defense a bit forcefully, considering her doubts. “He said he’d be back and I believe him.”
    â€œYou don’t really know him either,” Sally said.
    â€œJust because I have someone new in my life doesn’t mean you have to get jealous,” Amber said smugly. “Green is not a color women wear well.”
    Sally rolled her eyes. “Someone new?” She looked under the table as if searching for something. “Someone new. However short-lived.”
    Amber was hungry for a fight. “Well, it’s not like you’ve got any men in your life.”
    â€œRemind me again how many men you’ve had over the years?” Sally asked. “Fifty? Sixty? Or is three hundred a better guess?”
    â€œAt least I’ve had some,” Amber said.
    â€œLike the ex-con?” Sally hissed.
    â€œI went out with him. I never said I slept with him,” Amber said. But she had.
    â€œThe pizza delivery guy, Julia’s uncle, your