“Sure I do, but he doesn’t make my heart skip a beat. But maybe that’s good. We’d get married, move into the house he inherited, and have two kids. It’s all great. I couldn’t ask for anything more in my life.”
Toby glanced around the side of the tent but saw no one. “But you would like an adventure,” she said to her friend. “And maybe an adventurous man.”
Lexie ignored the last part of that statement. “I was thinking that maybe you and I could go on a cruise together. I got my passport and …” She didn’t finish, as she was looking at Toby. “So what’s with you and this guy Graydon? I take it you forgave him for lying about saying he was his brother. And by the way, how did you know they weren’t the same?”
“Because pirates and lawyers are not alike,” Toby said, smiling.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing. It’s just a joke.” She looked at Lexie. “I hope you know that you’re going to have to face your problem head-on. Nelson is a very nice man and if you marry him you can keep your job with Roger Plymouth and you’d never have to leave your beloved island.”
“I know,” Lexie said. “I guess the sane and sensible thing would be to say yes to Nelson and let you plan our wedding. Think I could wear black?”
“Lexie,” Toby said firmly, “if you feel that way, you shouldn’t even think about saying yes to Nelson.”
“I’m sure you’re right. It’s just that tonight I don’t want to decide my entire future. Oh, no!”
“What is it?”
“I think I saw Plymouth. I still can’t believe you invited him here. Where’s he staying, since his house is filled with guests? Or has he jumped into bed with one or two of them?”
Besides Roger’s beauty, he was also very rich and owned a multimillion-dollar house on the water. Since the original plan was that he would be away at the time of the wedding, he’d agreed to allow his six-bedroom house to be used for guests. But because of the last-minute changes in the wedding, Toby had called him and asked if he would walk Lexie down the aisle.
It had been interesting to see the way the man looked at Lexie, as though she were the most beautiful, desirable woman on earth.
“I don’t know where Roger is staying,” Toby said as she looked around the tent again. “You certainly are interested in his whereabouts.”
“So I can avoid him,” Lexie said quickly. “You like this guy Graydon, don’t you?”
“I don’t know,” Toby said. “I just met him, but he seems nice enough. He wants to stay on Nantucket for
a week, so I said I’d help him find a place. Maybe he could stay in Kingsley House since Jared will probably be in New York.”
“Why did he ask you about housing? Why not one of his own relatives? I’m a cousin too, and then there’s his aunt Jilly. And besides that, why didn’t he plan this trip beforehand?”
“He was only asked to be a groomsman three days ago,” Toby said. “I think he likes Nantucket. Maybe he wants to see the island. It does happen.” Many people came to visit and ended up staying for years.
“You do know, don’t you, that he stared at you through the whole ceremony?”
Toby was glad for the darkness to cover the way the blood rushed to her face. “I did see him look at me a few times, yes.”
“Look at you?! Ha! That man hardly blinked. So now he wants to stay on Nantucket for a while and he’s asked you to help him find a place. How very interesting.”
“You know,” Toby said calmly, “I do believe I just saw Nelson heading this way. Is that a ring box he’s holding open? I think I saw the flash of a diamond.”
Lexie moved farther into the darkness. “You haven’t heard the end of this,” she said before she disappeared.
“I’m sure I haven’t,” Toby muttered, but then Lexie’s question of should she or shouldn’t she marry Nelson had been going on for a long time. Ever since she’d met Roger Plymouth, Toby thought he was the problem, not Nelson. When Toby was alone, she looked around the tent, but there was no sign of Graydon. With a sigh, she started to go inside. It looked like he wasn’t going to return, so it was time to go back to work.
“May I escort you to a table?”
Toby stopped walking and couldn’t help the smile that nearly cracked her face. When she turned to look at Graydon, she was more subdued. He was holding out his arm to her and she took it.
“I beg you to forgive my tardiness, but I was waysided by my brother.”
“Is that the same as waylaid?”
“If it means I was dragged into the bushes and lectured, yes, that’s the correct term. Tell me, Miss Wyndam, do you have siblings?”