“I said it last night, but thank you for agreeing to this crazy idea.”
When he’d woken up this morning, he wondered if the previous evening had been a weird dream. Later, when he saw the picture of him and Tory together on the Providence Gazette's website, he'd briefly considered the possibility that the conversation in her suite was part of a practical joke Alec had asked Tory to help him with. But the situation was too crazy for even Alec to invent.
“I appreciate—”
The doorbell interrupted the rest of her statement.
“It's probably Matt,” Duncan pushed back his chair. “He tends to just stop by these days. He's single again.”
Matt had planned to attend last night's fundraiser. Unfortunately, his mom and grandmother threw a monkey wrench into things when they decided to spend a few days with him before flying down to Florida. And if there was one thing Matt couldn't do, it was say no to his mom and grandmother.
Duncan wished he'd checked his doorbell camera rather than open the door when he saw who stood on the other side. After Matt told him Lori Ann was once again living in the building, he'd expected a visit from her the next day. When it didn't happen and one week turned into two, he assumed she'd found a new BFF in the building.
It looked like he had been wrong.
“Hey, Lori Ann. Matt told me you were living in the building again. How have you been?”
“Crazy busy. That's why I didn't stop by and say hello sooner.” Even though he hadn't invited her, she walked inside. “Are you cooking? Something smells amazing.”
“Yes, Tory and I were just about to eat.”
Frowning, Lori Ann glanced past his shoulder. But with Tory in the kitchen, all she saw was an empty living room. “Oh, I didn't think you would have company on a Sunday night. I'll let you get back to them.” She held out the plastic container in her hands. “I'm made some chocolate chip cookies. I thought you might like some.”
It would be rude not to accept the cookies. But, at the same time, if he took them, Lori Ann might start to bring him baked goods all the time, like before she moved.
“Thank you.” He'd deal with one problem at a time. The most pressing one at the moment was getting Lori Ann to leave so he and Tory could get the details for their trip ironed out.
“Well, enjoy your dinner. Hopefully, we can catch up soon.”
I'd rather not.“Have a nice night.”
Duncan left the cookies on the counter before sitting back down. “Sorry about that. Lori Ann used to live in the unit next to me. She moved back into the building recently and wanted to say hello.”
“I might have met her last week when I was down at the pool. Is she tall with long, blonde hair?”
Duncan nodded as he sliced his chicken. “That's her.”
* * *
Tory considered herself a decent cook,especially if she had a detailed recipe. However, the meal she had just finished was far better than anything she'd prepared in a long time. “That was delicious.”
She'd already told Duncan that, but the meal had been so good it needed to be repeated.
“Can I get the recipe?” Whenever she had guests over for dinner, she struggled with what to make. If she served what they'd had tonight, not even her overly critical parents would complain.
“Sure. I'll write it down before you leave,” Duncan said as he added the last of the dinner plates to the dishwasher. “Would you like some espresso or tea to go with dessert?”
“It should be against the law to serve anything but an espresso with tiramisu.”
The smile Duncan flashed her had Tory wishing she'd opted for something lighter than a sweater tonight. “You and I are going to get along very well,” he said.
Opening a cupboard, he took out three cans of espresso and set them on the counter. “Pick whichever one you want.”
“I'll have the bold roast.” She used the three brands at home and liked them all.
“That might be my favorite of the three.” He put the other two cans away and got out some espresso cups. “By the way, I was right last night. Alec proposed to Gianna.”
It looked like she'd be attending another family wedding soon. “I'll have to congratulate him later.”