Once or twice she’d devoured a pint of ice cream for dinner, but she wasn’t about to admit that to him.
“Last night, I started a list of things we would most likely know about each other if we’d been friends in school and together since September.” Making lists was kind of her thing. And she needed to write them on paper. No neatly typed lists on the computer for her.
Tory waited until he finished filling his salad plate before holding out one of the two notebooks she’d carried over. “I thought we could work on them tonight.”
Duncan’s eyebrows rose slightly, but he accepted the notebook. He scanned the first page in silence as he poured dressing over his salad.
“If there is anything you can think of that I missed, we’ll add it.” Following her dinner companion’s lead, she poured her favorite dressing over her salad and waited for him to comment.
Duncan glanced at her as he stabbed a tomato and then flipped to the second page. His expression didn’t give away his thoughts as he kept reading.
“A get-to-know-you cheat sheet wouldn’t have occurred to me,” Duncan finally said as he turned to the third page. “How long did you spend on this?”
She shrugged while cutting her pork chop. “I’m not really sure. My brain refused to turn off when I went to bed, so I worked on it until I fell asleep.” She’d still been upright in bed when she woke up this morning, and both notebooks had been in her lap, but he didn’t need that much detail. “Then a few more things came to me while I cooked dinner.”
“The only question not in here is what my shoe size is.” Duncan moved the notebook aside and reached for his knife. “I wear a size twelve, by the way.”
Once again, he flashed her a smile that had her wondering why he was still single. The guy was handsome, successful, and had not only a great personality but a good sense of humor. What more could a woman want in a man?
“Good to know, but I’m not sure that’ll come up in a conversation over a round of drinks.”
“You never know. People ask weird questions when they’ve had one too many. Or while we’re there, all the women might decide to go shoe shopping for their significant others. You don’t want to be the only who doesn’t know what size to buy. Talk about embarrassing.”
“In that case, I wear a seven and half in heels. You know, just in case Preston drags all the guys into a Gucci store. If you end up in an Adidas store instead, my sneakers are an eight. If it’s a Nike store, don’t bother buying me anything. Their sneakers don’t fit me right no matter what size I buy.”
“Since you didn’t give me a pen, I’ll make a mental note to add all that later.” A hint of humor laced his voice, and Tory couldn’t help but smile.
She realized the lists were a little silly but wanted to be prepared for any questions that might pop up. That didn’t mean she was opposed to poking a little fun at the questions.
“Do you think we should add our blood types?”
About to scoop up some scalloped potatoes, Duncan paused. “That one I think we can safely skip. Most people don’t even know their own blood type.”
He had a point. She only knew hers because she donated blood four times a year.
“All joking aside, the lists aren’t a bad idea. I just wasn’t expecting something like them. If you want to start on the questions now, we can.” He ate the potatoes before getting another forkful.
The sooner they started, the sooner they’d be done and Duncan could go home. But she wasn’t in any rush to see him leave. She was enjoying his company too much. And like he’d stated Saturday night, if they were going to convince everyone in Puerto Rico they were a couple, they needed to get to know each other. Lists would help, but like the internet articles, they were a poor substitute for spending time together.
“If you’re in a rush, we can work on the questions while we eat. Otherwise, let’s do it after,” she answered.
“No rush at all.”
* * *
Much like Duncanhad done when he cooked for them, Tory refused his help after dinner. So, while she took care of the dishes and made them coffee, he performed a few songs for her. He’d never land himself a record contract, but he was a better-than-average guitar player, and he had a decent voice.
“I thought I was only getting an instrumental concert. Unlike me, you won’t embarrass yourself on karaoke night.” Tory joined him in the living room and put the tray she’d carried in on the coffee table beside the notebooks he’d brought in earlier.
He’d performed karaoke a handful of times but not in a while. “Is that something your friend has planned for the wedding party?”
Tory had mentioned the bride had a week of activities lined up, but she hadn’t given him specifics. In all fairness, he hadn’t asked either. Maybe he should have, though. Although at this point, it didn’t really matter. He’d already agreed to go with Tory, and no matter what she said, he wouldn’t back out.
“Yep. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn’t budge. Ivy and Preston love karaoke. They regularly go out on weekends to places that have it. Unfortunately for anyone with ears, they’re both tone deaf.”
“Karaoke is all about having fun, not sounding good.”
“Tell that to the people whose hearing Preston has destroyed over the years.”