“I don't know why, because I love it, but I didn't go to the beach often when I lived in California, even though it wasn't that far away.” She turned and leaned back against the railing. Maybe some people watching would distract her from her conversation this morning with Lori Ann. “The last time I went might have been when I was with Keith. He was big into surfing, and sometimes we'd go to the beach for the day. But it's been over a year since we were together.”
“I tried surfing for the first time in the spring. For my parents' wedding anniversary, I took the family to Hawaii. I'd love to try it again.”
“Our hotel in Puerto Rico offers lessons. Ivy made sure we weren't doing things as a group 24/7, so you can book a lesson or two while we’re there.”
Duncan moved so his back was against the railing too and then turned his face toward her. “Is that something you'd be interested in doing?”
“No, I've tried it a few times when I was with Keith and didn't care for it. But that doesn't mean you can't.” Even if they were an actual couple, they wouldn't necessarily do everything together while on vacation. “Trust me, I can find something to do for a few hours.”
The hotel had a private beach. Tory could picture herself relaxing on a chair while reading a book and working on her tan. Unless she went to a tanning salon, she wouldn’t be doing that anytime soon with winter in Boston approaching. Shopping was always an option as well. She loved a good shopping spree. One of the bridesmaids might be interested in joining her.
“I’ll think about it. Since it sounds like we’ll have some free time, is there anything you want to do while we’re there?”
“There are a few historical sites I read about on the internet. Depending on how far away they are from the hotel and how much free time we have, I might visit them.”
“When I was there, I didn’t get to do much other than attend workshops. But I remember someone mentioning some Spanish fortifications close to the hotel. There is also a small one right next to it. I had a fantastic view of it from my hotel room. One night they even held some kind of concert inside it.”
Two children who appeared to be about eleven or twelve years old caught Tory’s eye as they walked by them. Or, more specifically, the objects in their hands did. The girl carried what looked like a traditional banana split while her companion had a hot fudge sundae covered with walnuts and chocolate sprinkles.
“Wow, those look amazing. If it wasn’t so early, I’d go get a sundae.”
“Don’t worry, getting ice cream is on the agenda for today. A visit to the island wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Sundae Scoops. No one makes better ice cream.”
“I’m not sure you’re right. Pirate’s Cove in Newport has great ice cream. Whenever I’m there, I stop and get some.” She’d gone there twice when she’d been in Newport for her cousin’s wedding. Once right after checking into her hotel and then again with two of her cousins. “Vanilla Moon in Healdsburg has amazing ice cream too.”
“Hey, I've been to Pirate's Cove, and I agree their ice cream is great. Much better than anything you'll buy in a store. And they have a great mini-golf course, but I guarantee Sundae Scoops is better.”
The magnetism of his smile had her focusing on his mouth. His oh-so-sensual mouth, and one she'd found herself staring at last weekend too, even though, like now, she shouldn't have been doing it.
Unless she counted the brief contact their lips made on stage as a kiss, which she didn't, she'd never kissed a man with facial hair. And right now, she shouldn't be wondering how it'd feel if they kissed. But, unfortunately, no one had told her silly brain that, and it was wondering with a capital W.
Would his sexy, barely-there beard be rough against her skin, or would it tickle? Would his lips feel as firm as they looked, or would they be soft?
Tory shifted her gaze further north, toward his eyes. “I'm finding that hard to believe. But we'll see.”
Before coming on board, they'd bought coffee. Now seemed like as good a time as any to take a sip, since it would give her mouth something to do besides test the firmness of Duncan's lips. The perfect combination of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg hit her tongue, letting her know she'd made the right decision by going with the pumpkin latte instead of the mocha one.
“Has Lori Ann made any unexpected visits this week?”
She needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.
Duncan nodded as he lowered his coffee cup. “Yeah, on Wednesday night. I was letting Matt in when she walked off the elevator with some pumpkin muffins she'd baked. She hung around for a few minutes and then left. I haven't seen her since then.”
His was a slightly different version than the one Lori Ann gave her this morning. So, was Duncan telling her the truth, or was Lori Ann?
It doesn't matter.
They were spending so much time together now to prepare for next week, not because they were dating and wanted to see where things went. In two weeks, Ivy would be married and their agreement would be behind them. So while they might see each other at the gym or maybe meet up for coffee occasionally, they wouldn't be going to wine tastings and dinners. And she certainly wouldn't be staying at his house on Sanborn Island.
“With Matt standing there, I didn't want to mention I was seeing someone. Because then he'd start asking questions, and I don't want to explain it to him too.”
She could understand that. Other than Ivy, none of her friends knew the truth, and she intended to keep it that way. “Lori Ann came into the locker room as I was getting ready to leave this morning. I told her we were going to Sanborn today and then on vacation together next week. So, hopefully, she got the message and will leave you alone.”
Assuming that's what you want. A man could play hard to get just as easily as a woman. Maybe that was Duncan's game with Lori Ann.
“I guess we'll see.”
* * *