Home.The thought washed over him like it always did when he reached the island as the ferry docked, and they joined the line of passengers disembarking.
He lived in Massachusetts, and the state listed him as a resident. However, he considered Sanborn Island home. Even when he'd lived with his parents in Windham, he'd considered Sanborn home.
“How are we getting to your house from here? Are we walking?” Tory asked, walking alongside him. Her arm brushed against his every so often. And each time it did, he wanted to reach down and take her hand like he had last weekend when they had left the winery with Lou and his fiancée.
When possible, Duncan made his life as convenient as possible. So before his last visit, he'd purchased a car to leave on the island, so he didn't need to either bring one over on the ferry when he visited or rent one. Since they still needed to get from the dock to his house, he'd asked his cousin, who was also his neighbor, to pick them up.
“It'd be a long walk, but we could. But since we'd have the suitcases, I asked my cousin Shane to pick us up and bring us to my house. I have a car there we can use to get around. And Shane offered to give us a ride back here tomorrow.”
Although not deserted, the crowd waiting to board either a ferry back to the mainland or a charter boat for a day of sightseeing or fishing was nothing like it would've been two months ago. Still, it took Duncan a moment to spot Shane waiting for them.
“Tory is Alec's cousin,” he explained after making introductions. When he’d asked Shane to pick them up, he'd only said a friend was coming with him. Duncan hadn't shared that Tory was female or how they knew each other. “Shane and Alec worked together this summer,” he added for Tory's benefit.
“You won my cousin at the bachelor auction a couple of weekends ago,” Shane commented as they made their way to the parking lot.
Although he'd offered to do it, Tory walked alongside him, pulling her leopard-print suitcase behind her. “I did.”
“Please tell me Gianna didn't record the auction and send you a copy.”
“If she recorded it, she didn’t send me a copy. I checked the foundation's website after the auction to see who you ended up with that night. I hoped to see a photo of you and a grumpy, silver-haired granny. But I wish I'd thought to ask Gianna or Alec to record it so I could see it. I would’ve even made copies and given them as gifts to everyone for Christmas.”
Man, he hoped neither his cousin nor Alec had recorded it. He didn't need a recording of the night being passed around to his sister and all his cousins. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Maybe Alec recorded it anyway. I'll have to ask him.”
Duncan wouldn't put it past his friend. Maybe he should reach out before Shane did, and if Alec had a copy, ask him what he wanted in exchange for destroying it.
“Why in the world did you bid on Duncan, Tory? I saw who else took part that night, and there were some much better options than my cousin. Isn't every woman on Earth in love with Junior Morris? At least that's what my girlfriend tells me.”
“Your cousin had the best romantic dates planned out of anyone else there. This weekend trip here is actually one of them. We went on our first date last weekend. Duncan took me to Primrose Winery and then to dinner at Emilia. It's an Italian restaurant in Boston.”
She was good at thinking on her feet.
“Duncan Ferguson.” Shane clapped him on the shoulder. “This guy right here planned the best romantic dates? Are you sure we're talking about the same person?”
When they reached Shane's SUV, Duncan opened the trunk and put his suitcase in. “Hey, if you ever need help planning something for Monica, you've got my number.”
“I don't need help, but if I did, you'd be the last person I called.”
“You must get this a lot, but you look just like the actor CJ Ferguson,” Tory said, handing Duncan her suitcase. “Seriously, the two of you could be twins.”
“He's my older brother,” Shane said.
“That explains why you look so much alike.” Tory turned her gaze toward him. “I didn't know you were related to him, Duncan.”
“Yeah, CJ and Shane's dad, Gianna's, and mine are brothers.” Duncan opened the front passenger-side door for her and waited for her to get inside. “My dad is the only one who doesn't still live here.”
“I occasionally saw CJ at Anderson Brady's house when we were together.”
Much like when she mentioned dating a surfer guy named Keith, his gut twisted into a knot now. “CJ and Anderson have been friends a long time.”
“Did CJ get married, or am I confusing him with someone else?” Tory asked.
“Yeah, he got married last year. Neither wanted a media circus, so they had a small wedding ceremony here at his house. Then, about a month later, they had a big formal reception at the Harbor House in Boston.”
Duncan had gone to the ceremony at CJ's house but had skipped the big gathering. When he needed to attend large events and interact with people he didn't either know or like, he did. However, he preferred to avoid them. His cousin knew that and had told him he understood if Duncan chose not to come.
“I must have read it somewhere, but I don't remember who he married. Is she an actress?”