“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath rather than answer Tory's question as he let go of the store's door handle.
“What's wrong?” Tory asked understandably, sounding confused.
Before he answered her, Aunt Audrey reached them.
“Does Gianna know you're here?” his aunt asked as she hugged him.
“Yes, she knows.” Returning the embrace, he kissed his aunt's cheek and then gestured toward Tory. “Aunt Audrey, this is my friend Tory.”
He'd lie to Tory's ex and her friends next week about them being together, but he would not lie to his aunt.
“She'd never been to the island, and neither of us had anything else to do this weekend, so we took the ferry over this morning,” he continued.
“Welcome. What do you think of Sanborn so far?” Aunt Audrey asked.
“It reminds me a bit of Martha's Vineyard. I see why Duncan likes it here so much.”
“I've lived here for over thirty years, so I'm biased, but I've always preferred Sanborn to Martha's Vineyard.”
Duncan had yet to meet a resident of Sanborn Island who didn't feel the same way. Himself included. And if you asked someone who called Martha's Vineyard home, they'd probably say they preferred it to Sanborn Island.
“How long are the two of you staying?” His aunt transferred the shopping bags she carried to her other wrist.
“Just the night. We're planning to take the first ferry back in the morning. Tory leaves for vacation on Monday and has some stuff to do at home.”
He wasn't lying. Tory was leaving on Monday morning. He'd just failed to add he was traveling with her. And no one, including his Aunt Audrey and his parents, needed to know where he planned to be next week.
“Oh, where are you headed, Tory?”
If you looked up the words “outgoing” and “conversationalist” in a dictionary, you'd see a picture of Aunt Audrey next to both. It didn't matter if she'd just met you five seconds ago or known you for twenty years; she'd stand around and talk your ear off, unlike her husband, who preferred short, to-the-point conversations. Well, unless he was talking about plants. Then the guy could go on forever.
“Puerto Rico. A good friend of mine from college is getting married there next weekend.”
“Corey and I went there two years ago. We had a wonderful time. We went to a little hole-in-the-wall café every morning called La Bahía. It wasn't far from our hotel. They had a sponge cake different from anything I'd ever had and the best coffee. If it is still open, I recommend stopping there.”
“I'll keep an eye out for it. What hotel did you stay at?”
Even on an island, finding one café would be much easier if you had a general idea of where to look.
“The Condado Hotel and Suites. I don't remember what street it was on, but it was near the water. Corey and I had a great ocean view from our balcony,” Aunt Audrey said, looking at her watch. “Yikes, it's later than I thought. I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a few more things to pick up before I head home. Your Uncle Cameron and Aunt Hannah are coming by for dinner. You're welcome to join us. They should be there around six o'clock.”
He enjoyed spending time with his family, but if he showed up for dinner with Tory, it would give everyone the wrong idea. Already he doubted his aunt believed Tory and he were only friends—not that he blamed her. Tory was a beautiful woman, and he'd rarely brought anyone to the island. Add to that the fact he'd been single for a long time, and his aunt would most likely believe they were romantically involved. And that meant he'd be getting a call from Mom before the weekend ended, because as soon as Aunt Audrey had a chance, she would be on the phone with her.
He should've thought it through before inviting Tory to spend the weekend on the island. Sanborn was only so big, and it was easy to run into people.
“Thanks for including us, but Alec invited us over tonight.” He hadn't accepted or even thought about his friend's invitation since receiving it earlier, but his aunt didn't know that. And even though he'd implied Alec expected them, he hadn't said that, so he wasn't lying to his aunt. And maybe they would decide to go.
“Well, then, I'll see you at Thanksgiving. You are coming, right?”
The location of Thanksgiving dinner rotated each year. Last year, his parents hosted the gathering. This year, it was Aunt Audrey and Uncle Corey's turn. While the turkey she cooked wasn't as tasty as his mom's or Aunt Hannah's, her sweet potato casserole was out of this world and made up for eating semi-dry turkey.
Unless something unforeseen arose, he'd planned to spend several days on the island at Thanksgiving. “I'll be there.”
“Great. Say hello to Alec and Gianna for me.” Even though she'd already hugged him, Aunt Audrey did it again. The woman was a hugger. “Tory, it was nice meeting you. Have a wonderful vacation. And, hopefully, this won't be your last visit to Sanborn.”
Duncan watched his aunt walk away as he opened the door for Tory. When Bellini Jewelry originally opened, it had been half the size it was now and located on Spring Street. Then ten years ago, Scarlet Novak mentioned the store when Marcy Blake asked about a necklace she wore during an interview. Soon after the interview appeared inToday Magazineand on its website, business exploded for Bellini Jewelry. The owner, who, along with her daughter, designed all the pieces, moved the store to its current, much larger location on Main Street.
“Was that Gianna's mom?” Tory asked.