The annoying sound of a hand dryer greeted Tory and Ivy when they walked inside. The things might cut down on waste and help the environment, but she hated them. She'd yet to use one that did a great job of drying her hands, and they were so darn loud, especially if more than one was in use like now.
Ivy waited until the two dryers stopped and they were alone to speak. “Either the two of you deserve an academy award, or you're no longer pretending to be together. So which is it?”
“No, we're not pretending. But how could you tell?”
Except for the kiss, they weren't acting any differently toward each other now than they had at dinner last night. At least, she didn't think they were.
“Let's start with the kiss you shared before he left to get drinks. My hair almost caught on fire just watching the two of you.”
“You're exaggerating.”
Ivy shook her head. “No, I'm not. There was something sensual about it. I can't explain it.”
There was no point in arguing with Ivy. Tory rarely won when she did.
“Then we can move on to last night. The two of you were constantly touching each other.”
Now that Ivy mentioned it, when Duncan hadn't been holding her hand, she'd had her fingers resting on his arm.
“I would've chalked it up to being part of your act, for Grant's sake, but I saw how you looked at each other. You're one of my closest friends, but your acting skills are not that good. So when did things change between you?”
“Officially, last night, but it's felt like we were together since almost the beginning.”
“Aren't you glad you listened to me about bidding on someone at the auction? In another year, we might be at your and Duncan’s wedding.”
Following Ivy's advice brought Duncan into her life; how the relationship would ultimately turn out was anyone's guess. But Ivy was a die-hard romantic and wanted all her friends to have a happily ever after. A die-hard romantic wasn’t the worst thing a person could be.
“You can safely hold off on buying me a wedding present just yet.”
“Something tells me Duncan is Mr. Right.”
“Yeah, well, can you send the memo to Grant? Because he didn't get it.”
“Did he say something to you?”
“Last night after dinner.” Opening the door, she waited for Ivy to exit before following behind her. “Brief version. He insisted we belong together.”
“You came to a wedding with a boyfriend. How dense can he be?”
“Evidently, extremely.” They walked by the children's pool and the line of guests waiting to get towels. “At least in his head, we didn't resolve the matter last night, either.”
“Well, at least he hasn't been glued to your side. And Duncan won't stand for it if he tries.”
Duncan had experienceda lot of firsts in his life. Now he could add going to the bar with his girlfriend's ex to the list. It was a first he could've done without.
Four bartenders worked in the middle of the circular bar. Two of them focused on those guests using the stools built into the pool, while the other two filled the orders of the hotel guests waiting in line and those orders the waitstaff brought to them. Joining the line, Duncan remained silent. He hadn't believed Grant's line about not knowing what he wanted, but he couldn't stop the guy from walking with him either. But if he wanted to talk, Grant would have to start the conversation, because he had nothing to say to the man. At least, he didn’t at the moment. If Grant continued to bother Tory like he had last night, he’d get involved.
Grant grabbed a cocktail menu off the bar and joined the line too. “So Tory said you have known each other since high school.”
He didn’t know where Grant was going with the conversation, but he’d be polite and answer. “Yeah, Tory was two years ahead of me at Philips.”
“Lucky you. When I was a freshman, none of the older girls even looked my way.”
Tory and Leah might have been the only female upperclassman he’d interacted with during his freshman year. And even then, it hadn’t been often. Usually, it’d been a short conversation during a meal if Tory and Leah joined him and Alec, or when passing in the hallway.
“Her cousin Alec was my roommate. If he hadn't been, Tory and I probably wouldn't have been friends either.”
“That makes more sense. I've met much of her family, but not her cousin Alec. Have you always lived in Boston?”