“No idea,” she answered, her eyes glued in Grant's direction. “I thought it would only be the wedding party tonight.”
Just keep walking.
Either Duncan sensed the trio's ultimate destination, or he missed the physical contact, because he slipped his hand over hers moments before they reached the table. Although he'd touched her like this countless times this week, tingles once again shot up her arm, momentarily distracting her from the three people about to join them.
“Tory, I've missed you,” Becky said, kissing Tory on the cheek, something she'd been doing for as long as Tory could remember. Then she moved to an empty chair and waited for her husband to pull it out before sitting—another thing Becky did all the time, at least when they were out in public.
“How have you been?” Becky asked.
Great.If Becky and Kenneth sat here, Grant would too.
“Fabulous. You?”
“I'm so glad to hear it, dear. Your mom has been worried about you. She'll be happy to hear you're doing so well.”
Tory had told her mom numerous times since she moved that she was okay. If Mom refused to believe it, that wasn't Tory's fault or problem.
“I've been well. I returned from a vacation with my sisters two days ago. We went to Spain. They’re still there. I would've stayed longer too, but we had Preston's wedding, and I didn't want to miss that.”
Much like Tory's mom, it wasn't unusual for Becky to go on vacations without her husband. Those vacations were often with Shannon Sherbrooke, but Becky went with her sisters almost as often.
Before she could do the polite thing and make introductions, Grant did.
“Duncan, these are my parents,” he said as he thankfully took the seat between Olivia and his mom instead of next to her. “Duncan is Tory's boyfriend.” Although his voice remained unchanged, his pinched expression made him look like he'd bitten into a bitter lemon. It was not a good look for him.
It was good that she and Duncan were no longer acting, because before the weekend was over, her mom would know about their relationship, thanks to Grant's mom. Becky Castillo was a total sweetheart, the complete opposite of her husband, but she couldn't keep her mouth shut.
“A month or two ago, I read an article about you inBusiness Leaders. You and a college friend founded one of those silly social media apps seven or eight years ago,” Grant's father said. The man had a monopoly on being blunt.
“Matt Sinclair and I founded Chat.” If Kenneth's comment about Chat being a silly social media app bothered Duncan, she couldn't tell by his tone.
“I use Chat all the time,” Hayden said as she and Gab got settled at the table.
Across the table, Olivia nodded. “Me too. I probably use it more than any of the other ones these days.”
When Grant was around, you could always count on one thing: He'd need to get his two cents in the conversation. Right now wasn't any different. “Social media is a necessary evil in today's world, including when it comes to business, Dad. I keep telling you that.”
“Well, I'm glad we have sites like it. They make it so much easier to stay in contact with people,” Becky said before moving the conversation onto a different topic.
* * *
Duncan watchedGrant's mom talking to her neighbor as he returned from the buffet table with two desserts. Mr. and Mrs. Castillo defied logic. Throughout dinner, Grant's mom had been friendly and had carried on conversations with everyone at the table, including him. Mr. Castillo had been the opposite. Much of the time, he remained silent, and when he spoke, it was to his son or, occasionally, his wife. The looks he'd sent toward Duncan, however, spoke volumes. Kenneth Castillo was possibly more upset than his son that Tory was no longer single.
Based on the little she'd told him, Duncan wondered if he'd get a similar reception from her dad. While they had no immediate plans with her family, he'd meet her parents eventually. With the holiday season approaching, it might even happen later this month or next.
Duncan hadn't mentioned it yet, but he hoped she'd join him and his family for Thanksgiving. He realized, though, it was possible she had plans. Thanksgiving was only six days away. He couldn't ask her to cancel on such short notice if she did.
“Duncan, Tory just mentioned you're originally from New Hampshire,” Olivia said when Duncan rejoined the group.
Although they looked nothing alike, personality-wise Olivia reminded him a lot of his sister, and every time he saw her trying to get Grant's attention, he'd wanted to tell her Grant wasn't worth the effort. But, instead, he bit his tongue and hoped Tory or another friend would say something to her instead.
“What part?” she asked.
“I was born on Sanborn Island, but we moved to Windham when I was eleven.” Since the late nineteenth century, Sanborn Island had been a favorite for society's elite, much like Martha's Vineyard, so she'd most likely heard of Sanborn. However, unless she'd lived in southern New Hampshire, he doubted she'd ever heard of Windham.
“My grandparents used to live in Portsmouth, and they had a vacation house in North Conway. When they sold both and moved to Florida, I bought the one in North Conway.”
“Small world.”