Maybe she should record her response, so every time they had this conversation, she could play it while she went and did something else.
“Mom, we've gone over this. Everyone is wrong. Grant and I are not right for each other. You and Dad, Grant, and his parents need to accept that.”
“On that we'll have to agree to disagree.”
There was no point in pressing the issue. No matter what Tory said, Mom wouldn't change her mind. “Fine, Mom.”
“In about two weeks, we'll be in the Boston area. We'll get together then so we can meet Duncan.”
Her parents didn't travel to the East Coast often, and she wondered why they were coming now. But, while she was curious why they were headed her way, she didn't care enough to inquire tonight. Monday or Tuesday would be soon enough.
“Okay, just let me know the date, and I'll talk to Duncan. Now can I go? It's late here.” Or early.
Either way, she wanted to go to sleep.
“I suppose so.” Mom's tone said it all. She wanted to press the matter but recognized the wedding was hours away. “Say hello to Preston and Ivy for me and give them my best.”
* * *
When Ivyand Preston had planned their big day, they'd kept the traditional parts of a wedding they liked and ditched the rest. Overall, she agreed with most of their decisions, especially getting rid of a head table where the entire wedding party sat together at the reception. It didn't get much more awkward than sitting in front of the room and eating while everyone gawked at you. She didn't have an opinion on the speeches by the best man and maid of honor. She’d never had an issue with speaking in front of groups. But she knew having them had been part of a compromise. Grant had wanted to include them but skip the throwing of the bouquet and the cake cutting, while Ivy had wanted all three. In the end, they kept the speeches and the cake cutting but skipped the tossing of the bouquet.
One tradition Tory wished they'd nixed was the wedding party dance. Unfortunately, the couple agreed on that one, and once Preston and Ivy finished their first dance, as maid of honor, she'd have to take the dance floor with Grant, her counterpart.
“At this time, the bride and groom would like the wedding party to join them on the dance floor,” the DJ said when the music stopped.
“Unfortunately, that's your cue,” Duncan whispered when she didn't move.
She saw Grant walking toward her rather than the dance floor. Ivy had put Grant and his parents at a table with one of Preston's other uncles.
“Don't remind me.” Tory tossed her napkin on the table.
“Maybe you should take that with you. You can stick it in Grant's mouth if he talks.” Before she stood, Duncan brushed his lips across her bare shoulder, setting off a cascade of tiny explosions.
Beside her chair, Grant cleared his throat, and she ground her teeth together.
“Everyone is waiting for us.”
Two of the required five couples had joined Ivy and Preston, so they weren't the only ones missing. But she wouldn't argue and cause a scene. Instead, she kissed Duncan and pushed back her chair. “Be back as soon as I can.”
Last night on the dance floor, her body had unconsciously leaned into Duncan when he put his arms around her. Now the opposite happened, and Tory stepped back, forcing more distance between her and Grant.
“How was your week?” Grant asked as a slow ballad started and he moved closer, swallowing up some of the space she'd made.
She could handle a conversation about her week if they had to talk. “Wonderful. Yours?”
“It could've been better.”
“Unfortunately, that happens sometimes.”
“You're not going to ask me why?” Grant asked, sounding mildly annoyed.
Why ask the question when one, she didn't care, and two, she already knew the answer he'd give her?
“No. I assumed if you wanted to tell me, you would.”
Grant made a sound in the back of his throat and moved them to the left. “Are you leaving tomorrow or staying a few more days? I'm staying until Monday and then heading to Hartford for two days.”
Where are you going with this conversation?