“Duncan and I are leaving in the early afternoon.”
Grant guided them even farther away from the other couples as he spoke. “Have you considered that Duncan might be more interested in your last name than you?”
Oh, like you?
He didn't pause long enough for her to say it.
“His company is still fairly new, and clearly his sister has political aspiration.”
If walking away and leaving Grant standing there alone wouldn't cause a scene, she'd do it in a heartbeat.
“I think you're confusing Duncan with yourself.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched. “You'll see I'm right about Duncan and us.”
Rather than take the bait, she imagined herself sticking her napkin in his mouth and remained silent until the music ended.
“Have a safe trip home, Grant. Oh, and have a pleasant holiday.” She walked away before Grant could escort her back to her seat.
* * *
Early this morning,they'd shared a quick breakfast, which she'd yawned her way through. It had annoyed him when Tory told him what time her mom had called last night. But he'd been angry when he learned Shannon Sherbrooke had refused to wait until a more decent hour to chat. His mom wasn't perfect, but she respected his boundaries. It sounded like Tory's mom could use a few lessons from his mother.
After she left for the salon, Duncan went to the beach to pass the time. And the next time he'd seen Tory, she'd been walking down the makeshift aisle, looking more beautiful than the bride. Traditional wedding party photos followed before she finally joined him in the ballroom for lunch. Throughout the meal, she'd been quieter than she usually was when they were together. But he chalked it up to her being tired.
Then that damn antiquated wedding party dance took place. In all fairness, Duncan had taken part in them, and they'd never bothered him. And if Tory had danced with a different groomsman, he would've tolerated it far better. But seeing Grant's hand on her waist brought out the caveman inside him. He'd wanted to walk onto the dance floor, punch Grant in his smug face—because although he couldn't hear their conversation, he doubted it was one Tory wished to have—and then mess up Grant's perfect hairjust becausebefore taking Tory in his arms and finishing the dance.
While he'd done all four in his mind, his ass had stayed glued to his seat as he listened to Gab, Tory's former coworker and Hayden's boyfriend, talk about wine. Duncan had never met anyone so enthusiastic about it.
When Tory returned, she had shared nothing about her conversation with Grant, and he hadn't asked. Instead, she ordered another coffee and listened to Gab while the bride and groom each had their dances with their parents.
Eventually, Hayden wrangled the conversation away from wine and onto the upcoming holidays. Despite the new topic, Tory remained quiet, only occasionally adding anything. Again, he attributed her lack of participation to her being tired.
However, he couldn't blame the change in her since sitting down on her lack of sleep. It was a subtle change but there. Before, she was quiet but still engaged in her surroundings. Now she was aloof, as if lost in her thoughts. Grant had to be the cause, but until they were alone, he couldn't ask her.
“You seem tired. Do you want to call it a day?” Honestly, it looked like she was struggling to keep her eyes open.
Tory moved her hand off his shoulder and covered yet another yawn. “I'm way past tired. Let's finish this dance, then go and stop at the café and grab an espresso on the way. Then maybe we can change and go down to the pool.”
It'd been a morning wedding, so it was only midafternoon. Still, Duncan thought she'd be better off getting an hour of sleep than espresso before going down to the pool, but what did he know?
“Whatever you want.” As long as he didn't have to interact with Grant, he was open to anything.
Even after the song ended and they exited the dance floor, it took several minutes to leave the ballroom. Understandably, Tory wanted to say goodbye to the bride and groom and her other friends before she left. However, it didn't escape Duncan that she didn't stop by the Castillos' table.
A long line, considering the time of day, greeted them at the café, but eventually, they made it up to their suite. The entire time, he'd carried on a one-sided conversation. Now, though, as they looked for two seats together by the pool, she was once again herself.
“Ivy and Preston's wedding fit the couple to a T. It was what I would've planned for them if they'd asked me to.”
“It wasn't what I'd want, but it was nice.” Duncan stopped by two empty chairs. “How about these?”
While not right by the main pool, they were a short walk to it and the hot tubs. The bar wasn't far from the spot, either. Even better, there were no children around them. He had nothing against children; he just didn't want them running around him right now.
Tory tossed a towel on one and then kicked off her flip-flops. “Some of my cousins have had more traditional church weddings. But I think an outdoor wedding can be beautiful.”
“I was referring to the size, not the location. Even if Ivy and Preston both have large families, those couldn't have all been relatives, not unless they invited everyone up to their tenth cousin once removed.”
“They both have big families, but not everyone there was a relative. Some were friends, and others were people they felt they had to invite, like Mr. Nelson’s business partners. Obviously, you've never been to a Sherbrooke wedding, because this was smaller than some of my cousins’.”