“Hey, you're my sister, and I worry about you. And I'd do anything for you except set you up with my friends, who are too old for you anyway.”
Harper tossed her napkin at Duncan, who threw it right back—something that would never happen around Shannon Sherbrooke's dinner table. “Tory, do you have any friends you could set me up with? I’d even settle for a cousin.”
FIFTEEN
Many of therooms in Duncan's condo might be off-white like hers but not his bedroom. Nope, the four walls surrounding her were a rich cranberry color. One she could see in her place, although not in the bedroom. For her bedroom, she was leaning toward a shade of purple she'd found on an interior decorating website calledRomantic Moment.
Readjusting the blankets, she turned her head toward Duncan. It did not surprise her he remained asleep. They certainly had gotten very little sleep last night. When they'd returned to the city yesterday evening and she'd gone to his place instead of hers, she'd planned to stay for a few hours and then head home. But sometimes, plans had a way of going off the rails.
Their last night in Puerto Rico and then again on Tuesday, they'd come close to having sex. In Puerto Rico, he'd ended things before they got that far, and on Tuesday, she had because the time hadn't felt right. Last night had been a different story. And Duncan must have sensed it, too, because he hadn’t tried to slow things down.
While the events of last night and early this morning had denied her sleep, they had provided her with clarity. All week she'd believed she was falling in love with Duncan. Now she knew she'd already fallen. She suspected the same might be true for Duncan. Until she was more confident about his feelings, though, she would keep her mouth shut. Some people got weird when others dropped the word “love” into a relationship. Duncan didn't seem like the type who would, but she'd rather be safe than sorry.
The body pressed against her side shifted, and an arm went across her stomach.
“Have you been awake long?” Remnants of sleep remained in Duncan's voice, and by the sound of it, he could easily fall back asleep.
“Just a few minutes.”
“I wonder what time it is?” Duncan asked, kissing her bare shoulder.
The room contained various mementos and photos, but there wasn't a clock in sight. Her cell phone had never left her purse last night, and she didn't know where he'd left his.
“It's probably about time for us to get up.” She'd love to spend the day where they were, but she'd told Judith they'd be there today. Tory didn't like to say one thing and then do another. Plus, she was looking forward to catching up with Leah and her other cousins. She just wished they expected her and Duncan next weekend instead of today.
Rather than get up, Duncan kissed her shoulder again. “It can’t be that late.”
“One of us could get up and check.” Even if Duncan weren't cuddled up next to her, she wouldn't want to get up. She'd always found her bed comfortable, but it was a concrete slab compared to Duncan's mattress.
“I can take a hint,” Duncan grumbled, moving into an upright position.
He didn't bother to pull on any clothes, and Tory enjoyed the view as he walked out of the room. Even before last night, she'd created an image of how he'd look naked. She hadn't been far off either. The man took care of himself. Duncan wasn't skinny like Grant, but he also wasn't overly muscular like Luke, who she'd always wondered if his physique was a combination of hours at the gym and steroids. Duncan was defined in all the right places, but it was clear he didn't spend every waking hour in a gym.
“Somehow, it's almost ten,” he said, walking back into the room, his cell phone in hand. “What time do we have to be in Weston?”
“About twelve.” Normally, she wouldn't worry about traffic as much on a Saturday, but this was the Saturday after Thanksgiving. So many people would be traveling to and from home or holiday shopping.
“That doesn't give us much time.” Although Duncan sat, he didn't get under the covers next to her again. “It doesn't take me long to get ready, but I don't know how the traffic will be. If there isn't much, it should only take us about thirty minutes to get there. But there have been days when I've driven to the area for a meeting, and it's taken me over two hours. So we should probably get moving.”
“That's what I was thinking.” Sitting up, she leaned toward him and kissed him. “I'll meet you back down here when I'm ready.” She didn't need five hours to get ready, but from what she'd seen in Puerto Rico, it would take her longer than him. And Duncan might as well be comfortable while he waited for her.
An hour and forty-five minutes later, Tory and Duncan walked into Judith's house. Size-wise, her parents' houses in Palo Alto and Healdsburg were equivalent. Somehow, though, this place felt more like a home and less like a showplace than Tory's parents’. And it had less to do with how the owners had decorated their homes. Rather, it was how Judith and Jonathan interacted with each other and anyone who visited.
It was apparent her cousin's parents loved each other. Tory's parents respected each other and got along well, but if they loved each other, they never showed it when others were around. She knew love hadn't factored into their decision to marry. Instead, it had been more like a business decision. Benjamin Sherbrooke Junior had wanted to purchase Desjardin Winery, and Shannon Desjardin had desired the Sherbrooke name and everything that went with it. Now they wanted her to follow in their footsteps of a loveless marriage by marrying Grant. Mom had even brought Grant up again when they spoke on Tuesday—a detail she'd left out when she told Duncan she'd spoken with her mom.
“I'm glad you both came today.” After closing the front door behind them, Judith hugged her before doing the same to Duncan. “We're still waiting for Brett and Jen. They called us a little while ago to let us know there was an accident on 95 that has everything backed up. But everyone else is in the back living room. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be there in a minute.”
Tory had spent enough holidays and weekends here while in high school to know where every room in the house was and how the family used them. For instance, the family only used the large picture-perfect living room off the main foyer when they hosted business dinners or fundraisers. The one in the back was where the family gathered day-to-day. Unlike the one most visitors saw, it contained family photos. The last time she'd visited, there had even been an entire collection of stuffed animals that belonged to Curt's daughter on a sofa. If her mom ever had grandchildren, she wouldn't let them leave their toys hanging around the house. At least, she'd never let Tory or her brothers do that. Instead, she'd insisted they stay either in their bedroom or their playroom unless they were outside toys. Then they went into the special toy shed.
Today, when they walked in, the two new school photos were the first thing Tory noticed. Reese, Curt's adopted daughter, and Erin, Leah's stepdaughter, might not be biologically related to Judith and Jonathan, but they treated them as if they were. A lot of people she knew, including many of her parents' friends, possibly even her parents, wouldn't be the same.
At the moment, the two girls sat together watching something on a tablet, and neither glanced in Tory and Duncan's direction as Tory made introductions.
Fifteen minutes later, Leah sat in the seat next to her. Bored with whatever they’d been watching on the tablet, Reese and Erin had convinced their dads and Duncan to go outside with them so Reese could show off some new soccer skill she’d been practicing.
“Duncan is a definite upgrade from Grant. Looks like the auction was a success for another Sherbrooke. Is it fair to assume he's the reason I haven't heard from you in weeks?” Leah asked.
“Him and Ivy's wedding.”