Retta nonchalantly shook her head.
“What about—”
“Hey, man. I think you got enough footage from her.”
Both Gordon and Retta jumped as they looked over to find Duncan standing there watching them. A knot in her stomach untangled seeing him.
“You’re right. You’re right,” Gordon said, bowing over clasped hands. “Thanks for your time.”
Duncan drew nearer. He’d gotten a shape-up and the dark suit he wore fit him perfectly.
“Hi,” he said as he leaned in to hug her. “Sorry, I’m late.”
It was for show, obviously, but she couldn’t deny the goose bumps that appeared across her arms as his hand made contact with her bare back and he planted a kiss on her cheek.
“It’s fine,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound breathless.
“I was trying to find parking, believe it or not,” he said, before looking her up and down. “You look beautiful.”
Again, with the goose bumps. “Anything looks good when it’s not covered in flour,” she said, laughing through the sudden nerves.
He smiled from one side of his mouth.
“Actually,” Retta said, digging for her phone in her small purse. “Could you take a photo of me real quick? I need to send it to my friend who’s the reason I even bought this.”
Nia wanted to see the full ensemble, and Retta knew she’d not look as put together by the end of the evening when she, in all likelihood, spilled something on herself. Duncan took her phone and stood a distance away from her as she leaned up against the railing.
He didn’t give her a countdown or anything, so she awkwardly stood there, smiling. However, her smile dropped when her cousin Monica, from out of nowhere, stepped in front of her and said, “Oh my God. You came.”
ChapterThirteen
“Why didn’tyou tell me you were coming?” Monica asked, swatting her arm. “We could’ve carpooled.”
“Yeah, sorry. I’ve been a little busy,” Retta said, sending Duncan a glance.
“Does that mean you’re coming to the wedding too?” her younger cousin asked, taking a sip of her drink.
“Yup, I’ll be there.”
“Very mature of you,” she whispered.
Monica’s sister, Natalie, appeared as suddenly with a martini glass in hand and humongous sunglasses on top of her ’fro. “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Retta replied, wondering how many variations of that sentence she’d have to say this evening.
“Of course not,” Monica said, surveying the dress Retta wore. “This is different for you. Is it new?”
Retta looked down at the formfitting black dress, ignoring the price tag digging into her armpit. “Relatively.”
“Cute,” Monica replied, brushing the fabric with the back of her hand.
“All right, enough chit chat. Let’s get down to business,” Natalie said, pulling out her phone. “I found out two of the five groomsmen are single. Also, the best man has a brother who, based on my intel, won’t be here tonight but will be at the wedding.”
There was a group chat that Retta had unceremoniously been added to after getting dumped by Chris. She’d quickly discovered it was a place her cousins and a bunch of their single friends ranted about the dating scene. They also periodically acted as each other’s wingwoman at events and parties.
“So we don’t step on each other’s toes, who are you most drawn to?” Natalie asked.
“I’m good,” Retta said, sending Duncan another glance. He stood patiently a few paces away, watching them. She hoped he wasn’t catching any of this conversation.
