“Months?” the mother-of-the-bride asked. “You sneaky girl. When I was at the bakery the last time, you were acting so coy. I even told Clifton”—she patted the man next to her—“I didn’t think you had a plus one.”
“We were trying to take things slow,” Duncan said after Retta only managed to stutter. He placed his hand over her knee, stilling its movement. “We work next door to each other and didn’t want to make things weird if it didn’t work out.”
“Oh?” Irene asked, stopping with her fork halfway to her mouth. “You work at the spa?”
“Those were the previous owners. I own a boxing gym with my business partner.”
“Explains the muscles,” Margaret said with a wink.
The conversation briefly diverged from what Duncan did for work but returned when someone several seats down asked the engaged couple where they were going on their honeymoon.
“New Zealand,” Irene replied, clapping her hands and practically bouncing in her seat.
“New Zealand?” Retta squeaked.
She said it so loudly and like it was a cuss word that everyone involved in the conversation turned to look at her.
Shrinking in her seat, Retta said, “I’ve always wanted to go.”
“Well. Um,” the bride said, fidgeting with her cutlery. “I’m sure you’ll go one day.”
“Duncan,” Irene’s mother said. “Your gym would be perfect for building stamina, right?”
“Mom.”
The older woman waved off her daughter’s protest and said, “They’re doing a lot of hiking on their honeymoon, and Irene mentioned that she wanted to build up her stamina.”
“Definitely,” Duncan said, placing his fork and knife down. “A lot of our classes are suitable for all fitness levels as well.”
“Do you have a business card?” Irene’s mother asked.
Grabbing one from his wallet, he presented it to the bride. “No pressure.”
Irene glanced at Retta before accepting it. “Thanks.”
“I’ve never understood boxing or any other sport where grown men hit each other,” Christopher said, taking a slow drink from his glass. “Seems mindless.”
Before Duncan could defend his sport, Retta said, “It’s not just about force or power. It also requires a lot of skill and agility.”
Something warm bloomed inside Duncan in response to her words.
The groom shrugged, and it felt more dismissive than if he’d said something outright insulting. But what did he care about the opinion of a random man?
“You must enjoy having each other so close by,” Margaret said, nudging Retta with her shoulder.
“She definitely takes advantage of it more than I do,” Duncan said, laughing. “Recently, she came over unannounced for one of my full body conditioning classes.”
Retta jumped in her seat as if she’d been pinched.
He turned to her with a very serious expression and asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Screw you,” she mumbled, hiding a smile behind her napkin.
“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that,” he said, leaning in.
This was the first time all night he’d seen Retta truly at ease. He was happy he could at least provide her a bit of respite.
As the catering staff cleared their plates, Retta pointed to his elbow and said, “You got sauce on your jacket.”
