Page 11 of A Table for Two
He found parking on the same street as before and headed in the direction of the shop. The noon hour seemed to be a little more crowded than when he’d come earlier in the week. With all the businesses located within walking distance, he figured it would be far more efficient to grab lunch, pastries, or dessert in the middle of the day, instead of going home. If the restaurants near his office back home had food like what he’d eaten at Ms. Ida’s, he would be there every day. Of course, that also meant he’d have to kick his workout regimen into high gear.
With the mid-June temperatures hovering near eighty degrees, it seemed as though everyone else had the same idea as him. He saw three people enter the ice cream shop as he approached and just as many leave. Serenity and Natasha were among the latter group. When Serenity saw him, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Good afternoon, ladies. I see we all had the same idea.”
“Hi, Gabriel,” Natasha said. “If this is your first time, you’ll be back.”
“It is, and if it’s as good as advertised, you’re absolutely right.” Gabriel shifted his gaze to Serenity, who, until this point, had acted as if he were invisible. “What about you, Serenity? Any flavors you think are best for a newbie?”
“You can’t go wrong with any flavor you choose because they all taste delicious.” Serenity briefly looked up at him before focusing on her ice cream again.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he murmured. “I won’t hold you ladies. But, Serenity, I wanted to thank you again for dinner. Oh, and the brownies were some of the best I’ve ever eaten.” The amused expression on Natasha’s face made Gabriel suspect that Serenity hadn’t filled her in on the brownie episode.
Natasha waved a hand. “Aren’t they to die for? And those chocolate chips just take them over the top.” She pretended to swoon.
Smiling, he said, “I completely agree.”
“Are you coming to dinner tomorrow?”
Gabriel had no idea what Natasha was up to, but he decided to play along. “I haven’t been invited.” The glare Serenity shot her friend made him chuckle inwardly. She most likely had no intention of inviting him anywhere ever again, but the one thing he noticed about her that first evening was that she was the consummate hostess. As much as she wished him elsewhere, her prim and proper way wouldn’t allow it.
“You’re welcome to join us. It’ll be at the same time,” Serenity said, proving his point. “Your grandmother is welcome, too.”
He smiled. “Great. Thanks. Serenity, let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to bring. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
“Bye, Gabriel,” Natasha said.
He could see Serenity fussing as they walked away.Things are getting interesting.
***
“I should ban you from dinner,” Serenity told Natasha when she opened the door to her Saturday evening.
“What?”
“Don’t act all innocent. I still can’t believe you invited Gabriel over after what I told you he said.”
Natasha followed Serenity to the kitchen. “Actually, you’re the one who invited him. I only asked if he was coming.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t even know how you kept a straight face with that lie,” she muttered. Normally, they didn’t do dinner on back-to-back weekends, but they had changed the date to accommodate Terri’s schedule.
“Ooh, these strawberries are huge. What are you going to do with them?”
“I’m going to dip them in chocolate. They’ve been soaked in whiskey and champagne.”
Natasha rubbed her hands together and grinned. “I can’t wait.”
Serenity laughed at her friend’s exuberance. “I made a couple of each a few minutes ago to test.” She took a saucer out of the refrigerator, offered one to Natasha and took the other one. Trying new recipes and flavors had always been one of Serenity’s favorite things, and the kicked-up chocolate-dipped berries fell perfectly into that category. She’d dipped the champagne-infused ones in milk chocolate and the whiskey-infused ones in dark chocolate, but she planned to do the full batch using a variety of milk, white, and dark chocolate. “Okay. The taste test. Champagne first.” She bit into it and chewed slowly.
“Oh my goodness,” Natasha said around a mouthful. “This. Is. So.Freakin’. Good!” Her eyes slid closed as she moaned and took another bite. “Girl, I think I’m going to have to pay you to make a few of these as gifts for my clients when they close on a property.” She reached for the second one. “You really should think about selling these, especially around Valentine’s Day or for bridal showers.”
She smiled. “They are good, and they came out better than I expected. That whiskey is a little potent, though.”
“This is a grown folks’ dessert. What’s for dinner?”
“Pan-seared lamb rib chops, roasted potatoes, and sautéed green beans with bacon.”
