Page 18 of A Table for Two
His passion excited Serenity, and the melodic sound of his deep voice soothed her. She could listen to him all day. “It’s amazing to be able to find a career you love.”
“It is. But you’ve done the same. I can see why you chose nursing. You’re caring, compassionate, and I saw how you went out of your way to comfort a baby in the waiting room. I know I’d be in good hands if you were my nurse.”
“That’s the best compliment I’ve ever gotten. Thank you,” she said softly. They fell silent for a few minutes and continued eating, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving a clear black velvet sky dotted with stars and the light from the moon. Contemporary jazz competed with nature’s song.
Gabriel took a sip of his drink. “There’s one thing I’m curious about.”
“What’s that?”
“How did you start the whole dinner thing you do?”
She dabbed the corners of her mouth with the napkin, then smoothed it in her lap. “I’d put my love of cooking on the shelf for a good six months, and after moving here, I figured it was time to dust my pans off again.” She kept the reason to herself for now. “I decided to invite my girlfriends over, including your sister, and we had so much fun, I did it again. It kind of snowballed from there and became a regular thing. Andrea even gave it a name—Serenity’s Supper Club.”
Gabriel shook his head. “Leave it to Drea to come up with a name. I’ll admit, it is kind of catchy. Good company, good music, great food—it has all the qualities of an old-school supper club.”
Serenity laughed. “That’s exactly what she said. It must be that sibling thing.”
“Or something.”
She pointed to his empty plate. “There’s plenty if you’d like more.”
“Nah, I’m good. I ate a double portion the first go-around.”
“I hope you left room for dessert.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
“I’m definitely going to have to work out more hanging around you. Otherwise you’re going to have to roll me out of here.”
“It’s all about moderation.” She stood. “I’ll be right back.” When she placed the small plate of brownies on the table, he groaned.
“You’re killing me, woman. There’s no way I can eventhinkabout moderation with these brownies.” He got the biggest one and took a hefty bite. “I could eat just these for the rest of my life.” Gabriel grasped her hand. “Serenity, you are one helluva cook. I’ll mow your lawn and do anything else you want if it means I can have this as payment.” Holding her gaze, he placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand. He devoured the rest of the brownie in two bites and reached for another one.
The warmth of his strong hand in hers and the feel of his lips on her skin sent a flurry of sensations through her.Breathe, girl.I am not going to fall for this man.
Chapter 6
Saturday morning, Gabriel sat on the terrace attached to his bedroom, still thinking about his dinner with Serenity. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d enjoyed a woman’s company so much, and it hadn’t even been a real date. Although, sitting across from her with lit candles and the moonlight as a backdrop had provided an intimacy he hadn’t realized he was missing. The last three women he had gone out with had had him itching to leave within the first half hour. But last night he’d talked and laughed with Serenity for a good four hours, and not once did he sense the restlessness that usually crept up. Just the opposite. He’d wanted to stay all night listening to her sultry voice and had to force himself to leave.
Holding her soft hand, though initially not intentional, had him fantasizing about touching her, caressing her, kissing her. That gave him pause. They’d agreed on friendship, but what he was beginning to feel went beyond that limit, and he didn’t quite know what he should do about it. The one thing he did know was that he wanted a repeat of last night. He didn’t think she was seeing anyone. Surely he would have noticed a man hanging around. And if she were his lady, she certainly wouldn’t be entertaining another man, new neighbor or not.
A thought occurred to him. He didn’t even have her phone number. With her being next door and them always running into each other, it had never crossed his mind. Gabriel would be correcting that oversight the next time he saw her. Okay, so that made two things on his to-do list. He wanted to take her out, but someplace other than Ms. Ida’s. He planned to go running at the park Natasha suggested, and afterward, he would see what else the quaint town had to offer.
Gabriel heard his phone ringing and went back inside to answer it.
“Brent, it’s nine thirty on a Saturday morning,” he said when he connected.
Brent laughed. “We figured we’d catch you before you got started for the day.”
He lifted a brow. “We?”
“Yep,” Darius and Glenn said.
“Uh-oh. Did something happen?” It wasn’t unusual for Brent and Darius to conference call him, but rarely did all three of his friends hop on a call.
“That’s what we’re calling to find out. I told them about the run-in you had with your neighbor, and we wanted to get the scoop on round two.”
“It wasn’t that serious that you had to be the town crier, Darius.” He should have known.
“No, but it was funny as hell. You guys should’ve heard her. Man, I would’ve given anything to see that. What was in the container anyway?”
