Page 24 of A Table for Two
“He’s cooking dinner for me tonight,” she told Serenity. “First time.”
“Ooh, that sounds fun. You’ll have to tell me how it turns out.”
Nana reached up and caressed his cheek. “He’ll do fine. Did I tell you the time he—”
Gabriel felt his cheeks warm. He needed to nip this conversation in the bud. “Come on, Nana. See you later, Serenity.” He hustled her out before she could finish whatever embarrassing story she planned to tell.
Back at his house, she went on a self-guided tour and returned to the kitchen. “You have far less furniture than your sister. I guess that’s a man thing.”
Laughter spilled out of him. “Do you want to relax and watch television while I cook?”
Nana pulled out one of the chairs. “Nope. I’m going to sit here and keep you company. What are we having?”
“Roasted beef tenderloin with a garlic butter sauce, mashed potatoes, and sautéed spinach.” He’d ordered a bottle of the buttery and sweet olive oil Serenity had and wanted to try it out.
She lifted a brow. “You’re going all out, huh?”
“Of course. I have to pull out all the stops for my favorite lady.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple.
“Mm-hmm.” She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
Gabriel preheated the oven, then seasoned the meat. He planned to pan sear it to get that crispy outside and lock in the juices, then finish it in the oven. He’d already cut up the potatoes and had them sitting in cold water. All he had to do was turn on the burner. He heated the skillet, added the oil and meat.
“I heard you cut Serenity’s grass last week.”
“Yes,” he said slowly. “The guys who were supposed to do it canceled at the last minute.”
“Did you put salt in the water with the potatoes?”
“Yes. It’s not my first time cooking, Nana,” he added with a laugh.
“And that you didn’t leave her house until the next morning,” she said, picking up on the previous conversation.
He spun around so fast he almost dropped the tongs in his hand. “Whoa. Wait, wait.What?” He shook his head in stunned disbelief.
“Now, I know you’re grown, but she’s a sweet girl and—”
It took him a moment to find his voice. “Nana, I didnotspend the night with Serenity. We had dinner together, yes, but she slept at her house and I slept here. Where did you hear that?”
“Adele called me.”
“Who is Adele?”
“She lives in the middle of the block.” She pointed toward the front.
Gabriel quickly turned the meat. He was so outdone, he didn’t know what to say. He’d heard that small-town folks were nosy, but goodness. Did they just sit around with binoculars, checking out everything happening on the block? He reined in the irritation that rose swiftly and tried to keep his voice neutral. “Nana, I would appreciate it if you’d tell Adele, and anybody else, that none of what they heard is true. I was just doing what a good neighbor would do.”
“Okay. But she is a sweet girl.”
“Yes, she is.” He focused on making sure the food didn’t burn.
“You like her, don’t you?”
He turned his head and glimpsed her pleased expression over his shoulder. “I think she’s a great person. But I just met her, so I don’t really know much about her.” Yet he found himself wanting to know everything there was to know about Serenity Wheeler, from her favorite color to what made her laugh. “Have you talked to Drea?”
“She called me earlier in the week. Said they’re keeping her busy, but she’s happy. Lord knows I miss my baby, but it was time for her to live her life.”
Outside of a text, he hadn’t talked to his sister in over a week. She told him she was trying to keep her word and not bug him. He teased her about the frequency, but deep down he didn’t mind. He slid the skillet into the oven and sat next to Nana.
