Page 56 of A Table for Two
Serenity laughed as she poured a little oil in a pan for the sautéed spinach. “It couldn’t be that bad.”
“Trust me, it was. The first woman was fifteen minutes late and got mad because her lesson was cut short by the same amount of time. Not only that, but she kept trying to tell me what to do.” She folded her arms and rolled her eyes. “Couldn’t read aCfrom anAbut acted like I was the one taking lessons. The guy who came in next paid more attention to my hands than what he was supposed to be playing on the piano. ‘Your hands are so soft. I love how your fingers move on the keys. I see your left ring finger is empty. Does that mean you’re single?’” she mimicked. “Ugh! I told him it would be better for him to find someone else to provide his lessons.”
Natasha shook her head. “Girl, I don’t know what’s wrong with men these days. You’d think they would’ve come up with a better way to flirt by now.”
Serenity laughed so hard, she almost burned the spinach. “Oh my goodness. What was he thinking?”
“I don’t know what he was thinking,” Terri chimed in, “but I do know what he was thinkingwith.”
The women howled with laughter.
Dana waved a hand. “Whatever. Where’s the wine?” She moved in the direction Serenity pointed and poured glasses for all of them.
After helping Serenity bring the spinach, mashed potatoes, and mesquite-marinated salmon to the table, they continued the conversation. As they sat around the table, she realized how much she’d come to value their friendship.
“You’re not the only one who has men trying to come onto you on the job,” Natasha said. “Mmm, this salmon is so good.”
“It is,” Terri echoed.
Dana lifted her glass in mock salute. “Just like everything she cooks. But getting back to the conversation, that wasn’t the only time. A couple of weeks ago, I went out with a guy who’d brought his niece in for her lesson. When he found out I worked as a mechanic for my day job, his jaw dropped. And he had the nerve to tell me he didn’t think that was something aladyshould do and suggested I do something more in line with music since I was so good at it.”
“Honey, I can top that,” Natasha said with a wave of her fork. “I went to the movies with Waylon.”
“From junior high school?” Dana asked with surprise.
She nodded. “You know, he called me half an hour before he was supposed to pick me up and told me not to worry about buying snacks because he was bringing popcorn and drinks from home to save some money.”
Serenity almost choked on her wine. “Please tell me you went to the drive-in.” Many cities had closed down their drive-in theaters years ago, but the one in town was not only still open but thriving.
“I’d be lying if I did. I should’ve canceled right then, but I was trying to be nice since we’d gone to school together. Never again.”
“We need to find us a good man or a husband like Terri, so we don’t have to worry about these crazy-ass dates.”
Terri held her hands up and shrugged. “Sorry to tell you, but with Jon and my work schedules, we haven’t been on a date in months, aside from the Fourth of July festival and that dinner here a few weeks ago.”
Natasha forked up some of the potatoes. “Well, Serenity doesn’t seem to be having any of these dating woes with Gabriel.”
No, her woes were of a different kind. Like falling for a man who had no plans to stay.
Dana leaned forward. “Spill it, my sister. And don’t leave out any of the juicy parts.”
Serenity chuckled. “We went to Napa last weekend and did one of the wine train tours.”
“And they stayed overnight,” Natasha said with a huge grin on her face.
Dana’s and Terri’s mouths fell open, and Terri said, “Girl, you’ve been holding out on us. One room or two?”
Serenity pushed her food around her nearly empty plate and mumbled, “One.” They all screamed with excitement, and she shook her head. She decided to keep the part about it being her suggestion to get rid of that second room to herself. Though she had no regrets, that one night would be all they’d ever share. More nights like that one could get her into deeper trouble than she was already in and would complicate her life in ways she didn’t need or want.
Natasha hopped up. “This calls for more wine.” She plucked the bottle out of the refrigerator and topped off everyone’s glasses before reclaiming her chair. “Okay, go ahead, Serenity. How was it?”
“It was great, and Gabriel was the perfect gentleman. I really enjoyed the ride, and the tour he chose came with a seated wine tasting at the winery. He also booked another tasting for the next day, which was nice, too.” She held up her glass. “This is one of the wines I purchased there.”
“I love it. It’s light and crisp and goes nicely with this salmon,” Terri said. “But we want to hear about what happenedbetweenthose tours. You spent the night in one room, and as fine as Gabriel is, I know more went on than just sleeping.”
Serenity had never been one to kiss and tell, but she scanned the eager faces of her friends and knew they probably wouldn’t leave until she gave a few details. “We stayed at a bed-and-breakfast. The cottage had a private deck that overlooked a creek and was surrounded by beautiful gardens. It was so peaceful, I wish we could’ve stayed a few more days.” She paused when she saw the knowing smiles on their faces. “It had a fireplace and a Jacuzzi…for two and—”
“Girl, please tell me you used the thingfor twoand not alone,” Natasha interrupted.
