Page 83 of A Table for Two
Darius grunted. “You mean that sorry-ass response you sent?” He sprawled out on the sofa. “And you can dial down the glare, bro. Might as well make yourself comfortable and tell us what’s going on.”
“Because we’re not leaving without answers.Realanswers,” Brent emphasized as he sat on a chair. “Glenn couldn’t make it because his parents are flying in today, but he said he might call later.”
The three men engaged in a stare down until Gabriel relented and flopped onto the sofa at the opposite end of the from Darius. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
“The last time you did this was after the mess with Christine, so I assume things aren’t going well with Serenity.”
His jaw clenched at the mention of his ex. Darius had always been the most outspoken of the four friends, so it didn’t surprise Gabriel that he’d be the first to speak. He cracked an eye open. “Things are fine between us.” Or they would be once he talked to her.
Brent leaned forward, braced his forearms on his thighs, and clasped his hands together. “Then help us out, G. What’s going on? You haven’t been talking to us, and you look like you haven’t slept in a week.”
Darius held up a hand. “If this is going to take long, we need to do it over food. That bagel and coffee I had earlier is gone.” He studied Gabriel. “Yeah, I can see this will be a while.”
Gabriel opened his mouth to suggest they go back to Ms. Ida’s, since both his friends had enjoyed the food, but changed his mind. The last thing he wanted or needed was a repeat of last night. “Where do you want to go?”
“San Francisco. I figure we can hang for the next couple of days. We don’t leave until Tuesday morning.” He must have seen the look on Gabriel’s face because he added, “Unless you have other plans.”
“Serenity and I are supposed to get together to watch a movie, but I’ll call her and see if we can do it another time.” He was disappointed, but these were his best friends, and they’d flown across the country to check on him, the same way he would have if he thought one of them was struggling with something. It was the least he could do.
Chapter 22
After the night she’d had, Serenity got up Saturday morning needing to put some distance between her and Firefly Lake and headed to Vacaville Outlets for some retail therapy. She stopped first at a café for breakfast and enjoyed an omelet filled with spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, bacon, and cheese, along with some fruit, while reading the book she’d brought along.
Fortified for her shopping spree, she drove over to the mall and found a reasonably close parking spot. As she turned off the engine, her cell rang. Gabriel. Her hand hovered over the accept call button for a few seconds before deciding to let it go to voicemail. She’d thought about the way he’d pretty much frozen when she’d proposed them continuing to see each other and wondered for the millionth time if it would have been better for her to refuse that first date and keep her friends-only stance.
Dropping the phone in her purse, Serenity decided to put all thoughts of Gabriel aside and focus on her me time. Two hours later and smiling, she headed to her car loaded down with all her purchases.
Serenity felt much better by the time she returned, but hoped Gabriel wasn’t home. Her heart rate kicked up when she saw his car, and she didn’t relax until she was safely inside. Then she remembered their movie night date. She fished her phone out of her purse and listened to his message telling her that his friends had flown in unexpectedly and were taking him to San Francisco for the weekend and that he’d probably be flying to Atlanta afterward. She waited for him to continue. To say something,anythingabout them, but he didn’t. He just ended it with a lame “I’ll call you.” The part of her that loved him and wanted to spend time with him was disappointed that he seemed to be running. The part that had warned her not to get close said,I told you so.
She did her laundry and tried to go back to her book but gave up after reading the same page three times. Needing to find her Zen zone, she decided to invite her friends over for an impromptu dinner. Serenity sent a text to all three women:Hey, sisters. How about dinner tonight around six thirty?The time frame would give her two hours to plan an easy menu, shop for what she needed, and cook. Before she could put the phone down, it buzzed twice.
Dana:Girl, you know I’m there. I’ll bring margaritas!
Natasha:Count me in. Since Dana beat me to the drinks, let me know what you need me to bring.
Serenity smiled and typed back:Margaritas are perfect, and don’t worry about bringing anything, Tasha.
She knew what she was going to do for dinner—a fajita bar with homemade guacamole, salsa, and tortilla chips. Going into the kitchen, she checked her ingredients and made a list on her phone’s note app. Another text popped up as she typed.
Terri:Ugh! Just started a shift, so can’t make it.All I know is it better not be those waffles!
Serenity chuckled and responded as she walked back to her bedroom:No waffles. Promise.
Terri:Whew! Gotta run. Have fun.
After putting on her shoes and grabbing her purse and keys, she retraced her steps to the kitchen and out to the garage. When she got to the grocery store, she went directly to the meat department. She usually sliced her own meat but opted to have the butcher do the chicken and steak to save time. While waiting, she picked up all the other things she needed, then circled back to get the meat. On her way to the checkout, she saw a couple of people she knew and threw up a wave. One of the women rushed down the aisle toward Serenity.
“I saw you and Ms. Della’s grandson at Ms. Ida’s last night,” she gushed. “How long have you two been dating?”
“We’re just neighbors and friends. I have to run. Have a good evening,” Serenity called over her shoulder as she hustled toward the cashier.Great. Just freaking great!This was exactly what she’d wanted to avoid. Thankfully, she made it out of the store before anyone else said anything.
As soon as she arrived home and started cooking, her tension started to melt away. Before long, the sweet and smoky smells of the chicken, steak, and shrimp filled the kitchen. Once they were done, she made the condiments and fried the chips. Serenity sampled the guacamole to see if it needed more salt or lime juice. “Mmm, perfect.” She had to push the bowl away to keep from eating it all. For dessert, she decided to chop strawberries to fill the chocolate cups she had left over from the last supper club. Automatically, an image of Gabriel’s expression when he ate one of the desserts floated through her mind, which opened the floodgates to everything else that had happened, from the dance to the fiery kisses.
Stop thinking about him! Cook for your girls. That. Is. All.The doorbell rang, interrupting her trip down fantasy lane.Thank goodness.
“We’re here!” Dana said, holding up a large tote bag.
Natasha hugged Serenity. “Hey, girl.”
