Page 1 of A Table for Two
Prologue
Mmm. The taste, the texture. It’s rich, decadent, satisfying…almost orgasmic.”
Serenity Wheeler chuckled at her neighbor and friend, Andrea Cunningham. “That good, huh? Never heard my truffles compared to an orgasm, but I’ll take it.” She bit into her own, thinking it would be the only way she’d experience one these days.
Andrea stuffed the remainder of the truffle into her mouth. “Please. This is just like every other thing you make. I’m so going to miss these dinners and desserts.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I got the promotion!” Andrea said with a huge grin.
Serenity returned her smile. “Oh my goodness, Andrea, I’m so happy for you.” She leaned over and hugged her. The two other women seated around the table, Natasha Baldwin and Dana Stephens, expressed excited congratulations as well.
“We need to toast your good news.” Natasha lifted her wineglass. “Wishing you the best of everything in your new position as Vineyard Foods’ latest regional manager.” The four women touched glasses.
Andrea took a sip of her wine. “Thanks. I’m really excited, but there’s something else. The promotion means I’ll be moving to the Seattle office.”
They all froze. Dana slowly lowered her glass. “Moving? You can’t leave.”
“My sentiments exactly,” Serenity said. When Serenity had moved from San Diego to the small town of Firefly Lake, California, six years ago, Andrea had been a godsend. She would be sad to see her go.
“Believe me, I’d rather stay here. I don’t know what I’m going to do without our semimonthly supper club nights. Serenity, you know I live for these fabulous meals you always serve.”
Serenity chuckled. What had started out as a way for her to share her love of cooking with friends had morphed into so much more over the past few years. Andrea had even nicknamed their get-togethers Serenity’s Supper Club because she said they reminded her of the old underground places where people spent hours eating, drinking, listening to music, and generally having a good time.
“I just wish Terri could’ve been here tonight for the announcement.” Terri Rhodes was the fifth member of their group. She worked as an ER nurse at the local hospital and was missing the dinner because she had to sub for another nurse who’d called in sick.
“I’ll make sure she’s off for your going-away dinner,” Serenity assured her. “So does this mean you’re going to put the house up for sale?”
“No. I talked my brother into moving here because I don’t want to leave Nana alone.” Andrea shifted in her seat to face Serenity. “I hope this isn’t an imposition, but, Serenity, could you do me a favor and help him get settled in? He’s a city boy through and through, and making this transition is going to be a big shock for him,” she added with a laugh.
Serenity met Natasha’s smiling face and knew exactly what her best friend was thinking. From the moment she’d come to town, Natasha had tried—and failed—to get Serenity to date again. Jumping back on the horse was how she’d phrased it, but Serenity wasn’t interested. Andrea had mentioned her brother a time or two, and Serenity seemed to recall her saying something about him not wanting to be in a committed relationship. In Serenity’s mind, that spelled trouble. She’d finally found a Zen-like balance in her life and had no intention of letting anyone upset that equilibrium. However, Andrea had been a wonderful friend, so she couldn’t deny the request. “Sure. I’ll be happy to help out if he needs something. I’ll even invite him to a supper club dinner.”
“Oh, that would be great.” Andrea hugged Serenity. “I know he’ll enjoy it.”
She smiled. “I hope so.” She also hoped he understood the only thing she planned to offer was a neighborly acquaintance.
Chapter 1
Pay up.”
Gabriel Cunningham glanced briefly at the door where his three best friends stood, then went back to connecting the ports on his computer. “What?”
Brent Ward sauntered over to the desk. “I bet Darius and Glenn that you’d be in here working.”
“I’m not working. I was just setting everything up.”
Both Darius Houston and Glenn Turner shook their heads. “Mm-hmm. Five more minutes and you would’ve been knee-deep in coding. You could’ve at least waited until we were gone,” Darius said. They always gave Gabriel grief for working long hours.
“Sorry. You’re right.” His three friends had been nice enough to help him move from Atlanta to Firefly Lake. The least he could do in return was see them off before he jumped into things.
Glenn propped a hip on the desk and folded his arms. “It’s Saturday, Gabe. Being here is supposed to give you a chance to learn balance and relax more, not continue on the same path to burnout you were on at home. And you agreed to take off two or three weeks. You haven’t taken a vacation in years.”
“No, I moved here because my sister got a promotion, and I agreed to look out for Nana. And I consented to cut my work hours down for a few weeks, not cut them completely.” He hadn’t really wanted to leave Atlanta, but he agreed that someone needed to keep an eye on their seventy-eight-year-old grandmother. Andrea had uprooted her life several years ago and stepped in to care for Nana after a stroke had left her with weakness on one side. Although she’d made a complete recovery, neither had wanted her to be alone. His sister had put her dreams on hold, and now, at thirty-two and four years his junior, it was time for her to live them. And as she’d pointed out during their phone conversation two weeks ago, Gabriel could do his software engineering job anywhere, particularly since he owned the company with Brent and Darius. And, yes, he’d been working…a lot…okay, nonstop for the past couple of years, but work helped him forget about things he’d rather not remember.
Brent waved a dismissive hand. “Semantics. The goal is the same. I agree with Glenn, and since he’s the doctor here, he knows what he’s talking about.” Glenn worked as a physician in his father’s family practice.
“Thank you,” Glenn said. “I didn’t go to school all those years for nothing. The slower pace of a small town will do you some good.”
