Page 26 of A Table for Two
They stood there a long moment staring at each other. Serenity shook herself. “Um…I’m in the kitchen.”
“Are you cooking this late?” Gabriel asked.
“It’s only nine, and I’ve cooked much later than this, but no, I’m cleaning up.”
He scanned the counter and stove. “Supper club?”
“How did you guess?”
“There are way too many dishes for just one person.” He came over to where she stood. “What do you want me to do? With the two of us, we can finish faster.”
Once again, he’d surprised Serenity with his offer. “How about you rinse the dishes and put them into the dishwasher while I put away the rest of the food?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
They worked in companionable silence, but she heard him humming to the music. After she completed her task, she ran water in the sink to wash the pots. Without her asking, he picked up a towel and dried them as she rinsed each one. She smiled up at him. “How did your dinner with Ms. Della go?”
“I didn’t burn anything if that’s what you’re asking. She didn’t have any complaints and said I could cook for her again, so I guess I passed,” he added with a grin. “Did you have a busy week?”
“It feels like every week is a busy one, but the first part of summer always is, with everyone bringing their children in for checkups. It’ll drop off some until school starts back up. Then we’ll be inundated with high schoolers needing physicals for the various sports.” She put away the pots while he wiped down the counters. He’d been right. She finished in half the time it would have taken her alone. “Would you like a glass of wine?”
“Please.”
She poured one for him and refilled her glass. “We can relax in here,” Serenity said as she led him to the family room. She took a seat on the sofa, and he lowered himself next to her, leaving less than a foot between them. To distract herself from her nervousness, she reached over, grabbed two coasters, and placed them on the coffee table in front of them. “I know it’s Saturday, but do you tend to work on the weekends?”
Gabriel shifted to face her and draped his arm on the back of the sofa. “I did do a few hours today, but according to my buddies, I need balance in my life, so I forced myself to quit.”
“And do you need balance?”
He swirled the contents of his glass. “Probably. Definitely.”
She angled her head and studied him. “With your career, I can see how easy it would be to get caught up working at all hours of the day and night. All it takes is the click of a switch and your office is there. I have set hours, so it’s not a problem. What you need to do is set your work hours and stick to them.” Before moving, Serenity had started taking on extra shifts, trying to position herself to be ready when a nurse manager job became available. But she ended up close to burnout and had to take off nearly a month to recover. She’d had to learn the hard way that her health was more important than prestige.
“You’re probably right. I was supposed to be taking a vacation—well, aforcedvacation—but instead I negotiated a deal to decrease my time for the next few weeks, and then I’ll see how it goes. The crazy thing is I’ve actually cut back on my work hours and have been able to get more done.”
“It could be that because you’re rested, your brain can be more productive.”
Gabriel leaned closer. “Is that your professional opinion, Ms. Wheeler?”
His nearness was playing havoc with her senses, and she took a huge gulp of her wine. “Um…both professional and personal. I’ve been where you are, and it’s not worth it.”
He tilted the glass to his lips and didn’t comment immediately, as if he were deep in thought. Finally, he asked, “What made you decide to move here? Andrea said you used to live in San Diego. I’d think the opportunities for professional growth, not to mention the salary, would be much better there.”
“I needed a change.”
“But this is a drastic change from living in a big city. I’m not sure I could stay here past a few months. Couldn’t you have transferred to another hospital, LA, or some other similar place?”
“I had a bad breakup, and I wanted some distance.” She paused and thought about how hard it had become to do her job with all the whispering and looks of pity she received once everyone found out she and Lloyd had parted ways. She’d actually started to feel somewhat insecure in the job she loved and knew it was best she leave and have a fresh start. “He was a doctor at the hospital where I worked as an ER nurse. At first it was great, but then it went steadily downhill. I wasn’t ambitious enough. I should’ve taken advantage of this or that. My food was good, but I could’ve always done something to improve on whatever dish,” Serenity said bitterly. “Not to mention everything was always about him andhisschedule. In the end, my only role was playing a glorified hostess to his many social gatherings.”
She finished her wine and set the glass down with a thud.Well, just tell him everything, girl.Serenity hadn’t intended to share the details of her past relationship with Gabriel. It had to be that extra glass of wine that had her feeling all mellow and spilling her guts.
“I don’t even know what to say, but I understand. I guess we went to the same school of heartbreak,” he added with a mock salute. “At least you didn’t have to deal with having someone you love make a play for your best friend while cheating with two other guys. She said she wanted to keep her options open.”
Nowshewas at a loss for words. The pain she heard in his voice made her hurt for him. If the few things he’d done for Serenity were any indication of how he’d behave in a real relationship, a woman would have to be out of her mind to cheat on him. If her ex had offered to help her set a table or wash one dish, even half of the time, she might have stayed and given him a chance. But Gabriel went out of his way to do things for her, and she didn’t have to ask. Without thinking about her actions, she cupped his cheek. “I’m sorry, Gabriel. It’s her loss.”
Gabriel stared at her for what seemed like forever, his breathing increased, before lowering his head and touching his lips to hers tentatively, as if seeking permission. “May I?”
The spark that lit from the brief contact rendered her speechless, and she could only nod. This time when their lips met, the spark turned into a flame. The kiss was gentle but infused with a passion and need she hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever. His tongue delved in and out of her mouth with a slow finesse that melted her on the spot.Good thing I’m already sitting down. With that thought, the sensual haze around her brain cleared and she went still. She’d told herself she wasn’t going to get caught up in another man.
