Page 5 of A Table for Two
“Oh my goodness. It smells so good in here.” Dana hugged Serenity, then claimed a stool at the kitchen bar. “I really hope you made an extra loaf of that bread because I’m starving. Everybody and their mamas brought their car to the garage today, and I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” She worked as an auto mechanic at her father’s garage.
“I always make extra when you come, Miss Bread Queen.” Dana had been known to devour an entire loaf of French bread, but she never gained an ounce.
“I was just telling Dana the same thing,” Terri said, laughing. “The ER was busy all day. I had time for half a granola bar and a bottle of water, and then it was off to the races again.”
Serenity gave Terri a quick hug. “I’m just glad you could make it. You’ve been working a lot of extra hours lately.” She retrieved a small charcuterie board filled with assorted cheeses, crackers, spinach dip, and chunks of sourdough.
“Me too, and I know. I’ve been taking a few extra shifts.” Leaning against the counter, she scooped some dip onto a piece of bread and asked, “Have you met Andrea’s brother yet?”
“No, but I invited him to join us for dinner tonight—sort of a welcome-to-town thing. Ms. Della’s coming, too.” She checked the two loaves of bread in the oven.
Natasha laughed. “That means we’re in for agoodole time. I hope you’ve got the old-school R & B playlist ready. You know Ms. Della’s going to have us all up dancing.”
Serenity smiled. “You know I do.” She glanced over at the microwave clock. “They should be here in a few minutes. I told them to come around six.”
Dana, munching on cheese and crackers, reached for one of the wine bottles chilling in an ice bucket. “In the meantime, I’m going to start with a glass of this delicious chardonnay.”
“Pour me one, too,” Terri said, holding out a wineglass. “Matter of fact, just pour four, and we can toast to this fabulous food.”
Once everyone had a glass, Natasha held up hers. “To friendship, sisterhood, and Serenity’s Supper Club.”
“Amen!” Serenity said. The four women touched glasses, and she thought about how blessed she was to have these beautiful women in her life. She and Natasha had been college roommates, and Serenity had visited the small town a couple of times during their summer breaks and been introduced to Natasha’s childhood friend, Dana. The two women had been the ones to encourage Serenity to relocate after a bad breakup, and it had been the best decision she’d ever made. Adding Terri and Andrea to the mix had been icing on an already decadent cake. The doorbell rang again. “That’s probably our guests.” Her heart started pounding, and she didn’t know why she felt so nervous about meeting a man. She placed her glass on the bar and headed to the front. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and opened the door. Her smile faded. “I don’t believe it.”
He had the nerve to smile. “We meet again. I’m Gabriel, and you must be Serenity.” He stuck out his hand.
Serenity glared at him until she remembered that Ms. Della was standing there and pasted her smile back on. “Yes, I’m Serenity Wheeler. It’s nice to meet you, Gabriel.” His large hand engulfed hers and held on slightly longer than politeness dictated. She gently but firmly pulled away. “Hi, Ms. Della.” She engulfed the older woman in a brief hug. “Please, come in.” She stepped back so they could enter.
“Hey, baby,” Ms. Della said. “It sure smells good in here. Gabriel, I told you.”
Gabriel stared intently at Serenity. “Whatever you’re cooking does smell good.”
She shook herself and tore her gaze away, irritated that he could affect her this way. “Thank you. We’re eating on the deck tonight, so come on back.” In the kitchen, everyone greeted Ms. Della and Serenity introduced Gabriel.
He nodded toward each woman. “Nice to meet you, ladies. Andrea spoke highly of you all.”
“We miss our girl, but we’re happy for her,” Natasha said. “Can I get you two a glass of wine?”
“Please,” Ms. Della said.
“Sure.” He handed Serenity a gift bag. “Here’s a little something to add to your ice bucket. I asked, and Andrea told me these were your favorites.”
Serenity peeked inside and found a bottle of her favorite chardonnay and a Moscato.Okay, he gets a point for this one, but it still doesn’t make up for that smart-aleck comment.“She was right. Thank you.” She placed them in the ice bucket and ignored the knowing smile on Natasha’s face. She pointed to the snack tray. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. In the meantime, help yourselves.”
Dana picked up the tray and her glass. “We can take this outside and get out of Serenity’s way.”
As they exited through the sliding glass door, Gabriel turned back. Once again, his eyes held hers for a lengthy moment. A slow smile spread across his lips, and he saluted her with his glass. “Thanks for the invite. I’m looking forward to the meal.”
“You’re welcome.” She spun around and marched over to the stove, then slid the salmon under the broiler, took the bread out and placed it on a rack to cool. The double oven was one of the things she loved most about her spacious kitchen.
“Girl, that man isfine! Andrea didn’t mention that part, and I saw how he was looking at you.”
Serenity startled. She glared at Natasha. “He wasn’t looking at me any kind of way.”
Grabbing the bowl of salad and bottle of dressing out of the refrigerator, she chuckled. “Mm-hmm. Whatever you say. But I saw him.” Natasha waggled a finger Serenity’s way. “Who knows, he might be the one to get you back out there again.”
“Lalala, I can’t hear you.” She reached into the still open refrigerator to remove the container holding the corn and some butter. She melted it in a skillet, then added the corn and a dash of salt.
“I so love that fried corn, especially in the summer.”
