Page 15 of A Perfect Pairing
“More like he didn’t want to hear us discussing your honeymoon,” Dana said, lifting her glass of wine in a mock toast.
Natasha poured herself a glass. “Exactly. His ears are going to be burning.”
“Poor Gabriel,” Terri said.
“Poor Gabriel what?” Gabriel said, walking into the kitchen, smiling.
The women all jumped and spun around.
“You aren’t supposed to be here. How are we going to talk about you behind your back if you’re in the room?” Natasha teased. The four women laughed. She quickly pulled a peach tablecloth from her tote, spread it on the dining room table, then added matching napkins and a spring bouquet with ivory, orange, and yellow flowers.
He chuckled. “Like I said last year—y’all are some cold sisters. Love the table setting, by the way.”
“Aw, you know we love you, Gabe.” She hugged him. “And thanks.”
He shook his head. “Mm-hmm, whatever.” Wrapping his arm around Serenity, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “You think I could get a plate, baby?”
Serenity stroked his cheek. “For you, absolutely, my love.”
“You two are so cute,” Terri said. “Hurry up and fix your plate and go, Gabriel, so we can get all the juicy details.” She shooed him, bringing on another round of laughter.
After piling food onto his plate, Gabriel said on his way out, “Try not to singe my ears, ladies.”
Serenity gestured to the plates on the bar. “Okay, let’s eat.”
Everyone added servings of the honey-glazed salmon, mashed red potatoes, and roasted broccoli, then gathered around the dining room table. Serenity started the music, and lively conversation ensued.
“Girl, I have missed this,” Terri said. “I feel like it’s been forever since we’ve been together. And this salmon…” She swooned in her chair.
Dana bobbed her head to Leela James singing about having a good time. “I agree, and Leela’s lyrics are right on point.”
Natasha did a little chair dance with her arms in the air while belting out the words, especially the part about not being able to wait to hook up with her crew. This was Natasha’s crew, her ride-or-die sisters, and she didn’t know what she’d do without them. Serenity leaned over and, using her fork as a microphone, joined in. Halfway through the song, they went back to the delicious food.
Serenity took a sip of her wine. “How did it go with Antonio on Thursday?”
Natasha swallowed a bite of broccoli before answering. “Let’s just say it started rocky and ended in a truce.” She told them about her blowup and leaving, then him following her to her private spot to apologize. “After the apology, he kissed me on the cheek, but I don’t think he meant to do it because he was up and ready to go so fast, I almost didn’t believe it had happened.”
“Hmm,” Dana said, scrutinizing Natasha. “I have to say I’m shocked, and I’m curious about how all this is going to play out with you two having to spend so much time together.”
“There’s nothing to play out. We’re both professionals hired to do a job. The end.”
“You forget that I grew up here. Girl, everybody here was just waiting for the wedding date.”
Natasha pushed the potatoes around on her plate. She’d been waiting for the same thing until it seemed Antonio wasn’t as into the relationship as she thought. “That was a long time ago, Dana. We can’t go back.”
“I don’t know the details, but you can only go forward.” Terri shrugged. “Who knows what can happen now that he’s back in town. Although, with all the whispering from the women in this town, you may have to get in line,” she added with a smile.
“I’m not trying to be in the line. I’ll settle for us just being friendly.” She’d heard about the line of women vying for his attention, but so far, according to the rumor mill, he hadn’t reciprocated. Not that she cared… or should care.
Early Monday morning, Antonio drove to Seaside Meadows Park for a run. Back in New York, he’d spent more time using the treadmill at a high-priced gym than outside. But this place, with its tranquil lake, tree-lined trails, and blooming flowers, made it his favorite spot to jog. Most of his friends and colleagues couldn’t understand why he’d want to move back to such a small town, but this was home, and he had space to breathe. Things didn’t move at the speed of light, and people were more laid-back.
He took a few minutes to stretch. Ten years ago, he could jump out of the car and hit the trail without worrying about his muscles tightening and getting sore. Now, at almost thirty-five, it was a different story. Once he finished, Antonio stuck in his earbuds, cranked up the music, and started running at a slow, easy pace. As he picked up speed, he mentally went over his schedule for the upcoming week. When he’d taken on the construction company, he thought Uncle Charles would be there daily to help with the transition. But his godfather’s definition oftransitionmeant popping in for an hour or so twice before retiring, leaving Antonio to jump in with both feet for his first two weeks on the job. He had promised to come in today, however. Antonio was glad to see that many of the same men he’d worked alongside during his teen summers remained. It made things easier than if he’d had to start from scratch.
Antonio reached the incline and powered up the hill. His legs were on fire because he hadn’t done anything remotely close to exercising in over three weeks while preparing for the move, but he made it to the top, reversed his course, and went back to his starting point. After stretching and cooling down near the lake, he drove home to shower and change before heading into town.
“It’s about time you showed up,” Antonio said to his godfather when he entered. “How’re you going to just leave me hanging?”
Uncle Charles’s booming laughter filled the room. “Man, after sleeping in that first day, then going fishing with your daddy, I’m hooked. It was hard coming back after these three weeks of being off, so you’re lucky I didn’t just send you an email.”
