He swirled the dark liquid in his glass and started to pretend he didn’t know what Darius was talking about but changed his mind. They’d been friends too long and knew all of each other’s secrets. “It probably isn’t a good idea since I only plan to be there another month or so, but yeah, I’ve thought about it.” More than once. Each time he kissed and touched her. Every time she unleashed that sultry smile on him. At this point he knew it would be only a matter of time before their desire exploded. The chemistry between them was too strong for either of them to resist.

“There’s nothing saying you two can’t continue to see each other,” Brent said.

Gabriel shot Brent a dark glare. “I don’t do long distance.” Every one of his friends who tried it had ended up miserable after the relationship crashed and burned. He saw no reason to add his heart to the pile.

Twice more, as Gabriel, Darius, and Brent sat talking and listening to the music, women sauntered over to the table to proposition one or all of them. An hour later they called it a night and parted ways in the parking lot.

Gabriel arrived home a little after ten, early by his past standards. He made his way down the hall to the guest bedroom, where he’d been sleeping, and kicked off his shoes. Dropping down heavily on the bed, he expelled a long breath. He glanced around the spacious room and thought it would be the perfect size for his grandmother. Then again, she was used to living in a single-family home that included a yard where she grew a variety of flowers. Gabriel guessed he’d most likely have to give up the convenience of condo living in favor of a house. If he could convince Nana to move. No time like the present. With the three-hour time difference, he knew she wouldn’t be asleep.

He dug his phone out of his pocket, scrolled to her name, and hit the call button.

“Hey, Gabriel,” Nana said when she answered. “Everything going okay with the job?”

“Hi, Nana, and yes. I’m just checking on you.”

Her soft laughter came through the line. “Oh, I’m all right. Just the normal aches and pains that come from getting old.”

“You’re not that old, Nana. Especially as fast as you were going the last time we went walking,” he said with a chuckle. Gabriel made it a practice of joining her for her daily walk at least once a week.

“I’ve got to keep myself in shape. It keeps Howard off my back and allows me to splurge with my fried foods and desserts every now and again.”