Afterward, Gabriel walked over and rang Serenity’s doorbell. The excitement he felt when she opened the door let him know he might be in trouble when it came time for him to return home for good. He’d realized that when he’d cut his trip short and had gone directly to her house on Wednesday. He’d never missed a woman—never missed kissing a woman—before, but he had with her. Even now, as she stood there in one of those cute sundresses and sandals that showed off her beautiful legs, he had to fight the urge to back her inside and go straight to her bedroom. Gabriel readily admitted to himself that he liked Serenity, but he had been asking himself all day why he was going through all this trouble for a casual relationship. It didn’t help that he’d also spent a restless night trying to figure out how to proceed. He still hadn’t come up with an answer and decided to go with the flow for now. They would go their separate ways when he left, and he’d move on, as would she. “Good morning.”

“Good morning to you, too,” Serenity said with a smile. “I’m ready.”

She reached down for her overnighter, and he eased it from her. “I got it.” He waited for her to lock the door, then led her to his car. After programming the address into the GPS, he got them underway. Fortunately, traffic was light and they would make it to their destination with time to spare. “How was your week?”

She rolled her head in his direction. “Busy. School will be starting next month, and parents are bringing in their kids for annual checkups, immunizations, and sports exams. It gets crazy like this every year.”

“I can imagine. Yet you still took time to make dessert for a group’s luncheon and those berries for Natasha.” He’d never met a woman who did so much for others without expecting anything in return. No wonder everyone in town loved her.

“Oh, that was nothing. It didn’t take long, or it wouldn’t have taken long if Tasha hadn’t kept eating the strawberries,” she added with a soft laugh.

“I can’t say I blame her because they’re good, just like everything else you’ve made. I’m really enjoying the olive oil.” Gabriel used the buttery and sweet one for cooking everything from vegetables and potatoes to meat and seafood. He’d used the lemon-flavored oil to grill chicken and shrimp, as well as in a vinaigrette. Both had given his food new life.

“How much do you have left?”

He slanted her a quick glance. “Not much. Which is why I’ve already placed another order.”

Serenity burst out laughing. “I knew you’d be hooked. I’m so glad I’m not the only one. I just ordered more, too.”