“It is, and if it’s as good as advertised, you’re absolutely right.” Gabriel shifted his gaze to Serenity, who, until this point, had acted as if he were invisible. “What about you, Serenity? Any flavors you think are best for a newbie?”

“You can’t go wrong with any flavor you choose because they all taste delicious.” Serenity briefly looked up at him before focusing on her ice cream again.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he murmured. “I won’t hold you ladies. But, Serenity, I wanted to thank you again for dinner. Oh, and the brownies were some of the best I’ve ever eaten.” The amused expression on Natasha’s face made Gabriel suspect that Serenity hadn’t filled her in on the brownie episode.

Natasha waved a hand. “Aren’t they to die for? And those chocolate chips just take them over the top.” She pretended to swoon.

Smiling, he said, “I completely agree.”

“Are you coming to dinner tomorrow?”

Gabriel had no idea what Natasha was up to, but he decided to play along. “I haven’t been invited.” The glare Serenity shot her friend made him chuckle inwardly. She most likely had no intention of inviting him anywhere ever again, but the one thing he noticed about her that first evening was that she was the consummate hostess. As much as she wished him elsewhere, her prim and proper way wouldn’t allow it.

“You’re welcome to join us. It’ll be at the same time,” Serenity said, proving his point. “Your grandmother is welcome, too.”

He smiled. “Great. Thanks. Serenity, let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to bring. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.”

“Bye, Gabriel,” Natasha said.

He could see Serenity fussing as they walked away. Things are getting interesting.

*  *  *

“I should ban you from dinner,” Serenity told Natasha when she opened the door to her Saturday evening.

“What?”

“Don’t act all innocent. I still can’t believe you invited Gabriel over after what I told you he said.”

Natasha followed Serenity to the kitchen. “Actually, you’re the one who invited him. I only asked if he was coming.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t even know how you kept a straight face with that lie,” she muttered. Normally, they didn’t do dinner on back-to-back weekends, but they had changed the date to accommodate Terri’s schedule.

“Ooh, these strawberries are huge. What are you going to do with them?”

“I’m going to dip them in chocolate. They’ve been soaked in whiskey and champagne.”

Natasha rubbed her hands together and grinned. “I can’t wait.”