Serenity shook her head and looked at Natasha and Terri. “I don’t want to hear one word. Just bring the wine and bread.” Terri mimicked zipping her lips, picked up the rolls and butter, and sashayed out to the deck. Natasha followed suit with the wine. Both, thankfully, kept their comments to themselves. Serenity picked up her wineglass, as well as Gabriel’s, and joined her guests. Dinner turned out to be a relaxed affair, with Serenity not having to be on guard and worrying about what Gabriel thought of her.

“Gabriel, you’ve been here a week now. What do you think about the town?” Terri asked.

“It’s small,” he answered. “And it’s hard getting used to the quiet and everything shutting down well before midnight.”

Serenity nodded. “I thought the same thing when I first moved here—no fast food or being able to jump in the car to go out for a late-night snack. But the Bay Area isn’t too far, and Napa Valley is even closer. So, I get my city fix that way.”

“I’ll have to keep that in mind. Are there any parks or running trails around?”

“Plenty,” Natasha said. “And all within five miles. Seaside Meadows Park is a great one for running, and it’s near the lake, so the view is spectacular.”

Gabriel nodded as he chewed a piece of the lamb. “I’ll have to check it out. Serenity, once again, this meal is incredible. I’m definitely going to have to pick up some of the olive oil.”

“Thank you.” His praise should not have warmed her heart, but it did. They fell silent for a few minutes, but every time she looked Gabriel’s way, his eyes were waiting.

“Okay.” Dana held up a rib chop. “Am I the only one who’s tired of trying to eat this thing with a knife and fork?”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Gabriel said, “but I didn’t want to come up in here and act like I didn’t have any home training.”

Serenity burst out laughing. “Nobody said you had to cut it with a knife. Just pick it up and bite it.” She picked up one from her plate and bit into it. “See? Easy.”

His eyes sparkled with mirth and he followed suit, taking off nearly all the meat on the small chop in one bite.

Smiling, they all enjoyed the tender pieces of meat sans utensils and continued to converse while finishing the meal.

“Oh, wait. This is my song.” Natasha raised her arms in the air and started singing along to Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine.”