In hindsight, the candles and soft music made for a romantic atmosphere she hadn’t counted on. “It is.”

“Ladies first.” He gestured for her to fill her plate before filling his own. After the first bite, his eyes slid closed briefly, and a look of pure enjoyment came over his face. “I have to tell you, Ms. Wheeler, you may never get rid of me if you keep feeding me all this delicious food. This tastes better than any restaurant. Did you go to culinary school?”

“The culinary schools of Agnes Wheeler and Minnie Lee Jefferson,” Serenity said with a grin. “My grandmothers. I was fascinated by how they could make cakes, rolls, and just about everything without looking at a recipe.” She laughed softly. “Of course, much later I learned they’d memorized those precious recipes that had been handed down through generations.” She forked up a bite.

“And have you memorized all of them, too?”

Serenity leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “Maybe.”

Gabriel threw his head back and roared with laughter. “You are something else. In case you haven’t noticed, I love good food. My boys tease me because whenever we take a trip, the first thing I do is check out the restaurants.”

“So, you’re a foodie, huh?”

“A little bit.”

“I’d think you’d be the one to do culinary school.”

“I thought about taking a couple of classes, but I love designing programs.” He braced his forearms on the table. “There’s something about being able to create a program or game that gives me a rush. When I was younger, I lived to play video games with my buddies. Only, I wanted to know how the developers could create the many different levels based on the choice of the game player. I became obsessed to the point that I decided to follow that path in college.”

His passion excited Serenity, and the melodic sound of his deep voice soothed her. She could listen to him all day. “It’s amazing to be able to find a career you love.”

“It is. But you’ve done the same. I can see why you chose nursing. You’re caring, compassionate, and I saw how you went out of your way to comfort a baby in the waiting room. I know I’d be in good hands if you were my nurse.”

“That’s the best compliment I’ve ever gotten. Thank you,” she said softly. They fell silent for a few minutes and continued eating, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving a clear black velvet sky dotted with stars and the light from the moon. Contemporary jazz competed with nature’s song.

Gabriel took a sip of his drink. “There’s one thing I’m curious about.”

“What’s that?”

“How did you start the whole dinner thing you do?”