She went back outside to make sure they’d brought in all the dishes. Seeing none, she doused the candles and locked the sliding glass door. In the middle of putting away the leftover food, her cell chimed with a text. She wiped her hands and read the message from Gabriel: Are you up for company? Just for a little while? Her heart rate sped up. She did a full minute of “should I or should I not?” before replying: Come on over. She nervously ran a hand over her loose braids and checked her top to make sure she hadn’t spilled anything on it. Two minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Taking a deep breath, she let Gabriel in. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

They stood there a long moment staring at each other. Serenity shook herself. “Um…I’m in the kitchen.”

“Are you cooking this late?” Gabriel asked.

“It’s only nine, and I’ve cooked much later than this, but no, I’m cleaning up.”

He scanned the counter and stove. “Supper club?”

“How did you guess?”

“There are way too many dishes for just one person.” He came over to where she stood. “What do you want me to do? With the two of us, we can finish faster.”

Once again, he’d surprised Serenity with his offer. “How about you rinse the dishes and put them into the dishwasher while I put away the rest of the food?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

They worked in companionable silence, but she heard him humming to the music. After she completed her task, she ran water in the sink to wash the pots. Without her asking, he picked up a towel and dried them as she rinsed each one. She smiled up at him. “How did your dinner with Ms. Della go?”

“I didn’t burn anything if that’s what you’re asking. She didn’t have any complaints and said I could cook for her again, so I guess I passed,” he added with a grin. “Did you have a busy week?”

“It feels like every week is a busy one, but the first part of summer always is, with everyone bringing their children in for checkups. It’ll drop off some until school starts back up. Then we’ll be inundated with high schoolers needing physicals for the various sports.” She put away the pots while he wiped down the counters. He’d been right. She finished in half the time it would have taken her alone. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

“Please.”