“Y’all are a mess,” Terri said. “I can’t believe how quickly you roped them into this food battle.”

They agreed on Saturday for the next dinner, since both Terri and Jon would be available. Serenity would still prepare the meal, as always, but she and Gabriel would each cook their version of the side dish.

As night fell, everyone found spots to view the fireworks. The committee had really outdone themselves with the amazing display of colors bursting across the sky.

Serenity leaned over and whispered to Gabriel, “What do you think?”

“They’re spectacular.” He reached between them and covered her hand with his, then quickly pulled back. “I…Um…sorry.”

Her breath hitched. She smiled and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He trained his eyes back on the sky. She took a cautious glance around to see if anyone was watching them, not wanting to be the subject of any gossip, but everyone was focused on the show. Serenity started to withdraw her hand but changed her mind. She knew they wouldn’t ever be more than friends, but just for tonight she could pretend.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Gabriel stood in his kitchen, slicing yams, on Saturday afternoon. He had watched his mom make the dish plenty of times, and Nana had just cooked them a couple of weeks ago. He lined up the sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla extract on the counter and added them to the pot one at a time. At the last minute, he remembered the dash of salt and butter. He poured in the water and set the pot on the stove to cook.

Serenity told him she still hadn’t decided on a prize, but he’d finally come up with one: another kiss. Which meant he had to win. A short time later, the sweet scent of the yams filled the kitchen. Yep, just like Mom’s.

While waiting for them to finish, he cleaned the few dishes and returned the text from his sister, telling him how much she missed her friends, especially their dinners.

Andrea: That’s just wrong telling me you’re going over to Serenity’s for dinner.

Gabriel: I’ll try not to have a good time. Will that make it better?

Andrea: No! Lol. Tell everyone I said hello. Love you.

Gabriel: Will do. Love you, too.

He rose to check the potatoes. They were nice and tender. He got a clean fork from the drawer and dug out a small piece. Mmm, it smells good. He blew on it to cool, then carefully put it in his mouth. “Ugh!” Gabriel coughed and his eyes started to water. What had he done wrong? Cinnamon. Way too much cinnamon. And he didn’t have enough time to go to the store for more yams and redo the dish. He thought for a moment, glanced at the clock, then took off, phone to his ear.