His phone chimed, and he read the text from his sister listing the wine choices. Pushing away his memories, he went to grab the grocery list and his keys, then drove the three miles to the town’s lone grocery store.

Once there, he was pleasantly surprised by the size of the store and the variety of foods available. He’d been worried he wouldn’t be able to find everything he needed but was happy to be proven wrong. Several people called out “hello” as he passed, and he responded in kind. Gotta love small towns. He glanced around, and Darius’s comment about there not being any women his age here flashed in his mind. So far his friend had been right. Gabriel added steaks and chicken to his basket and headed for the produce section.

As he rounded the corner, his steps slowed. A smile curved his mouth. Looks like Darius was wrong. Just ahead of him, a petite woman with skin the color of rich cocoa stood picking out corn. His gaze roamed down her curvy body in the short-sleeved dress she wore, which stopped just above her knees and gave way to slim, toned legs. She definitely wasn’t pushing fifty. She tossed her long braids over one shoulder, and he got a glimpse of her face. Gorgeous. Intrigued, Gabriel started in that direction. The moment he was next to her, the sweet scent of her perfume floated to his nostrils. “Looks like a good crop of corn,” he said, picking up one and testing its weight.

She smiled up at him. “It is, and this is the best time of year to buy it. Sweet, juicy…yummy.”

Her smile and sultry voice intrigued him. “Is that right? Any cooking suggestions?”

“Depends on how you want to prepare it—boiled, grilled, sautéed.” She added the ear of corn in her hand to a plastic bag holding three others.

“All of the above,” Gabriel said with a chuckle. “Does this mean you’re offering cooking lessons?”

She gave him a sassy smile. “You never know.”

Gabriel lifted a brow. Well, now. She peeled back the husk a little and pierced a kernel. The juice squirted out and hit him directly in his eye, startling him.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said.

He swiped at the liquid. “No problem. I just hope there will still be a little juice left once you get done.” A grin kicked up in the corner of his mouth. “And um…on second thought, maybe I should hold off on those lessons until I can be sure of your cooking skills,” he added teasingly. Her slight smile faded as a glare took its place.

“I’m sure one little burst kernel won’t ruin the entire ear, and you don’t know anything about my cooking skills.” She shoved the corn into the bag, dropped it in her basket, and stormed off.