“At least one of us can reach that goal,” she said wryly, taking a bite of her crab cake.

Chandra waved her fork dismissively. “You’ll get there. You might already be there if you hadn’t had to deal with Lloyd’s conceited ass.” She gave Serenity’s hand a sympathetic squeeze. “I’m sorry. You know my mouth gets ahead of my brain every now and again.”

Serenity pushed her salad around on her plate. “I know. But you’re right. Sometimes I try to recall what attracted me to him, and for the life of me, I can’t figure it out.” All her girlfriends back home had been excited that a doctor had set his sights on Serenity. With his tall good looks and intelligence, theirs was a match made in heaven. Except it hadn’t been. She’d be the first to admit that there had been some good times in the beginning, but in hindsight, the things she valued most, like having quiet dinners at home and spending time just talking or watching a movie together, weren’t on his list of favorites. He preferred dining at exclusive restaurants, attending the symphony, and having networking parties. She liked to do those things too, but only in moderation.

“Well, like Grandma always said, that’s why you date—to find out what kind of person he is before saying ‘I do,’” Chandra said around a mouthful of food.

She smiled. “Thank goodness for that.” She shuddered to think what her life would be like had she hung in there, as a few of her friends had suggested. The women had tried to convince Serenity that things would change once they got married. But Serenity subscribed to Maya Angelou’s saying about believing what a person shows you. What has Gabriel shown you? that annoying inner voice asked. But she didn’t think she’d known him long enough to determine whether what he’d shown her were his true colors. Liar!

Chandra braced her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands. “Since we’re on the subject of men, tell me more about this new neighbor of yours.”

Serenity lifted her shoulder in a careless shrug. “There’s not much to tell outside of what you already know.”

“No? So, you haven’t spoken to him or seen him once since we talked last week? It doesn’t sound very neighborly.”

“You know I can’t stand you right now, Miss Psychologist,” Serenity said with a mock pout.

Chandra laughed softly. “What? I’m just asking a simple question.”

“Yeah, right.” She knew she wouldn’t be able to deflect the conversation like she could with her friends. Chandra would risk missing her flight to get the information she wanted. “Yes, I talked to him. He asked me out on a date for tomorrow.”