He studied her for a lengthy moment. Admittedly, she did always seem to have a calmness about her—aside from the two instances when they butted heads, for which he’d been partly responsible. Still, he had a hard time picturing himself growing old in a place like this. He could envision visiting more, however, because, despite the circumstances that brought him to town, he wanted to continue seeing her. As friends. The heated kisses they’d previously shared surfaced in his mind. Okay, maybe friends with a few benefits.

“Andrea said you were a city boy through and through, so I’m sure this pace isn’t as relaxing for you.”

A soft smile tilted the corner of his mouth. “She’s right. This is the longest I’ve stayed, and it hasn’t been too bad.” Gabriel saluted her with his glass and drained the remainder of his wine. “Meeting you has helped.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet. Thank you.” Serenity paused and raised an eyebrow. “You’re not saying that just because you want more brownies?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it. “I…no.”

“Mm-hmm, I bet.”

“I won’t lie and say those brownies aren’t addictive, but I enjoy hanging out with you.”

“Same here,” she said softly. She cleared her throat. “Since we’ve had time to let that fantastic meal settle, are you ready for dessert?”

“Do you even have to ask?” He rose from the table and collected their plates. Serenity stood, grabbed the glasses, and followed him inside. “You can just place them in the sink. I’ll take care of everything later. Right now I want to know what’s in the bag.”

Serenity shook her head as she slid the container out of the bag and opened the top.

“Peach cobbler!” Without another word, Gabriel reached into a drawer, grabbed a spoon, and dug out a big scoop. The second it hit his mouth, he moaned. He didn’t know which he liked more, this or the brownies. “I’m going to have to up my workout regimen around you with all these amazing desserts.” They filled their bowls with the cobbler, added the ice cream from the freezer, and then took them back outside. He’d probably gotten far more than he should’ve, but he couldn’t resist. “And this ice cream is better than at Splendid Scoops.”

“More flattery?”

“More truth. I never lie about food.”

She picked up the piece of crust that had fallen and ate it. “It is one of the best I’ve made recently.”