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“You always did love my ass.” Gabriel’s laughter floated through the air, and her nerve endings came alive. Maybe this was a chance for her and Gabriel to be friends. She grabbed plates, bowls, utensils, glasses, and napkins.
Gabriel was unloading the bag. The pizza sat in the middle of the table. “I also brought garlic bread and beer.” He finished placing everything on the table.
“My hero.” Dani smiled at him. He knew exactly what she liked.
He grinned. “I like being called a hero. I do have one more thing I think you’ll like.” He reached into the bag. Dani spied the container and squealed.
“Oh. My. God. Gimme, gimme, gimme.” Her mouth watered for that gooey chocolatey nutty piece of heaven.
“Dinner first, then dessert.” He placed the cake back in the bag.
“Spoilsport.” Dani was laughing as she said it. This reminded her of them together in college. Gabriel would always bring her dessert but made sure she ate dinner first. It was a happy memory. A good memory.
Gabriel pulled out one of the chairs, and Dani sat. Always a gentleman. He opened her beer and then the pizza box. “Dig in.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. She put two slices of pizza on her plate, added salad to her bowl and dug in. She would get to the garlic bread in a few minutes. She sighed as the cheese, tangy sauce, and dough hit her tongue.
When she paused to take a sip of her beer, she noticed Gabriel watched her. She tilted her head. “Do I have sauce on my face?” She grabbed a napkin and wiped it over her lips. It came away clean.
“I love the way you enjoy food. I’ve missed that.”
Dani put her napkin down. “I know I left abruptly, and I’m sorry I did that.”
“It wasn’t all your fault. Let’s finish eating and then talk.”
She nodded. He seemed willing to talk, so maybe that meant he would listen. If they could clear the air enough for them to be friends, all would be good. After another ten minutes, Dani sat back in her chair.
“Oh my God, as much as I want to eat that cake now, if I take another bite of anything, I’m going to explode.”
“It will keep.” He pulled it out of the bag. “It does need to go in the fridge.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Dani stood and piled the salad container on top of the nearly empty pizza box along with the cake and carried it all into the kitchen.
Gabriel followed with the garlic bread and their plates. “Do you want to take some of the leftovers home?” She pulled out a container for the salad.
“No, you can keep them.” He dropped the garlic bread on the counter and watched while she made short work of wrapping up everything and putting it into the fridge. She gave the cake a longing look before she shut the door.
“Shall we sit down and talk?” He grasped her by the elbow, and they walked out of the kitchen.
“Yes.” Though part of her wanted to tell him she was tired, and they could talk another night. They needed to talk. “So you’re an architect with Zeke’s company.”
“Yes. I put my degree to good use, as you did.” He turned toward her, putting his arm over the back of the sofa. “Why didn’t you come and see me right after you got back?”
“There was so much going on at first.” She rubbed her forehead. “When Gran called me to say Pop had a heart attack, I couldn’t think of anything but getting back here to help them. Thankfully, it wasn’t bad, although he’s still weak, even after a year.”
“You could’ve called me. I dropped by the hospital and at your grandparents’ home to check in with them but never saw you.”
Dani dipped her head as her cheeks heated. “Usually, when you came to the hospital, I had run home to shower and change or get something to eat.” She looked at Gabriel, wanting honesty between them. “I never said thank you for what you did for my grandparents.”
“And after your grandfather was able to go home, you decided to stay?”
“I had to go back to San Francisco for a few days.” That had been fun. Not. Her boss hadn’t been happy with her taking several weeks off, and to be honest, at that point, she hadn’t cared. The man had never seen her as more than a glorified assistant anyway. “I had to give my notice, pack up my apartment, and move back here.”
“No hesitation in leaving San Francisco? Did you leave a trail of broken hearts?”
Her lips twitched. “No broken hearts and I wasn’t about to let the family landscaping business die or be sold.” Her family needed her, and that was all that mattered.
“I’m glad you came home.” His fingers drummed against the back of the sofa. “Care to explain about Wicked Sanctuary.”
