A faraway smile played on her lips. “I guess so. Although you know as well as anyone how dedicated my dad is to his job.” The happy smile she had been wearing slipped from her face.
As if it was the most natural thing in the world, I reached out and cupped her cheek. “That must be why you have it by the boatload.”
She cracked a small smile. “Yeah, that has to be it.”
With a deep breath, she collected herself and led me to the kitchen. A center island housed the oven and stove with a sleek aluminum light hanging above it.
Several pots bubbled away, and a fresh loaf of bread sat on a cooling tray. I had to actively stop myself from drooling. We were definitely not getting takeout.
Gabrielle’s usual easygoing demeanor returned as she flitted about the kitchen, stirring the contents of some of the pots and turning up the soft music that flowed from built-in speakers. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Sure, I’ll take a beer if you’ve got one.” My mouth had turned drier than the Sahara as I watched her do her thing.
“I picked some up earlier.” She pulled a beer from her fridge and handed it over. “Let’s go sit.”
I followed her to her entertainment area in the backyard, where she’d set places at a massive wooden table. “You sure you have enough seating here?”
She didn’t skip a beat. “You never know when the urge to play musical chairs might hit. Best to be prepared.”
There’s my girl. I laughed and moved my place setting to the seat right beside hers.
Wait. Shit. My girl? What the fuck?
I cleared my throat and pushed the stray thought from my mind. “See, there. The urge hit. Good thing you were ready for it.”
Her head fell back as she laughed, exposing her long, smooth neck. The urge to kiss her there took me, so I leaned over and pressed my lips to her skin, breathing in her intoxicating smell. Despite my earlier pep talk, my cock joined the party.
Gabrielle’s breathing hitched, then she swatted my arm lightly. “If you distract me, our dinner will burn, and we’ll have to settle for something mediocre. I know how much you like good food, so down boy.” She took the command to my cock right out of my mouth.
Sorry, buddy. Food first. My stomach agreed wholeheartedly.
I smirked. “Just saying hello properly.”
“Yeah well, your hello will have to wait until after we’ve eaten.” She couldn’t hide the flush spreading over her neck where I’d kissed her, despite her outward nonchalance.
A timer went off somewhere in the house, and Gabrielle jumped up, leaving me to survey my surroundings.
Her entertainment area was open, like mine, and led to a green lawn with cacti in pots lining the walls and a sparkling blue pool. Her uncovered blue pool, the dad in me noticed.
“Come and get it,” she called from the kitchen. “If it tastes like shit, just tell me. I haven’t attempted this in a long time. I won’t be offended. I think I may have added too much salt.”
It tasted like heaven. Mrs. W.’s cooking was hearty and comforting, the fancy restaurants that I frequented were great, but neither had anything on the food that I shoveled into my mouth. Gabrielle’s food was on a whole different level. “This is amazing.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and her eyes lit up. “It actually kind of is. I think that I may have done it justice.”
“And then some. Was your mom Spanish?” I knew that her mom was a touchy subject, but the smile that played on her lips told me that she was okay with that line of questioning. Like it brought back fond memories for her.
“No, but she lived there for a few years after college. She always said that she could never get enough of their cuisine.” She sipped on her sangria. “Enough about me. How was Harper’s party?”
That unfamiliar feeling stirred in my stomach again. “It was great, if her exhaustion is anything to go by. They had a bouncy castle and ice cream.”
Gabrielle laughed. “Well, with those two things, there’s no way it could have been anything but amazing.”
“Yeah, that combination will win you the hearts of every kid there every time.” It surprised me how easy it was to talk to Gabrielle about Harper.
We kept talking as we finished our dinner and cleared the table. It was seriously the best meal I’d had in forever.
“So, you going to give me the grand tour?” I gestured to her hallway.