He couldn’t capture it.
The efficient young waiter cleared away their empty gumbo bowls and replaced them with their next course—crawfish étouffée for Sam and a shrimp po’boy for Serena. Again, the food was spicy, but enjoyably so. They took time to savor it. As the evening advanced, the place became crowded with customers shoulder-to-shoulder at the bar where they waited for tables. Drinks flowed freely, and both the music and the crowd seemed to grow louder. Eruptions of loud laughter became common, from deep guffaws to shrill giggles. As comfortable as he felt there, Sam still thought Serena was out of place; she seemed more the tearoom or French restaurant type than a Cajun honky-tonk regular.
It was almost impossible to keep a conversation going in a normal tone. Sam and Serena made a couple of attempts, but for the most part focused on their dinners. They were almost finished when Chuck wandered over from the bar. His booming voice carried easily over the noise. “How’s that food, eh?”
Sam set his fork on his empty plate. “It was excellent. I enjoyed every bite.”
“Not too spicy?”
“Just spicy enough,” Sam assured him.
Chuck grinned in approval and thumped Sam’s shoulder. “I like your friend, Serena. You bring him back any time, you hear?”
“Next time, I’m wearing body armor,” Sam muttered, rubbing his shoulder as Chuck moved on to the next table.
“I’m sorry.” Serena leaned closer. “I didn’t hear what you said.”
“Never mind. Do you want dessert?”
“No, I’m too full.”
“So am I.” He motioned for the waiter to bring the check.
“You’re my guest tonight,” Serena said. “I’m buying.”
“No, you’re not.” He hoped his firm tone made it clear he didn’t want any argument about this.
He should have known Serena better than that. “I’m the one who brought you here,” she said. “I will pick up the tab.”
He’d had all the charity he intended to take. It was time to reassert his independence. He’d been paid after the lunch shift that day; he could take care of this modestly priced meal and put most of the rest toward his debts. “I’m paying.”
This time his determination seemed to get through. “At least let me pay for my own,” she said.
Wearing a patient smile, he spoke evenly. “Serena, I don’t lose my temper very often—I can’t even recall the last time I did so—but you’re pushing my buttons. I would like to pay for our dinner this evening.”
She subsided with a grumbled, “Damned male ego.”
“Exactly.”
“Just don’t think paying for my meal is going to get you a trip to the lake this evening.”
He had to laugh at that. “Like the man said, you can’t blame a guy for trying.”
Feeling oddly pleased with himself, he paid the waiter. After leaving a tip on the table, he accompanied Serena out of the restaurant, dodging tipsy customers and stopping a couple of times to greet acquaintances—mostly Serena’s, but a few people who recognized him from his first week at the diner. Finally outside, they took a moment to relish the relative quiet of the parking lot.
“I enjoyed the meal,” Sam said after a moment, then winced when he realized he’d spoken a bit too loudly.
Serena smiled. “It takes a few minutes to adjust, doesn’t it? It’s a wonder Chuck has any hearing left at all after being exposed to that every night.”
Speaking in his normal voice, Sam asked as they walked to the car, “So this is an average Saturday evening for you?”
“Hardly,” she answered ruefully, unlocking the doors. “This is the first time in months I’ve taken an evening to just hang out and do nothing productive. I’m usually in meetings, either with clients or newspaper employees. Or I’m trying to catch up on the newspaper business details that pile up while I’m taking care of my legal practice—or vice versa. Or I’m answering e-mail or phone messages or doing research or writing briefs or…”
“I get the picture.” He slid into the passenger’s seat and buckled the seat belt. “You know what they say about all work and no play.”
Starting the engine, she answered, “It pays the bills.”
This was not the voice of a woman who was entirely content with her life, Sam realized, studying her profile as she drove out of the parking lot. She was going through the motions, successfully keeping up with the details, but there was a hole in her life that she hadn’t been able to fill to her complete satisfaction.