Page 112 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas

He’d disappeared after the introduction of the workshop, and she hadn’t seen him since. Presumably, he was in the kitchen since the wait staff had been busy taking trays of food to the lounge for the guests to enjoy after the workshop.

After packing everything up and saying farewell to the stragglers of the group, she ventured over to peer in the window of the kitchen door. She frowned at the sight of Warren at the back of the kitchen, working with Ivy’s little girl beside him.

After making it all the way across the kitchen without them noticing, she was right beside them and listening to them chatter about the ingredients when Warren whipped his head to her.

“Don’t sneak up on us. We’re already panicking about the health inspector catching us. I was just telling Poppy that if someone official looking comes in, she has to lie about her age and pretend that she’s officially employed here.”

“I have to say I’m sixteen,” Poppy said, giggling. “And my name is Sue the chef.”

“Not Sue the chef!” Warren’s eyes lit with delight. “The sous chef.It’s a type of chef. I’m the head chef and you’re my sous chef.”

Poppy looked confused, and Warren ruffled her hair in amusement. “Never mind. From now on you’ll be Sue the chef.”

Anna smiled lightly. “I’m not sure you’ll pass for sixteen.”

“We have a backup plan,” Warren said.

Poppy cracked another egg into the bowl. “We’ll give them lots of cookies and ask them not to tell anyone.”

“Bribery seems like a more realistic plan.” Anna eyed the mixture as Warren nudged Poppy to turn on the mixer.

“How was the workshop?” he asked over the noise of it.

“It went really well.”

He nodded. “It seemed like it from what I saw.”

“Thank you for the pep talk.”

“You’re welcome. I think you’d have been fine without the pep talk, though.”

Her stomach fluttered as she thought of the way he’d kissed her. After spending the last few days wondering where the heck she stood with him, the kiss had been reassuring.

“Do you have time to grab lunch with me once you’ve finished your baking?” she asked quietly.

The uncertainty in his eyes quashed any reassurance she’d previously felt.

“I said I’d take Poppy out to the shops quickly when we’re done here. She wants to choose a Christmas present for Ivy.”

“I’m going to surprise Mummy with it,” Poppy said.

“She’ll love that.” It crossed Anna’s mind to say she could tag along with them, but hesitated, hoping Warren might suggest it.

“After that, I’ll be busy here again,” he said.

“Okay.” If that hadn’t felt like enough of a brush off, he then turned his back on her to help Poppy move the cookie dough onto the work surface.

“Warren?” Anna said when it seemed he was intent on pretending she wasn’t there.

“Yeah?”

“I’m confused. I don’t know what’s going on in your head.”

The twitch of his cheek told her he didn’t want to have this conversation.

“Can you roll it out?” he said to Poppy before taking a few steps away with Anna. “I’m just busy with work at the moment. Next week should be quieter.”

“And when work is quieter, will you want to spend time with me? It’s hard to tell.”