Page 129 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas

Anna wasn’t sure if the rate at which she’d gotten used to waking up with Warren was a good thing or not, but she missed him when she rolled over the following morning to find the other side of her bed empty. When she’d left Carla’s flat late in the evening, she’d been tempted to go to Warren’s place but had decided that a night apart wouldn’t do any harm.

When he called her an hour after she woke, she smiled at the sound of his voice and didn’t hesitate to agree when he invited himself over for breakfast. After that, he’d go with her to view the shop.

“How’s Carla?” he asked, peeling his coat off after greeting her with a kiss.

“She’s fine.”

He followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. “What’s going on with her?”

Anna sank onto a chair at the table by the window. “She’s just been working a lot. She’s tired. And I feel kind of bad that I’ve been so caught up with my life that I didn’t check how she was doing.”

“But she’s okay?”

Anna nodded. “Yeah. But let’s not talk about Carla.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. “Mostly because every time we talk about my sister, it involves you saying how annoying she is, and I don’t really feel like listening to that today.” She’d meant to sound jokey, but the words came out full of bitterness. “Sorry,” she whispered.

He moved to sit on the other side of the small table. “I’m very fond of Carla,” he said slowly. “And I’d hate to think that I’ve done something to upset her.”

“Why would you think you’ve upset her?”

“I just got the impression that maybe whatever is going on with her is something to do with me. A while ago you accused me of flirting with her, so now I’m wondering if she also thought I was flirting with her…”

“No.”

“So I didn’t accidentally lead her on or anything like that? I always thought we were friends with good banter.”

“I think that’s exactly what you are. And I know you’re fond of her, but she’s upset, and that makes me upset.”

“But it’s nothing to do with me?”

She gave a one-shouldered shrug.

He swore under his breath. “That time she called me about the spider… was there more to that request, and it went completely over my head?”

“I’m not supposed to talk to you about it.”

“Right.” He nodded, looking thoughtful. “When she called, I’d just got home from work, and it had been a stressful shift. I was kind of mean to her.”

Anna nodded too. “I think you definitely killed any romantic notions she had towards you.”

“Well, now I feel terrible.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “What should I do?”

“Nothing.”

“Should I apologise?”

“No! I wasn’t supposed to tell you any of this. Pretend you don’t know anything. Besides, I really don’t think it’s an issue now. I guess she’s just been reflecting on the year and her life, and she’s stressing that she’s lacking direction. She thinks Lewis and I have our lives all figured out, and she feels left behind or something. I think it’s more about that than anything to do with you.”

“Okay.” He reached over and took her hand. “Should I stop teasing her?”

“No. Don’t act differently around her or she’ll know I said something to you. She’ll be mortified… and then she’ll be furious with me. Just carry on as normal.”

“All right.” He squeezed her hand. “What do you want for breakfast? We should hurry up so we’re not late for the viewing.”

“Sit down,” she said when he got up. “I’m going to cook for you for a change.”