Page 25 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas

“Are you going with Warren?”

“He’s driving me home,” Anna said impatiently.

“Okay.” Ivy held her hands up in a defensive gesture.

“It’s not what you think. We’re just friends.”

Ivy nodded. “Is he okay?”

“I think he had an argument with his dad. I’m sure he’ll be fine once he cools off.”

“I’ll talk to you soon,” Ivy said, moving along the bar to the customer, who was trying to get her attention.

Anna tugged her coat on as she walked through the hotel and put her hat on as she stepped out into the cold.

Warren pulled the car away as soon as she got in, and neither of them spoke until they were outside her place.

“Are you okay?” she asked, unclipping her seatbelt.

“Yeah.” He leaned onto the steering wheel. “Sorry about before.”

“I’m not sure it’s me you owe an apology to.”

“They’re used to me,” he said absently.

“Doesn’t mean it’s okay.”

His gaze slid to her, and he arched a lone eyebrow.

“You can probably hold off on feeling bad about that for this evening,” she said, wincing.

A flicker of amusement crossed his features. “Thanks for dragging meout of there.”

“What are fake girlfriends for?” She smiled softly. “Frannie completely believed you’re my boyfriend, by the way.”

“My parents also think you’re my girlfriend. You even got invited on a family holiday.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry, it’s not happening. They really like you, though.”

“I hope that won’t end up being awkward for you. Sorry for kissing you in front of them.”

“I don’t see why it will be awkward. It’s not as though I see much of them.”

“Will you see them tomorrow before they leave?”

He shook his head. “No. They’ll head off straight after breakfast and I’ll be back at work, thank goodness.”

“Maybe you should ask them to call in at the hotel – clear the air if you won’t see them for a while.”

“No.” He looked at her fondly. “We’re not that kind of family. If we argue, nobody cares about clearing the air. We ignore each other, and the next time we see each other, we pretend it never happened.”

“That doesn’t sound like a great system.”

“It works for us.” He shifted in his seat. “What’s the plan for the party next weekend?”

“Are you sure you want to come?”