Page 26 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas

“I didn’t think I had a choice.”

“You have a choice.” After being worried that he might back out, she was wondering if it was really a good idea to have him there. “I won’t hold you to it if you don’t want to come.”

“Don’t you want me to come?”

“I do. But I also feel bad about lying to my friends.”

“I feel as though I should come, otherwise I will be forever in your debt.”

“Why?” she asked, with a bemused grin.

“Because you helped me out with my parents.”

“I didn’t really do anything.”

He frowned. “Am I coming on Saturday or not?”

Closing her eyes, she had an image of Hayden flirting with his latest girlfriend and felt slightly nauseous. “Yes, please. Is it okay if you pick me up? If you drive there, you can drive back whenever you feel like it. I’ll stay the night and come home on Sunday.”

“Fine by me. Just let me know what time I should pick you up.”

“I’ll message you.” She smiled before exiting the car.

With a busy week ahead, she hoped to avoid too much overthinking about the party.

And with any luck, with Warren there, she might even enjoy herself.

Chapter Ten

Not so long ago, Warren couldn’t go a day without seeing Lewis around the hotel, but with the new general manager, Lewis spent far more time away from the place. Apparently, having his girlfriend living with him made home a more appealing place to spend his time.

It was Wednesday before Warren saw him. He’d been in the office all morning, so Warren took him a plate of food once the restaurant quietened down after lunch.

“Thanks,” Lewis said, looking up from the computer. “I lost track of time.”

“You’re welcome,” Warren said, sliding the plate onto the desk and setting cutlery beside it. “How’s everything?”

“Good. Just catching up on admin.” He set the keyboard aside and moved the plate in front of him. “How are things with you?”

“Fine.” He flopped onto the couch.

“How was it with your parents?”

“I survived.”

“I heard you took Anna out for dinner with them.”

“Yeah. I was going to talk to you about that. It was her idea.In return, I’m supposed to pretend to be her boyfriend at that Christmas party.” He’d mentioned it to Lewis in passing to check it was okay for him to have the night off, but they hadn’t talked about it beyond that.

“I still can’t believe she got you to agree to that. It’s good you’re going though,” he said, popping a chip into his mouth.

“Is it?” Warren was secretly looking forward to it, but had been a little apprehensive about Lewis’s thoughts on him posing as his sister’s boyfriend.

“The breakup with Hayden hit her pretty hard, and at one point I was worried she might cut off all of her friends to avoid seeing him.”

“What’s he like?” Warren asked, not sure what Anna’s type would be.

Lewis seemed to mull it over. “I always liked him. He’s one of those people who can chat to anyone. Easy to get on with. I don’t know exactly what happened when they broke up. Anna didn’t talk about it much, but she was devastated. I always suspected he might have been seeing someone else, but I don’t know for sure.”