Page 34 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas

“No,” Warren told her. “I’ve moved on to raving about how great her decorations are.” He tipped his head at the wreath in the centre of the table.

“They do look great,” Frannie agreed. “I know you getannoyed about your boss messing you about with your hours, but it’s so good that you had the time to do all this.”

“Maybe it’s time you quit and set up your own shop,” Warren suggested, flashing her a knowing look.

“Are you still thinking about that?” Hayden asked, catching her eye across the table.

“Not really.”

“Liar,” Warren said, grinning.

“I’m not lying!” She glared at him with mock outrage.

“I reckon it’s time you stopped kidding yourself and turned yourideainto a plan.”

His reference to their previous conversation amused her, and she couldn’t help but grin at him.

“Urgh!” Kylie groaned. “You already have your own private jokes. How sickening!”

“Sorry,” Anna said, laughing at the way Warren continued to stare at her with a silly smirk on his face. Finally, she nudged his leg and told him to stop it.

“You’d be great with your own shop,” he said, his voice turning serious as he reached for her hand, entwining their fingers in her lap.

“Keep telling her that,” Frannie said. “She doesn’t listen to me.”

“What do you do?” Dev asked Warren, redirecting the conversation.

Once he’d talked about his job for a while, he asked what everyone else did for a living.

It kept the attention pleasantly away from Anna. She tried to focus on the conversation, which included a lot of banter, but mostly her mind was on Warren’s hand, which remained resting in her lap until the food arrived.

Only then did he untangle their fingers. As he flashed her a quick smile, she felt a wave of gratitude that he’dagreed to come with her, and that he seemed to know exactly how to put her at ease.

Maybe it was also because Hayden hadn’t brought a date, or maybe it was the alcohol, but as the conversation flowed around her, she found herself relaxing far more quickly than usual.

Chapter Fourteen

Having Warren beside her felt like a shield. The anxiety Anna normally felt at an event like this was drastically diminished. On top of that, she was having so much fun with him that she forgot to think about her complicated feelings for Hayden.

Which meant she was entirely unprepared when she walked out of the ladies’ and almost collided with her ex.

“Hi,” Hayden said brightly.

“Hi.” Tension gathered in her shoulders as the usual discomfort she felt around him crept back in. “Are you having a good night?”

“Yeah. It’s great.”

She smiled limply and was about to walk around him when he spoke again.

“Warren seems nice.”

“He is.” Her lips pulled into a genuine smile. “He’s great.” He’d slotted easily into their little group, which was impressive given how long the rest of them had known each other.

“You seem happy.” His gaze held hers with an intensity that made her uncomfortable. “Are you?” he asked softly.

She swallowed hard, hating him for asking her that now. For years, she’d been miserable, and he hadn’t cared. Or he hadn’t seemed to, anyway. Maybe hehadfelt some guilt, and it would be a relief for him to see her happy. Part of her didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

She reminded herself that the whole point of bringing Warren was to make everyone think she’d finally moved on.