Page 40 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas

“It doesn’t matter either way,” he said. “It just would’ve been nice to know.”

“I wasn’t trying to make him jealous. I didn’t really think that would be possible.” Her eyes flicked across to her group of friends. She swallowed hard when her attention shifted back to Warren. “How come you came back?”

“You have my car key.”

“Oh.” Her eyes widened, and she took her handbag from her shoulder. “Yeah, I do.”

“Couldn’t get far without that,” he said, shoving it into his pocket. “It’s a good job I came back, anyway. Did you really think I’d taken the waitress’s phone number?”

Slowly, she nodded. “Obviously, you’re free to chat up whoever you want. It would just be better if you didn’t do it in front of my friends, since they really believe you’re my boyfriend.”

He blew out a breath. “Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I should never have lied to my friends. This whole charade is ridiculous.”

“I think we did an excellent job of convincing them,” he said, smiling at her.

“A bit too good. It might have been better if youhadtaken the waitress’s number. At least that would save me from having to make up an excuse about why we broke up.”

“You could just wait a couple of weeks and then tell themyou had to dump me because the sex was too good… claim you couldn’t focus on anything else and it was messing up your life.”

She snorted a laugh and called him an idiot.

“So am I forgiven for speaking to the waitress?”

“I wasn’t annoyed with you for speaking to her,” she protested. “Just for making me look even more pathetic in front of my friends.”

“I don’t think any of them think you’re pathetic,” he said and meant it.

“Sorry they all turned on you.”

“You’re smirking,” he said. “Which makes me think you’re not really sorry at all.”

“It was just quite funny now that I think about it.”

He rolled his eyes, then shrugged his coat off and slung it over the back of the nearest chair.

“I thought you were leaving,” Anna said, but thankfully didn’t look concerned that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“I can’t leave now.” He slipped his fingers into hers. “Your friends think I upset you. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t stay and make it up to you?”

“They know it was a misunderstanding,” she said.

He arched an eyebrow. “Are you going to dance with me or not?”

A slow smile spread over her face. “Go on, then.”

Chapter Seventeen

When they danced, Warren wasn’t gentle with her like Hayden had been, but swirled and twirled her until her cheeks ached from laughing.

Finally, as the music switched to a slower pace, she flopped against his chest.

“I think they’ll all be satisfied that you stayed to cheer me up,” she said, resting her cheek on his shoulder as they swayed with the music.

“You’re a terrible dancer,” he said into her hair.

“Yeah. That makes two of us.” She laughed when he poked her side, then grabbed his hand to adopt a proper dancing stance.