Page 55 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas

“How do you mean?”

“Did you kiss him?”

Anna’s stomach fluttered with butterflies. “Yes.”

“Oh.” Her hat moved down when she wrinkled her forehead. “I didn’t imagine you taking the pretend thing that far.”

“Do you have a problem with that?” Anna asked hesitantly.

She pulled her hat off and smoothed down her brown hair, a few shades lighter than Anna’s. “Why would I have a problem with it?”

“You just seem uncomfortable with the idea of me having feelings for Warren.”

“I’m surprised, that’s all. Do you think he likes you?”

“I don’t know. Frannie and Kylie think so. They said he was doing too good of a job of pretending. But I’m not so sure.” She paused. “You don’t have a crush on him, do you?”

“Oh, my god!” She stuck her tongue out. “Don’t be gross. Of course I don’t. He’s completely grumpy and annoying. Why would you even ask that?”

“I don’t know… I just…” She gave a jerky shake of her head. “Did you really call him one night to ask him to remove a spider from your flat?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Why did you callhim?”

“Because Lewis was away, Dad was already in bed, and Mum told me not to be so pathetic. You would have been next on my list, but I assumed you’d be asleep, what with it being ten o’clock at night.” She grinned cheekily. Then her eyes widened. “Oh mygosh, why did you think I called him? As some weird booty call? That’s not what he thought, is it?”

“No. He didn’t think that. He was only laughing about how scared you are of spiders. It just sounded odd that you’d called him, but it makes more sense if you tried other people first.”

“Warren definitely wasn’t my first choice of exterminator,” she said, plucking her hat from the table as she stood abruptly. “Let’s walk while we finish our drinks. I said I wouldn’t be long.”

Anna smiled as she fell into step beside her. “You know it’s really pathetic that you had to call someone because of a daddy longlegs in your flat.”

“It wasn’t a daddy longlegs!” she insisted, slightly high-pitched. “It was a massive thing. Like maybe someone’s pet tarantula escaped.”

“Really?” Anna asked sceptically.

“No. Not really.” Carla gave her arm a shove. “But it was a nasty, black, hairy thing, and I was worried it might attack me in my sleep like that massive spider from The Hobbit. I didn’t want to end up cocooned in its web.”

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” Anna beamed, partly at her sister’s tendency to make a drama out of everything and partly because she was no longer concerned that Carla would have a problem with her pursuing Warren.

Now, all she was concerned about was when she’d see him next.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The festive decorations in Chipping Campden kept a smile on Anna’s face – and her nerves at bay – as she ambled along the main street later that day. Sadly, spotting Warren approaching his car outside the hotel wiped out her Christmas cheer.

When his gaze snagged on her, he paused with one foot in the car. “I’m not sure you could look less pleased to see me,” he said lightly.

“Sorry.” She shook her head, pulling herself together. “I was upset to see youleaving.I was hoping I might catch you.”

“Me specifically?” he asked with a grin. “Or someone to cook for you?”

“Specifically, you to cook for me.” She’d also been hoping to coax him into having a drink at the hotel bar with her after his shift, but apparently she hadn’t timed it well. “I assumed the restaurant would still be open.”

“It is, but it’s quiet, so I thought I’d head out early. Liam’s still there and will no doubt rustle you something up.”

“I didn’t think you trusted Liam to leave him in charge of the kitchen unless absolutely necessary,” she teased.