Page 61 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas

“It won’t happen,” he said. “So, no, I don’t feel any pressure over it. I just feel awkward that other people think it will happen.Your brother seems to have his hopes up, and I think he’ll be disappointed.”

“I guess Lewis just has more faith in your cooking than you do.”

He looked suddenly weary. “That’s probably true.”

When he tucked into his dinner, Anna had the feeling she’d said the wrong thing – not only because of his sudden silence, but because the mood had shifted.

And not in a good way.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Despite the slightly tense atmosphere, dinner was over far too quickly. Anna pushed her bowl away and leaned back in her chair, considering how to get Warren to relax again, and how to draw the evening out. If they were at her place, it would be easier – she could offer dessert and suggest a drink, but here she should probably just follow Warren’s lead. He’d been working all day, so maybe he was tired and wanted his space. That might be why he’d clammed up on her.

“That was delicious, thank you,” she said when he took the empty bowls to the sink.

“You’re welcome.” He turned the tap on and reached for the washing-up liquid. When his phone buzzed on the counter a moment later, he craned his neck to check the display, then muttered a curse.

“Everything okay?” Anna asked.

“It’s just my mum. I can call her back later.”

“I can help…” Hopping out of the chair, she picked up the phone and swiped to answer it before moving it to his ear.

The look on his face made her flinch. So much for lifting his mood.

“What did you do?” he grumbled, pulling away from the phone.

“Answered for you,” she whispered. “Since your hands are wet.”

“That wasn’t–” He cut himself off as a quiet voice emanated from the phone. “Hang on a sec, Mum.” He sighed as he wiped his hands on a tea towel, then took the phone from Anna and said hello into the phone. “We’re just eating dinner. I’ll call you back later.”

Whatever his mum said made Warren frown and rub at his temple. “Yeah, I’m with Anna. I’ll tell her you said hi.” He sat back down at the table, giving Anna a weary look while he listened to his mum. “Fine,” he finally said, then moved the phone from his ear and tapped the screen before setting it on the table. “You’re on speaker.”

“Hi, Anna!” his mum said cheerfully.

“Hello.” Anna sank onto the chair opposite Warren and leaned towards the phone. “How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you. Sorry to disturb your dinner…”

Anna flashed Warren a look, and he threw his hands up, then jabbed a finger at her in a gesture that she couldn’t decipher but which made her want to laugh.

“I just wanted to say again how lovely it was to meet you,” Jen went on. “Also, I don’t know if Warren mentioned our upcoming trip to Bath. I told him to invite you.”

“I didn’t invite her,” Warren said impatiently. “I already told you I can’t make it, so why would I invite Anna?”

“I thought you might change your mind. It’d be lovely if you came with us. You haven’t joined a family trip in forever.”

Warren rubbed the back of his neck. “I have to work.”

“Can’t you take a couple of days off? We’ll be there for the week, but you could just come for as long as you can manage. Selena would like to see you, and it’d be good for you to spend some time with Joshie.”

“It’s a busy time at work,” he said. “I’ll visit in the new year as usual.”

“Just think about it. Maybe Anna would like a nice festive break in Bath. It’s lovely at this time of year. You could do some Christmas shopping.”

“I haven’t been to Bath in ages,” Anna said, then stifled a laugh at Warren’s menacing glare.

“It’s beautiful,” Jen said. “The house is just outside of Bath. In the countryside – lovely and peaceful. We always go for a little break before Christmas. It’s a family tradition. Warren hasn’t joined us there for years, though. Have you even been since the hot tub was installed?”