Page 73 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas

“What?”

“Let’s go for a walk. You can show me all your favourite places.”

He pulled his sleeve back to check his watch. “We have time to drive into Bath and do some shopping if you want.”

“I’d rather go for a walk.”

“It’s freezing.”

“What do you want to do, then?” she asked impatiently. Shewas trying to make things easier for him, and he seemed determined to hinder her attempts.

He smiled properly then.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s just surprising when you get annoyed.”

“I get annoyed a lot.”

“You don’t show it a lot.”

She shook her head. “What do you want to do this afternoon?”

“We can go for a walk,” he said in a way that sounded as though he was doing her a favour. “Just don’t complain that you’re freezing and have inappropriate footwear.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” she said mockingly.

It took about ten minutes of walking for Warren’s anger to dissipate. Annoyingly, it wasn’t just his family who’d got under his skin. His irritation had spilled over to Anna too, since it was her who’d encouraged him to come.

Because ofher,he’d even looked forward to it.

Now, crunching over the frosty grass, he cast a discreet glance at Anna with her rosy cheeks and her dark hair poking out from beneath her grey bobble hat.

His family would never change, and there was really no point in being frustrated that they’d put work first yet again. What he should do was make sure Anna had a good time.

“Sorry for being grumpy before,” he said, as they tramped steadily down into the valley.

“You’re forgiven,” she said without missing a beat.

Amusement took the last of his bad mood. “That’s big of you.”

“I don’t tend to hold grudges.”

“I was expecting you to question what I was talking about, or say you hadn’t noticed me being grumpy.”

Her eyes sparkled as she cast him a sidelong glance. “It would have been pretty difficult not to notice.”

“I wasn’t that bad.”

“You were pretty bad, but you apologised, so let’s forget it.” She pulled a strand of hair that had flicked into her mouth. “Show me which trees we’re climbing.”

A laugh escaped him. “We’re climbing trees?”

“Yes.” She beamed. “We’re reliving your childhood. Unless you think you’re not up to it?”

His eyes trailed over her, taking in her skin-tight jeans and sturdy knee-high boots. “I thinkI’llmanage,” he said, pushing a branch out of the way at the edge of the woods.

The scent of pine hit him as they followed the familiar path through the trees. A few minutes later, they reached the dried-up stream.