Page 74 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas

“It’s more fun in summer,” he said, hopping over the gulley where the water babbled in the warmer months. Anna kept up easily as he picked his way through the rocks and shrubs until he reached a small clearing with a large tree in the middle. “This is the best climbing tree,” he said, putting a hand against the rough bark of the old oak tree.

“It looks like a good one.” Anna walked around to the other side and disappeared from view. A moment later, she peeked around the trunk, looming a foot above him. “Race you to the top,” she said, mischief flashing in her eyes.

“Whoareyou?” he muttered as he pulled himself up onto a low branch.

Near the base of the tree, the abundant branches were so close together that it was more like climbing an uneven ladder and required little effort. As soon as the branches thinned out, Anna stopped and sat on a solid branch, with an arm on the tree trunk to steady herself.

“You took your time,” she said when he stood on the branch below hers, so he was at eye level with her.

He opened his mouth to reply, but all that came out was laughter.

“I prefer it when you’re not being grumpy,” she said, smiling softly.

“Me too.” Instinct had him reaching to push the stray lock of hair from her face, but he withdrew his hand, remembering what he’d said to Lewis about only seeing her as a friend.

“Did your sister used to come here with you?” Anna asked.

He nodded and shifted his weight to lean against the trunk of the tree. “We were close when we were young. Probably until we were teenagers, and then we couldn’t stand the sight of each other. Were you the same with Lewis and Carla?”

She shook her head. “We’ve always been close. They annoy me from time to time, but I never really had the feeling that I didn’t want to be around them. They’ve always been the easiest people for me to hang out with.”

“You’re lucky.” He thought of all the family dinners and get-togethers he’d been to with her family and couldn’t help but compare them to his own family. Feeling his mood shift, he pushed the thought away. “What was your favourite thing to do when you were a kid?”

“Ice skating,” she said immediately. “I wanted to be a figure skater.”

It wasn’t difficult to imagine – she had the grace and poise of a figure skater. “What happened?”

“I wasn’t very good.”

“Really?”

“I’m not being modest. I wasgoodat skating, just notgood enough.” She paused. “I used to make Lewis skate with me. I’d make up elaborate routines.”

“I’ll bet he loved that.”

“I think he secretly did. He was really good. It was annoying.”

“We should go skating in Bath tomorrow,” he said, liking the idea of gliding round the rink with her.

“Can you skate?”

“Yeah. I played hockey as a kid – so I have speed, but not a lot of finesse.”

Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “That’s probably not something to brag about!”

“I’ll be honest,” he said, chuckling. “When you dragged me out here, I didn’t imagine sexual innuendo in a tree.”

Her smile was glorious. “No, you expected me to complain that I was cold and my feet hurt.”

“Exactly.”

She bunched her shoulders up. “I’m freezing.”

“Let’s head back,” he said cheerfully. “I have an idea of how to warm up.”

If he really thought about it, he’d probably conclude that he should avoid spending time in the hot tub with his best friend’s sister.

So he decidednotto think about it.