Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
W arren was on dangerous ground. Taking Anna along for his family getaway was madness. If he’d thought for a moment she’d agree to it, he’d never have suggested it. But he had suggested it – albeit jokingly – and she’d agreed so quickly she’d left him speechless.
She’d only offered to come along for moral support, though. They were friends who’d been helping each other out recently, that was all. It wasn’t a big deal.
It was hard to say whether he was relieved or frustrated that Lewis hadn’t come into work at all over the weekend.
Maybe it would be good to get the conversation out of the way, but putting it off wasn’t so bad either.
Especially as he kept thinking Anna might call and say she’d changed her mind about joining his family trip.
On Tuesday, when Lewis wandered into the hotel kitchen, Warren felt his guts twist at the sight of his best friend.
“Was everything okay here over the weekend?” Lewis asked.
“All good.” Warren wiped his hands on a cloth. “Got time for a chat? ”
“Yeah. I was actually going to ask if you fancy grabbing a drink when you’ve finished here?”
“Great. I shouldn’t be too much longer.”
“Come and find me in the office when you’re ready.”
An hour later they were making idle conversation in the pub down the road, while Lewis’s border collie, Molly, snoozed by the fire in front of them.
“By the way, how did it go with Anna and her party?” Lewis asked when they were halfway down their second beers. “If my family’s reports are correct, it went well, but I haven’t spoken to Anna.”
“It was good,” Warren said.
“Did you actually pretend to be her boyfriend?”
“Yes.” He fought a smile as he recalled the evening at the hotel.
“Was Hayden there?”
“Yeah. And I don’t think he was overly impressed by my presence.”
“Did he say something?”
“No, but I definitely got jealous vibes.”
“Sounds like a successful evening.”
“Yep.” Warren sank back in his chair and pulled his chin to his chest. “I ended up staying over, by the way.”
From the flicker of amusement in Lewis’s eyes, Warren would swear he was enjoying watching Warren squirm.
“Stayed over at the hotel with my sister?” he asked.
“I slept on the floor,” Warren said quickly. It didn’t feel necessary to disclose that that was only the beginning of the night.
“Glad to hear it.”
Irritatingly, Warren couldn’t make out if Lewis’s words were serious or mocking. He scratched his forehead. “I also wanted to mention something else… it’s a bit weird… ”
“Weirder than you spending the night in a hotel room with my little sister?”
“A bit, yeah.” He hesitated. “Anna’s going to come on a family trip with me.”
The way Lewis’s eyes bulged was comical. “You’re going to need to explain that one.”
“Anna found out I was avoiding a family trip and she was pestering me to go, so I jokingly said she’d need to come with me.”
“Where is this trip?” Lewis asked.
“Just near Bath. And only two nights. I think Anna was keen on a shopping trip, and my mum was enticing her by telling her how nice the house is.”
Lewis responded with a slow nod.
“Anyway,” Warren said. “It’s next week, but just at the beginning of the week, so it won’t be a problem with the kitchen.
Liam already agreed to work the Tuesday for me.
” He sat up straighter. “That’s okay, right?
You said the rest of the kitchen staff should be able to take on more responsibility when I’m not here… ”
“Yeah. Of course.” His lips twitched as though he wanted to say more and was trying to figure out how to word it. “Is there something going on between you and Anna?” he finally asked.
“No.” It was a good thing he wasn’t hooked up to a lie detector because his heart rate went wild. He shook his head and wondered if the action was a little too forceful. “No,” he said again.
“Really?”
“Yeah. We’re just friends.”
“It’s kind of strange that she agreed to go away with your family.”
Warren shifted in his seat. “It was her idea. I didn’t want to go at all. I’d already told my mum I wasn’t going, but Anna insisted I should spend more time with my family. It is a bit of an odd situation.”
“I didn’t mean it was weird for her to go with you… I meant it’s strange that she wants to.”
“Tell me about it,” Warren said, rolling his eyes. “If you’d met my family, you’d realise just how strange it is.”
“No.” Lewis chuckled. “I was commenting on the fact that Anna doesn’t enjoy doing stuff like that. When she was with Hayden, she’d get nervous about going to his family gatherings, so I’m surprised she’s volunteering to go with you. You should be careful…”
“How do you mean?”
“Maybe on your side it’s just a friendship thing, but it might not be for her.”
Warren’s heart rate sped up even more. “I don’t think so, but if it’s an issue, I can cancel the trip. It’s not a big deal.”
“I wasn’t saying it’s an issue. It’s fine. I just don’t want things to get awkward for either of you, but it’s also nothing to do with me. Don’t tell her I said anything.”
“I won’t, but I also don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“I’m not worried.” He reached down to stroke Molly, then finished his beer. “Shall I get another round?”
“Okay.” Warren checked his watch as Lewis headed to the bar, surprised by him suggesting more drinks. “It’s a late night for you, isn’t it?” he remarked jokily when Lewis returned.
Lewis chuckled, but otherwise didn’t reply.
“How’s everything with you and Erin?” Warren asked.
“Good.” He shrugged. “Yeah. Fine. Why?”
“No reason, just asking. But your reply has me concerned. You didn’t sound too sure there. Are you avoiding going home, by any chance?”
“Kind of.” He blew out a breath. “But not because there’s any big problem. ”
“What then?”
He scratched the bridge of his nose. “I think I might be a bit of a clingy boyfriend.”
Warren couldn’t help but smile. When Lewis glared at him he raised his hands and schooled his features back to a more serious expression. “Explain,” he prompted.
“It’s just that Erin’s always busy. When she moved here she made a real effort to meet people and make friends. She joined different clubs and classes – yoga and art stuff and whatever else took her fancy.”
“So she has a hectic social life and you sit at home waiting for her to have time for you?”
“No.” He shook his head but didn’t look convincing.
“Well, it’s not quite like that. But her being busy draws attention to the fact that I’m not.
I used to spend all my time at the hotel.
Now that I’m not there so much, I’m not always sure what to do with myself.
I walk Molly, and I spend more time with my dad these days, which is nice. ”
He looked thoughtful. “When the weather was better I was doing some fishing trips with old school friends, but sometimes I feel as though I should have more of a social life.”
“So you’re just hanging out with me this evening to tick a box?”
“No!” Lewis grinned. “But we also don’t hang out much these days. We should go for drinks more often.”
“It’s because we always used to hang out at work and now you’re never around.”
“Exactly. We need to get into new habits. Go for a drink once a week or something.”
“I’d love to,” Warren said, a mischievous smile pulling at his lips. “The problem is I work long hours for my demanding boss.”
Stretching out his leg, Lewis kicked him, causing Molly’s ears to prick up as she lifted her head to check what was going on. She sank back onto her paws when she decided they weren’t about to get into a fight.
“I hope he at least pays you well,” Lewis joked.
“I can’t complain.”
“We’ll hang out more,” Lewis said, then took a sip of his pint. “It’s good that you’re taking the time off next week, too. It’ll be nice for you to spend more time with your family.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Warren replied, but wasn’t dreading the family get together like he usually would.
In fact, he was looking forward to it.
Which was worrying, since his anticipation for the trip had absolutely nothing to do with spending time with his family.
And everything to do with Anna.