Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
A t the top of the stairs, Anna looked over the banister at the commotion around the Christmas tree in the entrance hall.
“They get dressed up for dinner,” she murmured, her eyes darting from Warren’s mum in a body-hugging black dress to his dad, who wore a three-piece suit.
Selena looked as though she might be off to some high-end nightclub in her silver, floor-length cocktail dress.
“I am so underdressed,” she said to Warren out of the corner of her mouth.
“Why didn’t you tell me jeans were inappropriate? ”
“You’re not underdressed,” he replied. “It’s definitely them who are inappropriately dressed.”
“Are we going out?” Anna asked in a panic. “I thought we were just having dinner at home.”
“That’s what I thought too. I’m fairly sure that’s what’s happening.”
“Do they usually get so dressed up for dinner at home?”
He shook his head. “No, this is over the top, even for them.”
“I feel like a street urchin,” she hissed. It was ridiculous though – five minutes ago she’d been happy with her jeans and soft cashmere sweater.
“Don’t worry about it,” Warren said, placing a hand at the small of her back to encourage her on.
“There you are,” Jen said when she spotted them. “I’ve got you an early Christmas present, Warren.” She sashayed across the room and plucked a suit bag from the back of a cupboard door.
“A suit?” Warren said flatly.
“I hope it fits.” His mum handed it over. “Go and try it on quickly.”
He curled his lip. “Why are you all so dressed up?”
“I thought we’d get a family photo since we’re all here. Go and pop that on.”
Warren opened his mouth, then glanced at Anna and closed it again with a tight smile. He moved to a chair at the side of the room and laid the bag over it before undoing the zip.
“Don’t get dressed here,” Selena said, rolling her eyes. “Go to your room like a normal person.”
Amusement flashed in his eyes as he pulled his hoodie over his head, his T–shirt briefly rising with it. “To save us from arguing, I’ll wear the shirt.” He pulled it from the bag and ripped off the tag.
“It’s an expensive suit,” Jen said. “Please put it on.”
“No,” Warren said, slipping his arms into the shirt.
His dad stood beside a shiny mahogany console table with a glass of whisky in his hand. “For once in your life, can you not be so stubborn and just do as your mother asks?”
“No,” Warren replied calmly. “I’m a grown man. You don’t get to dress me up so you can pretend to your friends that we’re some normal, happy family. I’ll wear the shirt, or I won’t be in your photo at all. Your call.”
With her eyes darting between family members, irritation had Anna’s heart rate increasing. “ Hi, ” she said pointedly, since they seemed to have forgotten about greetings .
“Hello.” Jen swept over and gave Anna a brief hug. “How are you?” she asked, as though this entire situation was normal.
“Fine.” Anna tried to catch Warren’s eye, but he was buttoning up his shirt and didn’t seem at all bothered that his parents hadn’t even said hello to him.
“Can you at least put the jacket on over the shirt?” Jen said.
The noisy arrival of a small boy thundering down the stairs saved him from answering. A lithe young woman with curly brown hair followed him, yammering away in Spanish.
“Uncle Warren!” the boy shouted, launching himself at Warren from the third step. He caught him effortlessly and pretended to choke when the kid hugged him tightly around his neck.
“How are you, Joshie?” he asked.
“Good. Can you throw me?”
“No!” Selena snapped. “He’s not going to…No! Warren! Don’t even–” She cut herself off with a gasp as Warren put his hands under Josh’s armpits and launched him straight up in the air.
It wasn’t only Selena who gasped, but everyone in the entranceway. Seeing how high he’d thrown him, Anna slapped a hand over her face, covering her eyes. She opened them again at the sound of a high-pitched giggle.
“Do it again?” Josh demanded in Warren’s arms.
“Don’t you dare!” Selena said, marching over to them. “How many times have I told you he’s not a rag doll? You can’t just throw him.”
“I didn’t just throw him,” Warren said, making a face at Josh as he set him down. “I also caught him. He loves it.”
“It’s fun!” Josh said, tipping his head back to grin at Warren.
“It’s messed your hair up,” Selena said. “Tamara, have you got a comb?”
The nanny produced one from her back pocket and got to work on his gelled hair, which still looked perfectly styled to Anna.
Bemused by the whole scene, she was taken aback when Jen put a hand on her arm.
“We won’t be long with the photo. If you want to wait in the kitchen, Rachel will pour you a drink.” Without waiting for a response, she waltzed over to a camera on a tripod facing the Christmas tree. “Warren, will you please put the jacket on?”
Ignoring her completely, he flashed Anna a reassuring smile. “Told you it was best not to be totally sober.”
“Is it always like this?” Anna whispered.
“Yeah. Some version of this madness, anyway.”
“Who’s Rachel?”
“The cook.” He glanced behind him as his mum told him to move and stand beside his dad. “Go get a drink,” Warren said, backing away. “At least one of us can escape this circus.”
For a moment, Anna watched Jen direct them all into position, while also giving Tamara directions about the camera. Since Tamara only responded in Spanish, it was hard to know what she made of it all, but she seemed to take it in her stride.
Leaving the noise behind, Anna strolled along the hall to the kitchen.
“It smells amazing in here,” she said to the tall woman with her hair tied back in a French twist.
“Thank you.” She turned from whatever she was stirring on the hob. “Veal with creamed cauliflower, roasted vegetables and mushroom sauce.”
“That sounds delicious.”
“I hope so. You must be Warren’s girlfriend.” She wiped her hand on her apron before extending it to Anna. “I’m Rachel.”
“Anna,” she replied, deciding not to comment on whether she was Warren’s girlfriend.
“Can I pour you a drink?”
“Wine would be lovely, please. ”
“Red or white?” She went to the table, set with a white tablecloth and gleaming silver cutlery. Decanters of red and white wine sat in the table’s centre, and every place setting had wine and water glasses.
Anna opted for white and was a little gobsmacked when Rachel poured her a taster glass.
“If it’s not dry enough for you, I can open another,” she remarked while Anna swilled the wine in her mouth and wondered who in their right mind would ask for something different when they were a guest in someone’s house.
“It’s lovely,” she said, handing the glass back to be topped up.
When Rachel drifted back to the kitchen, Anna moved to the window and spotted a flutter of snowflakes illuminated by the outdoor lights.
She was still there when Warren came to stand beside her five minutes later.
“It fits you well,” Anna remarked, eyes raking over his new shirt while her lips curled to an appreciative smile.
“I like it,” he said. “But don’t tell my mum that.”
“Your secret is safe with me. Did your mum get the photo she wanted?”
“I think so.” He turned away when his dad asked him what wine he wanted, then the two of them launched into a surprisingly earnest conversation about the best wines to serve with veal.
“I forgot you have to do wine pairings for work,” she remarked when they all moved to take their seats. “Are you secretly a bit of a connoisseur?”
“I don’t think it’s a secret,” he said, taking the place beside her.
“Do you like it?”
“Wine?” He looked confused. “Yes. ”
“No, I mean, do you enjoy choosing the wines at the restaurant? Is it a part of your job that you enjoy?”
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I love it. Wine is part of the experience for the guests. Choosing the perfect wine to complement the meal feels like a challenge.”
“I want to sit next to Warren!” Josh shouted.
“Your seat is over here,” Selena said, standing behind the chair with a booster seat on it. “Come and sit down.”
“No! I want to sit next to Uncle Warren.”
“Here,” Jen said, giving up her chair for him. “He can sit here.”
“Mum!” Selena hissed. “He needs to learn that he can’t get his own way all the time.”
“Maybe, but I’d also like to eat while the food is still hot and not have to listen to Josh scream the house down.” Jen tipped her head at her daughter. “Choose your battles.”
“Fine.” She took the booster seat to him and helped him onto it. When her phone rang, she pulled it from her back pocket. “I’ll just be a minute,” she said before striding from the room with the phone at her ear.
Rachel discreetly set bowls of soup in front of them, and there was no mention of waiting for Selena to return – they all tucked in.
“How’s work?” Dennis asked, eyes on Anna. “Have you done any more markets?”
“Yes. There was one on Saturday.” She ran her spoon through her soup, waiting for it to cool. “It went well. And I did a private wreath-making workshop, which ended up bringing in a lot of sales to my online shop, so I’ve been busy fulfilling those orders.”
He nodded, but his attention was on his phone, which lit up beside his bowl. While tapping on the screen, his brow wrinkled. “Carl thinks we should accept five percent less,” he said to Jen.
“Of course he does.” Jen replied, her tone clipped. “Carl always prefers to play it safe, but I guarantee if we sit tight, they’ll come around to our terms in the end.”
With no idea what they were talking about, Anna looked at Warren.
“The soup’s good,” he said, nodding at her bowl and subtly reminding her to eat. Then he turned to his nephew. “How’s school going, Joshie?”
“Good.”
“What’s your teacher’s name?”
“Mrs Clarke. She’s the bestest teacher in the whole world.”
“Wow. You got very lucky then. Have you got lots of friends?”
“Yes.” He excitedly listed them and then happily chatted away while his grandparents continued their conversation about business at the other end of the table.
Selena returned when they were in the middle of the main course and took the seat on the other side of Josh.
“Eat the vegetables,” she said to him. “Not just the meat.”
“I don’t have to,” he replied with his mouth full.
“You do if you want dessert,” she said, reaching for her wine.
Josh shook his head. “I have to eat one piece of everything, and I already ate one piece of carrot and one piece of potato.”
“You have to eat it all,” Selena said, the muscles in her jaw tightening.
“No, I don’t. Tamara says I only have to eat one piece of something if I don’t like it.”
“Eat your vegetables,” Selena said. “And don’t argue.”
His eyes flashed with defiance, and he opened his mouth, but Warren leaned close to him and spoke quietly.
“Do you know what I do if I don’t like something?” he said. “I eat that first, and I eat it quickly. Then it’s over and done with and you can enjoy the rest of your food. ”
Josh looked thoughtful for a moment, then began stuffing vegetables into his mouth.
“Not so fast,” Selena admonished before releasing a sigh and making a start on her own dinner.
Since his parents had paused their conversation to eat, Anna smiled over at them. “I’m surprised you didn’t get Warren to cook.”
Jen frowned. “It’s good for him to have a break.”
“Yes, but you must also enjoy taking advantage of his culinary talents from time to time.”
Warren pushed his empty plate away and shifted in his seat. “It’s always good to have someone cook for me for a change. And Rachel’s an excellent cook.”
Anna glanced around, but the cook was nowhere to be seen.
The shrill ring of Dennis’s phone filled the air. “That’s Carl,” he said, then took another mouthful of food before pushing his chair back and answering the phone as he left the room.
“Carl thinks we should accept the offer,” Jen said to Selena.
Selena choked. “We absolutely should not.”
“That’s what I said.”
Shaking her head, Selena set her napkin beside her plate and stood. “Dad better not be considering it.”
“I already told him we should hold firm.” She smiled across the table as she stood. “This deal was supposed to be tied up last week,” she said and rolled her eyes before following her daughter out of the room.
A moment later, Tamara scuttled in as though she’d been loitering while she waited for the family to leave. Taking a seat, her eyes sparkled as she spoke to Josh in rapid Spanish. Whatever she said made him giggle before he continued eating his meat.
Anna’s gaze went to Warren. “Don’t you ever cook for your family? ”
“No.”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t have a chance to say any more before he stood and went to retrieve the desserts, which Rachel was dishing up.
“Apple pie and custard,” he said, setting the steaming bowls in front of Anna and Josh before going back for his own.
“Is Tamara not allowed to eat with the family?” Anna asked quietly.
“I’m fairly sure she’s allowed to,” Warren said, plunging his spoon into his bowl. “I think she chooses not to.”
Tamara said something to Josh, who then looked up at Anna. “She likes to eat later.”
“I don’t blame her,” Anna said dryly, and assumed from the amused twitch of Tamara’s lips that she could understand everything they said.
Tamara continued chatting to Josh while he ate – her speaking Spanish and him responding in English.
“I have to go for a bath now,” he announced when Tamara flicked the crumbs from his mouth with a napkin. “Then it’s story time. We’re in the middle of a pirate story, and there’s a very funny parrot who can talk.”
“What book is it?” Anna asked as he climbed down from the chair.
“It’s not a book. Tamara makes up stories. They’re the best stories in the world.” He grinned at them as Tamara led him away by the hand. “Goodnight!”
“Night,” they responded in unison.
“Are your parents coming back?” Anna asked, looking at the plates which still had food on them.
“I doubt it,” he said, taking their dishes to the kitchen and loading them into the dishwasher.
“Leave it,” Rachel growled when he went back for the rest of the dishes at the table. He raised his hands and exchanged an amused look with Anna. “Thanks for dinner,” he called across the room. “It was delicious.”
“You’re welcome,” Rachel replied.
Warren picked up the decanter of wine from the table and tipped his head along the hall. “It’s comfier in the library.”