Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
W ith the workshop at the hotel out of the way, and all her Christmas orders for her online shop sent out, Anna had little to keep her occupied over the following two days.
She expected Warren to get in touch and apologise, but there was no word from him, and the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she was with him.
On Christmas Eve, she dutifully went along to the Midnight Mass with her family. Squeezed between her mum and her sister on the pew, the service didn’t fill her with Christmas cheer as it usually did. Even the carols – and Carla’s out of tune and overly loud voice – did little to lift her spirits.
Waking on Christmas Day, her first instinct was to check her phone.
Disappointment at the lack of contact from Warren made her pull the duvet over her head, and it was an effort to drag herself out of bed and get ready for the day.
When she got in the car to drive over to her parents’ house, she had the fleeting idea of calling in at the hotel.
The desire to see Warren was an ache in her chest, and she was desperate to know what was really going on with him.
She didn’t believe his excuse about being busy with work. He couldn’t possibly be so busy that he couldn’t send her a message or call her. Putting the car into gear, she swallowed her emotions.
The truth, as far as she could tell, was that he just didn’t want to be with her.
She let herself dwell on that for the fifteen-minute drive to Bourton-on-the-Water. That was all the self-pity she’d allowed herself, though. She wouldn’t let him ruin Christmas Day for her.
With that sentiment ringing in her head as she pulled up in front of her parents’ house, she lifted her bag of gifts from the back seat and forced a smile.
She didn’t have to fake it for long – the sight of her parents stepping out of the house to greet her in their matching Christmas jumpers – complete with flashing lights – made her laugh out loud.
“You’re the last to arrive,” her mum said, burying her in a hug. “Lewis was just threatening to start lunch without you.”
Molly, Lewis’s border collie, came rushing out of the house to bounce around Anna, and she felt herself relax as she patted her down.
“Come in,” her dad said, waving her through the doorway. “Let’s get the party started.”
“Finally!” Lewis chimed when she walked into the kitchen. “We’re starving!”
She gave him a hug, then moved to greet Erin and Carla.
“It’s only just midday,” Anna said. “I’m not even late.”
“Lewis is just overly excited about Christmas dinner,” Erin said. “He’s been talking about it for a week.”
“It’s the best meal of the year,” he said happily as he took a seat, then waved a blue Christmas cracker at Anna.
She pulled it and made a show of teasing him when she got the bigger half.
The usual round of Christmas cracker jokes ensued, and ten minutes later they were all tucking into the turkey dinner with colourful party hats on their heads.
“When do you leave for London?” Anna asked, knowing that Lewis and Erin had plans with her family between Christmas and New Year.
“Tomorrow,” Erin replied. “We’ll have a big family dinner tomorrow evening with my sister and lots of extended family. After that, it should be very chilled out.”
“It’s good that you’ll both have a break,” their mum said. “Employing a general manager for the hotel was the best thing you ever did.”
“Is he working out okay?” Anna asked.
“He’s perfectly competent,” Lewis said with a shrug. “He’s not particularly charismatic, but he gets the job done.”
“Ivy doesn’t like him,” Carla remarked.
Lewis rolled his eyes. “Ivy’s problem is he’s doing the job she should be doing, but there’s not a lot I can do about that since she refused to take the job.”
“You can see why she’d be reluctant,” their dad said. “She has a lot on her plate.”
“It would have been perfect for her,” Lewis argued. “But she declined, so now she has to put up with the strait-laced general manager. It’s not really an issue.”
“It’s Warren who’s currently causing issues,” Erin muttered.
Lewis narrowed his eyes as he pinned her with a look. “Let’s not talk about work. You’re ruining Christmas dinner for me.”
“Is there an issue with Warren?” their dad asked, ignoring Lewis’s plea.
“Lewis is concerned he’s looking for another job,” Erin said casually.
Their mum sat up straighter. “Surely not?”
“Why would you think that?” Anna asked, unease churning in her stomach .
Lewis sighed heavily, apparently resigning himself to the conversation. “Recently, I had a word with him about the way he runs the kitchen. The atmosphere between us has been tense since then.”
“You’re his boss,” Erin pointed out. “It’s normal that sometimes you have to say things he doesn’t like.”
“But he’s a great chef. I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”
“He’s always run the kitchen in his own aggressive style.” Carla spoke with her mouth full. “Why did you have a word with him now?”
“It seemed as though things got worse.” Lewis flicked his eyes to Anna. “I heard you had to intervene to stop him from firing the entire kitchen staff on the spot.”
“That seems like a slightly exaggerated tale,” Anna said weakly.
“It wasn’t as though I really planned on having a word with him,” Lewis went on. “But it came up, so I told him I thought the kitchen could be run more efficiently.”
Carla reached for her wine. “Sounds a bit harsh.”
“I think it was fair,” Erin said. “The week before that, I’d heard him shouting when I was in the dining room. It doesn’t make it a very comfortable meal when the guests can hear the chef screaming in the kitchen.”
“To be fair, it’s unusual for him to be that loud.” Lewis shrugged. “I think he was probably just stressed about some stuff in his personal life.”
“Do you really think he’s looking for a new job?” their mum asked.
“I know he’s been headhunted by other restaurants, so he wouldn’t have a problem finding another job if he wanted to leave.”
“I can’t imagine he’d be petty enough to leave just because you said something he didn’t like,” Carla said .
Silently, Anna agreed with her, but didn’t want to get too involved in the conversation.
“I don’t think it’s only because of what I said.” Lewis had his eyes on his plate as he loaded his fork with turkey and roast potato. “I suspect it’s also to do with the Michelin review.”
“How so?” Anna asked.
Lewis chewed his food before answering. “I wonder if he thinks the Michelin review is as much as he’s going to get if he stays at the hotel. And I guess he’s secretly desperate to get a star.”
“Why can’t he get one at the hotel?” Carla asked.
“Because the Michelin stars aren’t given purely based on the chef and how well they can cook. It’s the whole dining experience.”
“So they only give them to snobby, obnoxious restaurants?” Carla asked.
“No, but I guess Warren thinks the hotel isn’t the right vibe for them. He’s convinced there’s no way we can get one.”
“He was funny about that when I mentioned it too,” Anna mused. “When we were away with his parents, I made a remark about it being on the cards and he got really grumpy about it.”
“I don’t know what’s going on with him.” Lewis reached down to stroke Molly, who lay contentedly beside his chair. “But he’s been in a weird mood recently.”
“You said the kitchen is a lot calmer though,” Erin put in.
“Yeah. He seems to have stopped throwing his weight around quite so much.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?” their mum asked.
“In theory. As long as it’s not just that he doesn’t care enough to get angry with anyone because he’s planning on leaving.”
“He’s your best friend!” Carla threw her hands up. “Just ask him what’s going on. I can ask him if you want.”
Lewis shook his head. “I’m hoping things will settle down again. And if he’s thinking of leaving, I don’t want to know about it yet. Not when we’re going to London tomorrow. I won’t be able to enjoy the time away if I know I have to find a new chef when I get back.”
“It doesn’t sound like Warren,” their dad said. “I always thought he was as loyal as they come.”
“He is,” Lewis said. “Hopefully, I’m wrong about him leaving.”
Anna’s mind was going crazy, churning everything over.
She had no clue what was going on with Warren, but she had the unshakeable feeling that his odd behaviour at work was related to her.
Or maybe the other way around… perhaps him going cold on her was something to do with his job. Maybe he was thinking of leaving.
If he’d got a job somewhere far away, that could explain his aloofness. Maybe he didn’t think it was worth starting a relationship if he was moving.
The thought made her stomach tighten, and she pushed her plate away, claiming she was full.
As the conversation shifted, Anna’s mind remained stuck on Warren.
Several times over the afternoon, she looked at her phone, hopeful that he might get in touch.
There was no contact though, and she did her best to focus on her family as they exchanged gifts, then let Carla coax them into playing a card game she’d bought for Lewis, which involved throwing beanbags at each other when a certain card was drawn.
As usual, the day ended with Anna feeling that she’d eaten far too much. Mostly too much sugar, since her mum had plied them with a seemingly endless supply of treats over the afternoon.
With the sky completely dark outside, Anna declared she was leaving fifteen minutes before she made it out of the door. The farewells felt as endless as the sweets.
“I can help,” Lewis said, picking up a bag of presents for her since she was carrying a stack of Tupperware with leftovers and even more treats.
“Everything okay with you?” he asked when she opened the boot of the car. “You seemed quiet today.”
“I’m fine,” she lied, then paused and watched her brother load her gifts into the car. “Actually, I have a question.” She hesitated long enough for him to stare at her expectantly. “I don’t want to put you in an awkward position, but it’s about Warren.”
“What about him?” Lewis asked, pushing his hands into his pockets.
“Did he have a conversation with you about me?”
“Yeah.” He frowned. “I’m not sure I’m supposed to tell you about it, though.”
She pressed her lips together, not wanting to push him into breaking a confidence, but thinking he ought to show some sibling solidarity. “I understand, but can you just tell me if you gave him any reason to think you’d have an issue with me having a relationship with him?”
“No.”
“No, you can’t tell me, or no, you didn’t say that.”
“I told him I didn’t have a problem with it.”
“So he did ask?”
“Yeah. I’m confused. You like Warren?”
She stared at him. “Yes.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Are you sure you didn’t say something to make him think you weren’t okay with it?
Because he said he wanted to talk it through with you and then he’d ask me on a date.
Except he didn’t ask me on a date, and I don’t know why.
He was vague when I spoke to him. He said he was busy with work, but I think that’s just an excuse. ”
“I didn’t realise you were interested in Warren.”
She frowned. “You used to tease me because you thought I fancied him!”
“Yes, but that was ages ago. And it was before Carla told me you weren’t over Hayden.”
“I am over Hayden.”
“Really? So you didn’t go on a date with him recently?”
“I went out with him. It wasn’t a date…”
Lewis grimaced and took a defensive step away from her.
Anna slapped a hand across her mouth as she gasped. “You didn’t? ” she growled. “Please tell me you didn’t tell Warren I went on a date with Hayden.”
He held up his palms. “He asked if I was okay with him asking you out. I told him it was none of my business, but I didn’t think you were interested because you’d been on a date with your ex.”
Anna growled.
“Sorry,” Lewis said.
“I’m not angry with you. Well, I am. But mostly I’m angry with Warren. Why the heck wouldn’t he just tell me what you’d said and check the facts?”
“Maybe because he’s a guy and was worried about his ego.”
“He should probably worry about more than his ego now.” She shook her head, then kissed Lewis’s cheek. “Have a good time in London. I’ll see you on New Year’s Eve.”
“Are you going to see Warren?”
“Yes.” She rushed around the car and opened the door.
“Remember, it’s Christmas! Go easy on him.”
“I can’t promise that,” she said, smiling as she hopped into the car.
One way or another, she was determined to get some answers. It was the most positive she’d felt all day.