Chapter 53
Chapter Fifty-Three
T he few teasing messages from Carla over the course of the evening reassured Anna that her sister was fine, and not upset by her and Warren skipping out on the party.
Once Warren left for work on New Year’s Day, Anna’s plan was to spend the rest of the day lazing around her flat. Maybe she’d meet Warren at the end of his shift if she felt like getting out of her flat.
When her phone lit up with a call from Ivy early in the evening, she answered it with a smile.
They hadn’t properly caught up since she and Warren had got together, and she assumed Ivy was keen to get information from the source.
The thought of filling Ivy in gave her a thrill as she swiped at the screen.
“I need you at the hotel,” she said. The panicked edge in her voice put Anna on high alert.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing yet, but I’m fairly sure I’m about to have a problem with Warren, and you’re the only person who can deal with him when he flies off the handle.”
“What’s going on?” Given the mood Warren had been in when he left her bed that morning, she couldn’t imagine there was much that would rile him up today.
“His parents are here,” Ivy said.
Anna’s eyes widened. Maybe there wasn’t much that would rile him up, but she had little doubt that his parents could manage it.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Warren is in the kitchen and his parents are eating in the restaurant. He doesn’t know, but if he glances into the restaurant, I imagine there’s going to be an issue. From what Carla has told me recently, I guess it might not be a joyful family reunion.”
“Oh, wow,” Anna breathed.
“They’re staying at the hotel,” Ivy said in a rush. “They checked in earlier, and I didn’t think much about the surname. I assumed I’d know if his parents had booked in for a stay, but his mum just let it drop that their son is the chef and they’re here to surprise him.”
“That’s not good.”
“No,” Ivy agreed. “They insisted I keep quiet until they’d eaten, but I really don’t want to be the one to tell him they’re here.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“Please can you get here quickly? I’m slightly hungover, and I can’t cope with drama.”
“I’ll come,” Anna said, already off the couch. “Try to keep Warren in the dark until I get there.”
Fifteen minutes later, she strode into the hotel dining room. She gave Ivy a quick smile and made a beeline for Dennis and Jen.
“Hello!” Jen placed her napkin on the table and rose to greet Anna. “We’re on a secret mission,” she said, her silly grin causing Anna to wonder how much wine she’d drunk .
“Warren doesn’t know you’re here?”
“Not yet. We don’t want to disturb him while he’s busy.”
Dennis raised his hand to beckon Ivy over, then told her to bring an extra chair for Anna.
“How long are you here for?” Anna asked while shooting Ivy an apologetic glance.
Jen took her seat again. “Just tonight.”
“Not much happening with the business on the first day of the year,” Dennis added. “So we thought we’d come and check out the place our son has devoted all his attention to.”
“The hotel is gorgeous,” Jen said. “Warren didn’t mention that the place was so upmarket.”
“And you never thought to look into the place he worked?” Anna muttered, annoyed that they were probably about to wreak havoc on the sense of harmony she’d been living in.
“Our room is lovely,” Jen crooned.
“And the food? ” Anna asked, her jaw tight as she loomed over them. “Did you already eat?”
“It was very good,” Jen said.
“Yes,” Dennis agreed. “That tasting menu isn’t bad at all.”
“Oh, my god.” Anna dropped her chin to her chest as she sighed. “Warren’s food is amazing.”
“That’s what we said.” Dennis straightened his tie. “It really was decent.”
“No!” Anna spat, aware of Ivy hovering beside her with a chair.
“Those aren’t compliments. When you speak to Warren, say the food was fantastic.
Do not say that it’s not bad, or decent, or any other mediocre adjectives.
You can say delicious, incredible, mouthwatering…
You should say he’s talented and that you’re proud of him. Do you understand?”
Dennis swilled his wine, with an amused glint in his eyes. “Feisty, this one, isn’t she?” he said to Ivy.
“Apparently so,” Ivy replied, chuckling .
Anna’s gaze swept the busy room – lots of guests were on starters, some partway through the main course.
“I take it things are busy in the kitchen?” Anna asked Ivy.
“Yeah. I imagine it’ll be another hour before things calm down.”
“In that case, why don’t we move to the lounge and have a drink there?” she said to Warren’s parents. The suggestion was firm enough that it sounded more like instructions, but Dennis and Jen smiled approvingly.
Ivy told them there’d be a staff member in the lounge to take their drink order. Then she patted Anna’s arm and mouthed her thanks before moving away.
In the lounge, Dennis ordered a bottle of wine. When it arrived, Anna felt a jolt of panic at the thought of spending an hour making small talk with them. Hopefully, the dinner rush might be over sooner than Ivy predicted.
For a while, they talked about the hotel and the area. With the neutral conversation and the wine, Anna stayed relatively relaxed. Until Dennis shifted the conversation, asking about her work, then she felt herself tense up.
“It’s a very quiet time of year,” she said, the words feeling practiced. “But after the Christmas rush, it’s good to take a break. I’ll start back at the flower shop later in January.”
“And what about that idea of expanding to having your own physical shop?” Dennis asked. “Have you thought any more about that?”
She froze, pondering what to say. Part of her was tempted to brush the subject aside, but there was also a part of her that was desperate to chat it through.
Dennis and Jen probably weren’t the right people to talk to. Yes, they were business people, but on a very different scale than anything she aspired to.
“I viewed potential premises a few days ago,” she said, the urge to talk winning out .
“How exciting,” Jen said, sitting forward in her chair. “How did it go?”
“Fine,” she said weakly.
Dennis frowned. “The building wasn’t suitable?”
“It was,” Anna said. “It was actually perfect, but I just didn’t feel much when I looked around it. I thought I’d be excited, but it left me feeling flat. Maybe it was just overwhelming – I’m not sure.”
“Perhaps it just wasn’t the right place,” Dennis suggested. “You’re absolutely right to trust your gut on these matters.”
“The first place you look at is unlikely to be the right one,” Jen said. “You may have to view lots of places before you find one that ticks all the boxes.”
“Yeah.” Anna bit her lip. Maybe she should leave it at that…
“It wasn’t just the building though,” she added after a pause. “I started getting into the business plan, and it felt all wrong.”
“In what way?” Dennis asked.
“I don’t want to do it,” she said, a lump forming in her throat.
“The idea has been floating around my head for ages, but the reality of it just depresses me. If I expand the business, so much of my time will be spent doing things I don’t like.
There’d be heaps more paperwork, and I’d need to employ at least one person, probably two.
Managing people fills me with dread. And doing those things means less time doing the things I enjoy. ”
She realised she was talking a lot, but apparently after bottling it all up, she now couldn’t stop.
“I like working for someone else. I get to do the job I enjoy without all the responsibility that comes with being the owner. And even though my boss can be a little annoying, overall it works out well because I have time for my online shop, and for any craft markets and workshops I want to do. Things are pretty perfect as they are, so I’m not sure why I’m thinking of changing them. ”
She swiped at the corners of her eyes to catch the stray tears while cursing her lack of composure .
“I’m probably being daft,” she said to fill the silence. “I’ll look at it again in a few weeks, and I’ll probably feel differently.”
“I suspect you’ll feel exactly the same,” Dennis said calmly. “If you don’t have the drive and ambition, it probably won’t work out well. Expanding your business will mean putting in a lot more hours. If you’re not willing to do that…”
“I’m not afraid of working hard,” she said quickly.
“That’s not what I meant,” Dennis said, a smile teasing his lips. “I only meant that you have to give it your all.”
He cast a glance at his wife, which seemed to express some private meaning. “I always wanted Warren to join the family business,” he said slowly. “Partly because I’d like to work with my son, but partly because I thought he’d be very good at the job.”
He shifted in his seat and shook his head.
“I’m starting to see that having a head for business isn’t enough – your heart has to be in it, too.
Warren has done well with his cooking because he gives it his all.
He wouldn’t do that for the family business because it’s not what he’s passionate about.
He’s followed his own path, and I think that’s admirable. ”
Anna’s jaw had gone slack as she stared at Dennis. “He has done very well for himself,” she muttered.
“I think it’s the same with your business,” he went on.
“If you’re happy with the way things are – and you’re financially stable – maybe it’s best to stick with that.
At least for now. I can’t imagine you’ll change your mind in a matter of weeks, but maybe in a few years you’ll feel differently.
Or not,” he added and reached for his wine.
“Yes,” Anna said, and took a swig of her own wine. In the ensuing silence, she glanced around the room. “Maybe I’ll see if things are slowing down in the kitchen.”