Epilogue #2
Warren should probably have fought his case harder, but he’d never got over his issue of not being able to say no to Anna.
Something he should probably rectify to avoid getting himself into situations like this one – driving down to his parents’ place on a Friday afternoon and feeling as though there was hot lava inside him, waiting to erupt.
After the week he’d had, there was no way he’d be able to deal with his parents calmly. He was even struggling not to snap at Anna, and she was the one person who could never normally get under his skin.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her words slicing through the tension in the car.
“Yes,” he said tightly, the first time he’d spoken in an hour.
“You’re very quiet.”
He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “It’s been a stressful week.”
“Why?”
He shrugged, wondering how she hadn’t noticed he’d had a tricky week. “It’s just been a little disappointing. A Michelin star should be a highlight of my career, but I guess it feels pretty underwhelming.”
“You always said you didn’t even care about getting one.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I didn’t care about not getting one!” he fumed. “Getting one is quite a big deal. It would be nice if people would acknowledge that.”
“Sorry,” she whispered. “But you’ve spent the last year telling everyone you didn’t care either way, so maybe that’s the problem.”
“Surely you know how much it means to me?” A lump formed in his throat as his ribs squeezed his lungs. “ You know how hard I’ve worked for this. It would be nice if you were proud of me.”
“I am.” Her voice sounded brittle, and he wished he’d kept his emotions bottled up, but after a week of doing that, he seemed to have reached his limit. “Of course I’m proud of you.”
“I don’t understand why you thought it was a good idea to meet up with my parents.”
“Because they’re really proud of you…”
“Of course they are! Now that I have a Michelin star for them to brag about. But I’m not interested in celebrating with the people who only care about the big achievements.”
“I’m sorry. I thought it would be nice.”
“Whatever.” He shook his head and rummaged in the centre console for the fob for the automatic gates as they came into view. “I’ll just drink a lot and ignore them. My usual plan. ”
“Warren.” Anna put her hand on his arm. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
This was a spectacularly bad idea.
Anna’s heart was beating so furiously that it felt as though it might burst out of her chest. The atmosphere in the car had been stifling since the moment they set off, and as Warren parked under the security light in the driveway, the tension hung around him like fog.
“Why is the house so dark?” She craned her neck to look up, but there wasn’t a single light on in the house.
“I guess they’re not here yet,” Warren said, switching off the engine.
“They said they’d be here from lunchtime.” She checked her watch. “It’s seven o’clock. What time are we going to eat if they’re not even here yet? Also, do you have a key?”
“Yes. I have a key.” He peered out into the darkness. “I’ll call Mum.”
He didn’t speak much during the conversation, and Anna couldn’t make out anything Jen was saying. After a few grunts from Warren, he ended the call.
“They’re not here,” he said, pulling on the door handle and stepping out of the car.
“What time will they arrive?” Anna asked frantically, trying to keep up with him as he grabbed their bags and strode to the front door.
“Tomorrow,” he said. “Lunchtime.”
“What?” Anna’s eyes widened. “Why?”
“Because apparently you arranged to have dinner with them on Saturday and not Friday.”
“No!” Anna stood close beside him on the doorstep. “I said Friday. Definitely. I know I said Friday. ”
“It doesn’t matter now,” he said, walking inside. “They’re not here. It doesn’t make much difference who messed up the plans.”
“Sorry,” Anna said, her insides tied in knots as they walked through the grand entrance hall, which looked stark and barren without a Christmas tree dominating the space. “Maybe it’s a good thing,” she suggested quietly. “You didn’t want to have dinner with them, anyway.”
He threw his keys on the table, dropped their bags, and headed down the hall. Halfway to the kitchen, he swung back to her, his eyes filled with rage.
“Maybe it would be a good thing if they genuinely got the days mixed up, but I think we both know there will have been some work thing that came up.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Anna murmured, but he spoke over her.
“At least their behaviour isn’t surprising,” he shouted. “What really gets to me is your mum didn’t even bother to call me. And I had one lousy message from Carla, who apparently thinks some random dogs are more important than celebrating with me.”
“Warren,” Anna said, tears filling her eyes, which she had no control over.
“No!” he snapped. “You can’t make this okay. Carla should have called me! And your brother, ” he fumed. “It’s like he went on a quest to find the cheapest bottle of champagne he could find!”
“Yes,” she said, her hands shaking from the adrenaline rush. “I think that’s exactly what he did.”
Warren looked as though he was about to continue his rant, then registered her words. His forehead creased. “What?”
“I think he purposely bought you terrible champagne.”
Warren stared at her as she moved past him. The door was already ajar, but she pushed it wider and stuck her hand around the corner to flick on the lights.
“Surprise,” she said weakly.
It didn’t quite go as planned. There was a stunned silence as Warren stepped into the doorway, only broken by Josh jumping out in front of him.
“Surprise, Uncle Warren!” he shouted, arms stretched out. “Well done on your star.”
“What’s going on?” Warren put a hand over his mouth as his eyes scanned the room, decorated with a star theme and filled with all his friends and family.
“Do you know what the best thing about this is?” Carla said loudly, waving her phone in her hand as she moved beside Anna.
“I started recording the moment I heard the front door open, so I have that entire rant recorded.” Her eyes flashed with mirth.
“Now, just for a laugh, let’s try that entrance again…
” She flicked the lights off and counted down from three before hitting the switch again.
This time, ‘surprise’ rang out in a loud chorus as the room flooded with light.
Warren looked at Anna. “You had this planned the whole time?”
She only nodded in reply before Liam and the rest of the kitchen crew jumped around Warren, congratulating each other raucously.
Then he got caught up with everyone else – Edie, and Ivy, his family, and Anna’s family. She watched him move around, looking slightly stunned and very emotional.
By the time he made his way back to her, he was more on the emotional side.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, lifting her off the floor as he swept her up in a tight hug.
“That was the worst car journey I’ve ever been on,” she said, snuggling into his neck. “Of course I’m proud of you! ”
“That’s quite clear now.” His forehead wrinkled deeply. “I shouldn’t have shouted.”
“You were upset.”
“I still shouldn’t have shouted.”
She pulled back to look him in the eyes. “You shout when you’re emotional. I don’t particularly like it, but I’d never want you to hide your emotions because you think I can’t handle it.”
He rubbed his nose against hers. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Carla appeared beside them and cleared her throat loudly.
Warren winced as he looked at her. “I’m sorry about my rant.”
“I was really touched,” Carla said with a hand at her chest. “Of everyone to disappoint you this week, mine hurt you the most!”
“I was so annoyed that you didn’t call,” he said, his cheeks flushing.
“Mum and I were under strict instructions not to call you,” Carla explained. “Anna thought we’d let it slip about the party.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “It was really horrible not calling to congratulate you.”
He looped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “What happened with your dog sitting job?”
“There wasn’t one. We made that up.”
“What about you?” Warren called to Lewis, who hovered nearby. “I thought you were supposed to be in Spain.”
“You got a Michelin star!” Lewis said. “We cancelled the trip.”
Warren hung his head. “All that stuff you were saying about the Michelin star causing more work…”
“It was so hard to keep a straight face.” He rolled his eyes. “Those Michelin stars are such a problem!”
“And the champagne!” Warren said, beaming.
“I thought I’d gone too far there. I almost cracked up laughing at your look of disgust when you pulled it out of the bag.”
“I hate you all!” Warren growled as he pulled Lewis into a hug.
“I spent most of the week feeling as though I was about to have a cardiac event,” Anna said when he draped his arm around her shoulders. “This is the last time I ever throw a surprise party.”
“We only have one Michelin star so far,” Warren said cheekily. “When we get the second and third, I’ll be expecting the same thing then.”
“You can have a party. Just without the surprise element. My nerves can’t take it.”
Warren kissed her forehead, and the tender gesture made all the stress worthwhile.
As he drew away from her, his eyes shot to Lewis. “Who the heck is taking care of the restaurant tonight?”
Lewis shrugged. “It’s closed for the night.”
“You’re not serious?” Warren’s eyes bulged. “You closed the restaurant?”
“Only for one night. Given the circumstances, I’m sure people will understand. I offered vouchers to anyone with a reservation.”
“What about the hotel guests? What are they supposed to do?”
Lewis laughed. “Liam made a batch of soup and sandwiches for anyone who’s desperate, but they can also go elsewhere to eat.”
“That’s a really bad way to run a business,” Warren said, shaking his head mockingly. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”
“No. I’ve absolutely no idea.” Lewis’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “What about you?”
Warren shook his head. “I’m winging it. ”
As her family moved away, Anna looped her arms around Warren’s waist and rested her head against his chest. “You’ve done a really great job of fooling everyone,” she teased.
“Even your parents are convinced you’re great at your job.
” Lifting her head, she gazed up at him.
“Your mum is over the moon, you know. And your dad. Not just because they get to brag. They’re genuinely happy for you. ”
“I know,” he said grudgingly, then cast a quick glance to where his parents were chatting with Edie. “Where’s everyone staying, by the way?”
“Some people are staying here, some in a hotel. Your mum and Lewis organised all that.”
“Everyone went to a lot of effort.”
“Because they’re all very proud of you.”
He sighed and drew her closer, looking deep into her eyes. “Explain to me how I got so lucky.”
Warmth pooled in her stomach, knowing he wasn’t only referring to career achievements, or to the bustle of friends and family around them. Over the last few months, their relationship had flourished, and every day she marvelled at how right it felt.
As the sound of their family’s laughter drifted around them, she pressed her lips to his.
“I think I got pretty lucky, too.”