Page 136 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas
“Thanks. I was just about to set off.”
“Carla was concerned you may have just made a sneaky exit from the festivities.”
“Tempting as that is, I really did plan on coming back.” She cocked her head. “Did you speak to Lewis?”
“Yes.” He followed her into the living room and took a seat on the couch.
“And?” She picked up her coat, which was draped over the armchair.
“He was fine about it.”
“I told you he would be. What did he say?”
He leaned his head back and chuckled. “He wasn’t surprised.”
“Really?”
“He knew all along.”
“What?” Anna dropped onto the couch beside him. “How?”
“I think the major clue was after my interview, when he called my previous employer and found that I hadn’t actually been the head chef there.”
Anna pressed her lips together and swallowed her laughter. “I’m surprised he never mentioned that to anyone.”
“I was definitely worried about nothing. Lewis really doesn’t see it as an issue.”
“Good. Now you can relax and enjoy the party tonight.”
“Yeah.” He put a hand on her knee when she made to get up. “What was going on with you today? You didn’t seem very happy earlier.”
“The business plan was stressing me out. I hate this kind of thing.”
“It’d be worth it in the end.”
“Maybe.”
“I can help you with it next week if you want. I’ll have some time off.”
“Thanks.” She patted his knee. “We should get going.”
“Should we?” he said, sinking further into the couch cushions.
“It’s New Year’s Eve. We can’t miss the party.”
“I don’t really see why not.”
Anna felt a tingle of excitement at the prospect of skipping the party and staying home and cosy. “I don’t know,” she said, torn. “I told Carla I’d go back, and I’m still kind of worried about her.”
“Carla’s fine. I spoke to her before.”
“What did you say?” Anna asked, jutting her chin out.
“Nothing.” He raised his hands. “I was nice.”
“Oh, great. So now she knows I said something to you.”
His shoulders shook as he laughed. “Why is me being nice to Carla so shocking to everyone? I’m always nice.”
