Warren went straight to the food storage, wanting to check again that everything was organised for the weekend so the rest of the staff should be able to manage easily without him. For his regular day off, they kept the menu simple, and they managed fine. That was always a Monday, though, when therestaurant wasn’t busy. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a weekend off.
“Hi,” the quiet voice said, interrupting his thoughts and startling him too.
It took him a moment to register how unusual it was for Anna to come into the kitchen. Then it dawned on him why she’d tracked him down there.
“Oh, no!” He raised a hand to his face as though he could block her out. “No, I’m not doing it. Please don’t ask.” He could say no to her sister all day long, but with her delicate features and the constant shimmer of vulnerability in her eyes, Anna was a different matter entirely.
“Please,” she said, dragging his hand away to look him in the eyes. “I’m desperate.”
“If you don’t want to see your ex at the party, just don’t go,” he suggested.
“I considered that. But we have the same friendship group, and I don’t want to miss out on events because of him.”
Warren exhaled a long breath, already resigning himself to the fact that he’d be going to this Christmas party. Given the fact that his boss was her brother, he couldn’t use work as an excuse to get out of it.
“I had an idea,” she said, the pleading note in her voice hitting right at his core.
“What is it?” he asked hesitantly.
“I could be your buffer.”
He screwed up his features. “What?”
“When your parents are here. Like Carla suggested.”
“I don’t need a buffer.” That was a lie. He definitely needed a buffer.
“You’re worried about it, though, aren’t you? I don’t know what the situation is, but I know families can be difficult…”
He almost laughed at that, since she was probably the lastperson who would understand how difficult families could be. Her family was perfect, as far as he could tell.
“Having a third party around always makes things easier,” she went on, tucking her dark hair behind her ears. “People behave better with someone else there. Also, your parents will ask me questions about my life, which will take the focus off you. It’ll be less intense.”
Annoyingly, she made some solid points. It would be easier if someone else were around. “You’d really come for dinner with my parents?” Given how painfully shy she was around new people, he was surprised at her volunteering.
“Free dinner, right?” she said sheepishly. “Parents always like me, too.”
He rubbed a hand across his forehead. Anna was exactly the sort of person his parents would approve of. She was beautiful and graceful. On top of that, she was intelligent, but also mild-mannered. If she had a degree and were more career-minded, his parents would think she was absolutely perfect.
“You really are desperate for a date to your party, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” She interlocked her fingers and pressed her knuckles against her chin. “Please will you come?”
He sighed dramatically. “I’d have to check with Lewis about taking the night off.”
“He already said it’s fine,” she told him, her eyes sparkling as she beamed. “You can tell your parents I’m your girlfriend if you want. It’s not as though they visit often, is it? Or you can just introduce me as your friend. Whatever you want.”
Warren smiled, not sure he’d ever heard Anna talk so much. “I’ll think about it,” he said. “Now go away and let me work.”
“Okay. Thank you.” She turned to leave, then swung back around. “When is the thing with your parents?”
“They arrive tomorrow afternoon.”
“So I’ll have dinner with you tomorrow night? How long arethey staying? It’s just dinner, right? Because I’m busy on Saturday. I need to be up early so I won’t be able to stay too late tomorrow night.”
“You were the one who wanted to make a deal,” he said, amused. “Now you suddenly have a load of terms?”
She winced. “It is just dinner, isn’t it?”
