Walking into the warmth of the restaurant, she pulled her shoulders back and corrected her posture. Tempted as she’d been to back out when Warren had given her the opportunity, she didn’t want to risk giving him a reason not to uphold his end of the deal.
It was just one evening, and the one good thing about spending so much of her life awash with nerves was that she was also adept at hiding them.
She stepped aside to let Warren pass. He headed for the smartly dressed couple in a booth at the side of the room.
Anna tugged her gloves off and unwound her scarf while he greeted his parents with quick, perfunctory hugs. After the snippets he’d told her about his family, she was intrigued to meet them. And to find out more aboutWarren, too.
It was actually weird how little she knew about him, considering he felt like part of the family half the time.
“I brought a friend,” Warren said, when his mum looked quizzically at Anna. “Sorry, I forgot to mention it earlier.”
“He didn’t forget at all,” Anna said smoothly. “I only invited myself half an hour ago. I hope you don’t mind, but he said you were visiting, and I was dying to meet you.”
“How lovely.” His mum offered a bemused smile. “I’m Jen.”
Anna introduced herself as she shook her hand, then did the same with his dad.
“It’s always good to meet Warren’s friends,” Dennis said amiably.
Anna caught Warren’s eye roll, but not the words he muttered under his breath. While his parents slid back into their seats, Warren took her coat and hung it with his own at the end of the booth. He motioned for her to sit, then slid onto the bench beside her.
“It’s lovely and cosy in here,” she said, rubbing her hands for warmth as she glanced around the room. “It only opened a couple of months ago, and I kept thinking I should try it. I’ve heard good things about the food.”
“It’s nice and convenient for our hotel,” Jen said.
Anna nodded vaguely, choosing not to ask why they weren’t staying at Lewis’s hotel. “Is it your first time in the Cotswolds?”
“We’ve been before, but not for years and not to this part.” Jen smiled. “It’s good to have an excuse now that Warren is here.”
Except he’d been living there for years. Again, Anna held her tongue.
“How do you two know each other?” Dennis asked.
“I’m Lewis’s sister,” Anna said.
“Oh.” His mum pinched her lips together, then opened her mouth to speak before Warren cut her off.
“Lewisis my boss at the hotel.”
“Ah.” They both nodded their understanding, but Anna could have sworn they really weren’t much wiser about the situation.
“So your brother is the manager of the hotel?” Dennis asked.
“He’s the owner,” Anna replied.
Dennis’s eyebrows rose. “That’s impressive.”
“Yes.” She chose not to disclose exactly how Lewis had acquired the hotel, deciding they probably wouldn’t be impressed to find it involved a healthy dose of luck. “He’s done very well for himself. But he always says it’s partly because of his brilliant staff.” She shot Warren a glance and smiled.
“You still enjoy working there?” Jen asked Warren.
He nodded. “I love it.”
“And what doyoudo?” Dennis asked, eyes on Anna.
“I work part-time at a florist’s.”
The conversation was interrupted by the waitress coming to take their drinks order, and then by their focusing on the menu to decide what they wanted to eat. A quick glance at Warren told Anna he wasn’t concentrating on the menu, despite having his eyes fixed on it.
