Not Just for Christmas

Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

A s Erin settled herself at a table with Anna and Carla, she kept an eye out for Lewis, who’d been pulled away from them by a colleague asking him something about wine. When he returned to the lounge, he caught her eye and gave her a meaningful look before almost immediately being pulled into a conversation with an older couple who’d just arrived.

“I’m messaging Warren again,” Carla said, while she tapped manically at her phone screen.

Anna rested her elbow on the table and settled her chin on her palm. “Maybe the fact that he’s ignoring your messages might mean he doesn’t want to be on our quiz team.”

“He doesn’t get a choice. We need him.”

“I should probably point out that I might not be much help with the quiz,” Erin said. “In case you’re picking your team based on any kind of ability.”

Carla shook her head. “We picked you because you’re fun. I just want Warren because I know there’s going to be a food and drinks round. Also, because it never hurts to have a bit of eye candy at the table.”

Anna turned her nose up. “Are you serious? ”

“Yeah. I like pretty things.”

“Why do you keep messaging me?” The low voice made all of them look up.

“Hello, Warren,” Carla said sweetly. “Lovely evening to you, too.”

“Seriously.” He thrust his phone at her. “What’s this all about? And why do you think it’s okay to harass me while I’m working?”

“If you’d have replied to my first message, I wouldn’t have needed to keep bothering you,” Carla told him. “Not that it matters now. You’re here, that’s all that matters. You’re on our quiz team.”

“I’m not joining the quiz.”

“Just sit down.” Carla patted the seat beside her. “You may as well.”

“I’ve just finished my shift. Do you seriously think I want to hang around at work when I’m not working? Especially for a quiz night. Do I seem like a quiz kind of person?”

Erin caught Anna’s eye and clamped her lips together to keep from laughing at the chef’s gruff tone.

With her head cocked, Carla stared him down. “There’s a food and drinks category. Just stay and help us out with that.”

His eyebrows inched upwards, and he looked thoughtful for a moment. “All right,” he said, pulling out the chair beside Carla.

“Wait.” Carla stuck an arm out to block him. “Can you grab us drinks before you sit down?”

“I see. You just want me on your team for my foodie knowledge and so you can use me as a waiter?”

“No, I only thought of that now,” Carla told him, eyes twinkling.

“I’ll fetch your drinks on one condition,” Warren said, leaning in.

Carla pursed her lips. “What is it? ”

He wriggled his eyebrows. “I get to choose your drinks to match your personalities.”

“That should be fun.” Carla’s eyes sparkled. “We accept your terms!”

Chuckling, he walked out of the lounge, but Carla’s eyes stayed on him the whole way.

“Let’s take a quick opinion poll,” she said when she returned her attention to the table. “What do you think about me asking him out?”

“Warren?” Anna’s big brown eyes widened dramatically. “You want to ask Warren out?”

“I think he’s hot in a rough-and-ready kind of way.” Carla’s eyes sparkled even more. “Also, don’t judge me, but the other day I went in the kitchen when he was busy and he shouted at me to get out. Except it was more of a growl than a shout and the look in his eyes got my lady parts all excited.”

Anna covered her face with a hand. “I can’t believe you just said that out loud.”

“I may have a thing for angry men.” She scrunched her nose up and grinned at Erin. “Like I say, don’t judge me.”

“I think he seems nice,” Erin said, glancing behind her to check he wasn’t coming back. “A what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of person.”

“Simple?” Carla said cheekily.

Erin smiled, happy that the light-hearted conversation distracted her from thinking about the situation with Lewis. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I think he’s probably actually quite complex,” Anna said, a faraway quality to her voice.

“Warren?” Carla jutted her chin out. “Are we talking about the same person?”

Anna’s cheeks flushed. “You can’t ask him out, anyway. He’s Lewis’s best friend.”

“I don’t think there’s a law about that. And I don’t think Lewis would care.”

“Lewis would definitely care.”

Carla leaned close to her sister. “It seems as though you care,” she said teasingly.

“Why would I care? Apart from the fact that I’d get stuck in the middle of all your drama, as usual.”

“You’ve gone red.” Carla nudged her sister’s elbow, causing her chin to fall from its perch. “You want him for yourself, don’t you?”

“No!” Anna’s head darted around to check for Warren. “Can you shut up?”

“I won’t ask him out then,” Carla said. “Not for myself, anyway. I’ll ask him out for you, if you want?”

“I don’t want to go out with Warren,” Anna hissed. “Can you please not embarrass me?”

“You’d make a weird couple.” Carla’s eyes went to Warren when he walked back in. “He’s all burly and masculine, and you’re dainty and mouselike.”

“Thanks a lot,” Anna murmured.

“It’s a compliment. I like mice.”

Erin snorted a laugh at that. “Sorry,” she said when they both looked at her. “Your teasing is just so sweet and affectionate. When me and my sister tease each other, it’s mean and bitchy.”

“Carla’s mean too,” Anna insisted, then went quiet as Warren arrived back at the table and set the drinks down.

“Wine for the ladies.” He deposited a glass of white in front of Erin and Anna.

Carla glared up at him when he moved a pint in front of her. “What’s this?”

“Pint of lager,” he said flatly.

“How on earth does a pint of lager say anything about my personality?” Carla demanded. “I was expecting some fruity cocktail or a sophisticated glass of champagne…”

“A pint of lager says you are loud and crude. It’s perfectly fitting.”

She picked it up and took a long sip, while keeping her eyes on Warren. “What does your drink say about you?”

“It says I’m thirsty and I’m driving.” He picked up his Coke and tapped it against Carla’s glass at the same moment that Lewis’s voice filled the room, welcoming everyone to the quiz night.

The questions weren’t exactly high-brow and ranged from geography to literature to Disney characters. Warren was a definite asset to their team and not only with the food questions. His general knowledge made Erin slightly self-conscious about hers, but she felt as though she pitched in enough that it wasn’t embarrassing. They came third in the end, and were all enthusiastic about that.

Mostly, Erin was just happy to spend an enjoyable last evening at the hotel. After her words with Lewis earlier, she’d been concerned that she might leave on a sour note.

“I’m going to head up to bed,” she announced, fifteen minutes after the quiz had finished. Lewis seemed to be making his way to their table but kept getting caught up chatting with the other guests.

“I was just going to get more drinks,” Warren told her. “Stay for one more.”

“I have to be up early. I leave tomorrow.” She smiled at him as she stood. “What happened to you only staying for the food questions?”

“You weren’t going to do very well without me,” he said with a cocky grin. “It wouldn’t have been very gallant of me to let you struggle alone, would it?”

Erin suspected it was the banter between him and Carla that had kept him from leaving, but she refrained from voicing that opinion. The two of them had kept her amused with their playful conversations, anyway.

“I probably won’t see you again,” she said, eyes flicking between Carla and Anna. “I leave in the morning.”

“Leave your number with Lewis and I’ll message you,” Carla said as she enveloped her in a hug. “You should come back and visit. Or we’ll come for a day out in London.”

“That would be great.” She felt a little emotional as she hugged them both, then smiled at Warren.

Glancing across the room, she couldn’t see Lewis anywhere, but decided it didn’t matter. She’d see him in the morning to say goodbye and that would be that.

The heaviness she felt as she trudged up the stairs didn’t make any sense. She’d had a fantastic time – way better than she’d anticipated – so she should be grateful and not grappling with an intense sense of despair which seemed to come at her from all angles.

She was almost at her room when the sound of her name stopped her in her tracks.

“Wait a second,” Lewis said, hurrying along the corridor. “Every time I tried to come and talk to you, I got interrupted.”

“It’s fine.” She tried her best to look nonchalant as she turned to him, but suspected her emotions were written all over her face. “The quiz was great. It was a lovely atmosphere, as always.”

“Thanks.” He dismissed the compliment with a flick of his hand. “It didn’t feel great to me, though.”

“You seemed very confident as the quizmaster.”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he said, stepping closer. “I was such an idiot today.”

“It doesn’t matter. Just forget about it.”

“It matters to me,” Lewis said. “At least let me apologise properly.”

“You already apologised,” she pointed out. “And it’s not a big deal.” That felt like a lie, but she wanted to keep the conversation as light as possible. She never could deal with drama. “I can see why you took what I said the wrong way.” She paused, pondering the statement. “Kind of. Actually, not really, but we are British… very impolite to talk about money, isn’t it?”

“Look…” Lewis opened his mouth, but footsteps behind them interrupted them.

“Sorry.” Jenny winced as she passed them with a bottle of champagne and a pair of flutes in her hand.

Lewis offered her a friendly smile, then called her back at the last moment. “Where are you taking that?” he asked.

“Room fourteen,” she said, looking completely uncertain.

Lewis was beside her in two strides and took the bottle and glasses from her. “Would you mind nipping back downstairs and getting another bottle for room fourteen?”

“No,” she said in her usual nervous squeak. “I’ll do that.”

“They’ll need an ice bucket too,” Lewis called as she scuttled away.

“I forgot,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Lewis watched her walk around the corner, then turned to Erin. “I assume you can drink this quickly enough that you don’t need an ice bucket?”

“Is that your idea of an apology?” She lifted her eyebrows. “Because if it is, you’re very much forgiven.”

He gave her a sheepish smile. “I would also like to explain.”

She should allow him that, at least.

With a tap of the key card, she opened the door and he followed her inside.