Page 114 of Culinary Chaos

Angelica frowned at her. “Who?”

“Eva…” Hope trailed off, looking directly into Angelica’s eyes. “I’m glad she does.”

Angelica smiled, genuinely, as she crossed her legs and waited for Rex to tell them they were ready to start this scene. She wasn’t exactly sure what to say, so she went with the truth. “I enjoy her.”

“That’s good. Isn’t it?”

“Yes, Hope. It’s good.”

“Sometimes I worry she’s too much like me…” Hope stared down at the table before flicking her gaze up to meet Angelica’s, a blush to her cheeks. Was she embarrassed about something?

“How so?”

“Impulsive.”

Angelica laughed heartily for a few seconds before she rolled her eyes and schooled the smile on her lips. “Well, I don’t think anyone would argue that, about either of you.”

Chapter

Thirty-Seven

Hope pressed the button on her mic pack before she stepped out the back door and slipped into the alley. She had her phone pressed to her ear. She hadn’t wanted to take the call, but she honestly couldn’t ignore Mary any longer.

“Hey. We’re in the middle of shooting. I can’t really talk right now.”

“I know. Can you manage to get away?”

“For a few minutes.” Hope rubbed her lips together nervously. “What’s up?”

“I’ve looked into getting you a new show and breaking the contract.” Mary didn’t sound overly optimistic which put Hope deeper into the mood she’d already found herself in. What the hell was she doing here anyway? Everything about being in LA with Angelica had set her off on a downward spiral she hadn’t been expecting.

“And?” Hope asked, tired of waiting.

“It’s going to be rough. I can get you a new show, if you want. There’s several that are looking to cast. That’s not the issue.” Mary paused, again.

Hope wanted to growl and scream, but she somehow managed to hold it in. Though she wasn’t entirely sure how. She leaned against the brick wall and closed her eyes, waiting for Mary to start up again.

“It’s the contract.”

“I can’t get out of it?”

“Not unless production releases you from it.”

“Perfect,” Hope muttered, wincing. “They won’t let me out of that, I’m sure. Not without an actual reason other thanI don’t want to do this job anymore.”

“You got it, hon.” Mary tapped her nails against her desk, the tap-tap-tap echoing through the phone. “I can still work my magic and try to get you out of the contract if you’d like, but I want to know for sure that you want out before I do that. Because if they don’t let you out?—”

“It could make the next two years really rough.”

“If you’re lucky, that’s all it’ll be.” Mary sighed. “So take some time and think about it, all right? I want you to be sure that this is what you want. You’ve only been on the job a few months now. You might change your mind when you’re not locked into tiny spaces with the Ice Fairy.”

Hope frowned. “Ice Fairy?”

“Isn’t that what they call Angelica Shields?”

“Yeah but…” Hope clicked her tongue before continuing, “How do you know that?”

“Word gets around, Hope. Also think about that when it comes to your decision. I know this is your first foray out of the daytime cooking shows, and I don’t want you to ruin chances for future jobs if it’s something that you want going forward.”