Page 122 of Culinary Chaos

Angelica took another step closer, her shoes scuffing against the ground as she stopped. “I talked to Mary. If I was that awfulof a person to work with, Hope, you should have just told Josef. He’d take your side in a heartbeat.”

Hope’s heart sank.

A chill ran up her spine and grasped her skull in its dark hold, and she knew everything was about to shatter around her.

“Ange…” Hope trailed off, her heart hammering.

That wasn’t anger she was seeing in Angelica’s eyes. It was pain. Pure, raw hurt. Hope’s lower lip quivered, her heart shattering right along with whatever she’d broken in Angelica. Because she had broken something.

“You could have told me…” Angelica murmured, her voice falling so quiet that Hope had to lean in and hear her.

Doing everything on instinct, Hope took one more step to close the gap between them. She reached up and grabbed Angelica’s shoulders and squeezed tightly, trying to encourage her to look up into Hope’s eyes. And when she did…

…Hope wished she hadn’t.

All that hurt and pain and turmoil swirling in the blues was so obvious when they were this close. Angelica wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore. Hope’s lips parted, her breath lost somewhere in the mid-morning rise of heat and the LA sun. She dropped her gaze from Angelica’s eyes to her mouth, to the bowed curve of her lips, the slight part right in the middle where Angelica’s lips barely ever touched.

She turned her head to the side, studying them. The way Angelica’s lipstick was painted across her mouth, the fine hairs right on her skin. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to move her gaze back up to Angelica’s eyes.

“I didn’t talk to Mary because of you,” Hope whispered, though it wasn’t entirely the truth. It wasn’t because Angelica had behaved poorly. In fact, it was the exact opposite of that. It wasthisexact tension between them that scared the living shit out of Hope. Every time they were this close, she had to workdouble-time to stop her brain from disappearing and her body taking over and just leaning in and capturing Angelica’s lips in another kiss.

The first kiss had proven that would be a bad idea.

Angelica didn’t want it.

Hope shouldn’t want it.

“I talked to her in Seattle, but she knows how bad it was and how bad New Orleans was. She was just looking into options.” Hope leaned in even more, wanting Angelica to truly hear everything she said. This was so important. “Trust me, I have no problem telling you what I feel.”

She bit her lip and waited.

Everything rested on Angelica now, on her reaction, on if this would break down the hardened exterior she’d put on in the last few minutes. Angelica breathed, and Hope saw the first signs of a crack, of the ice melting away.

“You should have told me,” Angelia said.

“When could I have told you? You’ve been avoiding me since Seattle, and I don’t understand why.” Hope furrowed her brow. “I thought we had an understanding. I thought we had some sort of connection—something. Because you treat me so differently than everyone else, but then we’re here, aren’t we? You coming at me with whatever you can throw and then vanishing, and I don’t understand why.”

Angelica tensed again. Her jaw clenched, the muscles in her cheeks bulging slightly. Her lips were pressed together so tightly they nearly disappeared.

“You should quit.” Angelica’s words came out forcefully.

“What?” Hope dropped her hands from Angelica’s shoulders to her wrists, sliding them down her arms. Angelica didn’t even flinch at the move. Angelica’s fingers touched hers briefly before the physical connection was broken.

“You should quit,” Angelica said again, more firmly and quiet this time. “I dare you to do it.”

“Wh-why would you do that?” Hope swam in confusion.

“Because you’ll prove his point. Josef was right all along, Hope. And I’m tired of fighting him on it. It’s notworthit. I won’t hold you back from leaving. If you want to break your contract, I won’t tell you no, and I won’t keep you here against your will. Quit.”

“Ange—”

Angelica stepped back, eyes glued on Hope. She held so still. It was terrifying to watch, this unraveling of a woman who was so strong, so tightly wrapped together that Hope knew she could take on the world if she needed to.

“Quit, Hope.” She turned sharply around and wrenched open the door to the kitchen, heading straight back inside.

Hope rocked back onto her heels, putting her hands on her hips and staring down at her shoes. The LA sun didn’t feel warm anymore. It felt hot, brazen, as it touched her skin and the back of her neck. She was missing something, and this was way more than just that she hadn’t been told about a scene with her and Angelica or an argument that needed to be fought.

Something had happened.