Page 136 of Culinary Chaos

“In a few months. The bulk of it anyway.” Angelica dashed her tongue across her lips, and Hope couldn’t stop staring at it. “We’re starting about two months before the first episode airs. I already sent Hope and her agent the itinerary. Did you get a chance to look at it?”

Hope’s mouth went dry. “Uh… I skimmed it.”

“Hope is a last-minute planner. She’ll look at it when Mary tells her to look at it.” Rex chuckled, still grasping tightly onto his beer bottle. Had he even drunk anything from it since coming over?

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Angelica said, glancing at Hope. “I don’t believe she did much looking at anything before she arrived for filming in Dallas.”

Hope chuckled, trying to join in the conversation, but she was so wrapped up in her realization. She liked Angelica way more than she should. She seriously needed to watch herself with that. Because she was absolutely in love with Rex. This wasn’t just about her sexuality and figuring out that she was attracted to women—well, certain kinds of women—but that she actually really liked Angelica.

“Oh, no doubt. She was also jam packed with filming her daytime cooking show at the time, too. Otherwise she might have looked at it ahead of schedule.”

“For sure,” Hope chimed in, drinking her wine. Her entire body trembled. She really had to get herself under control.

“I need to talk with Josef a minute,” Angelica said, nodding in Josef’s direction. “Thanks for the conversation.” She bowed her head slightly and walked away.

Hope couldn’t tear her gaze away from Angelica’s backside. She walked directly over to Josef, setting the plate Hope had given her down on one of the trays set out around the room and drinking her beer. Hope’s entire body was alive with tension and arousal.

“You okay?” Rex asked.

Clearing her throat, Hope nodded. “Yeah, it’s been a long few days with prepping all the food for this.”

“It was nice of you to do that. You didn’t have to, you know.”

“I wanted to.” Hope sipped her wine. “And I enjoyed it. It felt good to get back into the kitchen without the stress of staff and management.”

“You always do your best when you hyperfocus on something.”

“Uh-huh.” Hope looked around him to Angelica, as she stood with Josef. She couldn’t hear their conversation. All she could see was the way that Angelica tensed and shook her head, the way her face fell, the way she went from lightness to dark.

What was all of that about?

“Have you thought more about whether you want to try and break your contract?”

Hope tensed. Was he really asking this in a room full of crew? God, he just had no patience sometimes. She turned to look at him fully, her eyes wide. “We can talk about that later.”

“Why? It’s probably not going to be renewed anyway. That’s what Josef is telling Ange. The Ice Fairy was too icy.” Rex smirked. “And there wasn’t enough drama, and the show didn’t capture attention like it should have.”

Hope’s jaw dropped. “You’re going to put all of this blame on her, aren’t you?”

“She was warned, and you did your best.”

“Rex…” Hope shook her head at him. “One person can’t make this show a success or not. You’re the one who’s always told me that. So why are you buying the party line that she’s the one at fault now? That’s not like you.”

“I don’t like her.” Rex nodded his head in Angelica’s direction. “And I’m surprised you do. You aren’t normally one to play with bullies.”

“She was a bully because Josef tricked her into being one.”

“If you think Angelica Shields is someone who can be tricked, then you don’t know her at all. And she’d probably be one of the first to tell you that.” Rex sighed heavily. “What is with you and her anyway?”

“Nothing.” Hope’s cheeks burned. She looked up to find Angelica in the crowd again, but she was gone. Hope frowned as Josef came over to talk with them.

“Well, I pissed the Ice Fairy off again.” He said it with a laugh, like he found amusement and joy in pushing Angelica to her boundaries.

“I really wish you’d stop calling her that,” Hope said, looking directly at Josef and then at Rex. “It’s rude as fuck.”

“Hope!” Rex furrowed his brow. “Really, what’s gotten into you tonight?”

“Nothing,” she said again with a sigh. She finished off her wine. “How’d you piss her off?”