Page 18 of Culinary Chaos

It wasn’t her first time being in a commercial kitchen, but it was her first time hearing Hope laugh like that. It was so much more than the beautiful and flirtatious lilt when they’d first met. This was loud and boisterous, like she was having the time of her life in there. Pausing at the door, Angelica debated entering.

But she’d come down here for a reason.

Hadn’t she?

“Oh, Ms. Shields.” Hope’s face lit up as she made eye contact with Angelica. “I didn’t expect to see you down here.” She stepped out from around the counter and dropped her gaze down and then up Angelica’s body. “Did you need something?”

“No.” Angelica’s voice broke. Why did this woman seem to always have some kind of power over her? A power that she couldn’t even name.

“All right.” Hope looked over her shoulder. “This is Antonio, he’s the head chef here. He was just showing me the recipes he’s created for the menu.”

“Oh.” Angelica managed to hold back her grimace, but barely. The pizza that Hope had bought the night before was the first decent thing she’d eaten since she’d arrived there, and she was half tempted to order out for all of her meals from now on.

Hope canted her head slightly, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Hold that thought.”

Angelica really didn’t want to.

But Hope moved quickly as she swung around the counter, snagged a white plate, and then came back with it. The plate was filled with little nibblings, but more importantly, it didn’t look like anything Angelica had been served from the restaurant up until that point, and it didn’t seem like anything that Antonio would make.

“What’s this?”

“I had to test out some recipes, and Antonio was kind enough to lend me part of his kitchen so I could play a bit. Isn’t thatright, Tony!” Hope was grinning and laughing with the chef again.

Angelica furrowed her brow. Did this woman honestly flirt with anything that moved?

“Try it,” Hope insisted, pushing the plate a little closer to Angelica. Then she lowered her voice to barely above a whisper, “I promise, Antonio didn’t touch it.”

Drawing in a deep breath, Angelica held it tightly in her lungs. She was either going to have to trust Hope on this or she was going to have to walk away and assume the worst.

“This one is watermelon with feta crumble and cucumber and a touch of mint.” Hope pointed, and Angelica couldn’t take her eyes off it.

That one should be okay to try, right? Her mouth went dry, but when she looked up into Hope’s gaze, she couldn’t deny at least a small taste. Plucking the cube of watermelon between her two fingers, Angelica popped it in her mouth and chewed slowly. It wasn’t bad, overall. The flavors were nice, but the texture of the watermelon was about to do her in. She swallowed and nodded.

“It’s good.”

Hopefully that would get her out of trying any of the other ones, because looking at what was left on the plate, the last thing that Angelica wanted was to eat anything else.

“This one is your standard twist on a caprese salad.” Hope picked up the small toothpick that held the cherry tomato cut in half with a tiny mozzarella ball in the middle and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette and a perfectly placed basil leaf.

And that right there was the one that Angelica didn’t want to eat.

As much as she loved the flavors, she knew exactly where it would lead her, and she didn’t want to go there. But Hope held it out for her like she was going to take it. Angelica lickedher lips, already feeling them tingle. She hated that feeling. But she wasn’t about to back down in a room full of people she didn’t know and with Hope staring at her like her entire world depended on Angelica’s reaction and opinion.

Angelica took the morsel and bit into it. The flavors burst on her tongue, the juice from the tomato sliding into her mouth and down her throat, coating it. She loved that flavor. She closed her eyes, humming in pleasure and remembering the last time that she allowed herself a taste.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Hope asked.

“Excellent,” Angelica whispered before setting the toothpick back down. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. “And this? What’s this?”

Maybe if she ate that then the tingling would stop.

“Beet pesto crostini. Here.” Hope was already picking one up and handing it over. “These are my favorite.”

Angelica was already eating it before she could stop, but something about the texture of the pesto was off, and it hit her tongue and made her mouth water, but not in a good way. She swallowed, because she couldn’t bear to see Hope’s reaction if she didn’t like it.

“The flavors are good.” She could at least agree to that.

Hope grinned brilliantly, and she lit up the entire kitchen with just that one look. Oh what Angelica would do to see that look every day if she could. But it would be impossible. Like she’d told Hope the night before, she wasn’t a likable boss, and she’d certainly piss Hope off more than once in the next few days.