Page 31 of Culinary Chaos

“Yeah.” Hope frowned, and Angelica immediately regretted the entire conversation. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen this woman frown. “Maybe I can believe that too—eventually.”

“Hope,” Angelica said on a sigh, her eyes closing as her tone softened. “If we don’t agree to it, they’re just going to throw us into situations to try and provoke it. It’s better for us to be onboard now so we can have some control instead of ignoring it and having no say whatsoever.”

Shaking her head, Hope stood up. “You really think they’ll do that?”

“I know they will.” Angelica stayed exactly where she was, Hope standing only inches from her. Except now she had to look up to meet Hope’s gaze instead of down. They were finally on some sort of equal footing. “I’ve seen them do it before.”

“All right.” Hope nodded slowly. She held out her hand, waiting for Angelica to take it.

Angelica slowly relaxed, sliding her fingers against Hope’s very much like that first time they met. The warmth of Hope’s skin against hers was stark and comforting all at the same time. Hope tightened her grasp, holding onto Angelica firmly.

“Then to more arguments and future episodes.”

“And a second season,” Angelica added.

“And a second season,” Hope repeated, her lips finally curling back up into that stunning smile that belonged only to her. “But let’s just start with episode two.”

Angelica laughed, her voice ringing through the air with a lightness she hadn’t experienced in years as she tightened her grasp on Hope’s hand in response and shook firmly. “Deal.”

Episode Two

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - CHATEAU ORLEANS

Chapter

Eleven

“Where are we setting up shop?” Hope turned to Angelica and froze.

The cellphone was pressed to Angelica’s ear, and she was barely paying attention to Hope. Hope frowned and started toward the front desk to check in. Angelica’s voice was quiet enough that without focusing, Hope wouldn’t be able to hear what she was saying. But she’d been sitting in silence the entire flight and drive from the airport, and she just wanted to actually talk to Angelica instead of being the baggage that she didn’t want.

They still needed to discuss how they were going to recreate the tension between them without actually pissing each other off.

Checking into their rooms, Hope got directions to the conference room that was supposed to be theirs for the next two weeks, and she caught Angelica’s attention with a nod of her head. Angelica started toward her, that damn phone still pressed to her ear.

The wheels from Angelica’s carry-on clicked over the old brick flooring as they walked. It was so loud to Hope’s senses, but she wasn’t going to say anything about it. It wasn’t anythingAngelica was doing. In fact, this was all about her and her body and where she was mentally.

She needed more communication, and Angelica wasn’t giving it to her.

But if she thought about it, that wasn’t one of Angelica’s strengths.

Hope held open the door to the conference room and sighed. It was blissfully quiet inside. There was no one there but the two of them. Josef would arrive tomorrow, along with Rex and Eva and Kyle so they could start their prep work. The cameras and crew would arrive in the next week and start setting up and taking the preliminary footage.

Meanwhile, she and Angelica were supposed to come up with a tension game plan and a fix-it game plan. But Angelica had to get off the damn phone first. Hope pushed her rollaboard bag against the wall and stretched her shoulders, rolling her neck from side to side and putting her hands on her hips. Angelica immediately sat down and pulled out her laptop to type quickly on it.

Food.

That was the one thing that Hope could do for the both of them.

It didn’t take her long to find the restaurant and put in an order of food. She waited down there, the noises of the kitchen in the background like a siren’s call to her. But she couldn’t go in there just yet. She had all day tomorrow to explore what the problems were at Chateau Orleans. Tonight it was about making some kind of plan with Angelica, wasn’t it? They had discussed that, right? Or was that something that Hope had just made up and decided was going to happen?

She couldn’t even remember at this point.

At least they’d get to try out the restaurant this time around.

With the food in hand, Hope traversed back toward the conference room. She used her butt to push open the door and balanced the plates in her hands. Angelica sat at the table, the laptop still in front of her, and she stared at it curiously. She flicked her gaze toward Hope and then back down toward the screen, completely ignoring the fact that Hope was back.

Ice Fairy it was today.