Page 33 of Culinary Chaos

“No, I don’t. This was a last-minute addition.”

“Then you’ll have to tell me all about it. Come on.” Pleasure swam through Hope as she held the door open for Angelica to follow. “Food first. Work second.”

“Somehow I don’t think that generally works in your favor.”

Laughing, Hope watched as Angelica snagged her purse and walked out of the door. She dropped her gaze down Angelica’s back, the curls in her hair much softer today, less styled, more natural. Then she looked lower, following the curve of Angelica’s back to her rounded ass and hips. Her cheeks burned. Just what would Angelica say if she knew that Hope was looking at her like this?

They walked out of the hotel together. The humidity hit Hope first, then the heat. She wasn’t used to the humidity at all, and there was an instant streak of sweat down her back. How Angelica managed to wear her blazer in this weather was beyond Hope’s comprehension, but she didn’t comment on it. Instead, she walked right next to Angelica as they started down the street and toward the small restaurants they’d passed on the way in. Not that Angelica had noticed them since she’d been on the phone.

“Who were you interviewing?” Hope finally asked, trying to get the conversation going.

Angelica sighed heavily. “Remember how I said one of my best managers resigned? I’m interviewing a potential replacement for her.”

“Why’d she resign again?” Hope asked, her eye catching on one of the restaurants she’d noticed before. She’d done her research on the area, making sure to be more prepared for this hotel fix than the last one. This one served classic French food, which was something she hadn’t had in ages, and she desperately wanted to try it. “Do you care where we eat?”

“No,” Angelica answered.

“Good.” Hope immediately stopped in front of the door and started inside. It didn’t take long for them to be seated at a small table near the front windows. There was a tapered candle already lit in the center, wine glasses and water glasses set up. Hope settled in, ready for an excellent meal. Angelica, on the other hand, didn’t look very pleased that they were there.

“Why did your manager resign?” Hope asked again, trying to get back onto topic.

Angelica’s face pinched adorably. “I thought we’d moved on from that conversation.”

“I’m coming back around to it.” Hope nodded toward the waiter as she ordered a bottle of wine for the both of them. Call it her bossy side, but she knew what she wanted and when she wanted it, and she wasn’t going to let Angelica pick the wine. Not now and probably not ever. “You should quit avoiding and answer me. I can be very persistent.”

“So I’ve noticed.” Angelica sighed heavily, pushing her hair behind her ear as she settled in. “We had a difference in opinion.”

“That’s ominous and not very specific.”

“It doesn’t matter. She’s leaving on good terms for now, and I’d like to keep it that way.” Angelica’s jaw tightened, and her lips thinned into a line. “Do you really want to talk about work?”

“We can talk about other things.” Hope took the glass of wine the waiter had given her. She swirled it, sniffed it, and finally raised it to her lips to taste. She hummed and nodded at him. Now this was the type of service that she expected at an upscale restaurant. Not whatever she’d gotten at the hotel. Another point of comparison that she’d have to work on in the next two weeks that they were there. “Do you have a husband? Boyfriend? Kids?”

“That’s a personal question.” Angelica’s defenses went up instantly, so strongly that anyone within a mile radius would have seen it happen.

“You never talk about your personal life.” Hope sipped her wine, watching as Angelica spun the glass in her fingers.

“Why would I?”

That’s right. Angelica didn’t want friendships at all. But Hope wanted to dig deeper. Maybe she wouldn’t get so frustrated if she knew and understood who this woman was underneath all of the work.

“Was it something you ever wanted?” Hope asked, jumping to the conclusion that Angelica wasn’t so blissfully single.

“What?”

“A husband and kids.” Hope drank her wine, waiting in the silence for Angelica to answer.

Angelica hummed, her lips thinning before she nodded. “Yes.”

“And you don’t have that.”

“No.” She took a deep breath, and her shoulders dropped. “I’ve had relationships in the past. Recently there was someone who I thought I could have a future with. But I was wrong.”

“And?” Hope asked.

“And I had to make a choice.”

“Work or family.”