Page 34 of Culinary Chaos

“Yes.” Angelica dropped her gaze to the table and then to the glass of wine. She lifted it up, sipping it as she seemed to rebuild the walls that she’d let drop so easily. Hope hadn’t even noticed how quickly she’d done that. “I chose to focus on my career, and that was my choice to make.”

“It was,” Hope murmured. She’d never fault anyone for that choice. She probably would have made the same one if she hadn’t found someone who had been so willing to let her do whatever she wanted with her career, someone who was assupportive as Rex was. She couldn’t imagine being with anyone who didn’t understand how passionate she was about food and cooking. “Do you ever regret it?”

“No.” Angelica finished her wine and set it down. “No, I don’t regret it.”

“I admire that,” Hope said with a smile, and she wasn’t lying. Finding someone who knew what they wanted so adamantly was rare. No one would have ever said that Angelica was wishy-washy on anything. “So you’ve been building your empire.”

Angelica chuckled. “You could say that.”

“How many hotels do you own now?”

“None.” Angelica looked so pleased with the shock on Hope’s face. “I own none.”

“Just manage?”

Angelica nodded. “I’m not ready to own just yet.”

“Really? I imagine you would keep any hotel you owned in tip-top shape.”

“Probably, but I travel too much for that.”

“Would that really make a difference or is it just an excuse?” Hope leaned closer, once again trying to figure out exactly why she seemed to push Angelica to think about things differently. “Are you scared of the responsibility?”

“Maybe.” Angelica nodded when the waiter came back to refill her glass of wine. “Or maybe I just haven’t found the right place to purchase yet.”

“What are you looking for in a hotel then? One that you would own, one that you would pour your life and soul into.” Hope played with the napkin on the table, her eyes glued to Angelica. This was the most information she’d ever managed to get out of her, and she wasn’t about to stop now.

Angelica blushed slightly. “I don’t care where it is, but I do want it to be unique, a place that needs me just as much as I need it.”

“And how will you know that’s it?” Hope leaned forward, entranced with the dream Angelica was weaving. She needed the answer to this question. For some odd reason, all her hopes about that night were pinned on just how honest Angelica was going to be.

“I don’t know,” Angelica whispered. “I just hope I’ll know it when I see it.”

“I never pegged you as someone who believed in fate.”

Angelica laughed brightly. “I don’t.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“Are you ready to order?” the waiter asked.

Angelica nodded in Hope’s direction. “After you.”

That smile hadn’t left Angelica’s lips yet, and Hope was determined to keep it there all night. If they could find this balance, then maybe—just maybe—they could figure out how to work together until the rest of filming was over.

Chapter

Twelve

“You know what I’m going to say, right?” Angelica sat down heavily at the conference table that was going to become her new home. Hope was already there.

“That you’re secretly a wood fairy who wants to dance naked in the forest and live under a mushroom?” Hope’s eyes were alight with the joke.

Angelica paused, the comment catching her completely off guard. She shook her head, laughing lightly. “No.”

“Ah, my bad. What were you going to say?”

“The kitchens are?—”