Page 46 of Culinary Chaos

Were they really standing that close?

“For not paying closer attention to you,” Hope finally managed, the words loosing from her tongue before she could stop them. That hadn’t quite been what she’d intended on saying, but it was probably more accurate to the truth than anything she’d been thinking before that.

Angelica’s features softened, her eyes rounding out slightly and her jaw going slack. Hope even dared to believe that her shoulders dropped an entire inch so they weren’t so close to her ears. Maybe that had been exactly the right thing to say.

Hope couldn’t tear her gaze away. She was completely entranced with Angelica and everything she looked like, her entire reaction, the moment when they could maybe find an equilibrium between them. Hope held her breath, not wanting to scare Angelica away or cause her to close back up again. This was perhaps the most open Hope had ever seen her.

The elevator beeped gently, catching Angelica’s attention. The spell broken instantly. Hope stepped back, glancing toward the elevator doors as they slid open. Josef stood on the other side of them, his gaze locking on the two of them. Hope’s cheeks burned, but she said nothing as she pushed her way out and toward the small room that they’d holed hair and makeup in.

She knew Angelica was following her. Her presence was impossible to ignore, but the tone of everything between them had changed the moment that elevator door had opened. And Hope hated it. Even though they hadn’t been talking about the kiss, about the moment that Hope had lost control as Angelica had said, they had still been talking. And in a way they hadn’t done before.

Hope was going to hold onto that moment.

She sat down in the chair and tried to relax. But even before she saw Angelica, she knew she was there, the scent of her subtle perfume—she really needed to figure out what that scent was—reached her.

“Morning,” Ansel said with a smile.

“Morning,” Hope answered, distracted. She watched Angelica out of the corner of her eye as she slid into the chair next to her.

Was she supposed to say something now? Or not.

Ansel was quiet as he handed Angelica a mug of coffee and kept silent. Angelica nodded at him and quirked her lips slightly as she sipped. How did Hope get on that side of Ansel? Because she was really needing the caffeine hit now. They started with her still-wet hair, and Hope watched as they started to mess with Angelica’s while also putting on her makeup.

Had the glass shattered in Hope’s world?

She couldn’t take her eyes off Angelica. She couldn’t force herself to look away if she had the damn chance to. She wasriveted to the woman next to her, glued to her. And yet that woman wanted nothing to do with her.

Hope bit her lip. Ansel scolded her for it. Then and only then did Angelica look up to meet her gaze. Hope’s heart stammered, struggling to find its rhythm again.

What was this magic that Angelica was weaving?

Hope had no chance of surviving it.

Chapter

Sixteen

“We need to talk.”

Angelica paused in the doorway to the conference room, Nova sitting at the table and holding court. There were cameras in there, Rex standing to the side, and one other cameraman. She had breathed relief as soon as she was out of Hope’s sights. They were at least scheduled to be in two completely different parts of the hotel today, which meant they wouldn’t have to see each other. At least not unless Hope decided to have another one of her fits and come at Angelica. But based on their conversation that morning, Angelica doubted that was going to happen.

But now she was going headfirst into another fight.

One she should probably have anticipated.

“So talk.” Angelica sat down, taking more of a position of power than Nova was probably expecting. This wasn’t Nova’s court. It was Angelica’s.

“John told me what you said yesterday.”

As if Angelica had thought anything else would happen.

“And that he talked with Josef, who assured him that you wouldn’t be leaving us in a bind.”

As if the show was going to leave them in a bind? Angelica pressed her lips together tightly and held the silence. Just what exactly was Nova’s end game?

“John is…” Nova paused, clearly taking her time to come up with an appropriate word.

Angelica easily applied several silently.