Page 69 of Culinary Chaos

“I see someone Googled.” Angelica winked and laughed again. “All of them, but to varying degrees. I can handle tomatoes and peppers if they’re cooked well. Not halfway.” She raised an eyebrow at Hope. “Like lunch.”

“Right. I’ll keep that in mind as well.”

“I do love a good tomato soup.” Angelica rolled her shoulders.

They fell into a comfortable silence, and Hope didn’t want to break it. Something about the quiet called to her that night, and she wanted to let it consume her. But at the same time, she loved having Angelica standing in that silence with her, soaking up her presence and her calm, controlled energy.

“Why are you out here, Hope?” Angelica asked, sweetly.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Hope smiled at her, but then faltered slightly. She really should just answer sometimes instead of teasing Angelica back. She rolled her shoulders and smiled in Angelica’s directly. “I needed a break.”

“And here I thought you thrived around other people.” Angelica’s eyes crinkled at the corners.

“No. I’m just really good at faking it.” Hope’s voice cracked. She’d never even told Rex that. But those times when it was just her in the house, when he was gone and Eva was at school, she lived for those moments. It didn’t mean that she loved them any less, just that she found peace in the stillness.

“I usually run at night,” Angelica said, pointing to the small path they’d taken before. “And while the idea of a run sounds amazing, the logical side of my brain tells me that at thisaltitude, after being sick, and then after being poisoned this afternoon, it’s probably not a wise idea.”

“Probably not,” Hope echoed, her breath catching. “And I didn’t poison you.”

“Tell that to my body.” Angelica laughed again. “A walk, however, sounded doable.”

Again, silence fell between them. Hope shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans and rolled up onto her toes. She tilted her head toward the sky and stared at the bright stars. She’d never be able to see them like this back home in Los Angeles. They’d be too dimmed by the light pollution. Maybe it was just the altitude too, but the sky felt so much closer here than back home. Like if she tried really hard she might actually be able to reach out and touch it.

“There’s something so pure about this space,” Hope murmured.

“Like it’s been left untouched,” Angelica added with a slight hum. “I’ve had the same thoughts.”

Hope found herself biting her lip again and looking around the garden. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Angelica was right—as usual. But a walk sounded amazing. “Mind if I join you?”

“Join me?” Angelica asked, confused.

“On your walk.”

“Oh.” Angelica paused, holding that one word tightly before she looked directly at Hope. “Sure.”

“Sure?” Hope asked, wanting to make sure that this was something Angelica truly wanted.

“So long as you’re not doing this just to keep an eye on me.”

Laughing loudly, Hope shook her head as the laughter continued to roll through her body. “What on earth would make you think that?”

Angelica sent her a sideways look before she started off on the trail that they’d taken when they first arrived. When Hope didn’t immediately follow, Angelica looked over her shoulder and tossed her head to the side. “I thought you were coming.”

“Yeah. Coming.” Hope’s lips twitched as she skipped a step to catch up.

She kept her hands in her pockets as she walked side-by-side with Angelica again. Their shoulders brushed more often this time because it was dark and much harder to see, but neither one of them seemed to mind. They stayed quiet until they reached the small downtown of Estes Park, Colorado. Hope smiled, seeing the outdoor lights strung up between the buildings and over the street.

“It looks like something out of a fairytale,” she said without even thinking.

“It does. If only I believed in fairytales, this would be a perfect night.”

“You don’t believe in fairytales?” Hope shook her head in disbelief. “Eva loves fairytale stories. She makes me read them to her every night until she falls asleep.”

“Does she?” Angelica’s lips pulled into a smile. “I was never much one for reading when I was growing up.”

“I suppose you don’t have the time now.”

“Caught red-handed.” Angelica put her hands up in the air. “So what are you reading her?”