Page 7 of Culinary Chaos

She loved Eva with everything she had.

And she loved the life that she and Rex were building together. The fact that they could both be so passionate about their jobs and dive deeper into them each day and support each other was a dream come true.

The microwave beeped, and Eva wriggled her way out of Hope’s grasp to run to it.

“It’s probably hot, babe. Be careful.” Hope eyed Eva as she reached in and tested the bowl that held her favorite snack on the face of the planet. She’d been concerned over Eva’s pickiness when it came to food, but the doctors all assured her it was normal. And since she was a chef, Hope had to work extra hard not to take offense at it every time Eva turned her nose up at something she cooked.

Rex put his hand on Hope’s waist and tugged her in for another kiss. “Was there anything that you wanted me to get done before Eva and I leave tonight?”

Cold washed through her. She was trying really hard not to think about that fact. Typically if Rex was on location somewhere, then Hope at least had Eva there with her. But it was easier for Eva if she traveled with Rex rather than dealing with Hope’s hectic schedule for the next week. It’d be so quiet, though.

“No, I can’t think of anything.” Hope shook her head and wrapped her arms around Rex’s middle. She breathed in his scent deeply, closing her eyes and just lingering in the feeling. “We’ll work together well, won’t we?”

Rex hummed, the deep rumble in his voice lighting through her body. “I think we’ll make it work.”

“That doesn’t sound very hopeful.” Hope swallowed the sudden lump in her throat.

“I did specifically request to film mostly with Angelica when possible. So you and I have a bit of separation.” Rex moved his hand up and down Hope’s back. “I’m not sure that’s the better idea or the worse idea.”

“Why’s that?” Hope pulled away slightly to look at him in the eye.

“Because she and I clash. I mean she clashes with a lot of people, but I struggle to deal with how harsh she can be sometimes.”

“Harsh or straightforward?” Hope asked.

“I’ll let you determine that one.” Rex kissed her loudly on the lips before shifting and moving away. “But I think you and I will figure it out. It’ll be nice to have you with me all the time.” He grinned at her. “Like we actually like each other or something.”

Hope found herself laughing again as she turned to lean back against the counter and gripped it tightly. “We do like each other, right?”

“Hmmm, I don’t know about that.” Rex looked her over, a mischievous glint in his eye. “You’re never home, you’re always working too hard, and gosh, you never ever meet my needs.”

Hope snorted, shaking her head. “Oh the tragedy of not having a proper wife to take care of you.”

“It’s the worst ever.” He winked at her as he started to wipe down the kitchen counters. “But to answer your question honestly, I do think we’ll figure out how to make it work. It might take a few episodes for us to find a rhythm, but you and I always seem to figure out what we need to do in order to get to the next day.”

“You’re right. We’re very good at communicating.” Hope relaxed slightly. She just had to remember what their strengths were as a couple, and he wasn’t wrong. That was one of them. It was also what made her such a good manager—at least in her opinion.

“And at problem solving!” he added, pointing a finger in her direction with a quirk of his lips. “Eva, you better eat up quickly. Our driver is almost here to pick us up.”

Eva squeaked and started shoveling food into her mouth. Well, at least she had inherited that trait from her mom. Hope stood still. She hated this. Goodbyes were the worst, and while she knew Eva would have a blast, that she’d thrive with her tutors and nanny and living on set for a while, it was still insanely hard for Hope to watch them go.

They were a family, even if they were rarely together in the same room, but she worked so hard for this life to want to change it now.

Rex finished wiping down the countertops and rinsed the scrubby before setting it on the edge of the sink. Hope would have to reset everything for their final couple days of filming in the morning. Who was she kidding, she would do it that night when she couldn’t sleep in her too still and too quiet house.

“I’m going to get the luggage.” He brushed his hand down Hope’s arm and kissed her cheek. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” Hope answered, distracted by her thoughts of what was about to happen.

Eva was just cleaning up her empty bowl when there was a knock on the door. Hope didn’t want to answer because she knew what it meant, but she walked to the door anyway. When she opened it, her jaw dropped.

“Lyric?”

“Mrs. Lawrence.”

Hope shook her head. “I didn’t realize you were picking up Rex. You just dropped me off thirty minutes ago.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Lyric tilted her chin downward, her cheeks lit up with a slight blush. What was that all about? “It made sense for me to just take on the role of driving the Lawrence-Daystrong family today.”