Page 83 of Culinary Chaos

Had Angelica read her mind?

Hope blushed, dropping her gaze again down to Angelica’s lips. They’d been so close to kissing that night, and Hope wanted to ask so many questions. Was Angelica interested in her? Because it was so hard to tell sometimes. She was cold one second and hot the next. She was damn confident in just about every aspect of her life, and she certainly didn’t seem ashamed of the sexual side of things.

“Hope?”

“What?”

“Do you want a drink?” Angelica nodded toward the flight attendant.

“Oh! Um… no.” She had her water, but the only thing she could think to drink right now was alcohol, and she really didn’t think that was going to be a good idea with the direction her thoughts had gone on lately. “Thank you,” she added.

Angelica waved the flight attendant off and focused back on Hope. “I’ll help Tatum if he wants it. He deserves to be able to have time to worry about his parents instead of just worrying about the hotel.”

“He does.” Hope looked at her directly. “You really do realize that no one would expect that from you.”

“Of course not.” Angelica’s lips quirked upward.

“It could have changed the tide of the show if you’d allowed them to air that conversation, you know. Or hell, even film it.” Speaking of which, everything Angelica had done while in Estes had gone against what Rex had said about her. She hadn’t been hungry for the camera. She hadn’t been mad when they’d rescheduled. And if she really wanted the attention to feed her ego, then she would have insisted on a conversation like this being filmed.

Angelica nodded slowly. “I’m confusing you, aren’t I?”

“You’re not confusing me,” Hope answered. “But what everyone else is saying about you and what I’m seeing is confusing.”

“I’m usually really good at pretending with people.” Angelica sighed, again looking around the plane as if someone else was going to jump out at them that Angelica knew and she was going to shut down again. “But I can’t seem to do it with you.”

“Pretending?” Hope frowned. “Why would you want to do that?”

“It’s part of my job.” Angelica dashed her tongue across her lips in thought. “I’m the boss, and I’m a woman. Some people want me to be in charge, and others want me to never succeed. In order to do what I need to do, I have to play the games that people expect to play and the ones they don’t expect to play.”

“How lonely,” Hope commented, giving in and reaching over to grab Angelica’s hand. She squeezed Angelica’s fingers and then let go. She couldn’t hold on for too long. It’d mean something else, wouldn’t it?

“It can be.” Angelica folded her hands together, ignoring the fact that they’d just touched. “And it can also be completely freeing.”

Hope shook her head. “See, that’s what I don’t understand.”

“The contradictions? Life is full of them.”

“You’re full of a lack of details.” Hope pointed at her, but she used her tone to make it come off more as a tease than the fact that she was calling Angelica out.

“Details?” Angelica’s cheeks took on a shade of pink that Hope hadn’t ever seen before. “You want details?”

“Yes. Who wouldn’t?” Hope turned to lean in closer, the conversation growing in intensity. “Who are you, Angelica Shields? And why do you hide?”

Angelica hummed, her lips pulling tight before her gaze turned from one of contemplation into one of mischief. “Yes, I was touching myself that night in Estes Park. I haven’t done it in a very long time.”

Heat rushed through Hope’s body, filling every single inch of her. She hadn’t expected that. She hadn’t thought that Angelica would drop that on her without any further explanation or understanding.

Angelica’s lips parted, her breathing increasing. Hope realized far too late that she was once again staring at them. That she couldn’t find words even if she tried right now. That she waspushed into silence because she wanted nothing more than to hear Angelica continue to speak.

“Yes, it felt good,” Angelica added, her voice dropping to an even lower level.

Hope had to lean in just to make sure that she was hearing everything correctly.

“Yes, I’m a lesbian, and yes, I like women. No…” Angelica trailed off, pausing just long enough to have Hope’s entire body tuned in to hers. “No… I don’t like women,” she corrected. “I love women. And that isn’t always welcomed by other people, so I don’t welcome other people into my personal life.”

“Because you’re a lesbian?” Hope asked.

“It’s not the only reason,” Angelica responded. “Just one of many.”