Page 11 of Culinary Chaos (Hotel Bombshell #1)

Chapter

Eight

T he numbers weren’t numbering.

Angelica groaned as she poked her finger into the calculator again, having dragged it out since the computer and her phone weren’t sufficing to make this work. She sighed heavily, her brain spinning and unable to keep up with the fact that she just couldn’t make this work.

She jerked slightly as the door to the conference room swung open, and braced herself with the table, eyeing whoever was coming in to disturb her.

It was way too late for anyone to be coming in there.

They’d spent all day filming, and she still had to find a solution to the money problems at the hotel.

And she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to be able to.

She tensed when Hope came around the corner, the forever smile on her lips, and a tray of something in her hand.

Angelica froze, not moving a millimeter as she waited to see what was going to happen next.

Hope glanced around the large table which was once again covered in paperwork that Angelica had been working through for the last two hours.

She really hadn’t thought anyone was awake still.

The crew was all at the end of their long week and exhausted, so they’d scampered off as soon as filming wrapped for the day.

That or they were just scared of her, Angelica couldn’t quite tell.

But the glares she’d received from Josef already that day were enough to make her think it might be the latter.

“What are you doing?” Angelica asked when Hope said nothing.

Hope grinned broadly at her, setting the tray of food right on top of all the papers. She put her hands on her hips, that brilliant smile not toning down a notch as she made eye contact with Angelica.

“I thought you could use a snack. I know I could.”

Angelica’s mouth went dry. How did this woman seem to always command Angelica’s attention?

Cold rushed through her, her palms going clammy.

She was cute and bubbly, the exact opposite of Angelica and precisely what always seemed to attract Angelica to another woman.

She could have smacked herself in the head.

Why had it taken this long for her to realize that?

She clenched her jaw, standing up slowly so that they were on more even footing than before. “I didn’t ask for a snack.”

“Nope, you didn’t. But I’m famished, we’re both working late, and I figured we could benefit from my need to keep my hands busy.”

Angelica nearly groaned. That comment after Angelica’s realization really was going to do her in. Hope was a married and presumably straight woman. Angelica had nothing to worry about or fear in this case. She relaxed and raised her chin.

“What work do you have?”

“You said I needed to solve the budgeting crisis in the restaurant. I’m here to solve it.”

“You mean you haven’t already?” Angelica gave her a skeptical look. Hope’s comment really only confirmed what she already suspected, but it still didn’t sit well with her.

“I needed to know how many people needed to be replaced first.”

“And?” Angelica held her breath. “How many?”

Hope sighed heavily, plopping down into the chair next to the one that Angelica had just vacated. Was she really going to stay there to work? Were they really doing this?

“Two, including Antonio.”

“Oh, so you do agree that he needs to go.” Angelica slid into the chair she’d been in, sitting at the edge of it.

Would they start arguing any moment? They’d barely made it through a conversation that week without it getting tense, and that blowout over the game Hope had tried to play?

The sounds of their raised voices still rang through Angelica’s mind.

“Yes, I agree.” Hope sighed. “But the Matlocks won’t like it.”

“The owners —“ Angelica emphasized “—can get over it or they can lose their livelihood. Not that it’s much of one right now anyway. I plan on having a hard conversation with them tomorrow about how they need to decide if they want to be friends with their staff or if they want to run a business.”

“Is that how you see all of us?” Hope locked her eyes on Angelica’s face.

A shiver ran through Angelica, and the words stopped up in her throat for a brief second before she forced them out. “Of course.”

But did she really mean it?

“How lonely for you.”

Angelica hated pity. But Hope didn’t sound like she was pitying her.

Instead, it felt like an honest statement.

This was Angelica’s life, however. She’d go from place to place, fixing up hotels, never buying one, and she worked hard.

There had only been two points in her life when she regretted her life choices, and this wouldn’t be one of them.

“Why are you really here, Hope?” Angelica asked, softening her tone. Perhaps that was the way to get under this woman’s skin to get the answers she sought.

Hope’s lips quirked upward, her eyes crinkling at the sides as she smiled. “You and I need to make a truce.”

“A truce?” Angelica raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I didn’t realize we were at war.”

“War?” Hope giggled, and the sound lit up the room. “Maybe just a little battle.”

Angelica found herself smiling, just barely, but still. She settled into her seat, canting her head and waiting for Hope to continue. She needed way more of an explanation if they were going to figure out what they were doing next.

Hope nodded toward the food. “Do you want a snack?”

“Is this how you wave the white flag?” Angelica leaned forward and snagged a piece of pita bread, popping it between her lips.

Her stomach rumbled quietly, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten in a long time.

In fact, she couldn’t remember when. She needed to be better about that, especially since she’d been pulling such long days lately.

“White flag or not, we deserve to eat like queens.” Hope winked as she grabbed a small morsel of cheese. She bit into it, humming as she chewed.

Angelica was completely entranced. She couldn’t not watch the lines of Hope’s jaw, her lips, the way she breathed, the flutter of her eyelashes as if this was the best thing she’d ever eaten. The dry pita bread had nothing on whatever Hope was tasting.

Were they queens? Did they rule over their spaces with an iron fist? Or did they share the burden together? Angelica wasn’t sure, and she didn’t know which choice would be better.

“I have a lot of work to get done, as you can see.” That was her way of trying to kick Hope out of the office, but it didn’t seem to be working. Hope just stared back at her, unwilling to budge from her seat.

“You asked me to solve the budgeting issue with the restaurant.”

“And have you?” Angelica asked, now curious. Perhaps there was an actual reason that Hope was there.

“Maybe.” Hope stole another piece of cheese. “Please eat. Otherwise it’s all going to go to waste.”

Angelica glanced at the plate again. What harm could it do? She scooted her chair slightly closer so she could reach easier.

“I thought we could go through my numbers to see if I’m way off base or not.”

That caught Angelica’s attention. Hope wanted to work with her? Then again, that would just be more work for her in the long run. Still, something about Hope continued to draw her in, despite the fact that she should know better.

“Did you bring them?” What the hell was she doing? Angelica cursed her inability to hold her tongue and continue to push Hope away. This was the last thing she needed, and it was a direct contradiction to what she’d just told Hope.

“As it happens, I did.” Hope grinned again, leaning forward. “Would you like to see them?”

Angelica breathed in deeply before letting it out slowly. That was a trick question, wasn’t it? “Only if you want to show me.”

“Oh, I do.” Hope laughed lightly as she moved an iPad over in front of her.

When had she brought that in? Surely, Angelica had been paying attention, right?

She cringed as she slowly ate a piece of cheese, barely tasting it.

Hope scooted her chair closer to Angelica’s, inch by painful inch, until their arms brushed.

Angelica had to hold her breath for a second and move away slightly.

“I scratched the budget that the Matlocks provided, mostly. I spent all of last night going through a cost analysis of what they were doing. Here’s a more accurate representation of how much they were losing.” Hope flicked through a screen, the graph and the numbers covered in red.

“Fuck,” Angelica murmured under her breath. “That’s bad.”

“It’s really bad. They were bleeding, you were right.” Hope moved to the bottom of the screen and switched tabs. “Here’s what I think I can do.”

Angelica chewed on the inside of her cheek as she scanned the budget. “You’re eliminating two full-time people.”

“I am, including Antonio.” Hope sighed heavily. “I’ll help them hire a new chef in the next month, and loan them one of mine in the meantime. I’ve already lined that up.”

“Loan them?” Angelica looked away from the screen and into Hope’s eyes. “And who do you think is paying for that?”

“I will.” Hope didn’t break eye contact. “It’s a gift from me.”

Angelica froze. Would Hope really do that? The expense wouldn’t be outrageous, but it would certainly cost her. Would she honestly do that for someone else? Making sure that they had what they needed to excel while she did without? Perhaps Angelica had underestimated her.

In more ways than one.

“And when they can’t afford a new chef going forward?” Angelica asked.

Hope hissed. “That’s where I think you’re not going to like my plan.”

“Oh?” Angelica snagged some more food from the tray, just as Hope did. She was intrigued now. What bomb could Hope be waiting to drop?

“I need to lower the level of food.”

“Lower it?”

“I don’t mean turn the kitchen into a greasy spoon.” Hope rolled her eyes. “But I can’t keep the standards at what they’re at. And a chef needs specific training for fine dining, and they don’t have that here, and they can’t afford it.”

“So you want to make this not a five-star environment,” Angelica surmised. She mulled through that one as the hummus filled her mouth.

“More like four stars with room to go when they get their finances and management under control.”

Angelica dashed her tongue against her lips, licking up a drop of hummus that didn’t make its way into her mouth. She caught Hope’s glance, the slight quirk of her lips upward.

“Do you like it?” Hope asked.

“Like what?” Angelica could have just said yes. That would have been the easier solution. But something about Hope dragged her into this flirtatious tug and pull that she couldn’t stop herself from participating in. Not just participating, right now she was the leading lady in the drama.

“The hummus,” Hope said.

“It’s good. I prefer it with a touch of garlic.”

Hope’s face fell, and Angelica immediately wanted to take back what she’d said. She hadn’t meant it as an insult. She simply wanted to continue the teasing. The silence was so loud and uncomfortable. It seized Angelica by the heart, and she had to do everything in her power to break it.

“Your idea is a good one, and I think it’ll work.”

“Really?” And there was that smile again.

Angelica reveled in it. “Yeah. Talk to the Matlocks tomorrow and see what they have to say about it. If they don’t take your offer of goodwill, then you’ll know exactly where they stand when it comes to saving this hotel.”

“I will.” Hope’s eyes crinkled again as she relaxed into the chair. “You know I’m not very used to actually eating with other people. I’m usually just cooking. I can’t remember the last time I had dinner with Rex and Eva.”

Angelica was surprised by that. Then again, she’d never really thought about what the life of a chef might be like.

Or the fact that she and Rex probably worked opposite schedules.

How did they ever manage to make it work?

Angelica hadn’t even been able to figure that one out when she’d been with Leanne.

“So what? You just pick and eat as you cook?”

“Yeah.” Hope shook her head. “Sorry to spoil the illusion.”

“I wasn’t under an illusion. I just never thought about it before.” Angelica grabbed another piece of food to eat. “But I do have a lot of work to do.”

“Are you kicking me out?” Hope asked, that teasing quality back in her voice. “What if I told you that I could help you?”

“Help me?” Angelica raised her eyebrows in suspicion. What did Hope have up her sleeve this time? “I don’t need help.”

“Everyone needs help,” Hope lowered her voice and leaned in closer.

She lifted her gaze, meeting Angelica’s.

The blue in her eyes was so stunning. They were much darker than Angelica’s, and inside them seemed to be a world that Angelica desperately wanted to know—one that was full of joy and pleasure.

“You shouldn’t discount my abilities just because I’m a chef. ”

“I never thought you were just a chef,” Angelica whispered.

But hadn’t she thought that? Hadn’t she thought that of just about everyone they’d hired and fired so far?

But then again, Hope was the only one to make it to the first week of shooting.

Angelica leaned in a little closer, pushing the invisible boundary line between them to see just how far she could take this.

“I do, however, still think you got the contract because of Rex.”

“He may have been my point of contact,” Hope started, holding her position, “but he’s not the reason I got the contract.”

“Then tell me, Mrs. Lawrence. What makes you so special?” Angelica had to stop herself from leaning in any closer. She could already smell the soap on Hope’s hands, the scents of the kitchen following her after she’d long left it.

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” Hope snagged a piece of paper off the table and started reading it. “But it looks like you’re working on a different budget.”

“Production budget.” Angelica crossed her arms. “Do you want to tackle that one?”

“Did you know…” Hope leaned in closer, her voice lowering like she was about to tell Angelica a secret “…that I majored in accounting in college?”

“Really?”

“Guess you didn’t find that in all your research, did you?”

“Can’t say I did.” Angelica would have to dig even deeper. Not tonight, but perhaps when they were traveling to New Orleans for the second round of this hell she’d willingly plopped herself in.

“So, if you want me to look at budgeting, I can do that. And I actually enjoy it, to an extent.”

“Then budget away.” Angelica waved her hand in front of her, indicating Hope should continue. Without saying anything else, she picked up another piece of cheese and went back to work. Perhaps Hope had been right.

Everyone needed help.