Page 15 of Culinary Chaos (Hotel Bombshell #1)

Chapter

Eleven

“ W here are we setting up shop?” Hope turned to Angelica and froze.

The cellphone was pressed to Angelica’s ear, and she was barely paying attention to Hope.

Hope frowned and started toward the front desk to check in.

Angelica’s voice was quiet enough that without focusing, Hope wouldn’t be able to hear what she was saying.

But she’d been sitting in silence the entire flight and drive from the airport, and she just wanted to actually talk to Angelica instead of being the baggage that she didn’t want.

They still needed to discuss how they were going to recreate the tension between them without actually pissing each other off.

Checking into their rooms, Hope got directions to the conference room that was supposed to be theirs for the next two weeks, and she caught Angelica’s attention with a nod of her head. Angelica started toward her, that damn phone still pressed to her ear.

The wheels from Angelica’s carry-on clicked over the old brick flooring as they walked. It was so loud to Hope’s senses, but she wasn’t going to say anything about it. It wasn’t anything Angelica was doing. In fact, this was all about her and her body and where she was mentally.

She needed more communication, and Angelica wasn’t giving it to her.

But if she thought about it, that wasn’t one of Angelica’s strengths.

Hope held open the door to the conference room and sighed.

It was blissfully quiet inside. There was no one there but the two of them.

Josef would arrive tomorrow, along with Rex and Eva and Kyle so they could start their prep work.

The cameras and crew would arrive in the next week and start setting up and taking the preliminary footage.

Meanwhile, she and Angelica were supposed to come up with a tension game plan and a fix-it game plan.

But Angelica had to get off the damn phone first. Hope pushed her rollaboard bag against the wall and stretched her shoulders, rolling her neck from side to side and putting her hands on her hips.

Angelica immediately sat down and pulled out her laptop to type quickly on it.

Food.

That was the one thing that Hope could do for the both of them.

It didn’t take her long to find the restaurant and put in an order of food.

She waited down there, the noises of the kitchen in the background like a siren’s call to her.

But she couldn’t go in there just yet. She had all day tomorrow to explore what the problems were at Chateau Orleans.

Tonight it was about making some kind of plan with Angelica, wasn’t it?

They had discussed that, right? Or was that something that Hope had just made up and decided was going to happen?

She couldn’t even remember at this point.

At least they’d get to try out the restaurant this time around.

With the food in hand, Hope traversed back toward the conference room.

She used her butt to push open the door and balanced the plates in her hands.

Angelica sat at the table, the laptop still in front of her, and she stared at it curiously.

She flicked her gaze toward Hope and then back down toward the screen, completely ignoring the fact that Hope was back.

Ice Fairy it was today.

Hope hated that. But Angelica hadn’t lied when she said that she didn’t bring out the warm and fuzzy feelings very often.

Hope waited a good five minutes, listening to Angelica clearly interviewing someone along with two other people.

The idea of doing a group interview like that set Hope’s nerves on fire.

She wasn’t good at those types of things.

Never had been and probably never would be.

She could charm people, yes. But when it came to talking about her skills and solving problems, she was less adept at navigating those answers.

She pulled the cloche off her plate and stared at it.

It didn’t look right. It didn’t smell right either.

Hope used her fork and pushed the food around and then prodded one of the baked tomatoes with her fingers.

It was whole, but as soon as she touched it, the thing disintegrated in front of her.

That definitely shouldn’t have happened.

Well, it was now or never, wasn’t it?

She took her fork and knife, slicing into another tomato.

Then she attempted to scoop it onto her fork before putting it in her mouth.

The cringe was unavoidable. The texture was the oddest damn thing she’d ever experienced—somehow grainy and mushy all at the same time.

She swallowed immediately if only to get the food out of her mouth and away from her.

Angelica couldn’t eat this.

Hope cut into the chicken, already noticing how dry the meat was.

She had no doubt that it’d also be equally unseasoned and disgusting.

But she tried it anyway. She stared at Angelica’s still covered plate, debating trying everything on that as well.

She had no doubt as to what the major part of their conversation was going to be in the next couple of weeks.

The fucking kitchen.

Angelica slowly closed the computer lid, catching Hope’s attention with a long and direct stare.

Hope’s stomach twisted. Angelica’s eyes were so dark in this light, the room giving off old Victorian vibes more than a clean brand-new hotel.

Then again, that fit with the area of New Orleans that they were in.

“I brought you dinner, but I’m not sure you’re going to want to eat it.”

“That bad?” Angelica asked.

Hope hummed but didn’t say anything else.

“Oh that is bad.” Angelica’s lips twitched slightly, and she stood up, sliding into the chair next to Hope. “Or is it just that you’re used to fancy food.”

“Fancy food?” Hope raised her eyebrows in Angelica’s direction.

Angelica shrugged slightly, pulling the lid off her plate and staring at it. Her cheeks turned a slight shade of gray, but she did pick up her fork. She moved some of the food around. “I think I’ll let you test it out for me.”

Hope chuckled, stabbing her fork into one of the potatoes. “It’s really hard to mess these up.”

“If you say so,” Angelica murmured, setting the fork next to the plate. “I don’t eat potatoes very often.”

“What? Why not?” Hope chewed slowly. The potato was raw in the middle, and the rosemary they’d sprinkled on it hadn’t cooked at all, so it was like eating a pine needle. In fact, it dug into the roof of her mouth, causing her to flinch in surprise.

“They don’t make me feel very good.” Angelica crossed her arms and finally looked around the room. “So the food is less than desirable.”

“We can go somewhere else to eat,” Hope said, pushing the plate toward the center of the table. “I have the keys to your room and mine.”

“Thanks.” Angelica breathed out slowly, almost relaxing if Hope dared to pick a name for what that look was. Though she wasn’t entirely sure. Angelica’s phone buzzed, and she reached for it, checking the message.

“Do you ever stop working?” Hope asked.

Angelica chuckled once. “No.”

“Why on earth not?” Hope snagged the phone and put it onto the table, giving Angelica a direct stare.

Angelica looked like she was about to object, but she stopped herself. The surprise was in her eyes, and that didn’t vanish. Instead, she seemed intrigued by the challenge that Hope had just issued, even if she hadn’t intended it as one.

“Do you actually stop working?” Angelica asked. “When you go out to eat, can you just eat or are you always judging the food that’s on your plate?”

“Hmm, touché.” Hope grinned broadly. She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees as she raised her gaze to issue another challenge to Angelica.

She wasn’t going to back down on this one.

“But maybe that’s why I order the pizza from the chain store.

I know exactly what I’m getting and what to expect when it arrives. ”

“Why didn’t you do that tonight?” Angelica whispered, canting her head to the side with a definite barely-there smile on her lips.

“This was easier. Or at least I thought it would be.” Hope tossed a dirty look toward the plates still full of food. “Come on.”

“What?” Angelica’s feet planted on the floor, that surprise back in her eyes.

“We need to eat.” Hope stood up and walked toward the door. “Unless you have another interview scheduled…?”

“No, I don’t. This was a last-minute addition.”

“Then you’ll have to tell me all about it. Come on.” Pleasure swam through Hope as she held the door open for Angelica to follow. “Food first. Work second.”

“Somehow I don’t think that generally works in your favor.”

Laughing, Hope watched as Angelica snagged her purse and walked out of the door.

She dropped her gaze down Angelica’s back, the curls in her hair much softer today, less styled, more natural.

Then she looked lower, following the curve of Angelica’s back to her rounded ass and hips.

Her cheeks burned. Just what would Angelica say if she knew that Hope was looking at her like this?

They walked out of the hotel together. The humidity hit Hope first, then the heat.

She wasn’t used to the humidity at all, and there was an instant streak of sweat down her back.

How Angelica managed to wear her blazer in this weather was beyond Hope’s comprehension, but she didn’t comment on it.

Instead, she walked right next to Angelica as they started down the street and toward the small restaurants they’d passed on the way in.

Not that Angelica had noticed them since she’d been on the phone.

“Who were you interviewing?” Hope finally asked, trying to get the conversation going.

Angelica sighed heavily. “Remember how I said one of my best managers resigned? I’m interviewing a potential replacement for her.”