Page 31 of Culinary Chaos (Hotel Bombshell #1)

Chapter

Twenty-Three

G uilty.

That’s all Hope had felt the rest of the day as she’d cleaned up the rest of the lunch they hadn’t finished eating and put everything away where it belonged. She should have known. She should have figured it out, or hell, she should have just fucking asked.

Like she made all of her waitstaff do at every single one of her restaurants.

“Are there any food allergies we should be aware of?”

That was the standard question that every single member of her staff was trained to ask before they started taking food orders. And Hope hadn’t ever asked Angelica that question. She’d just plied her with food that might kill her.

Stepping out into the garden after the sun was well below the horizon, Hope grimaced. It had been a hellaciously long day as they prepped for filming to start in the morning, and she hadn’t even been able to see Angelica to apologize for her stupid mistake either.

The cold air felt good against her skin, even if it made her shiver a little.

More than anything, she was just enjoying the silence.

She needed more of that in life, and with Rex and Eva staying in the same small hotel room, it was difficult to find.

As guilty as she felt over the whole Angelica situation, Hope felt equally guilty about the fact that she just needed a break from her family for an hour.

“I didn’t expect anyone to be out here.”

Hope spun around, eyes wide, as she stared at Angelica. It was so dark out that it was hard to make her out as she walked toward Hope, but she wasn’t dressed like she normally was.

“I didn’t expect to see you at all today. Not after lunch.” Hope bit her lower lip, walking closer to Angelica. She had to see her, just to make sure that she was okay. She just had to know that she hadn’t hurt her.

Angelica shook her head, a cute furrow forming on her brow. “Why wouldn’t you see me?”

“Well… peppers.”

“Oh, you mean when you tried to kill me.” Angelica laughed, the tone of it lighthearted and tender, not angry or upset.

Already Hope eased at just that sound. “I didn’t… You should have told me.”

Angelica stopped nearby Hope, the single light that was outside on the back door shining on her face. That eased the rest of Hope’s tension.

“I’m fine, by the way,” Angelica whispered, taking Hope’s hand in hers and squeezing lightly before dropping it. “And yes, I should have told you. But I didn’t know you were going to be so insistent on feeding me.”

“I’m a chef. It’s what we do.” Hope shuffled slightly closer, their shoulders brushing. She drew in a deep breath, smelling the pine trees, the clean, fresh air, and the smoke from someone’s campfire. She could get used to this.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Angelica raised her eyebrows up and down in a tease. She wasn’t ever going to stop doing that, was she? Something about the entire atmosphere up here had changed them. Hope could feel it.

“Are you allergic to all nightshades or just tomatoes and peppers?” Hope faced Angelica, catching her gaze and feeling good about the impressed look on her lips.

“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 this altitude, 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?”

“Really?”

“Really what?” Angelica slowed down and frowned.

“You really want to know?” Hope couldn’t understand this woman. One minute she was talking business, the next she wanted to know what six-year-olds were interested in reading.

Angelica shrugged slightly, but she didn’t say anything else. She started to walk again, stepping under the first string of lights. The golden color washed in her hair and against her skin, making Hope’s stomach tighten in response. She jogged a little to catch up before slowing again.

“We’re reading The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen. I wasn’t joking when I said fairytales. She’s obsessed with them.” Hope flexed her fingers down by her sides. She wanted to reach out and touch Angelica’s hand again, but she didn’t feel as though the time was right.

“I don’t suppose Frozen has anything to do with that.”

“No, not at all. Why would you think that?” Hope laughed through her sarcasm.

“My niece is eight.” Angelica sighed heavily. “No, she’s nine now. It’s been too long since I’ve seen her.”

“How many nieces and nephews do you have?” Hope had no idea why she wanted to know, but she did. She was more intrigued by Angelica by the day, despite her pulling back and pushing Hope away, and the whiplash of emotions that she gave her.

“One of each.” Angelica turned a corner, going down a less busy street. “My brother is quite a bit younger than me, and his wife is younger than him. And they started late.”

“Rex is four years older than me, so when we had Eva, he wasn’t sure he wanted another one.”

“Did you?” Angelica asked.

“No. One was good.” Hope curled her fingers.

Normally when she was asked that question it came with judgment, or perhaps it was guilt that would hit her because she thought there was some sort of expectation that she should have more than one kid.

But that didn’t show up this time, and it felt nice.

“What’s that?” Angelica stopped, listening intently.

Hope caught the sound as soon as she started to focus. “A band. Tatum said something about Friday nights on the Plaza. They have a small local band come in and play.”

“And it’s free?”

“Yeah. Wanna check them out?” Hope’s lips were already curling upward.

It seemed she was always smiling when she was around Angelica.

And she didn’t exactly want to stop doing that either.

Without waiting, she started to walk in the direction of the music.

Angelica followed diligently, and it didn’t take them long to find the throng of people.

It wasn’t a concert at the Staples Center, but it was well attended from what Hope could tell, and the local band had enough energy to keep everyone engaged. She started to move along to the music, closing her eyes and feeling the beat as it filled her soul.

“Dance with me,” Hope said.

“What?” Angelica’s eyes widened. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“It’s not a run, but it’s a close second, isn’t it?”

“I’m not eighteen anymore, Hope.” Angelica’s lips pulled tightly, like she was trying to keep herself from smiling.

“Come on, it’ll be fun.” Hope lit up, letting the music take over her soul. She started to move, slowly at first, pushing past the embarrassment and the self-consciousness and moving into the joy that she wanted to feel and experience.

Her hips slid back and forth as she raised her hands above her head. The beat moved with her heart, sliding through her. She opened her eyes, laughing and grinning at Angelica as she stood in complete awe, watching Hope’s every move. Putting her hands out toward her, Hope waited a few seconds.

Without a second excuse, Angelica reached forward and took Hope’s hands, joining her in the dance.

They moved together, their tennis shoes scraping on the sidewalk as they spun and rocked and moved and slid to the beat of the music.

Other people around them danced in their own right, but Hope only had eyes for Angelica, for the way she moved, for the lightness in her step that Hope had never seen.

This was a side of Angelica that Hope didn’t know existed.

Well, maybe she did if she thought about it.

That first encounter they had with Wade, with the camera shuttering in their faces as it captured the light teasing and flirting.

Wade had even said he never got pictures with Angelica smiling in them.

Hope pulled Angelica closer and then spun her around fully before swaying her hips back and forth again. Angelica laughed, the sound bubbling up and filling Hope’s soul even more than the silence she had craved before.

The song slowed down as it ended, and Hope slowed right along with it.

Angelica’s hands were in hers still, their fingers intertwined with a halo of lights surrounding them and the stars in the sky above them.

Her heart thundered, but not from the dance, not from moving so quickly or from being in the tops of the high mountains.

It was from that kiss.

She bit her lip, dropping her gaze down to Angelica’s mouth, to the slight part in her lips as she breathed heavily, the gentle bowed curve as she smiled, still lost in the joy they’d created. What would it be like this time?

Intentional.

Intense.

Hope stepped closer, her fingers tightening on Angelica’s hands.

Angelica turned, her eyes locking on Hope’s in the dark.

Angelica didn’t look like an angel in this light, with her eyes so dark that they were almost black, but her hair still golden and haloed around her shoulders.

Hope took in a staggering breath, still wanting to lean in closer.

Angelica blinked and stepped back. Sexual tension snapped into fearful tension.

Hope breathed the cold air and let it hurt her lungs as she held it tightly in her chest. What the hell was she thinking?

What was she doing? She let go of Angelica’s hands and forcefully made herself take a step away.

She turned around and clapped along with the crowd as the band officially ended the song.

Turning to Angelica, Hope was at a loss of words.

Angelica pointed over her shoulder, a sad look on her face. “We should head back.”

“Yeah,” Hope said on a sigh. That was all she needed to hear to break the spell. “Yeah, we should.”