Page 42 of Culinary Chaos (Hotel Bombshell #1)

Chapter

Thirty-One

“ I nstallation for the oven and freezer repair is delayed.” Hope sat down heavily in the chair across from Angelica.

She wasn’t sure she even wanted to be in this room.

Not after last night. Well… yes, after the first part, but later on, something had changed.

And she still hadn’t found her footing after that.

Rex had been in a mood too, which meant that she hadn’t been able to talk to him about what was going on either.

“Perfect,” Angelica muttered. “Delayed by how much?”

“Twelve hours, which normally wouldn’t be an issue, but we’re filming a show, so twelve hours makes a world of difference.”

Angelica hummed, but she didn’t even look up to meet Hope’s eyes. She flicked through something on her iPad, completely giving Hope the cold shoulder. Hope wanted Angelica to look at her, so they could connect, so they could figure out what the hell yesterday had been all about. She needed that.

“I wanted to thank you,” Hope said softly.

She was hyperaware of the fact that there was a camera over her shoulder and there was one over Angelica’s, that the mic wire was taped to her abdomen and between her breasts and the pack pressed against the small of her back.

This wasn’t the time for deep conversations, but she could at least get some kind of response from Angelica, couldn’t she?

“For what?” Angelica said, still not looking up at her.

Hope’s heart sank. She desperately clawed at what she needed to stay afloat, to make sure that she wasn’t the only one picking up on this change of mood. “For helping me out yesterday, with cooking for the symposium. It’s not ideal?—”

“No, it’s not.” Angelica sighed heavily, finally raising her gaze to meet Hope’s.

She held the electronic pencil for her iPad in her fingers, still poised as if she was going to continue to write or do whatever the hell it was she was still in the middle of.

“Have you found a solution for that problem yet?”

“Oh I…” Hope cringed. “No.” She’d honestly gone back to her room, cried in the shower while trying to hide that fact from Eva, played the role of doting mother to read her daughter the requested fairy tale story, and then tried to forget why she was here in Seattle for a few hours.

“Have you even thought of potential solutions?” Angelica’s eyes widened slightly, still locked on Hope’s face.

What the hell was going on? Angelica hadn’t talked to her like this since… well, since Dallas maybe. Hope wasn’t even sure if this was on that same level. Or perhaps it just felt different now compared to before, now that they knew each other better.

“Henry was working on finding some staff.”

“Staff?” Angelica shook her head. “Staff isn’t the issue, you need a chef who can do the job properly and be trained.”

“I know that.” Hope’s brow twitched. She was barely keeping her eyes open this morning even with three cups of coffee already flowing through her body.

“Do you really trust him to hire someone?”

“Can’t you work with him on that?” Hope bit the inside of her cheek. That had been impulsive, but she was tired of this… this cold-shouldered, bitchy version of Angelica that she was getting this morning. She’d barely survived yesterday, and now she was greeted with this?

Angelica tensed. Anyone could see that right? But it was masked so quickly that Hope started to doubt it herself. “I am working with him on hiring and how to interview properly… and manage properly.” Angelica sighed heavily. “You don’t have any other solution?”

“Forgive me for taking three hours to myself last night and not think about this damn hotel.” Hope’s voice boomed through the room, echoing.

Angelica paused, her eyes lighting with anger before it vanished. Was it replaced with compassion or understanding? Hope couldn’t quite tell.

“I have a solution,” Angelica said simply. “If you’d like to hear it, other than telling Henry he needs to dig his own way out of this one.”

Hope’s lips twitched at that. She had quite a few choice words for Henry. She just didn’t have a moment to even think about telling him off. “What? What is it?”

“I have a hotel in Seattle—well, SeaTac—that I run.”

“How would hotel staff help me?” Hope pushed a strand of stray hair behind her ear. She really needed this. Coming in here this morning was a hail Mary, and she needed the break.

“It has a restaurant, Hope.” Angelica sighed again. “I’ll offer them overtime pay—paid by Henry—to staff and help you train. You’ll need to train them to your standards, but it’ll at least be a solution until we can find a more permanent replacement.”

“Are you serious?” Hope cocked her head to the side and shook it slowly. “You have an entire kitchen staff at the ready, and you couldn’t have told me that last night? We couldn’t have called them up here to work?”

“SeaTac, Hope.” Angelica pursed her lips. “It’s not exactly two blocks west.”

Hope swallowed a sudden lump in her throat. Her mouth went dry. “Two blocks west would put us in the middle of the ocean.”

Angelica’s eyes lit up briefly, crinkles in the corners as she forced the smile that nearly lit up her face back down.

Hope had seen that one, and she wasn’t going to forget that it was there.

Whoever this Angelica was, the one she was greeted with this morning and perhaps the one she was greeted with last night, this wasn’t her Angelica.

“You’re right, of course,” Angelica said, her voice gravelly and rough. “I couldn’t get them here last night. Today is a different matter.”

“Tomorrow,” Hope corrected. “Not much point in today without a working kitchen.”

Angelica nodded her agreement. “Tomorrow.”

“The rest of the renovation is underway, though,” Hope added, settling into the conversation now that they seemed to find that even balance again. Why had that been so difficult? “They should be finished by tomorrow morning.”

Angelica hummed and focused back on her iPad. “I’m still working out figures. I was able to find a donor for the equipment, so that’ll cut your over-expenses.”

“That’s good.”

“That’s my job.” Angelica flicked her gaze up to Hope’s sharply. “I suggest you do yours.”

Cold washed over Hope. That was unexpected. Had she had more energy, she probably would have called Angelica out on it, but for now, she could barely even manage to keep herself upright. Gripping onto the arms of the chair she was seated in, she pushed herself to stand. “Understood, Ms. Shields.”

Angelica stared at her, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. The tension held. Hope breathed deeply, not sure if she wanted to sit down again or storm out of the room. And she needed just one more hint from Angelica about which it needed to be.

When nothing else happened, Hope left.

She walked out of the room, feeling Angelica’s eyes on her back as she went.

She moved into the hallway, pressed her hand to her belly and breathed.

What the fuck was going on with them? This was out of nowhere.

They’d figured out how to work amicably together, didn’t they?

They knew what to expect from each other, but this… this was… this was what?

“God!” Hope grunted out the word and shook her head, then her arms and her hands. She needed to get this mood off her shoulders and away from her.

Ignoring the cameras, ignoring Kyle, Hope made her way back down to the kitchen to supervise the renovation. It was going to be a whirlwind, and the last thing she needed was for something to go wrong. Rolling her shoulders, she pushed up her sleeves, ready to get to work.

She spent most of the day down there, and she only came up to the main reception area when it was time for dinner, and her stomach loudly told her that she hadn’t been snacking on food that she was cooking all day and if she didn’t eat soon she was likely to throw something at the next person who spoke to her.

Angelica stood at the main reception desk, her curled locks trailing down her back and over her shoulders, the gold-hued lighting setting off all the tones of it like a beacon calling to her.

Hope paused in her step, still not sure which way to go.

Angelica bent her head to look at something, then she nodded toward Henry and made him come over and look.

Rex stood to the side behind the three cameras that were aimed in Angelica’s direction.

Hope smoothed her hands over her shirt, missing the chef’s coat that she’d become so used to wearing while they were filming.

But since she wasn’t cooking that day, Ansel had stuck her in a loose mustard yellow V-neck shirt with a dark black jacket and black slacks.

She almost looked halfway professional. It was much colder here than it was in the kitchens, and goosebumps ran along her arms and her abdomen.

When she looked up again, Angelica was eyeing her curiously, still focused on whatever she was saying to Henry.

Hope’s breath left her in an instant. Her stomach twisted into knots as she stood there in silence, her knees going weak.

How was she supposed to stay standing? But she still couldn’t tear her gaze away.

At least not until Rex looked at her. Hope shuddered, locking her gaze on her husband and then locking her gaze back on Angelica. She went back and forth, fear racing through her to match the chill she’d experienced before. What the hell was going on with her?

Hope found herself walking forward, straight toward Angelica. She ignored Rex, ignored the curious glances he was giving her, ignored the wave of his hand to get a camera on her face as she approached.

“Hello,” Hope said, leaning over the reception counter to get a better view of Angelica. She couldn’t stop looking at her.

“Was there something you needed?” Angelica asked, her voice precise and to the point.

“Dinner.” Hope wetted her lips.

“Don’t know what to do when you’re not cooking?” Angelica’s lips pressed together and pushed to the slide slightly.

There was a tease in there, right? Or was Hope making that up?

“A chef without a kitchen is always lost,” Hope replied, trying to play off what she thought she’d heard in Angelica’s voice. “Have you eaten yet?”

“Why would you ask that?” Angelica’s terseness was unexpected.

“I just thought… dinner, Ange. That’s it.”

That light tease she’d thought she’d seen there vanished in an instant. Angelica’s lips pursed tightly, and she straightened her back to her full height. “Is there some business you’d like to discuss?”

Hope stilled. “Uh… no.”

“Something about the renovation, then?”

“No.” Hope furrowed her brow.

Angelica crossed her arms, looking intently at her. “Then why would you need me for dinner?”

“I just thought…” Hope trailed off, stunned.

So they really were back to this. “Right.” She looked to Rex.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at the briefing and for the reveal.

” Hope crossed her arms as her shoulders fell.

She stepped away from the reception desk and immediately started toward the elevator. She had to escape.

“Hope!” Rex ran after her, catching her just as she was about to step into the elevator. “What’s going on?”

Hope sniffled, her eyes already watering. She could barely control herself. “I feel like I should ask you that. You spent all day with her.”

“Hope…” Rex shook his head at her. “Didn’t Kyle talk to you?”

“Talk to me? About what?”

Rex sighed heavily, annoyed. Hope couldn’t stand it anymore. She just wanted to go back into hiding. This hotel fix needed to end as soon as possible. She was about to turn when the elevator dinged its arrival, but Rex’s hand on her upper arm kept her in place.

“Kyle, Josef, Angelica and I had a meeting last night to discuss ratings. We need more arguments from the two of you. We need more tension, more drama.” Rex stared down into her eyes. “That’s what she’s doing.”

“No, she’s not.” Hope shook her head in denial. “That wasn’t a manufactured argument, Rex. That was…” She glanced behind him to the reception desk, finding Angelica still looking at her. “I don’t know what that was.”

“Kyle was supposed to talk to you, but you have to find a way to fight for the camera and then figure out how to get along off-camera.”

Hope frowned deeply. “That makes no sense.”

“Drama sells. This isn’t some daytime cooking show. It’s reality tv, and we need high stakes. You and Ange are the ones who are going to create that. And Mountain View proved you need some help with it, so Kyle and I were charged by Josef with helping you to make drama.”

“Is that what last night was about?” Hope stepped back, jerking her arm from his grasp. “Is that why you were telling me to get mad at her? Is that why you kept throwing random things at us to make it worse?”

Rex looked guilty. Flat out.

“Fuck, Rex.” She stepped back again. “How could you do that to me? To Angelica?”

“Because we have to do it.”

“To make money?” Hope pinched her face. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen an uglier side to you than I’m seeing right now.

I can’t believe…” she trailed off, not sure what to say at all.

She looked over to find Angelica still looking at her, but once again leaned over the desk with Henry.

“Since when is that all you care about?”

“It’s not.” Rex gripped her hard again on the arm and pulled her in to lower his voice. “But we don’t want the show cancelled because you two can’t figure out what we need from you.”

Hope looked at him directly. “You’re such an ass.”

Wrenching herself free from him, she jabbed her finger into the elevator button. She wasn’t going to talk to him anymore. She was over it. She was exhausted, she was at her limit of stress, and he still couldn’t be compassionate toward that.

“Hope, listen to me, really.”

“Fuck you.” She turned when the elevator door opened and hit the button for her floor. She didn’t care if the entire crew heard her say that to him. It was well deserved. She watched as he looked on in shock while the elevator doors shut on his face.

Good riddance.

Hope sighed heavily, tears building in her eyes. She reached behind her back for the mic pack and ripped it from her waistband. She turned it off and then pulled out the batteries just to make damn sure no one heard her cry.

What was she doing here?

She couldn’t win. It was either fight with Angelica or let the show die. And she didn’t want that ultimatum. She wanted to get along with everyone on set. She wanted to find a balance with Angelica where they could actually enjoy working together—like at Mountain View. She wanted…so much.

But what she knew for certain was she didn’t want this.