Page 54 of Culinary Chaos (Hotel Bombshell #1)

Chapter

Forty-Two

“ T hanks for coming in to meet with me,” Angelica said as she stepped into her office at the hotel she ran in LA.

Hope was already sitting in the comfortable chair in the far corner near the window where Angelica had set up a small lamp and table with two chairs.

She’d used those for more intimate and longer conversations.

“Eva was mad that I wouldn’t let her come, but I told her we had actual work to discuss.”

“Right.” Angelica faltered in her step slightly, but she put her iPad onto her desk and walked to sit next to Hope.

She slid her hands against her backside and under her legs to smooth out her skirt and cross her legs as she leaned a little in the chair.

“As co-leads, I thought it’d be a good idea for us to get the crew gifts. ”

“I had the same thought.” Hope rubbed her palms against her thighs. “Did you have any ideas?”

“It might strike you as strange, but this isn’t my area of expertise.

” Angelica loved this side of Hope, the much more comfortable in her own skin side.

She seemed way more confident and down to earth now than she ever had when they were filming.

The jeans she wore were a bleached-out blue with a few rips in them.

Angelica couldn’t tell if they were supposed to be there or not.

The tank top was white and stretched across her body beautifully.

Angelica was more than a little distracted by it.

But seeing Hope on FaceTime and seeing her in person didn’t compare at all.

This was so much better. Angelica settled into the conversation, relaxing.

She had an hour block of time before she needed to be in another meeting, and she was going to spend the entire time with Hope if she could.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all.” Hope grinned at her, eyes squinting in the corners.

Fuck, she was beautiful. Did she know just how gorgeous she was? Angelica was having a hard time forcing herself to focus and convincing herself that the conversation needed to move on. “Normally I’d ask my admin, but since you and I are on this project, I thought I’d ask you.”

That’d been the thought that had originally run through her head. But when she’d analyzed it more later on, she’d realized it was just an excuse.

She wanted to work with Hope again.

She needed to see her in person without anyone else there.

“You could have asked me before today, you know.” Hope lifted her chin up slightly. “Or are you one of those people who gets a thrill from last-minute decisions?”

“Hardly.” Angelica laughed lightly. “I’ve just been distracted with bigger messes to clean up.”

“I can understand that.” Hope rested her ankle on her knee and relaxed a bit. “Everyone loves a good travel mug, don’t you think?”

Angelica pursed her lips. “Sure.” That seemed rather simple though, like something so basic and forgettable. While Angelica wasn’t great at coming up with gifts for people, she didn’t want it to be a crappy gift either.

“And we could put some bonbons and good coffee in it.”

That sounded like a much better idea. Angelica settled into it.

She shifted slightly, her skirt rising up higher on her knee than it had before.

Hope gave a small whimper, and Angelica instantly looked at her.

Their eyes locked. They were caught in a battle of wills and curiosities and wants and desires.

She could see every thought run through Hope’s mind.

What would it be like to kiss again?

This time when they were both expecting it.

It’d be better surely.

But would Hope like it?

Angelica stayed right where she was, not moving an inch. “By bonbons do you mean chocolates?”

Hope’s cheeks rushed with pink. She nodded slightly. “Yeah, truffles or the like. I can make them.”

“Along with everything else you’re making for Friday?” Angelica didn’t want Hope to run into too much overwork right before a big shift in their lives. The least she could do was protect her as much as possible from herself.

“Yeah,” Hope said. “Eva can help make those. She’ll enjoy it.”

Angelica cleared her throat and glanced down at her hands. When had she clenched them into fists? She flexed her fingers, pressing them against her thigh so that she wouldn’t be tempted to clench them again. Her heart raced.

She didn’t want to give this up.

“Have you talked to Mary again?” Angelica nearly whispered the question. But she was so scared of what the answer might be, that Hope would leave her high and dry if they were to get renewed for a second season.

“Yes, but not about what you’re asking.”

Angelica wasn’t sure she dared to hope. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from Hope’s face. It hurt her so much to think that this might be the last time they worked together on a project. The physical ache in her chest grew by the minute.

“She did line me up a few jobs during the break, which I’m grateful for. It’ll keep me entertained while I’m traveling to my restaurants.” Hope looked at her curiously, as if daring her to actually ask the question they were both avoiding.

“That’s good,” Angelica responded. “Are you going to open a new restaurant?”

Angelica took the easy and distracted way out. She wasn’t ready to hear Hope’s answer. She couldn’t fathom what that would do to her between now and Friday, and she wanted to be as present as possible on Friday.

“Eventually. I’m working with a developer in DC actually.”

“Oh!” Angelica eyes widened. “That’ll be a nice place for a five-star restaurant.”

“It will. Imagine all the political people I’ll meet.”

Angelica laughed. “Yes, because you excel at playing politics.”

“Oh, I don’t have to play them.” Hope grinned conspiratorially. “I just have to watch and listen. Which I’m excellent at.”

Angelica smiled before she nodded. “That you are.”

“What do you think about the travel mug idea?”

“It’s good.” Angelica nodded. “I can get some special ordered with the logo on them and go from there. I think pint glasses would be better.”

Hope’s eyes widened. “Excellent idea! Maybe next season we can do that.”

“Maybe.” Angelica’s stomach churned. She still wasn’t convinced that they’d actually be picked up for a second season.

Kyle and Josef had sent her some of the footage from the first episode that was finally being edited together in its more final form.

It seemed like it was a good show, at least from what Angelica could tell, but she wasn’t the target audience for this either.

“I’ll work on the bonbons and the coffee.” Hope bit her lower lip as was her habit, and she trailed her gaze across Angelica’s body again.

Angelica couldn’t be the only one wondering, could she? The intensity between them had been there from the start, and she should have known then. But she’d buried her head in the sand and ignored all of the signs. She didn’t want to admit that Josef had been right.

She liked Hope.

Way more than she should.

And she was a chronic rule breaker, always playing with fire and being interested in those who worked under her. She really needed to stop that. Or maybe get some damn therapy to figure out what her problem was. She pushed that thought aside. She didn’t have time for therapy.

“Eva wants to know when you can teach her math again.” Hope folded her hands together. “Her schedule is fairly wide open since she’ll be in LA with Rex for the rest of the summer.”

Angelica hummed and nodded. “I’ll have to look at my schedule.”

“Just let me know.” Hope pushed herself to stand up. “I assume that’s all you wanted to talk about today?”

It was.

But Angelica didn’t want her to leave. The hour wasn’t up. She could still fill it with other idle conversation, couldn’t she?

Angelica stood up, wobbling a little in her heels, which was so unlike her. But her knees were weak, and her heart raced. “How are the food preparations going?”

“Good.” Hope turned around to face her, and they stood so close that Angelica could smell Hope’s scent again. That damn lilac after a rain. It was fast becoming Angelica’s favorite. “I have several of the dishes already prepped and made. The others I need to cook, so I’ll do that tomorrow.”

“By yourself?” Angelica asked. She wasn’t going to offer her services again, was she? Surely Hope would laugh at her. She wouldn’t be any help to Hope at all. She’d barely been any help last time.

“Are you wanting to apply for a new job?” The tease was there, but it didn’t come off in a mocking tone. Not like Angelica had expected.

“I don’t think I’d be any good to you.”

“I don’t know about that.” Hope lowered her voice, leaning in even closer. “You were a lot of help the last time you came to rescue me in a kitchen.”

Angelica hummed, pressing her lips together. Her cheeks rushing with an unexpected heat. Could Hope see it? “I’m fairly certain I ruined more than just what I touched in that meal.”

“You didn’t.” Hope’s eyes glittered with amusement. “But let’s say your cooking skills could use a lot of honing.”

“A whole lot,” Angelica corrected.

“Sure. It wasn’t your skills I was looking for that day.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “It wasn’t?”

“No. I needed a calm presence, someone who could chill me out.” Hope laughed a little. “And you were the perfect person for that.”

Angelica breathed in deeply. That was the best compliment anyone had given her in a long time. And it was so unexpected.

“Never doubt yourself, Ange. It’s not a good look on you.”

Angelica’s lips parted in surprise. “I won’t,” she whispered.

“Good.” Hope smiled at her again. “But if you really want to help me cook and have free time tomorrow, my house is always open.”

“House?” Angelica frowned.

“Yeah.” Hope cocked her head to the side. “Did you think I was doing this at my restaurant?”

“Or here, if you wanted.” Angelica brushed her thumb and forefinger together. “If you did it here, then you wouldn’t have to move the food.”

“True,” Hope said, dropping her voice a little.

And Angelica would be able to pop in and see her. And that sent a thrill through her, one she was expecting this time. She had no doubts about her attraction to Hope, but that confirmed she was interested in far more than simple attraction.

“But I think your chef might not be very happy for me to come in and take over their kitchen.”

Angelica hummed her assent. “But I’m the boss.”

“A boss who’s trying not to piss off her employees.” Hope chuckled. “I’ll be fine at home. I promise. And that way, I don’t have to find a sitter for Eva.”

Disappointment hit her first. But then the determination to make this not the last she saw of Hope, that Friday wouldn’t be the end of it. She smiled at Hope and nodded. “If it works for you.”

“It does.” Hope’s lips pulled up to the side in a brilliant smile. “I miss you too, Ange.”

Angelica stilled. She met Hope’s intense gaze, surprised. She hadn’t expected that. She’d never expected half of the things that Hope said and did. And this was the last thing she’d thought that Hope would say to her.

“We can fix that, you know. Find time to get together even if we’re not filming.” Hope reached out for Angelica’s hand, hooking her fingers around Angelica’s palm.

Her skin was so warm and smooth against Angelica’s.

She dropped her gaze down to look at the touch, shivering.

Oh, she was in over her head. Way in over it.

Angelica needed to escape before she did something stupid, something that she’d regret, something that Josef could come back and fault her for.

“I’ll think about it.” She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and stepped away. “Thank you, for everything.”

“Anytime.” Hope nodded and stepped away, clearly sensing the shift in conversation. “I’ll see you Friday.”

“See you.”

Angelica stayed right where she was as Hope left.

When the door was shut, she crossed her arms and sighed heavily.

She was so in over her head. She was going to fall down this rabbit hole, and she wasn’t sure that she’d be able to come out the other side or find her way out again if she wasn’t careful.

Because there was something about Hope.

It wasn’t just her happy personality or the ease that she seemed to have with conversations.

It was the depth that she carried with that ease, the intrigue and understanding that Angelica rarely found in someone.

Sure, they were similar in some aspects of life, but they were also so different, and their differences actually complimented each other.

Angelica’s heart raced. She drew in a deep breath and walked back to her desk, sliding into her chair. But she couldn’t focus. She couldn’t stop thinking about Hope. About every emotion that swirled through her body, her mind, her soul.

It wouldn’t hurt to dream a little, would it?

The phone on her desk rang, an internal number. Angelica automatically went to answer it, not thinking before she picked it up. She needed to get her mind off Hope and back onto the work that needed to be done. She wasn’t here to fall in love. She was here to do her job to the best of her ability.