Page 69 of No Holds Barred

“We have twelve dishes laid out for you, and we want you to do a taste test and let us know which ones you think are the best. The top three.” Hope smiled at everyone. “Mel, why don’t you go first?”

Hope snagged Angelica’s wrist and pulled her a little closer, leaning in so that her lips brushed against Angelica’s ear as she spoke so quietly that Angelica would have to strain to hear her.

“You need to avoid several things, but it’s fairly obvious which ones. They have bright red tomatoes on them.”

Angelica leaned in, her shoulder pressing into Hope’s chest. “Thank you.”

“Of course. We don’t need you poisoned again.” Hope let go, but as soon as she stepped away, she knew something was missing. When she turned back, Cadence was staring directly at them. Hope furrowed her brow in Cadence’s direction and then rolled her shoulders and ignored the sense of unease settling over her.

Mel and Jess made humming sounds as they ate all of the food, and then they talked together quietly while Angelica and Leanne went through each one. Hope shook her head when Angelica reached a plate that she absolutely couldn’t eat, and Angelica skipped it with a smile.

Clapping her hands, Hope stood in front of everyone. “Well, what’s the verdict?”

“We like these three.” Mel pointed to three of Katherine’s dishes.

Hope furrowed her brow, cold rushing through her. But she tried to keep it so that everyone thought she was still happy.She couldn’t have them thinking anything else. But there was Angelica, staring directly at her with that discerning eye she could never escape.

Angelica cast her vote. Two of the dishes being Hope’s and one being Katherine’s.

And then there was Leanne.

“Ange, you didn’t try them all.”

“No, I didn’t.” Angelica frowned so slightly that Hope was sure no one else would even notice it.

“How can you cast a vote if you don’t try everything?” Leanne cut off a piece of the one dish Hope had told Angelica she couldn’t eat.

Angelica flicked her gaze to Hope, her cheeks hollowing and paling slightly.

“Come on, no skipping out just because there’s something you don’t like on the dish.” Leanne’s eyes glinted.

“She doesn’t have to try everything,” Hope stepped in, trying to shut Leanne up and give Angelica an out.

“Stop playing favorites, Hope.” Leanne’s lips quirked up as she handed the small tasting plate over to Angelica. “If she wants to participate and be a leader, then she needs to be a part of everything.”

Angelica again looked directly at Hope. She took the plate. Hope silently begged Angelica not to do it, not to even test it. The more she ate the food, the worst her allergy would get, and she didn’t want Angelica to suffer more than necessary. Especially with everything that she’d already been through this season.

Don’t do it. Do NOT do it.

Hope couldn’t say the words out loud. Angelica was a grown-ass woman, and she could make her own decisions, but seriously, she needed to be better than this. There was nothing wrong with having an allergy. Angelica just needed to admit it.

Angelica paused, looked down at the plate, and then set it on the table. “I know I didn’t try every dish, Leanne.”

The tightness in Hope’s chest released.

“You’re being ridiculous. Just because you don’t like?—”

“I’m allergic.” Angelica stared Leanne down. “It’s not that I don’t like it. I’m allergic to the eggplant. See this here—it’s all eggplant.” Angelica pointed to it with her fork. “And that’s only one of the things I’m allergic to, amongst many foods, actually. So no, I’m not going to eat it.”

Angelica crossed her arms and squared her body.

Leanne’s jaw dropped. “You never… I worked for you for years, Ange, and you never said you had food allergies.”

She shrugged slightly. “I guess you didn’t need to know then. But sometimes, Leanne, observation is the key to learning and it’s the key to management.” Angelica pointed at the dishes in front of her. “I noticed that the six dishes Katherine cooked, while the ones I tried were delicious, are all on the menu. Was that the task?” Angelica tossed a look over her shoulder at Hope.

“No,” Hope answered, coming closer and standing shoulder to shoulder with Angelica, two women against the world. They could tackle anything together, couldn’t they? She wanted to believe that. Even after everything they’d been through, they still understood each other on such a deep level that they couldn’t escape it.

“What was the challenge?” Angelica asked.