Page 36 of Culinary Chaos
Angelica wanted to push back on that, but she didn’t. Hope wasn’t wrong, at least not about her quick judgment about Angelica being a control freak. She wouldn’t have worked her way up into management so quickly and so well if she wasn’t. Not dignifying that answer with another response, Angelica continued with the conversation from before. “I suggest that you and I argue over the firing of the staff. Ultimately, we know that they need to be terminated from their positions, but perhaps you fight back on it more than you would normally.”
“Won’t that paint me in a weak light?” Hope asked.
“A compassionate one.”
“And you the evil witch who hates everyone?” One of Hope’s eyebrows rose up, her gaze locked on Angelica’s. “That doesn’t seem very fair.”
“No one ever said show business was fair.” Angelica’s stomach tightened, her chest constricting. Why did it look like Hope wanted to lean in? Why were they sitting so close together? Angelica hadn’t even noticed how they’d slid closer together throughout the conversation, coming to sit nearly side by side. Close enough to touch, surely.
“I don’t suppose they did,” Hope responded, agreeing with Angelica. “But what do I get out of this?”
“Tension,” Angelica answered. “Exactly what you asked for.”
That’s all this was, right? Or was Angelica going to enjoy playing the argument too much and cause an actual fight to happen between them? That was her main concern with this entire idea to begin with, and why she’d wanted to forget thatshe’d ever actually agreed to it. But she was good at playing the part that people expected her to. She’d used that skill to her advantage many times over the years.
“I’m not entirely sure that’s true.” Hope leaned in even closer, her voice lowering. If anyone else were in the room with them, they’d have a hard time hearing her. “What do you get out of it?”
“I keep my reputation.”
“As the Ice Fairy?” Hope asked.
“Yes,” Angelica answered, her voice nothing but a whisper. Why did this feel like a whole new level of flirting? One that she couldn’t fully see the lines of because they were blurring with reality so rapidly. Josef had told her that she needed to have clear boundaries this time, unlike with Leanne. And she was trying her damnedest, but sometimes, boundaries needed to be blurred to get the job done.
And hadn’t he asked her to do just that?
“I don’t think you’re as icy as you like to play at.” Hope’s voice was rough, gravelly. “I think you like people to think that you’re cold, untouchable, that you’re the ultimate nut to crack.”
Angelica pressed her lips together tightly. How was it possible for Hope to read her so easily? No one else could. Not within such a short period of time of knowing each other. What walls hadn’t Angelica put up this time? What was she missing to keep Hope out of her head and her heart?
“I think you care more deeply than you want to admit to yourself,” Hope added, reaching out for Angelica’s hand.
Angelica jerked back, moving her hand out of Hope’s reach. That would be very bad. Her heart pounded, slamming against her chest and making it so hard to breathe properly. What the hell game were they playing at this time?
“Take the idea or leave it, Hope.”
“I’ll take it.” Hope grinned brightly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to see my daughter before she’s stuck in tutoring all afternoon.” Hope pushed herself to stand, her thigh brushing against Angelica’s knee as she moved.
Angelica shivered and closed her eyes, the ghost of Hope still on her skin even though it barely even qualified as a touch. She had to get out of her head. Immediately. This was exactly what Josef had warned her about, and the last thing she needed was another relationship anyway.
Sitting in the silence of the room longer than normal, Angelica collected herself. Josef should be there by now, though she’d heard that his flight had been delayed. Kyle had already arrived and was checking out the different locations to get a feel for the place. That left her squarely doing nothing, and thinking about no one other than Hope.
Hope, who was having a quick visit with her family. That conversation had stung last night, and she’d hated that Hope had managed to pick up on it. Angelica hated talking about her personal life. She was an intensely private person, but she also never had very much to share. She wasn’t partnered, and she didn’t have kids, which meant all she had was work.
She hadn’t lied when she’d said it was a decision she’d wanted to make. But that didn’t also mean that she didn’t live with the regret of what-ifs either.
Frowning, Angelica opened her laptop to attempt to get some work done for the other hotels she managed. Maybe she should look into ownership sooner rather than later. It’d be another layer to add to her repertoire, but an important one. Angelica stared at the screen and flicked to her email. Pursing her lips, she tried to answer a couple, but it was a struggle to get the words out and to focus on what was being asked.
Sighing heavily, she closed it. This wasn’t going to do. Not for right now.
Not when she was so distracted.
Especially when she shouldn’t be.
Sighing heavily, Angelica leaned back in her chair and just stared at the door. Would Hope be the first one to come back in? Or would she be the last one? God, this was ridiculous. She needed to move. Angelica winced and stood up. She walked swiftly out of the room and toward the elevator, heading straight for her assigned room for the week. In an instant, she’d stripped down and slid into her running clothes.
One last run before the dramatics of a new episode started would be perfect and exactly what she needed, right?
Sliding her cell phone into her pocket, Angelica made her way outside into the heat of the late spring. She rolled her shoulders and started walking to stretch her muscles. Just the idea of running felt delicious. She really should do this more often. She started with a slow pace, building herself up to a good run.
