Page 62 of Culinary Chaos
“Making sure she’s drinking water and eating something… yeah.” Hope sighed, sitting on one of the hard log benches that had been carved out for the aesthetic. “I think she needs a doctor, but that’s going to be a battle, I’m sure.”
“She’s that bad?” Rex sounded concerned now, and Hope was glad. It seemed like no one had been paying attention to the fact that Angelica was slowly wasting away.
“She is,” Hope said, wanting him to really understand. Maybe if he did then everyone else would. “So I wanted to talk about filming.”
“Filming?” Rex frowned at her. “We don’t start for a few more days.”
“Right, but I don’t think she’s going to be up to it in a few days. Not with the way she’s going.” Hope rubbed her hands together, staring down at her feet on the dirt pathway. “I want to focus more on the kitchen if we can, maybe give her a bit of a break. Not exclude her part entirely, but maybe make some drama with the kitchens or build up an idea where I’m taking on more of that time than she is.”
Rex hummed, crossing an ankle over his knee. “She won’t like that.”
“I’m not sure about that.” Hope bit her lower lip. “Especially depending on how we pitch it to her, but that’s why I wanted to talk to you first. Maybe we can find a way to make this happen?”
Sighing heavily, Rex sat in the silence. Hope stared at him before looking at the horizon.
She continued on, “One of the main issues here is just how seasonal the hotel is. We need to find a way to build up the summer income.”
“What were you thinking?” Rex asked.
“Catering? Weddings? Both can work well, and the kitchen staff already understands how to do most of that, I think. Either way, it’s not that difficult to add to it. Or even partnering with some other bed-and-breakfasts to add to their repertoire of food stuffs. Also just working with local small bed-and-breakfasts to fill in for them when they’re out for whatever reason so they don’t have to close down for a week or more at a time.” Hopewas back to biting her lip as she looked at him, waiting for his approval of her crazy idea.
“That could work.”
Hope’s heart thudded. That was exactly what she’d wanted to hear. It would solve two problems at once, wouldn’t it? “Let me talk to her and see what she thinks.”
“You’re going to talk to her now?” Rex looked at her skeptically.
“Yeah.” Hope tensed. What was he sensing exactly?
“You two seem to be getting along better. At least you did toward the end of New Orleans.”
“Yeah, I guess we are.” Hope softened her tone, listening more to what he was saying and what he wasn’t saying to her. What exactly did he know? And how exactly was she ever going to explain to him what had happened? Because she didn’t want to keep that information from him. It was a wedge in their relationship, and she hated that it was there.
“That’s good. She’s not exactly easy to get along with.”
Hope didn’t comment on that. She had a theory that it wasn’t Angelica who was hard to get along with, but the expectations that everyone put on her for how she was supposed to act. And in turn, those expectations immediately put Angelica on the outskirts of the group. But Hope hadn’t experienced enough of everyone together yet to see if that was actually true.
“She’s going to be upset about the lack of screen time, though.” Rex slapped a hand down onto his knee. “You’ll need to be prepared for that.”
“You really think she will?”
“Absolutely. The Ice Fairy is just as much a princess as everyone else in this world, and she’s here to make money and get her face out there, and she can’t do that if she’s not on camera often.” Rex gave Hope a direct look now. “You have the same problem.”
She resented that. She didn’t like that he was lumping her into the category of a diva who would throw a fit when she didn’t get what she wanted. But she also couldn’t deny the fact that there was some kind of truth to what he was saying. What was the point in being on a television show if her face wasn’t on the camera at least a little bit? She wanted to grow her businesses and do something new. And the only way to do that was to have camera time.
“That’s going to be the argument, Hope. So if you’re going to walk into that arena, be prepared for the battle at hand. If she agrees, we can talk to Kyle and Josef about adjusting the schedule and the plan.” Rex stood up and walked off.
The breeze was cool against Hope’s cheeks. But the sun shone down on her, warming her skin at the same time. She stayed there, breathing in the peace and serenity that she wanted to overtake her. But why? She’d never felt so unbalanced before. So why was she feeling that now?
Angelica.
There was no doubt in her mind that Angelica was the reason she was feeling off-kilter. Or rather, her reaction to Angelica. That was something Hope was going to have to figure out, but first, she had to make sure that Angelica was actually being taken care of and doing the things that she needed to do.
Pushing herself up, Hope walked back into the hotel and started down the hallway toward Angelica’s room. She pulled the key out of her pocket and slipped it into the door with a quick knock. She’d done that so many times over the last few days that she was used to it.
Angelica was still in bed, her hair mussed, her cheeks still pale. Immediately, Hope checked the food and water to see if Angelica had actually eaten. And while it seemed she’d nibbled, she hadn’t made much of a dent.
“I have a proposal for you,” Hope said, sitting on the edge of the mattress.
