Chuckling, Cadence leaned back in the chair again. “That does sound like her.”
Hope agreed. Which was probably why Angelica was pushing so hard for an answer to begin with. Hope was the opposite. She didn’t like structure or boundaries. She wanted to live as freely and as impulsively as possible. Though that had gotten her into a significant about of trouble in the past, and she’d worked to tame those urges more since then.
“Want my advice?” Cadence asked. “Or do you just want to tell me what you’re feeling and struggling with and have me be your sounding board?”
Hope bit her lip, still holding the cold coffee cup in her hand. “Advice.”
“Would there be any harm in telling Ange that you might want an open relationship in the future but that you don’t right now, so you don’t want to take it off the table, but you don’t exactly want it on the table right at this moment?” Cadence looked at her curiously. “Would she demand an answer?”
Was Angelica even demanding an answer?
Or was she more demanding a conversation that needed to happen?
“I don’t know. That might be enough of an open door that she’s comfortable with it.” Hope smiled at Cadence. “Thanks.”
“Glad to be of service, ma’am. I don’t claim to be an expert on all things queer, but I have some damn good experience.”
Laughing, Hope set down her cup and settled herself. This had been a good conversation. Now if they’d only managed to have it at beer o’clock instead of this morning, then maybe she would have gotten some sleep. Hope rustled her hair. “I suppose I should go find Ansel. Elsie and I do have an early morning of prep work to get done.”
“Yes, you do. Hence why I’m awake. Thank you for that.” Cadence rolled her eyes with the sarcasm.
Hope loved working with Cadence. She was glad that she hadn’t been scared off from the show yet, that she’d stuck around. She definitely was the highlight of most of Hope’s work week. “All right.”
Hope pushed herself to her feet and started toward the coffee pot. That was a must right now. Then she’d find Ansel.
It didn’t take Hope long to get through hair and makeup and into her chef’s coat. By the time she got to the kitchen, Elsie wasthere with Cadence, and they were talking in gentle tones. At least a lot of her anger seemed to have eased from the last few days—at least she wasn’t mad at Cadence. Hope was a different person entirely, and Elsie might put most of that on her and Angelica.
But that’s what they were here for.
To push and to prod and to force people into the change they weren’t sure about making. Hope sent Elsie one of the biggest smiles she could muster. “Are you ready?”
Elsie nodded and frowned.
Right, so it was Hope.
They spent the next four hours prepping and baking and cooking the different items that Hope had come up with for the market. She had a few of the other crew slapping on labels with promotional material and coupons for the restaurant. She was going to make this work, as much as it pained her. Angelica’s plan wasn’t without flaws, but it was probably the best bet that they had.
Hope counted and recounted everything so she could give Angelica an accurate report about what ended up happening, because she was damn sure that she’d want one in the end. When she was done, she put her hands on her hips and surveyed everything.
“I think we’re ready,” Hope said.
“This better work,” Elsie croaked out.
“It’ll work.” Hope had to believe that it would because if it failed, she wasn’t sure they’d have any more credibility with Elsie and Ronan. They were decidedly against them, pushing them to the edges of allowing them to do their work in here.
Elsie made a disgruntled noise before she started to pull on an apron that Angelica had told them to wear, one with the restaurant branding on it. Hope moved to the back door to prop it open so they could load the truck, and froze.
Flashes of lights blinded her.
She threw her hands up in front of her face to block the lights and squinted. She hadn’t been prepared for this. “Hope! Hope! Hope!” So many voices said her name at the same time. She couldn’t concentrate on a single one of them.
“Do you have anything to say about your relationship with Angelica Shields?”
“Did you cheat on your husband? Is that why you got divorced?”
“Can you tell us more about this? When did your relationship start?”
A phone was shoved into Hope’s face. On it was a still image of Hope and Angelica kissing, and it wasn’t from that security footage from New Orleans. With this one, there was absolutely no doubt what they were doing. She was still in her chef’s coat, and Angelica was all dressed up for filming. They were outside in the daylight, hands to cheeks and lips to lips.
