Chapter 30
Chapter
Thirty
“What the hell were you thinking?” Angelica snagged Hope’s arm hard and pulled her into the kitchen right after they’d finished filming their introductions.
Hope shook her head, her heart racing. “What?”
“Logan,” Angelica spat out his name like it was a curse. “What the fuck did you tell him?”
Hope’s heart raced. Angelica’s hand was still wrapped tightly around her upper arm.
She wasn’t sure she could escape even if she wanted to.
Hope looked around, flicking her gaze toward Cadence who stared at the two of them with wide eyes.
The kitchen staff seemed just as surprised by Angelica’s outburst.
“Outside,” Hope muttered under her breath, wrenching her arm from Angelica’s grasp. The last thing they needed was to have more gossip about them that they couldn’t control.
She didn’t wait as she stomped out of the kitchen and wrenched the mic pack from her back and pulled out the cord. The last thing they needed was to be on the record for this conversation because Hope had no doubt that tempers were going to fly and screaming would be involved.
“Slow down!” Angelica said loudly.
When Hope looked over her shoulder, Angelica was still hobbling along with her cast and trying to keep up as she took apart her own microphone in the process.
Hope sighed heavily and waited for Angelica to catch up, but when Angelica flipped her a look of absolute rage, Hope gave up and rolled her eyes.
They walked in silence together down the small pathway that led between the hotel and the river and into a small area with trees where they had at least some privacy. Then again, they wouldn’t have much privacy for a while since they were still filming. This would have to do.
Hope stopped suddenly and turned on Angelica. “I called Logan because Josef needs to be put back in line—well, really, he needs to be fired and get the hell out of my life.”
Angelica froze, her lips parting in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about Josef. That’s why Logan’s here. Not because of you or me or anything else. I called him because of the shit Josef has been pulling, and you know what, Ange? I’m sick and tired of it. I’ve hit my limit.”
“What did you tell Logan?” Angelica’s lower lip quivered.
Hope paused, realizing far too late what Angelica had assumed. She stepped forward and clasped Angelica’s hands tightly in her own, pulling her a step closer. “I didn’t tell him about us. I promise you, Angel.”
Relief rushed through Angelica’s gaze before the tension in her cheeks dropped.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry you thought that.” Reaching forward, Hope put her hand around the back of Angelica’s head and pulled her in, cradling her against her shoulder. “No, I wouldn’t do that. Not without talking to you first.”
Angelica took a steadying breath, and it rattled against Hope’s chest. She threaded her fingers into Angelica’s hair and tugged slightly before releasing.
She wanted to say something, but a niggling in the center of her chest told her that silence was better—at least for right now.
She pressed her face into Angelica’s hair, breathing in the light coconut scent of her shampoo.
She let her eyes flutter shut as Angelica relaxed and finally pulled away.
“Okay.” Angelica nodded to herself and then blew out another breath. “Okay. So what exactly did you tell Logan?”
“I called him when we were in Vermont, after Leanne and her drama…I called him after he threatened my job.” Hope rolled her eyes, her cheeks heating.
Angelica’s jaw dropped. “Your job? Not mine?”
“Both, but mine primarily. I love what I do, Angel. I love being on camera and cooking and helping people figure out what they want to do with their kitchens and helping them make it so much better. I was so nervous when we filmed season one, but now? I’d never go back and not do it.
I love this so much.” Hope bit her lip. “And I’m going to fight for it. ”
Hope stared directly into Angelica’s eyes, those baby blue eyes that she hadn’t been able to get out of her head since the first moment she’d seen them.
But this was about so much more than the show, and she had to make sure Angelica understood that.
Cupping Angelica’s cheek, Hope wetted her lips and steadied herself for what she was going to say next.
“I’m going to fight for us.”
Angelica trembled. She closed her eyes, her cheeks taking on a pink tinge as her chin dropped. She nodded slowly, and then she moved in, pressing their mouths together in a quick kiss.
“I’m not just saying that because of our conversation earlier, either.”
“No, I didn’t think you were,” Angelica answered. “Logan knows about Leanne and my history with her. When we’re ready to share about us, he’ll be the first one I call.”
Hope’s lips curled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “So you’ve already planned for that.”
“Oh God. Don’t let your head get inflated.” Angelica rolled her eyes and stepped away from Hope, brushing her fingers down her outfit as she stared back at the hotel. “So… we still act mad when we go back in?”
“Sure, if that’s what you want.” Hope smirked. “I think that’s something we can manage.”
“Cadence did catch a good moment on the camera—one that Josef will like.”
“She did,” Hope agreed. “So, finish it?”
Angelica sighed heavily. “Yeah. Let’s finish this. But next time, don’t walk so far. I’m still not supposed to be one hundred percent weight-bearing.”
“Jesus, Angel. You should have told me.”
Angelica shrugged lightly. “I figured we had enough to argue about before I brought that up.”
Laughing, Hope started the slow walk back to the hotel after helping Angelica put her mic pack together again and then her own. “Your health matters, Angel. Stop trying to convince people that it doesn’t.”
“I know. I know.”
“I’ve been looking for you.” Josef’s voice boomed toward them, causing Hope to jerk with a start.
They were lucky she had stopped pressing her hand against Angelica’s back as they got closer to the hotel. Hope bit her lip as Angelica continued to walk toward Josef, as if she’d been expecting this kind of drama.
“What can I do for you?” Angelica asked, her shoulders rigid and her back ramrod straight.
If Hope had ever seen her go into a battle, this was the look she had. Everything seemed that way with Josef lately. The tension between him and everyone on set was getting worse every day. Josef flicked his gaze over at Hope, but he focused his wrath on Angelica.
“Why is he here?” Josef spat.
“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me anything. I didn’t even know he was coming.” Angelica’s fingers curled into a tight ball.
“If I find out you called him in here, it’ll be your job.”
“You’ve been threatening my job since day one of season one, Josef.” Angelica clenched her jaw hard.
Hope had to hand it to her. She never really backed down when it came to Josef. It was rare that she did anyway, and she always put up a fight.
“I didn’t call Logan in,” Angelica repeated.
“Were you the one who did it? Because you two are fucking?”
The way he spat out that word sent a shiver down Hope’s spine.
“You’re crossing a line,” Angelica lowered her voice into the threat level.
Hope just stood there stunned, no idea what to say or do. She’d never been directly called out on anything like this before, and not in such a way that it’d be so negative.
“No, you’re the one who—”
“I have done that. You’re right,” Angelica interrupted him. “I have crossed lines. But don’t think that just because I’ve done it you can break the same rule.”
“You called him in here to stir up drama!” Josef hissed at her, his cheeks turning red. “I won’t let you take this from me, Ange. I’ll take you down and bury you with me.”
“I didn’t call Logan,” Angelica reiterated.
It’d be so easy for Hope to jump in and say she was the one who had made the call, and she was just about to, but Angelica put her hand out, fingers spread as if she knew Hope was going to do that.
“And you accosting me because he’s here isn’t going to win you any favors, Josef. I suggest to batten down the hatches and start forming a plan for what’s next. Because if Logan’s sniffing around, then you’re certainly on the edge of something.” Angelica stared at him hard.
Hope wished she could do something, say anything. She just wanted the arguing to end.
“There you are!” Cadence stepped outside, a grimace on her face. She locked her eyes on Hope and then immediately shifted to Angelica. “Rex is looking for you.”
“Thank you,” Angelica said. She stepped around Cadence and slipped back into the hotel through the kitchen doors.
Hope stayed silent as she held her breath and waited for Josef’s next explosion, hoping it wasn’t going to be directed at her.
Josef scowled at her, but he remained silent as he pushed his way back inside.
Instead of following, Hope stayed right where she was, feet planted in the gravel and the setting sun at her back.
“You okay?” Cadence asked.
“Whiplash.” Hope frowned. “Not literally.”
“I gathered.” Cadence shut the door, stepped out fully, and took a deep breath. “I’ve never liked him.”
“I don’t know many people who do lately.” Hope put her hands on her hips and stretched her back. “He’s on a rampage this season, though.”
“He hasn’t been this bad before?”
“Nope. Bad, yes, but not like this.” Hope closed her eyes and rolled her shoulders. “Where are we with filming?”
“Interviews.”
Hope nodded, mentally taking stock of everything she needed to do and then some. The phone in her pocket buzzed. Frowning she stared at the screen.
Rachel.
“I hate to bow out again, but I need to take this.” Hope frowned at the phone. “I’ll make it as quick as I can.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry.” Cadence nodded and scuffed her shoe against the gravel. “I need a smoke after that whole thing with jerk-face anyway.”
“Good.”
Hope started back the way she’d come from, answering the call before it went to voicemail even though she wasn’t entirely certain she wanted to take it.
Her family had been so distant in the last year because of Rachel.
As much as she’d wanted to work on that, she knew she had to work on herself first.
“Is everything okay?” Hope asked as she answered.
“Uh… Hi. Yeah. There’s no emergency.” Rachel’s voice wavered.
Hope bit her lip and wrinkled her nose as she stared out across the river. “Then why are you calling?”
“Hope…”
“What?” Hope bit out the word. This wasn’t the time or the place for Rachel to be calling, and after everything that day, Hope’s brain was fried on keeping her tongue in check.
“I’m sorry.”
Hope’s chest tightened. Those two words filled the air in her lungs, turning it from burning hot to boiling. And she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She burst.
“You’re sorry? What the hell for?”
“For choosing him over you. For blaming you. I-I was wrong.”
“You know what, Rach…” Hope shook her head, her fingers clenching tightly around the phone.
“Fuck this. You turned everyone against me. You harbored Rex and Eva when I didn’t know where they were.
You chose him. Do you know how much that hurt?
Do you know how fucking hard it was to go through a divorce with no one there with me?
And I blame you for all of that. You told Mom and Dad that I was the reason our marriage broke up.
You told them I cheated on him. And I didn’t. You lied.”
“I-I didn’t understand it.”
“You didn’t take the time to understand it!” Hope screeched. “And if you think you’re calling now because I’m going to come crawling back to you like you didn’t just spend the last year removing me from your life. Grow up, Rachel.”
Hope pulled her phone away from her ear and she was just about to hang up when she heard Rachel sob.
She breathed slowly, pulling herself back together one molecule of air at a time.
She’d wanted this, hadn’t she? At some point, she’d wanted to be able to sit down with Rachel and hash out everything that had happened and maybe become friends again.
“Rachel…” Hope started on a sigh as she pushed the phone against her ear again.
“I’m not unwilling to work on this with you.
I’m unwilling to do that today or even this week.
I need to finish filming this season before I can manage that.
But you have to realize how much damage you’ve done in this.
Because without that, we’re not going anywhere. ”
“I do realize that.” Rachel sniffled again.
Just hearing those four words put Hope even more at ease than she’d been before. It was at least some admission of what she’d done.
“Good,” Hope responded. “And one more thing…” She debated whether or not to even say it, but based on the conversations she’d been having with Angelica, she wanted to start this now.
“You won’t blame Ange for any of this. She’s not a home-wrecker, she’s not the other woman.
And if I hear any of that language coming from you or anyone else in the family, I will walk away. ”
She’d never been more sure about that boundary. She’d protect Angelica at all costs, even from the people who were supposed to love her the most.
“Okay,” Rachel agreed.
“Okay,” Hope answered. She stared across the river and closed her eyes as the cool breeze touched her cheeks. “I need to go film now. I’ll call you when I get home, and you and I can sit down and start to work on this.”
“I’ll be there whenever you want to meet.”
Hope sighed. “Okay. Bye.”
She hung up. Hope lifted her chin to the sky and just stood in the quiet of the moment, breathing in the rest of the day as it turned to evening and letting it wash through her.
What a day.