Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
“Thanks for getting coffee with me.” Hope sipped from the paper cup in her hand, flicking her gaze over the small cafe table to meet Rex’s eyes.
“Sure.” He shrugged his shoulders slightly and still barely looked at her.
Filming this season had been so different.
Florence had told them they’d have more time, but as the days wore on Hope felt as though she had even less time.
Or perhaps it was just that every time she’d tried to sit down and have a conversation with Angelica, there hadn’t been time.
So here she was, with her ex-husband sitting across from her instead of her girlfriend.
And really, they all needed to talk together and get a handle on how they were going to deal with this situation.
“I wanted to make sure that you were doing okay after yesterday.” Hope worried her lower lip between her teeth, spinning the cup between her fingers. The last thing she probably needed was more caffeine to set her nerves on fire, but she had ordered it automatically.
“I’m fine,” Rex said tersely.
That meant he wasn’t. Hope sat back in the chair, looking around the small cafe. They had thirty minutes to talk before they needed to get back to the set for filming, and she didn’t exactly want to waste the first chunk of it trying to convince him to talk to her.
“I never meant for you to see it. Hell, I didn’t exactly want to see it either.” Hope folded her hands together in her lap, trying to keep them calm and steady. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know you are.” Rex finally looked at her then. “I just didn’t expect it to hit so much harder this time than the first time.”
“Harder?” Hope raised a questioning eyebrow at him.
“That’s probably not the right word.” He sighed and ran his hand through his short-cropped hair. “I didn’t expect it to affect me as much as it did, but knowing it happened and seeing it happen are two very different things.”
“They are.” Hope swallowed the lump in her throat. “And I’m afraid this might not be the last of it.”
“What else did you two do on camera?” The venom in his tone was unmistakable, but Hope suspected it was all from the pain he was swimming in right now.
“Not much, honestly, but I’m sure Josef can come up with something else.
Even if he’s just watching our movements from place to place, and drawing conclusions from that, he can surely find something.
There’s nothing else from that first season.
” Hope twisted her hands sharply, unsure of how much detail to give him.
He’d never really wanted it before, but now the circumstances were different, and he was likely to get it whether he wanted it or not.
“Hope…” Rex sighed heavily. “We made a huge mess of this. All of us.”
“We did.” Hope sniffled lightly and frowned. “And now we’re dealing with the consequences.”
“No, we’re not.”
Hope looked up at him sharply, confused.
“We’re not dealing with the consequences of our actions. We’re dealing with Josef’s belittling and revenge warpath he seems to be on. That’s a whole different world than the consequences of our choices.”
She’d never seen him stand so firm in that belief—or at least he’d never made it that clear to her. She had nothing to say. She could only nod and focus back on the coffee cup in front of her. “You’re right.”
And she really needed to talk to Angelica.
“I won’t say that I’m looking forward to whatever else Josef has to throw at us, but here’s the thing, Hope. He’s out there. By himself, on his own, and we’re here. Together, all of us. You, Ange, me, the crew. He’s already lost.” Rex grabbed Hope’s hand.
Hope frowned and nodded into her coffee. That’s what she was afraid of. Josef had already lost everything, so he had nothing left to lose. Nothing to keep him sane and in line. “Thanks.”
“I’ve got to get back.” Rex stood up, taking his coffee with him. “You really should talk to Ange. You know she’s holding all of this shit in like she normally does.”
“Yeah. She is.” Hope smiled at him. “See you in a bit.”
Hope sighed as he left, watching him walk across the street in the direction of the hotel.
The distance she’d felt with Angelica since the start of filming was stark and unanticipated.
They’d worked so hard toward the end of last season to not have that and then again during season break with distance physically separating them.
Yet now, when they were only feet apart from each other, they barely had a moment to sit down and just be together.
Sliding her phone from her pocket, Hope sent off a text.
Hope
Can we make some time tonight, just you and me? I want to talk about this video, but I really just want to be near you without everyone else around.
She sent it off and waited, knowing that Angelica wouldn’t respond right away. She’d read it, of course, but she wouldn’t answer right away. Not with something that emotional and not with a request that would require her to shift her priorities around for the day.
Hope continued to stare at her phone while she sipped her coffee, and frowned immediately.
Logan.
She was willing to bet that no one had informed him about what was going on. Because that would be Angelica’s job, typically, and because everyone else would assume that Angelica had done it. Snatching her phone up from the table, Hope called Logan’s cell and put the phone to her ear.
“Hope.”
“Logan.” She smiled at his curt greeting. He was one of those people who typically got straight to the point, but especially when he knew that she should be filming or at least somewhat busy. And he’d rarely miss her call.
“Is this about the video?” Logan asked.
“It is.” Hope bit her lip. Maybe Angelica had actually called him and let him know what was going on. “Did Ange—?”
“No. Florence.”
Hope sighed. Of course Florence would call.
Because she actually seemed like one of the good people, one of the ones who was going to get things done and do them ethically, and cared about the people that she worked with and who worked for her.
A lot of the same traits as Angelica, honestly.
Hope ran her fingers through her hair and tugged at the strands.
“It doesn’t seem to have caused a lot of upset or upheaval in the filming,” Hope added, not exactly sure what she needed to tell him now.
“That’s good to know.” Logan sighed a bit. “You should tell her to call me.”
“I can tell her until I’m blue in the face, but we both know that Ange makes her own decisions.” Hope started to spin the cup in front of her again.
Logan sighed, loud enough that Hope felt his sentiment through the phone. “I don’t think this will be the last of it.”
“Me either.” Hope worried her lips together. “I’m afraid this is just the beginning.”
“I’m sure it is.” The depressive tone in Logan’s voice didn’t give Hope any good feelings.
“I should get back to set.”
“Hope.”
“Yeah?” She continued to spin the coffee cup between her fingers, the weight of the situation on her shoulders, but also the pain of seeing Rex have to go through all of this drama in front of the entire crew.
He was going to bear the brunt of that, all because of decisions Hope had made, along with all the mistakes.
“Stay strong on this one. Okay? It’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.”
Biting her lip, she nodded, though Logan’s words didn’t add any hope to her heart. “I’ll try.”
“Good. Talk to you soon.”
Hanging up, Hope snagged her coffee and left the cafe. She needed to get herself together and prepare for the worst. That’s what she’d heard in Logan’s last comment. As soon as she got back to the hotel, Hope searched for Angelica. They needed to talk.
She finally caught sight of her, walking out of the conference room with her nose buried in her iPad. Hope touched the back of her arm lightly to get her attention. Angelica jumped, nearly falling into the wall. Her eyes were wide and lips parted, but as soon as she recognized Hope, she stilled.
“Jesus.”
“Mary and Joseph?” Hope finished for her, an eyebrow raised. “Because I hope that’s why you’re jumping.”
“Josef? Yes.” Angelica licked her lips and put her iPad to her side. “Yes,” she repeated with a sigh.
“Come here.” Hope wrapped her fingers around Angelica’s upper arm and looked around. She needed someplace that was quiet, and just the two of them. That was hard to find while they were filming.
Hope took Angelica with her as she stepped around the front reception counter and held her breath.
No one was in the office. She shut the door behind them and immediately stepped in to wrap her arms around Angelica’s shoulders in an embrace.
But Angelica remained stiff. Her breathing was even, but her entire body was tense.
This probably wasn’t helping.
Fearing that this was more for Hope’s mental and emotional stability than Angelica’s, Hope started to slide away but Angelica leaned in more, pressing her forehead to Hope’s shoulder.
“Just a minute longer,” Angelica whispered.
“Okay.” Hope tightened her grip and stayed right where she was. She buried her nose in Angelica’s hair, breathing in her scent. Her ears rang with the silence, but she didn’t need anything else. What she needed was this, and it seemed as though Angelica needed it too.
When Angelica pulled back slightly, she had tears in her eyes.
“Oh, Angel.” Hope reached up and brushed her thumbs against Angelica’s cheeks even though they were dry. “It’ll be fine.”
Angelica shook her head, dropping her gaze to the floor. “We need to get back to filming.”
“We do, but I think we can spare a minute.” Hope brushed her fingers down Angelica’s arm and wrapped their fingers together. “I talked to Rex this morning.”
Angelica face turned pained.
“He’s doing okay. So is everyone else.” Hope wanted to lean in and kiss her, but she held back, wanting to let Angelica lead this. “What are you thinking?”
Shaking her head, Angelica squared her shoulders and looked around. “I don’t even know.”
“Okay, I mean, that’s fair.” Hope’s mind hadn’t stopped spinning, and even with the few conversations she’d had, she hadn’t been able to make it stop. “I don’t know what to do.”
“There’s nothing we can do. Not really.” Angelica flicked her gaze up, locking their eyes together. “I’ve contacted my lawyer, and the police. I’ll talk to Logan shortly to make sure everyone is aware of the harassment, though I’m sure he already knows. We just go on with filming.”
“Angel… he outed us.”
“No, he hasn’t.”
Hope jerked back slightly, her brow furrowing in confusion. “No, he definitely outed us.”
“Nothing in that video says we’re in a current relationship.”
“Oh my God.” Hope rolled her eyes. “I don’t think that keeping our relationship hidden any more than it already is will do us any favors. In fact, I think coming out with everything with allow people to truly see us for who we are and who we are together. Then it won’t be a big deal.”
“I don’t have time to talk about this.” Angelica stepped back, not looking Hope in the eye this time. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow after we’ve wrapped.”
“Angel.”
Angelica said nothing as she turned on her toes and walked out of the office.
Hope stayed in the quiet. The distance between them was a chasm right now, and she wanted nothing more than to follow Angelica and rectify that.
She needed to know that they were going to be okay, but she also had to trust that they would.
Hope ran her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes, lifting her face toward the ceiling. All she wanted was one season of filming to go well. That was it. Was it too much to ask for? Because this wasn’t typical drama you’d find on a set. This was devastating.
Gathering herself, Hope stepped out into the lobby and looked around. Cadence waved at her and then beckoned her over.
“Where have you been? We need to prep so we can do the hard launch filming tonight.”
“Yeah. I’m on my way.” Hope looked over her shoulder, hoping to catch one more glance of Angelica, but she was gone. “Always something to do.” She sighed as she followed Cadence toward the restaurant.