Chapter 27
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
“Tonight we’re relaunching the hotel under its new branding.”
“Including the restaurant,” Hope said, glancing toward Angelica, who stared directly at the camera.
Despite the fact that they’d managed to find a few connecting moments since they’d arrived, it hadn’t been enough, and Hope was feeling pushed away again. Which she hated.
“Simple elegance with a Virginia Beach twist,” Angelica said, her lips curling upward into a stunning smile.
One that Hope wished was turned on her instead of just for show to the camera.
But Hope kept her own smile plastered on her face.
That’s what they were here for, wasn’t it?
Turn this hotel around and then move onto the next.
“The restaurant will feature a small menu with locally sourced foods highlighted every night. They’ll be able to dig deep into that local and elegant branding easily now with the whole of their systems being simplified.
” Hope put her hands together like she was happy about everything.
But if Joy and Ross didn’t get their shit together, everything would fail within a month of them leaving.
They still didn’t have enough staff in the kitchen and dining room.
And while she had hopes for Trey to eventually learn to be a real chef, he simply didn’t have the skills right now to do that.
“The Borjeses have transformed this hotel into something, something fresh, something that plays on the theme of simple elegance in every corner. And they’ve put in the hard work.”
Hope could see Angelica choke down that phrase.
Because they hadn’t, in fact, put in the hard work.
And Joy had consistently resisted any suggestions no matter how they’d tossed them to her.
It was primarily up to Ross to hold his own and Joy to finally acquiesce to him. If only that would actually happen.
“But for now, our time is up, and it’s left in the hands of the Borjeses and Virginia Beach to continue to transform Beaches into a new place.
One that doesn’t remember the past pains but thrives into what the future has in store for them.
” Hope had to choke on those words just like Angelica had only moments before.
It was so cheesy. And she could tell that Florence had her hand in this one far more than she typically did.
Perhaps letting her have control over the scripts in general was only going to make these worse in the long run.
“And that’s a wrap,” Angelica said, clapping her hands and turning to Hope.
The fear, the frustration, and the stress all vanished in an instant. Hope couldn’t stop herself from leaning in as their gazes locked, anything she was about to say flying out the window. Angelica finally nodded at her and then turned on her toes and started to walk away.
Crap.
Hope skipped a step to catch up, walking past the camera with her shoulder right next to Angelica’s.
This was the last scene that they needed to film, the last day that they were going to be stuck here.
She clenched her jaw as they pushed their way out of the hotel and then stopped.
Their eyes locked. Neither one of them said anything.
Instantly, they turned around and went back inside.
“Cut!” Rex called, and the silence that had filled the lobby instantly vanished.
Hope’s shoulders relaxed, and she stared down at her shoes.
No one else had noticed how lost she’d gotten in Angelica, had they?
Maybe she’d managed to get away with it, just this once.
At least, she was going to tell herself that.
Running her fingers through the hair at the back of her head, she turned to talk to Angelica, but she was gone.
Furrowing her brow, Hope looked around the lobby and tried to find her. She stood off to the side, talking quickly with Joy and Ross, shaking their hands, and then she stepped away. Hope was about to follow her, but Florence jerked her back sharply.
“Let her go for now,” Florence said.
“But—”
“You need to play hostess to our hosts for the week, Hope. She has a meeting, and you can talk with her later.”
Hope stared at her, a silent war going on between them. And one that Hope was damn sure she wouldn’t win. But what the hell was going on that she’d missed? Hadn’t Angelica found her footing since they’d talked? She’d seemed to be better the last couple of days.
“Come on, let’s talk to Joy and Ross and make sure they’re set up for when we leave.” Florence started to guide Hope toward the Borjeses.
Except Hope knew that nothing was going to prepare them for Angelica and her to leave.
They would be just as lost as before because they’d refused to listen the entire week.
When they came back around in five years to do a follow up, this would be one of the hotels that was shut down or bought out.
Hope had no doubt about that. She rolled her neck and followed Florence to do her duty.
Rex stepped next to Hope, taking her elbow and pulling her to the side. Phones buzzed around them, one after the other, pinging like something had just lit up the room.
“Not again,” Hope mumbled.
“Come here.” Rex dragged Hope out of the dining room and into the lobby.
He didn’t get much farther when Hope’s cellphone dinged a notification. She moved the phone in front of her face, but Rex put his hand over the screen.
“Before you look at that, I need to apologize first. I need to apologize to Ange, too, but I’m pretty sure I know what meeting she got dragged into.”
“What are you even talking about?” Hope dropped her hand to her side.
Rex stepped in closer, looking around the lobby like something or someone was going to pop out and tell them the apocalypse was happening now.
“When we split up, I was in a really bad place and I was mad—so mad.”
“Yeah, I think we’re all aware of that.” Hope ground out the words, clenching her jaw tightly. The dining room was too quiet. There should be voices loudly talking and laughter spilling through the doors. But there was nothing.
“Yeah, well…” Rex stopped and leaned in. “I’m really sorry about it all now, and I regret it. I didn’t think anything—”
“What is it, Rex?” Her patience was so thin.
“I filed a complaint against Ange and her behavior toward you.”
Cold rushed through Hope. Her entire body went limp. She couldn’t feel her knees. She just stared up into Rex’s eyes, completely dumbfounded that he would—that he could—
Instead of saying anything, she glanced down at her phone. Just like before, someone had Airdropped her a link to a media site, the one who had snagged hold of the security cam footage of her and Angelica kissing. She didn’t hesitate as she popped open the link.
The headline was enough to make her want to hurl.
Costars Hope Lawrence and Angelica Shields Start Illicit Affair While On Set
She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it only grew bigger by the second.
She skimmed down to where Rex’s complaint was.
In full. For the entire world to see if they wanted to.
Accusations about Angelica’s ethics, her using power to persuade Hope into a relationship, her abusing authority to turn Hope against him.
Absolute horseshit.
She continued to scroll, her thumb barely touching the screen as she read quotes for people they’d worked with, hotels, and then people she didn’t even know. But then she stopped. Because Rex’s complaint wasn’t the only one in there.
Leanne.
God it’d been a hell of a long time since Hope had heard that name. Leanne also had a complaint or at least a letter written up, quotes pulled from it.
“This is Josef,” Hope said.
“Who else would it be?” Rex asked, taking the phone from her so she wouldn’t read any more of it.
“Why would he—I just don’t get it, Rex. Why is he so hell-bent on destroying her?”
Rex shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. I’ve been asking myself that same question.”
Hope rubbed her lips together and stared back at the dining room. “They all got this, didn’t they?”
“Yes.” Rex sighed heavily and then ran his fingers through his hair, tugging hard at the strands. “I’m so sorry, Hope. I didn’t ever think it’d get out, especially not after I withdrew it, and I didn’t know that he had it—”
“He was the showrunner. He needed to be informed of these things.” Hope gave him a hard stare.
He should have known better. She could see the point where he was angry and vindictive, but still, he should have known better.
Because everything in that complaint he wrote was completely exaggerated.
Still, it didn’t take the sting out of it, and that was absolutely something they’d need to work through.
But not today.
“I need to see Ange.”
“I told you, she’s in a meeting.” Florence stepped into the lobby with them, her hands on her hips and a sorrowful expression in her eyes.
“About this?” Hope held the phone up.
“Yes.” Florence sighed heavily, flicking her gaze from Rex to Hope. “I think it’s about time that the two of you tell me everything, since I’m not likely to get it out of Ange.”
Hope clamped her mouth shut. No one needed to know everything, and certainly not Florence. It wouldn’t do anyone any good to dive deep into that hell hole they’d escaped.
“For starters, who’s Leanne? And I don’t mean a stand-in for Ange last season.”
Curse her for being perceptive. Hope flicked her gaze to Rex, waiting to see what he would say, but his lips were locked shut. Maybe finally he was understanding what exactly was at stake for them. Hope focused back on Florence, clenching her jaw and refusing to answer the question as well.
“Fine.” Florence sighed heavily. “The outcome of the meeting Ange is in will determine how we move forward for the next two episodes and if the mid-season break will still be a mid-season break.”
Hope gulped.
This was that bad. She’d known it as soon as she’d seen the words written on her phone screen, but it hadn’t fully sunk in until Florence had said that.
This report along with Hope’s screwup of an interview earlier in the week was only adding fuel to the fire that was determined to snatch Angelica and cremate her on the spot.
Hope shifted slightly, her shoulder bumping up against Rex’s. But they were a united force in this, once again, standing side by side to take on the crises they ran into.
“I should get back to our hotel owners,” Hope said, trying to side-step the rest of the conversation entirely.
But Florence stepped in front of her to stop her.
“I realize that this set hasn’t exactly had a whole lot of trust built up over the years, and I realize doubly that I haven’t had a ton of time to work on building that trust up with you and Ange, but Hope, please trust me. I want what’s best for you.”
Hope’s entire body rushed with cold again. She looked Florence over, her brown eyes, her short-cropped hair, the squareness of her form that gave off PE teacher vibes. Never in a million years would she have anticipated they’d end up on this end of a conversation together.
But here they were.
Right in the middle of it all.
“This isn’t about trust,” Hope answered, her entire body stilling as the words and the decision settled into her bones.
“It’s not?” Florence asked, seemingly taken aback by that. “But it’s been so difficult—”
“Your priority is this show.” Hope’s spine went ramrod straight. “It will always be this show.”
“Of course it is,” Florence answered.
Hope flicked her gaze to Rex, who nodded at her, as if he understood exactly what she was about to lay on Florence. And he agreed. He knew it as deeply as Hope did.
“My priority is and will always be my family.” Hope crossed her arms, staring directly into Florence’s eyes. “Always.”
“But your family…” Florence trailed off, looking toward Rex. Then she paused and nodded. “I think I understand.”
“Good.” Hope pressed her lips together and raised an eyebrow at her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a job I need to get done.”