Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Angelica was a day late to the start of filming.
And she hated it.
The video inquiry hadn’t been enough, and she’d been whisked back to Los Angeles to face the real inquiry into her conduct in front of production, network, everyone and their mother. It’d been three days jam packed with questions—repeated questions—concerns, considerations, controversies.
And she’d been alone through all of it.
“There you are.” Hope’s gentle and calming tones hit Angelica’s ears as soon as she stepped inside the building. Hope moved in, wrapping an arm around Angelica’s side and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
Even though she’d typically be upset by such an outward display, right now she wanted nothing more than to curl up in Hope’s arms and close her eyes.
Because Lord knew she wouldn’t sleep. Angelica forced her lips upward into a smile, but the way the last three days had drained her energy was outrageous.
“It was that bad, wasn’t it?” Hope asked, keeping her hand on Angelica’s waist.
“It was what you’d expect from an inquiry into harassment and abuse of power.
” Angelica’s voice was rough. But she’d been talking all weekend, and while she’d been silent on the flight back to the East Coast, it hadn’t been enough to restore her back to where she needed to be.
In fact, she wasn’t anywhere close to where she wanted to be.
“Angel…” Hope trailed off, tightening her grasp on Angelica’s side. “What did they end up deciding?”
“That we can finish out the next two episodes that are planned, and they’ll do a more formal, in-depth inquiry before we start filming the second half of the season.” Angelica’s face pinched.
“Another inquiry?”
“The same one, continued.” Angelica sighed heavily, gripping onto the small suitcase she’d taken with her.
Everything else had been moved with the crew, but she hadn’t known if she’d be back or not.
“Rex’s complaint…” Angelica swallowed. “I know he was angry, Hope, but it’s detailed and exaggerated. ”
“I wish they’d contacted me to ask about it.”
“Oh, they will.” Angelica rolled her shoulders as she tried to ease the tension out of them. “Trust me they will.”
“After we finish filming?”
Angelica just hummed, too exhausted to give a full verbal answer. “This is all Josef, you know. After your interview, he saw an opportunity to drop this bomb where it’d hurt the most. He’s trying to take me down, Hope. And he’ll stop at nothing to make that happen.”
“But why?”
“Because I tarnished his name. Because I am the reason he can’t find work.
Because I’m the one who called him out on his bullshit.
And I’m the one he thought he could easily manipulate into whatever he wanted.
” Angelica’s heart pattered hard. Saying that out loud was so easy.
“He’s attacking me because I stood up for myself and he faced the consequences of his actions.
He’s a bitter, jaded person, and that’s what we’re seeing now. ”
Hope sighed heavily.
“He doesn’t need any more of a reason than that.” Angelica reached for Hope’s fingers and slid their hands together. “But I’m afraid he’s winning.”
Hope furrowed her brow and shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
Angelica clenched her jaw and looked around the lobby. Lyric should be showing up any time now to take her to her room and put her things away, but she must be busy because she hadn’t automatically arrived.
“I told you before that I’m struggling with continuing with Hotel Bombshell.” Angelica lowered her voice, not needing anyone to overhear her say this. “Nothing ever goes right on this show.”
“Because of Josef,” Hope jumped in, trying to deflect from what Angelica had actually said.
“Yes, because of Josef, but not just because of him. There are other things too.” Angelica squeezed Hope’s fingers. “Like us.”
“But—”
Angelica shook her head, causing Hope to stop talking. “I want to make sure you hear me when I say this because I can see your brain spinning, and it’s not what you’re thinking. I don’t want our entire relationship to be about working together.”
Hope’s lips parted in surprise.
“I want to be with you, not because of work, not because of business, but because I love you.” Angelica’s entire body calmed.
In the middle of everything that had happened in the last few days and how she’d been treated, put under the microscope, this was the only thing that mattered.
“I want to be with you because of who you are and how you make me feel—not because of how we work together or the things we can accomplish. And I’m willing to be with you no matter what you want. ”
Hope’s chin jerked up slightly at that, a line forming in the center of her forehead. She was confused, thoroughly. And Angelica clocked that in a second.
“In terms of an open relationship,” Angelica added, clarifying. “If that’s what you want, then I’m willing to be in a relationship with you still. It doesn’t change what I want or how I feel.”
“Angel…” Hope pressed her lips together.
“I want that to be my priority, no matter what.” Those words slipped so easily from her lips, and she knew they were true. “I need to know if that’s what you want.”
“Of course it’s what I want.” Hope’s lips curled upward.
“Good.” Angelica nodded sharply, swallowing. She looked around the lobby, trying to figure out where Lyric was. She really should have shown up by now. Angelica had texted her that she’d arrived as soon as the taxi had pulled up to the hotel. “Tell me what you did today.”
“You want me to slide right into shop talk after you make a confession like that?” Hope asked, squeezing Angelica’s fingers tightly. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”
Angelica hummed, but that bubble of elation that had started in her chest grew slightly bigger. If only Hope had been able to go to Los Angeles with her, it would have been a much easier weekend.
“I don’t know if there will be a second half of this season or if Georgia is going to be the last, and I don’t know if I’ll be here for season five.” Angelica turned slightly, moving even closer to Hope. “And right now, I’m okay with that, because I don’t know if I can handle it.”
“Would you really leave the show?” Hope murmured the question like she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to ask it.
“I might not have a choice,” Angelica responded.
“But if you did. Would you?”
Angelica shook her head slowly, pressing her lips together and wrinkling her nose. “I don’t know.”
Hope breathed steadily, not quite making eye contact. “I hate that.”
“I know,” Angelica said, her mouth pulling tight. Because she did know. Hope was someone who liked answers, and she wanted them immediately. She wasn’t good with waiting around to find out what was happening, and it often propelled her into action—which could work to her advantage or be a disaster.
“When will you know?”
Shaking her head, Angelica sighed heavily.
“I honestly have no idea.” Between everything that had been thrown at her in the last few weeks, Angelica didn’t know which direction to turn or what step to take.
Quitting felt like letting Josef win. But sticking it to him couldn’t be the only reason she stayed either.
“I hate this,” Hope murmured.
“Me too.” The quiet stillness covered them. “So tell me what’s going on here.”
Hope groaned a little and rolled her eyes. “You know you can linger in feelings. It might be uncomfortable for you, but it’s okay to actually feel.”
“I feel more deeply than you give me credit for, more than anyone gives me credit for.” Angelica looked directly into Hope’s eyes. “Don’t ever underestimate me on that.”
“I-I don’t.” Hope frowned. “I’m sorry. I was trying to be light and teasing and avoid bringing us back around to work.”
Angelica hummed noncommittally. She stepped in closer, moving her lips to Hope’s ear. “If you want, we can go up to my room, and I can show you what a much better distraction looks like.”
Hope’s sharp intake of breath was exactly what Angelica had wanted to hear, and it turned her on in an instant. The fact that Hope would still react that way to her that way? Perfection.
“I have Eva this week,” Hope murmured, but she turned slightly inward, their shoulders touching even more than before, and her thumb brushed across the top of Angelica’s hand.
“There are other ways…” Angelica dropped her tone seductively “…and other places.”
“Angel…” The warning was in Hope’s voice, and it lit a fire in Angelica, one that she’d have to fan until they could find a few minutes alone together.
“So, work?” Angelica’s lips quirked upward in a knowing smile. “Have you solved all of the problems here yet?”
Hope barked a laugh. “Hardly.”
“I’m behind in my prep work. Please, fill me in.” Angelica squeezed Hope’s hand and they moved to a small love seat near the front window and sat next to each other.
“This place is disorganized, so right up your alley.” Hope gave her a small smile and patted her thigh. “You’ll be able to whip them into shape really quick on that front.”
Angelica snorted lightly. She felt anything but organized lately. In fact, everything felt as though she was clawing just to keep track of it all.
“It’s finances, primarily. So you’ll need to dig deep into your math and accounting lessons for them.” Hope squeezed her knee. “Which I know for a fact you can do.”
“Did we pick hotels that were all similar this season?” Angelica raised her eyebrows. “Finances. Branding. Finances. Branding.”
“They do tend to go hand-in-hand.”
Angelica hummed her agreement.
“Mom! Ange!” Eva skidded to a stop in front of them, her face bright with joy and excitement.
“Eva.” Hope’s lips curled upward as she held out her arms for Eva to slip into them for a hug.
Angelica couldn’t stop the smile that reached her. This was wholesome, and exactly what she’d needed after the last few days. This was what she was fighting for ultimately. Family—the one she wanted to have.
“Ange, why were you late?” Eva leaned against her mom’s side, her hand against Hope’s back as she played with the short hairs at the back of her head, running her fingers through them. Hope didn’t even seem to notice the touch.
Angelica would always notice touch. She was rarely touched by anyone other than Hope and Ansel, and Hope was the only one who would ever touch her with softness. “I had a meeting I had to go to in Los Angeles.”
“You’re always traveling,” Eva said.
“All of us are,” Hope replied.
“True.” Eva grinned widely.
“Your mom tells me that this hotel has a lot of math problems. Think you’d be up for helping me with some of that?
” Angelica eased herself back into the couch, trying to relax for what little time she had.
Because as soon as the work started in the morning, she knew she’d be lost in the fray and all the calm she’d found in this moment was gone.
“Uh…” Eva grimaced. “No, I don’t want to.”
“That’s fair.” Angelica nodded. Eva four years ago would have jumped at the opportunity, but this Eva was a preteen and growing up faster than anyone could keep up with.
That much was clear. No longer were they searching for her as she ran away when things got tense.
No, now they were watching to see what shenanigans she would get up to.
And just what exactly they’d have to clean up later.
“But…” Eva’s cheeks tinged red. “I do want to start running.”
“Running?” Angelica furrowed her brow. “Like distance running?”
Eva nodded.
“Why would you be interested in running?” Angelica rested her hand on top of Hope’s, threading their fingers together and holding tight. It felt good to do that in public, in front of Eva. They weren’t hiding any longer.
“It looks fun.” Eva cocked a half-grin at Angelica, and without a doubt, Angelica knew she’d melt in an instant at that smile no matter what. “I have to do a PE credit, and I thought I could do long-distance running.”
“Track,” Angelica corrected.
“Yeah, sure.” Eva was still grinning.
The thought of running hadn’t even really occurred to her.
But now having that placed in her lap, it might be good to burn off the frustrations that kept coming up.
She’d have to move her runs up, because she was pretty damn sure that neither Hope nor Rex would allow Eva to run with her in the middle of the night, which was her preferred time to go.
“If your parents are fine with it, sure.” Angelica squeezed Hope’s fingers. “It’d be good to get back to running.”
She hadn’t been as consistent with it since the car accident last year, but like Eva, she did want to get back into it.
“We can go tomorrow.”
“Perfect!” Eva clapped her hands together in a mirror of her mother and then jumped up and down.
“Ms. Shields?” Lyric stepped in front of her, hair mussed and dark circles under her eyes.
Angelica paused, not quite sure what to say.
The concern lit her up, but she and Lyric never had a close relationship like that.
Still, the way Lyric looked right now didn’t sit right with her.
With the inquiry she’d just come from, though, she wasn’t going to pry deeper into employee’s personal problems. Nope. Not at all.
“I have your room key,” Lyric said.
“Good.” She squeezed Hope’s hand again and then leaned over to give her a quick kiss. “I’ll see you in the morning.”