Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
“Lyric!” Hope gripped tightly onto her purse and wrapped her arms around the much shorter butch woman.
She squeezed her tightly and closed her eyes, just breathing in her scent.
She hadn’t expected this, the coming back together of cast and crew for the second season to begin with moments quite like this.
A homecoming she hadn’t anticipated.
But that’s exactly what this was. She should have expected it, really.
She had it with her own little morning show that she filmed.
But Lyric had been one of her constants during the last season, a rock and a comfort as they’d traveled all over the country filming, and now here she was!
Standing on Hope’s front steps and wrapping her arms around Hope’s back.
“I told Ms. Shields that I wanted to pick you up today even though it was going to be a scheduling nightmare.”
“I’m so glad you did,” Hope whispered, squeezing her tightly one more time before she slid out of Lyric’s grasp. “I can’t believe we got renewed, and there was so little time to prepare for anything. At least it feels that way.”
Lyric’s cheeks pinked. “Ms. Shields has been putting in the extra hours to prove just how short the prep time has been this go around.”
Hope paused. She wanted to ask a question, but she wasn’t entirely sure how to say it without tipping Lyric off to the fact that she hadn’t actually spoken to Angelica. Not since that panicked phone call when the renewal information was being spread through the cast and crew.
“Is she going to be at the photo shoot today?”
“Eventually,” Lyric answered, turning toward the car she had driven. “But she had a few things she needed to finish up first, so you’ll probably be done before she gets to the studio.”
Right. Avoid each other. She shouldn’t have expected anything less from Angelica.
Hope bit the inside of her cheek to keep those comments inside and not say them out loud.
It wasn’t just that they had to maintain a distance between them, they also had to make it seem as though nothing had ever happened at the end of last season.
And that was going to be the hard thing.
“Where’s Eva?”
“Oh.” Hope glanced back inside the house. “She’s with the nanny at the zoo today.”
“Aww, I miss that rascal. I’ll have to catch up with her next time.” Lyric put her hand on the door and then paused. “Front or back?”
“You’re going to let me ride shot gun?” Hope raised her eyebrows up and down in quick succession. “I didn’t think you were someone who moved that quickly.”
Lyric’s red cheeks made Hope giggle.
“I’ll sit in the front if you’re okay with it.”
“Absolutely. Ms. Shields usually sits in the back but that’s because she’s also usually working when I’m driving her somewhere.”
“Does that woman ever stop?” Hope asked as she slid into the seat as Lyric held the door for her.
Just before she shut it, Lyric laughed and said, “No.”
Hope still had a smile on her face as Lyric slid behind the wheel and pulled away from the curb.
She’d needed this, just a quiet drive to the studio where she could get her head on straight.
She needed to stop thinking about what was going to happen when she and Angelica were filming together again.
They’d done this before, and it’d be no different from the last time.
Even despite the intervening kisses between them.
Hope settled into the seat and rolled her shoulders slightly.
She’d spent the last few months working on her relationship with Rex and putting in the time with couple’s counseling and they were finally almost back to normal.
She knew it’d take a long time and that she’d have to work to repair the trust she’d broken, but she’d been doing that, and he’d been opening up to her more and more as the weeks wore on.
Even now, with filming coming up so quickly, they’d spent hours together just talking about how they were going to stay connected during filming and make sure that they were communicating well. Everything would work out in the end, she was damn sure of it.
“We’re here,” Lyric said as she pulled up and put the car in park. “If you don’t mind, I can take a few photos of you for your social media if you want. Ms. Shields hired me to take over her social media, so I know what I’ve been doing.”
“Yeah?” Hope raised an eyebrow at her. “Sure, that’d be great.”
“Perfect! I’m just going to park and then I’ll be inside to meet you for a bit.”
“You’re not going to get Angelica?”
Lyric shook her head. “Not for a bit anyway. She’s in a meeting with the studio I think.”
“I’m so glad I don’t have to do those.”
“Right?” Lyric laughed a little.
Hope stepped out of the vehicle and straightened her shoulders.
It was time to do the one thing she hated—hair and makeup.
When she was in the kitchen, it never mattered how she looked, so she rarely paid attention to those kinds of things.
Instead, she focused on the food and making sure that whatever she was cooking was exquisite.
But here she had to put on a different hat entirely.
She sat through hair and makeup like a pro, ignoring the number of people who touched her and flirting with anyone who was willing to talk to her.
She could always distract herself with a good flirt and conversation, couldn’t she?
Lyric had popped in and out a couple times to take photos, showing them to Hope and asking if she wanted them.
Hope would honestly take just about any photo of herself that she could throw up onto social media to help promote their show and share what she was doing with her day.
It beat the days of being lazy at home and doing nothing when she had nothing to actually post for the world to view.
Had she asked her fifteen-year-old self if this was where she’d be when she was thirty-six, she would have laughed.
That girl had been demure and much preferred to be in the kitchen cooking than in front of any camera for anyone to see. She also probably had about twenty or thirty zits on her face and ass. At least now Hope only got the occasional zit, unfortunately still most often on her ass.
She put on the black chef’s coat that she’d worn for last season, the one with the gold logos on it along with her name, and stepped into the studio area. Without hesitation, Wade raced over to her as soon as he saw her.
“Hope!”
“Wade!” Hope nodded at him and opened her arms for a hug. They embraced, and he squeezed her tightly. “It’s been way too long.”
“Agreed.” He sighed into her and then let go. “I’m so glad you got the renewal!”
“Yeah, it was a shock to everyone, I think. We’d all just written it off like we weren’t going to, and then poof, we got the call!
” She’d mastered that story already, which was a good thing.
She could fake the excitement over it, she could fake the fact that she was so ready for the second season to start, that she wanted to be here.
Because she didn’t.
And no one was ever going to know that she tried to get out of her contract. At least no one beyond the few people who needed to know. Hope resisted the urge to run her fingers through her hair as Wade grabbed his camera and started to set up.
“I thought we could start with just some headshots, and then we can move into the rest.”
“Sounds good,” Hope said, ready to agree to whatever he wanted to do. She was here to be made up, to be made to look good, and she was here because she had to be.
It wasn’t long before Wade was stationed behind the camera and the lights that flashed whenever he took a picture.
Hope caught sight of Lyric somewhere off to the side, taking a few pictures, and smiled.
Lyric was really coming into her own. She wasn’t just the transportation to and from things anymore, and she liked the fact that Angelica had willingly given her more responsibility.
Though social media manager was probably an area that Angelica didn’t give two shits about.
Hope bit her lip and glanced toward the ground, a blush rising to her cheeks.
It’d be good that they wouldn’t see each other today because that would mean Hope would have more time to bolster herself against that.
It’d be a cold shock to her system, but if she was properly prepared then she could handle it. Surely.
Lyric snuck out right about the time that Wade set Hope up to do more posed shots.
These were the ones that Hope hated. She always felt stiff when she took them, like the unnaturalness of it could be seen through every image that Wade took.
Then again, he had some magic on the back end because the results were fabulous.
Before she knew it, they were working on some candids and then he was done. She stepped around to where he was and stared at the back of the camera screen so she could see some of the images he’d taken. He really was good at this.
“Can you wait a bit until Ms. Shields gets here?” Wade asked.
“Oh. I didn’t think that she was going to be here in time.”
“I’m here,” Angelica said, her voice cracking through the room. “Not ready, but here.”
Hope flicked her gaze up, meeting Angelica’s head on, those baby blue eyes unwavering from Hope’s face as Angelica continued to walk through the studio toward them, her heels clicking on the floor as she went, her curls past her shoulders now instead of settling just at them, and a far stronger golden color than the icy white vibe they had when they’d filmed the last season.
Hope’s breath left her. She raised up on her toes, wanting to walk forward and meet Angelica on the way, but she stumbled and nearly fell instead because she knew she had to stay put. Angelica canted her head so slightly that probably no one would notice, but Hope did.
“It’s going to be a while for me to get changed and through the rounds before I can come back in here.”
“I’d really rather have photos of the two of you together than separate. Based on last time… that worked to our advantage.”
Hope frowned. Angelica’s eyes crinkled at the corners, but it wasn’t in a smile. She was frowning. “I’m sure Mrs. Lawrence has other places she needs to be.”
“I don’t,” Hope whispered, her voice barely above the din of the room.
Angelica winced.
Was Hope supposed to take that excuse and run with it? Had Angelica been telling her to go without actually saying those words? Hope wrapped her fingers together and nodded toward Lyric. “Did you need to take me home now?”
“No. I can take both of you at the same time.”
“Okay. Then it’s settled!” Wade grinned broadly as he spoke.
But Angelica looked like someone was about to be murdered, and Hope knew without a doubt that it was going to be her.
She hadn’t followed Angelica’s plan, and she’d stayed too late or perhaps Angelica was early.
Either way, it was clear that Angelica had meant to avoid this entire situation and all her plans had been foiled.
“Get to it, Ms. Shields.” Wade winked at her. “We don’t need to make Hope any later than she already is.”
Angelica sighed heavily. She walked forward, stepping right by Hope to the point that their arms nearly brushed.
Hope closed her eyes, imagining the feeling of Angelica’s skin against hers, the touch that would send shivers up her spine and throughout her entire body.
She managed to hold in a moan, but holy hell, she shouldn’t be moaning just from that.
What the hell was wrong with her?
When she glanced up, Lyric stared at her with wide eyes, lips slightly parted, and shook her head slowly.
Hope’s heart raced, pattering away and making it so hard to breathe.
What the hell was Lyric thinking? Of all people that Angelica worked with, she was clearly the most relaxed around Lyric.
Hope could tell that. So they were close.
But what had Lyric seen? What had she noticed?
Lyric looked down at her phone, her cheeks red. Hope flicked her gaze toward Wade and then back to Lyric. Should she say something? Should she try to figure out what exactly Lyric was thinking and then head off any rumors that might go around?
Wade seemed preoccupied by his cameras, which was probably a good thing. Hope pressed her lips together tightly and snagged a bottle of cold water. She twisted the cap forcefully and sucked it down. She needed to cool herself down. She needed…
Angelica.
Turning around, she made her way back toward hair and makeup. Surely Angelica’s dressing area would also be down here, right? Probably next to where Hope’s had been? Especially if they’d been expecting both of them.
She stopped in front of the door, feeling Angelica’s energy through it. She couldn’t quite describe how that was possible, but she knew without a doubt that Angelica was inside that room. Hope steadied herself, staying still and staring at the door handle.
But she didn’t reach out to touch it.
What would she even say?
Biting her lower lip, Hope closed her eyes and breathed slowly.
She couldn’t do this.
Not now.
Not when there were people around and it couldn’t just be the two of them.
Spinning around on her toes, Hope walked back into the main area of the studio. She’d keep quiet for as long as she could. She’d do everything that Wade wanted her to. And she’d ignore the knot in her stomach that seemed to twist tighter with each breath she took.