“Do you mean to stay here for that conversation?” Angelica asked outright. It was time she figured out exactly where the three of them stood and just what other battles she was going to be fighting this season.
“Yes.” Rex’s lips pulled into a thin line, and again, he glared daggers in her direction. Angelica held his gaze, making sure that he understood she was still his boss and that she wasn’t going to tolerate being pushed around and bullied. It didn’t take long, but Rex finally softened and rolled his shoulders. “Eva, would you step outside for a minute?”
“Why?” Eva popped her head up.
“I need to say something, and I don’t need you hearing it.”
Eva narrowed her eyes, looking between the three of them again before she finally pushed her chair back. The fact that she wasn’t arguing or asking more questions worried Angelica. Any six—no, she was seven now, wasn’t she?—seven-year-old who was told randomly to do something like that would be asking why until they got a satisfactory answer.
What had happened during the season break?
When the door was shut, Rex loosened his shoulders again.
“Make no mistake, Ange, I’m not happy about this situation.” Rex sighed heavily. “But also make no mistake that I don’t entirely blame you for what happened.” He shifted his look ofdisdain from Angelica to Hope. “And Hope is fully aware of how I feel about this.”
Hope might be, but Angelica wasn’t. Not that she really wanted to know either. She wanted to be able to film this season and then jet back to Los Angeles and forget they’d had to spend months together confined to hotels and traveling around the country. She wanted to forget what Hope’s lips felt like pressed against hers, the taste of her tongue, the feel of her body in Angelica’s hands.
“All right,” Angelica answered, canting her head to the side. “Do you mean to supervise every conversation Hope and I have together?”
“You know I can’t do that,” Rex replied immediately.
“Then what are you planning on doing?” Angelica kept her forearms on the table, staying as still as possible. She was actually curious about this one, about what Rex might do with the power that he held over her.
Rex shook his head. “I don’t know yet. But today I’m going to stay to observe the conversation.”
“Fine.” Angelica pursed her lips tightly. “But let your daughter back. I’d hate for her to think that she’s being pushed out and forgotten again. I don’t need another runaway on my hands.”
The room went silent. She’d probably taken that too far, but she was exhausted from her travel there, and from the emotional games they seemed to be playing that put her right smack in the middle of everything.
“Like I told you at the premier, Rex, I’m not interested in fighting for Hope. And I’m not going to allow you to bully me into submission either.”
Instead of continuing to speak to him, Angelica turned to Hope. “I have a video meeting I need to do. Feel free to come findme in an hour to discusstensionmoments.” She spat out that word like it was the enemy.
Without another moment of hesitation, Angelica pushed back her chair and walked out of the room. Did she have another meeting? Hell no. But she wasn’t about to sit there and be treated like a toddler who needed constant supervision either.
Chapter
Six
Hope tugged hard on the hemline of her chef’s jacket. She hadn’t been in this one since they’d filmed before, and it’d gotten scratchy and stiff in the meantime. It was like the fabric choked her. Or perhaps that was the fear and anxiety over everything changing so rapidly and the fact that she couldn’t escape what she’d done.
Not anymore.
And that meeting with Rex and Angelica had absolutely proved that they still had some things they needed to work on. Well, she and Rex. She and Angelica had seemed to find some sort of balance already.
Angelica stepped into the small room that they’d set up for hair and makeup. She had a cup of coffee in her hand already as she looked around for where to go. If there was one thing that Hope had figured out last season it was that Angelica wasn’t as much of a morning person as others might think. She almost constantly worked early in the morning, but that was more out of necessity than enjoyment. Every time she’d shown up for hair and makeup, Angelica had been grouchy, late, and too filled with caffeine to sit still.
Angelica gave her a basic smile before she slipped into the chair and let Ansel start to work his magic. Hope’s feet told her that she should leave, but every other part of her wanted to stay in that room and soak in Angelica’s easy, calm presence—which had been something so rare to find lately. But she was calm this morning.
On a whim, Hope sat back down in the chair next to Angelica, who looked just as surprised by the move.
“How’d you sleep?” Hope asked, folding her hands and biting her lower lip. Small talk wasn’t her forte, but she could try. Couldn’t she?
“Fine.” Angelica looked at Hope over the rim of her mug. “You?”
Hope chuckled lightly. Or rather, she laughed nervously. They really did need to find even ground again, and she was determined to do it before their time in Houston was over. They both deserved that much at least.
“Worse than you, I’m sure.”
