They ended the scene. Angelica didn’t stand up, though, and immediately went back into working while everyone else moved around her. She was so behind on everything, not just with what she needed to do for Opal Oasis, but what she needed to get done for production and her hotels.
Angelica stayed where she was, moving from one task into the next. It wasn’t until the door opened and she heard someonetskat her that she looked up to find Hope leaning against the doorway with a curious look on her face.
“Have you moved at all since I left?”
“No,” Angelica answered, looking directly down at her iPad again.
“Angel…” Hope dragged out her name and pulled Angelica’s attention away from the financial data that she was working on.
“What?”
“I left five hours ago.” Hope crossed her arms and walked forward. “Have you seriously not moved?”
Angelica looked around. The crew had packed up and left. She frowned and glanced toward the window, which was dark. “No.”
“Have you eaten?” Hope cocked her head to the side.
“No,” Angelica said quickly.
“Angel, that’s not good for you.”
“I’m fine.” Angelica’s shoulders tightened. She had no idea what to expect right now, and Hope wasn’t helping her in figuring that out either. “I don’t need you policing what I eat or when I eat.”
“O…kay.” Hope slid into the chair next to her and pulled the iPad away. “Talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to say,” Angelica answered, trying to pull the iPad back, but stopping when Hope kept it out of her grasp. She sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair, crossing her arms. “Are the renovations done?”
“You want to talk about work?” Hope’s lips pulled up at the side.
“What else is there to talk about?” Angelica realized belatedly just how sore her muscles were and just how much she hadn’t moved in the last five hours apparently. Standing up looked a whole lot more appealing right now than anything else.
“I’ll never understand your penchant to just forget to eat.” Hope sighed.
“Uh, Ange?” Sy popped his head in the room. “I need your mic pack. We’re wrapped for the day.”
“Right.” Angelica stood up then, her knees protesting just how long she’d been stationary, but she kept her wince and her pain hidden.
Reaching behind her back, she pulled the mic pack off her waistband and immediately turned it off before unplugging the microphone from the pack itself.
Angelica tried not to focus on Hope as she reached under the blouse and pulled on the cable, but it was next to impossible. Normally she would have done this in the dressing area, but Sy had come to find her because she was so behind on doing it. He skittered away with the equipment, and Angelica was just about to sit down when Hope snagged her arm and spun her so their lips were pressed together.
Clenching her fists, Angelica kept her eyes open as she watched Hope kiss her. The embrace was brief, lips to lips. Angelica sighed as soon as Hope pulled away.
“I told you that we need to be careful,” Angelica said.
“Why?”
Angelica sighed heavily. How hard was this for Hope to understand? She stayed where she was, Hope only inches from her. “Because technically you’re my employee and so is Rex. And because of my…history.”
Hope stepped back then, her eyes wide. She pushed her hair over her shoulder and nodded slowly. “I understand.”
“Good.” Angelica breathed slowly. “I need to know about rescheduling time to meet with our potential new investor.”
“Oh.”
Angelica sat back down at the table and pulled the iPad closer. “When would work? Before we go to Vegas or after?”
“Angel…” Hope slid onto the table, sitting on the edge of it right next to where Angelica was working. “Why are you being so cold?”
