Chapter
Twenty-Two
Hope stepped into the main lobby and halted. Angelica sat at the front reception desk, not talking to anyone, but sitting on her iPad and staring at Julian, who was across the room, talking to one of the housekeeping employees. Angelica wasn’t someone who would become distracted, ever, and the look she was giving Julian wasn’t just a stare of curiosity. She looked pissed off.
Humming to herself, Hope walked up to Angelica and leaned over the counter, but Angelica still didn’t even notice that she was there. Canting her head to the side, Hope leaned in even closer.
“Earth to Angel.”
“What?” Angelica jerked her head upright and stared directly at Hope. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough.” Hope glanced in Julian’s direction. “Something wrong?”
“Nothing,” Angelica mumbled, going back to work on her iPad and not looking at Hope again.
Biting her lower lip, Hope rolled up on her toes and then back down. She walked around the reception counter and leaned over Angelica’s shoulder to read what she was doing on her iPad.But that didn’t give her any insight either. It was just budget reports.
“Do you have to do anything other than budget reports?” Hope chided.
“Profit and loss statements are a large part of my job.”
“Angel…” Hope whispered. “Take a break.”
“I can’t. Not right now.” Angelica was looking at where Julian had been standing but he was gone now. “Damn it.”
“What?” Hope furrowed her brow in confusion.
“Nothing.” Angelica sighed heavily, finally turning around in her chair and facing Hope. “Did you need something?”
Hope stepped back and crossed her arms. The cameras weren’t on them right now, which was good. They’d already filmed the introduction and now they were working on a few more interviews with staff, which left them finally to have a moment. One that Hope had wanted to take full advantage of.
“Can we get lunch?”
Angelica shook her head. “Not today.” She stood up, snagging her iPad as she went, and started back toward the office behind reception.
Hope moved quickly to follow her. “I was hoping to have a minute to talk to you.”
“Talk about what?”
“Angel…”
Angelica froze, giving her a hard look as if Hope had done something wrong that suddenly changed the mood. But she had no idea what that could have been. Hope touched Angelica’s shoulder briefly before pulling away.
“If you won’t get lunch with me, will you walk with me a minute?” She really wanted to talk. Hell, they needed to figure out what was going on between them, but each time Hope had attempted to start a conversation since filming wrapped inKansas City and Angelica showed up here last night, she’d been thwarted.
Angelica opened her mouth to answer but stopped short, her eyes locking on something over Hope’s shoulder. Instead of speaking, Angelica stayed still, closing in on herself. Hope was just about to ask what happened when Julian’s voice reached her ears.
“Ange, you’re looking marvelous this morning.”
A sickening sensation filled the pit of Hope’s stomach. She turned around, standing next to Angelica and facing down Julian Tower, the man with an ego the size of Las Vegas itself. He was probably pissed off that he didn’t manage to have a spot on the strip, honestly. He’d already mentioned he had been trying to work his way closer to it, but that was difficult. Still, he was only two blocks away.
“You look good too, Hope.” He nodded at her, but his gaze was locked on Angelica.
Hope hadneverseen someone gawk at Angelica like that, not in all the time they’d known each other. And she hated it. Kissing Angelica’s knuckles last night had been one thing that she’d found so damn odd, but add that in with the way that he was looking at her now? What the hell was going on?
“Have you thought more about the retention issues?” Angelica asked, cutting straight to the point in that not-subtle way she had.
Hope admired her directness sometimes, although she was also a master at avoiding actual conversations that she needed to have.
