Julian’s lips pulled up toward the corner of his lips. “I’ve talked with my staff about whether or not they’re thinking about quitting, and I’m pleased to say, none of them are.”
Like they would admit that to him even if they were. People weren’t stupid, and they had a strong sense of self-preservation.
Angelica hummed, and Hope slid her gaze down to her. That wasn’t a hum of satisfaction. In fact, it was one of suspicion. Not that Julian would know that, but Hope did. Angelica tapped the electronic pencil on the top of her iPad, looking from Julian to Hope, her eyes lighting up.
“Why don’t we do some training, specifically for the casino floor workers. I’ve noticed they’re not working the floor as well as they could.” Angelica popped up from the desk, her iPad still clutched in her hand, and she started toward the door. Hope stayed right where she was, catching Julian’s gaze dropping to Angelica’s ass and staying there as she walked in front of him.
God, that sickened her.
“Hope! You come too, since they’re servers.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Hope muttered under her breath, following them out of the room.
When they got to the floor, Angelica had already flagged down Sy and Rex, telling them what was going on. They jumped into action to film immediately. Hope furrowed her brow, confused about what was going on. They were supposed to work on server training tomorrow, not today. Then again, Angelica seemed to be running the show since Josef was gone so much this season.
Hope watched as Angelica spoke confidently with one of the servers, giving her tips about how to make a sales pitch for a drink, which would keep people on the casino floor, and thus, have them spending more money. Had Angelica learned as much from Hope in the last year as Hope had learned from her? They started to tag team each of the servers who were there that day, one after the other, walking around the casino in tandem.
Julian, however, seemed to stick close to Angelica no matter where she went. That wasn’t a move lost on Hope, as she kept looking for Angelica around every corner, wanting to try andfind a time that they could actually talk, because she had news she wanted to share.
Good news.
When they finally came back toward reception, Angelica looked wary of Julian. Hope stood next to her, waiting for whatever instructions Angelica had next, because she’d clearly thought this through more than Hope had.
“We’ll see how those improvements are made and go from there.” Angelica looked directly at Julian. “When the next shift comes in, I want you to train them exactly like we just did. So you have—” she looked at the time on her phone “—an hour before shifts start to change over. Which is just enough time for Hope and me to discuss the kitchen and bar.” Angelica pointed at Hope and stared at her directly. “You ready for that?”
“Uh, yes.” Hope frowned. She just wanted five minutes to tell Angelica what she and Rex had talked about.
“Good.”
Instead, Angelica started back toward the office they’d just come from. Julian seemed confused by the abrupt change, but Hope wasn’t going to let it slide. She skipped a step, leaving Rex and the film crew behind as she trailed after Angelica. Her mood change from even just an hour ago was off, and poignant.
“Walk with me.” Hope snagged Angelica’s arm as soon as they got to the office and pulled her right back out. “And turn your mic off.”
Angelica frowned, but she followed dutifully. Hope nodded toward Rex as she and Angelica walked out of the office and through the main floor of the lobby, saying absolutely nothing. She pushed her way outside, the heat oppressive and immediately starting sweat dripping down Hope’s back.
“Where are we going?” Angelica asked, a pout in her lips.
“Anywhere that’s out of sight of cameras.” Hope pulled Angelica by her wrist and tucked her away into a cornerof the building that was dark and where no one could see. She immediately pressed their bodies together, arms wrapped around Angelica’s back as she kissed her.
But Angelica remained stiff. Hope pulled away with a smile on her face. She reached up and tugged lightly on one of Angelica’s curls. “Rex and I came to an arrangement.”
“Arrangement?” Angelica’s eyebrows rose in confusion.
“About us.” Hope wanted to lean in and kiss her again, but she held off. Angelica’s entire demeanor had been off since she’d arrived, and Hope had yet to figure out what exactly was causing it.
“What do you mean? During filming?”
“No.” Hope laughed lightly. “We’ve spent a lot of time in the last week talking, just like we needed to.”
“I don’t understand.” Angelica crossed her arms and straightened her back, definitely on the defensive.
Hope sighed lightly. She was doing a bad job explaining this. “We’re going to open our marriage. So you and I can… be together.”
“And you’ll still be with him?” Angelica frowned.
“Yes. There’s rules, of course. But this way everyone can be happy and have the best of all worlds.” Hope’s heart thundered, and she reached forward again to touch Angelica’s arm.
Angelica stilled, her jaw tightening.
