“I know what I’m doing with Kayla,” Angelica whispered. “And he needs to just let me do my job without interfering.”
“I know you’d like that,” Christian said giving her a bit more space than before. “But I’m not sure Dad’s up for that.”
“Of course not.” Angelica laughed lightly, brushing her fingers under her eyes when tears formed there. Why the hell had that happened? “Thank God Mom’s not here.”
Christian snorted.
“How is she, anyway?” Angelica canted her head at him. “Honestly?”
“She’s struggling. The surgery took way more out of her than I think anyone expected, and she’s really struggling to just move around the house. Walking is hard. Doing anything else other than going from the bed to the recliner is impossible.”
Angelica hummed. The back surgery had been necessary to relieve pain, but it hadn’t exactly relieved the rest of the family from taking care of her. Still, Angelica suspected that a good chunk of that was because their mom could order them around better and get what she wanted in return if she was considered an invalid and not because she was actually still struggling and in pain. But she wasn’t about to voice her opinion to Christian either.
“She wants you to come for Christmas.”
“That’s more than half a year away.” Angelica furrowed her brow at him. “Not her birthday? Or mother’s day? Or hell, my birthday? But Christmas?”
He shrugged at her. “I’m just relaying the message. I told her I would.”
“Of course.” Angelica nearly rolled her eyes again, but she managed to keep it to herself. He was always doing his parents’ bidding, wasn’t he?
“So will you come? I know the kids would love to see you.”
Angelica would love to see them. But that would also mean spending intense time with her family, which was something she’d vowed to herself to avoid as much as possible. She clenched her jaw and fell back on the best excuse she’d come up with to delay an answer. “I’ll have to check my calendar.”
Christian sighed. He knew what she was doing, but at least this way, they could both plead ignorance when their parents asked. He gave her another side hug before heading back inside the hotel. Angelica, however, stayed outside, using the extra time she’d gotten to center herself before heading back into that viper’s nest. If her father was anything to go by, then Sydney was going to be even harder to break when it came to Kayla.
And she might just have to make the damn decision for him.
“Ange…” Rex stepped outside with her, catching her full attention. “We need you inside.”
“Yeah. I’m coming.” She frowned, but she did turn around and walk back toward the main doors. Her break was up. Time was done. She had a job she needed to do and a daughter she needed to fire. Because there was no other way out of this, that was for damn sure.
Chapter
Thirty-Two
“Chef?” LaRae put her hand on Hope’s shoulder to get her attention. “I think you need to head to reception.”
Hope frowned and shook her head. They were right in the middle of the dinner rush with room service added back in, and to say they were overwhelmed would be an understatement. The staff hadn’t been ready for tonight despite the hours of training Hope had spent with them all day. Sometimes a week just wasn’t enough time to get everything back in order.
“Why?” Hope asked, straightening her back. “Does Ms. Shields need me?”
“Just…go to reception.” LaRae looked pale, and her lips were parted in sadness.
Hope wiped her hands on the towel at her waist. Her mind spun. The crew was in there filming them, but they didn’t say anything or seem as though they knew what was going on either. She squared her shoulders, issued a few more orders to the staff, and then slipped out of the kitchen into the dining room.
Which was packed.
To the brim.
Her stomach twisted sharply. She really didn’t have time to be dealing with Angelica right now unless it was a major emergency. They were going to struggle to keep up with orders and keep the kitchen moving like it should be without her there. For a first night back, this one was going to be brutal. Then again, that’s how Josef planned the show, wasn’t it? He paid all these people to sit in the restaurant and eat and say bad things the first night and good things the last night.
She sighed as she walked out of the dining room and straight toward reception.
“You’re drunk!” Angelica’s voice boomed through the lobby area.
Instantly, Hope’s spine straightened and the hair on her arms stood up at attention. She’d never heard Angelica yell quite like that before. Or perhaps she had last season, but it’d been a long time. This season had been so much calmer than the last one. This wasn’t another one of Josef’s attempts to up the drama, was it?
