“Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t.” Cadence pushed her lips together hard.
“No, not Ange…” Hope corrected. “She’s not a mistake, being with her isn’t a mistake.” Hope rubbed her hands against her damp hair. “But hallways are a mistake. We’ll be more careful. Thank you, for… your discretion.”
Hope held her breath, waited another second, and then walked right back into the kitchen.
She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t play these games and come out on the winning side. She was built for honesty and openness. And keeping it all shut away was just too damn hard.
Chapter
Thirty-Nine
“This is all your fault!” Alexis’s voice charged through the lobby.
Angelica froze, tingles racing up her spine as her stomach dropped.
“My fault!” Mark yelled back, his voice booming far louder than Alexis could probably ever achieve. “You’re the one who’s putting the employees right in the middle of us. This isn’t a me problem.”
Walking toward the argument when every instinct told her to walk away, Angelica clenched her jaw and held her iPad close to her side. The last thing she wanted was to get caught in the middle of an argument that wasn’t going to end.
“You told Pria that she could take next week off. You know she can’t do that. Olivia is already taking off that week, but you didn’t bother to even look! You just made decisions without even communicating.” Alexis threw her hands up in the air and jerked her head forward.
Angelica knew exactly what they were arguing about. It had been a kerfuffle earlier in the day, one she’d been annoyed with but it had ultimately reached a resolution. It just meant thatAlexis was going to have to work a few extra shifts that week, which was probably why she was throwing such a fit now.
But… it proved her point.
The two of them were the problem.
“We can’t force our employees to work! Olivia was going to leave either way. So we could either approve the vacation or deal with callouts later on.” Mark glared at Alexis.
“You’re such a bastard.”
Angelica’s eyebrows rose immediately. She hadn’t seen them fall into outright name calling yet, though she’d had no doubt it was within both of their capabilities.
“And you’re a bitch. Downright mean, angry bitch.”
“All right!” Angelica clapped her hands loudly. “Both of you can shut up.”
Mark turned on her first, surprise in his gaze. Alexis, however, didn’t quite give her the same impression. Then again, she’d probably seen Angelica approaching them.
“I have every right to tell him to shut up.” Alexis pointed a finger in Mark’s direction.
Well, then, they weren’t going to just end this to end it. Angelica clenched a fist next to her side and then immediately loosened it. She needed to have control right now, and if her temper was triggered, it’d be the end of the argument in a flash. And no one would learn a lesson.
“You lost that privilege when you divorced.” The words left Angelica’s lips with a snap.
Alexis’s jaw shut tightly, the muscles in her cheeks tensing. “He’s wrong.”
“You two don’t communicate, at all. In fact, you both intentionally screw up communicating with each other for the very purpose of creating conflict. Both of you.” Angelica pointed between them. “And here you are having a full-on argument that’s just short of throwing punches in the middle of the lobby.And you want me to tell you that he’s in the wrong?” Angelica glared at her. “You’re both idiots!”
Angelica’s voice ricocheted through the lobby. Suddenly everything was far quieter than it should be. She had no doubt that every single eye in the lobby was focused on the three of them, on the fact that Angelica hadn’t managed to keep her temper in check, and they were now wondering just how bad this was going to get.
“Ange?” Eva’s small voice reached Angelica’s ears.
Spinning around, Angelica’s stomach plummeted. “Eva!”
What the hell had she done? Eva looked devastated and wary all at the same time. Tears filled her eyes, and her cheeks were red. Angelica took a step forward, a hand outstretched as if she was going to wrap Eva in a hug and try to make her forget everything she’d just witnessed. But Eva jerked a step backward. She lifted her chin up in defiance.
Angelica looked around wildly for Rex.
