“I know you are.” Rex finally looked at her then. “I just didn’t expect it to hit so much harder this time than the first time.”
“Harder?” Hope raised a questioning eyebrow at him.
“That’s probably not the right word.” He sighed and ran his hand through his short-cropped hair. “I didn’t expect it to affect me as much as it did, but knowing it happened and seeing it happen are two very different things.”
“They are.” Hope swallowed the lump in her throat. “And I’m afraid this might not be the last of it.”
“What else did you two do on camera?” The venom in his tone was unmistakable, but Hope suspected it was all from the pain he was swimming in right now.
“Not much, honestly, but I’m sure Josef can come up with something else. Even if he’s just watching our movements from place to place, and drawing conclusions from that, he can surely find something. There’s nothing else from that first season.” Hope twisted her hands sharply, unsure of how much detail to give him. He’d never really wanted it before, but now the circumstances were different, and he was likely to get it whether he wanted it or not.
“Hope…” Rex sighed heavily. “We made a huge mess of this. All of us.”
“We did.” Hope sniffled lightly and frowned. “And now we’re dealing with the consequences.”
“No, we’re not.”
Hope looked up at him sharply, confused.
“We’re not dealing with the consequences ofouractions. We’re dealing with Josef’s belittling and revenge warpath he seems to be on. That’s a whole different world than the consequences ofourchoices.”
She’d never seen him stand so firm in that belief—or at least he’d never made it that clear to her. She had nothing to say. She could only nod and focus back on the coffee cup in front of her. “You’re right.”
And she really needed to talk to Angelica.
“I won’t say that I’m looking forward to whatever else Josef has to throw at us, but here’s the thing, Hope. He’s out there. By himself, on his own, and we’re here. Together, all of us. You, Ange, me, the crew. He’s already lost.” Rex grabbed Hope’s hand.
Hope frowned and nodded into her coffee. That’s what she was afraid of. Josef had already lost everything, so he had nothing left to lose. Nothing to keep him sane and in line. “Thanks.”
“I’ve got to get back.” Rex stood up, taking his coffee with him. “You really should talk to Ange. You know she’s holding all of this shit in like she normally does.”
“Yeah. She is.” Hope smiled at him. “See you in a bit.”
Hope sighed as he left, watching him walk across the street in the direction of the hotel. The distance she’d felt with Angelica since the start of filming was stark and unanticipated. They’d worked so hard toward the end of last season to not have that and then again during season break with distance physically separating them.
Yet now, when they were only feet apart from each other, they barely had a moment to sit down and just be together.
Sliding her phone from her pocket, Hope sent off a text.
Hope
Can we make some time tonight, just you and me? I want to talk about this video, but I really just want to be near you without everyone else around.
She sent it off and waited, knowing that Angelica wouldn’t respond right away. She’d read it, of course, but she wouldn’t answer right away. Not with something that emotional and not with a request that would require her to shift her priorities around for the day.
Hope continued to stare at her phone while she sipped her coffee, and frowned immediately.
Logan.
She was willing to bet that no one had informed him about what was going on. Because that would be Angelica’s job, typically, and because everyone else would assume that Angelica had done it. Snatching her phone up from the table, Hope called Logan’s cell and put the phone to her ear.
“Hope.”
“Logan.” She smiled at his curt greeting. He was one of those people who typically got straight to the point, but especially when he knew that she should be filming or at least somewhat busy. And he’d rarely miss her call.
“Is this about the video?” Logan asked.
“It is.” Hope bit her lip. Maybe Angelica had actually called him and let him know what was going on. “Did Ange?—?”
