“No! Don’t youAngelme!” Angelica pointed a finger at her, very nearly pushing it into Hope’s chest. She would ride this anger as best as she could. “Don’t you ever think you can bribe your way in here to push me to do whatyouwant me to do!”
“Angel.” Hope said her name sharply.
“No!” Angelica threw her hands up in the air. She would die on this hill if she had to. Because she needed to expend some of this awful energy somewhere, and Hope was the best target for it. “I’m not going to do this. I’m not?—”
“Angel…” Hope said one more time, stepping in closer. “Just tell me what’s going on.”
Angelica pressed her lips together and clenched her jaw tightly. She shook her head and spun around on her toes,pushing her way into her room. Everything in here was untouched. She’d barely slept the last few days between everything going on. And Hope hadn’t… She paused and breathed at that thought. Hope hadn’t been there with her.
Because Angelica hadn’t allowed her to be.
Stepping to the desk, Angelica spun around and stopped. “Josef. Florence. This whole season. Us… take your pick.”
Hope narrowed her eyes and set down the plate she’d been carrying onto the top of the dresser. “That isn’t anything more than you can handle.”
Angelica sighed heavily. It absolutely was, though. Everything was too much, and she hadn’t managed to find a minute to even breathe. Every day, she woke up, chose to make it to the end of the day, and then collapsed in the chair to finish out the rest of her work. And Hope had no idea.
Hope must have sensed something, because she stepped in closer with concern in her gaze. “Angel?”
“Just stop.” Angelica put her hands out in front of her, desperate to stop this onslaught of chaos that she couldn’t seem to escape.
Hope came in closer, snagging her hands and squeezing them. “I know I haven’t…” she stopped and started again. “I know I haven’t been doing a good job of taking care of you.”
“Jesus.” Angelica snorted and shook her head. The last thing she wanted to deal with was Hope’s self-flagellation.
“Hear me out. I’ve been distant and so have you. And that’s on both of us, okay?” Hope brushed her thumbs across the tops of Angelica’s hands. “All this drama with Josef has been… a shit show.”
“Understatement,” Angelica said, her lips curling slightly. “I just want him to go away at this point. I’m tired of feeling like I’m on guard every second of the day.”
Hope hummed and nodded. At least they had an understanding on that point. Angelica dashed her tongue against her lips and slowed her breathing.
“I don’t know how much more of Josef’s threats I can handle.”
“Has he done anything else?” Hope asked.
Angelica shook her head. “No, but…” she stopped. It wasn’t Josef that was bothering her. It was everything combined, and she needed to be honest when she told Hope that. “My brother called me when I went to California.”
“Christian?”
Angelica nodded, heat rushing through her. “My mom is… on her deathbed. At least he thinks so.”
“For real this time?” Hope cupped Angelica’s cheek and pulled her face closer.
“I think so. The family’s calling me, trying to convince me to go visit her.” Angelica’s stomach twisted sharply. That’s what this was really about, wasn’t it? “But then the Kartalis want me to buy them out.”
“Angel…” Hope trailed off on the word.
“I just… it’s so much change, Hope. And you know I don’t do change.”
“I know.” Hope’s lips quirked upward. “But that’s what I’m here for.”
Angelica sighed heavily. “That and so much more.”
Moving in, Hope kissed her tenderly. “Whatever you need.”
And what did she need? Angelica stayed right where she was, holding that thought carefully. “I need… we can’t keep doing this, can we?”
“Doing what?” Hope whispered, a light tease in her tone.
