“Only if I have company to work through it all.”
Just that one comment lit Hope up. She’d been looking for some kind of response from Angelica that they were back on even footing, that they would work together through all of this, and that they could find an outcome that would ease both their stresses. They weren’t doing this alone.
“I’m curious to see how service tonight will work out,” Hope added. “Perhaps we should get the full experience by sharing a meal.”
That was the boldest Hope had been in a long time. But she couldn’t remember the last time the two of them had sat down together to eat a proper meal.
“We can discuss that later.” Angelica’s voice got quieter, as if she was moving the phone away from her face. “I’ve got to go. Figure out how much money the food truck is making, and we’ll go from there.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Hope smiled as she hung up, sliding the phone back into her pocket. She had a lot of work she needed to get done, and it just so happened, right now, she had the time.
Chapter
Thirty
Christian
She’s gone.
Angelica stared at her phone,her heart in her throat. Wind rushed through her ears, and she plopped down into the makeup chair as Ansel continued to prepare for her. She couldn’t imagine the chaos going on in that hospital room. The explosion of emotions. Her mother was the chaotic matriarch of the family on a good day.
Which left everyone squarely in the camp of not knowing what the fuck to do now that she was gone.
Had anyone else in her family texted and said her mother was dead, she wouldn’t have believed them. But Christian? He had no reason to lie. They’d talked about this. And as much as Angelica didn’t want to deal with it, she did want to be there for her brother, for her niece and nephew.
Putting her phone in her lap, Angelica stared at the back of it. She couldn’t look at the screen. She had no idea what to even text back to Christian, not right now. Fear, pain, guilt, relief—itall flooded her at once. And she didn’t know which one was going to win out in the end.
Her mother was dead.
A woman she hadn’t wanted to see ever again, and yet a woman who was still managing to have such a stark impact on her life. As much as Angelica hated that fact, it was, indeed, a fact.
“Chin up, Ange.”
Angelica moved on instinct, closing her eyes as Ansel worked to put the makeup on her face. Memories flooded her brain, all those good moments she’d had with her family. Though they were few and far between and most of them were before Christian was even alive. Once he was born, she’d been usurped by the son they had always wanted.
Which, she didn’t care.
But their treatment of her had only gotten worse throughout the years.
“Ange, you okay?”
Angelica snapped her eyes open, staring into Ansel’s concerned gaze. “Yes, of course.”
“O…kay.” He straightened his back a little and handed her a tissue.
Staring down at the paper in her hand, Angelica was more confused now than ever.
“It’s for your tears.”
“Oh.” Angelica tensed sharply. She lifted the tissue to her face and wiped her cheeks. Sniffling, she got hold of herself again and then nodded to him when she was ready to continue. She couldn’t even find words to explain anything, and she’d never been more grateful for the fact that Ansel didn’t ask.
Angelica steeled herself for the day with each new layer of makeup and hair product that Ansel used on her. She took the time the silence offered and made the best use of it that shecould. She’d call Christian as soon as she was done with this and blame the delay on work.
In reality, she needed this forty-five minutes.
Slipping out of the makeup area, Angelica made her way to the main office because everyone would be in the staging room. And she still wasn’t ready to face reality. Standing in the office with the door shut, she tapped Christian’s name and lifted her phone to her ear. It rang three times before he answered.
And his voice was rough.
