Perfect.

  Racing in her direction, Hope snagged Cadence’s arm and tugged her toward the small conference room. “We need to talk about filming this week, and then you and I need to talk after about something personal.”

  “Okay?” Cadence asked, curious. “Shouldn’t Rex⁠—”

  “Where is he?” Hope asked, her eyes wide. “Because we really need to get this meeting started.” The last thing she wanted was to keep Leanne in a room on her own where she could do more damage. Hope wanted to eliminate as much of that as possible.

  “He’s in the bathroom.”

  Of course he was. Hope nodded. “He’ll come find us then.”

  She led the way back into the room and found Leanne and Ashlee talking. Ashlee seemed far calmer now than she had before, far more at ease. Well, at least Leanne had managed that. Angelica never would have. Hope tensed as she sat down, wildly eyeing both of them as she tried to figure out where to step into the conversation.

  “So, uh… filming.” She smiled at Ashlee and nodded at Leanne to silently tell her to shut the hell up. “Angelica and I have researched some of what the problems are here—or at least what we think they are. A lot of times when we come into a hotel, we find different issues than what we originally thought they’d be.”

  “Yeah, we have some problems.” Ashlee’s lips pulled tight, and she went pale.

  Hope was usually so much better at this, but she was struggling to pull herself together and focus on anything other than the fact that Leanne was sitting across from her. Leanne who had broken Angelica’s heart. Leanne who had been so cold toward Angelica. Leanne who was the start of the problems between Josef and Angelica.

  Jesus, was there something good that this woman had done or was it all bad?

  “What we’ve identified as areas to focus on are some conflicts with understanding the goals and purpose of the hotel, room service issues, and some priority issues. Most of that just comes down to communication, I think.” Hope flicked her gaze to Leanne. How much had Josef briefed her on what was happening?

  Leanne nodded along like she was understanding everything.

  But she couldn’t have been locked in to do this more than a day or two ago. Angelica’s accident had only been four days prior. Hope focused on Ashlee. “What we’ll do first is mostly just observe and poke around so we can find the weakest spots and then go from there. Ms. Shields typically handles the room service issues if they’re not food related because it would fall under her purview but since she’s been delayed⁠—”

  “Oh yes, I heard about that.” Ashlee’s soft voice reached Hope’s ears, and the genuine concern in her tone was comforting. “I hope she’s okay.”

  “She will be.” Hope’s lips pulled up to one side. “I’ll let her know you were asking after her.”

  Hope slid her gaze to Cadence who had been surprisingly quiet. When Hope sent her a sharp look, begging her to join in the conversation, Cadence cleared her throat.

  “We’ll, uhh, start with filming you and Hope tomorrow as you take her on a bit of a tour and some explanations. She’ll primarily observe for at least half a day, check out the kitchens.”

  “I’m sorry, but I thought Leanne would be doing that.” Ashlee pointed at Leanne with a frown. “That’s what she said she was here to do, anyway.”

  Cadence’s lips parted.

  Hope jumped in. “Leanne will be there to help out, but I’ll be there with you every step of the way. I promise. I don’t want you to feel as though we’re leaving you in the dust since Ms. Shields isn’t here.”

  That niggling fear jumped right up into her chest again. Leanne was pushy, and she wasn’t going to back down. Angelica sure knew how to pick them, didn’t she? Hope looked directly at Cadence. They were going to need to have a serious conversation about how to deal with this because Hope needed to protect Angelica’s position on the show as best as she could.

  Because there was one thing she knew.

  She wouldn’t do this show again without Angelica.

  They’d been through too much for her to work with someone else. Even if they were renewed, if Angelica turned them down, then Hope would too. They were a package deal, even if Angelica didn’t see them that way.

  “Let’s start with room service tomorrow, all right?” Hope looked directly at Cadence. “You and Rex can figure out the shots from there.”

  “Yes, we can.” Cadence nodded as if she was finally understanding what was happening. Hopefully, she was. “I was thinking that we could follow the tray of food to show how dysfunctional it is, like a plate of food point of view.”

  “That sounds fantastic!” Hope responded with a smile.

  She turned toward Cadence and pulled Ashlee into the conversation and cut out Leanne as best as she could.

  “I could pretend to be a guest in a room and time how long it takes,” Leanne said.

  Hope pursed her lips in a very Angelica-like style and shook her head. “No.” Then she focused back on Cadence. “I wonder if we could get Sy to run the cart for us to make that shot.”

  “Oh, he’d love that. He loves doing all those creative things.” Cadence’s eyes lit up.

  “Perfect.” Hope clapped her hands. “I guess we’ll just leave it to the morning.” Hope stood up, rolling her shoulders. She stared down at Ashlee. “Will you give me a tour of the back areas? I’d like to know what I’m dealing with before we start filming in the morning.”

  “Oh, uh… sure.” Ashlee stood up, flicked a glance to Leanne, but then led the way out of the conference area.

  That had worked perfectly.

  If only Hope could manage to manipulate situations with ease like that every day. Then she probably wouldn’t have as many problems as she did. Smiling, Hope snagged her phone and sent a quick text to Angelica.

  Hope: When I call in the next hour, I need you to answer. Immediately.

  Chapter

  Thirteen

  Angelica had barely been in Boston for more than an hour when she got the text from Hope. She was finally settled in her room with a stern warning from Lyric to text or call whatever she needed, but she had no plans on getting up anytime soon. Traveling from Maine to Boston had done a number on her. She really should have waited another few days before attempting that.

  Hope’s one hour quickly turned into three hours, and Angelica struggled to keep her eyes open and stay awake for Hope’s call, even with work to distract herself. Traveling had been such a mistake. She was just about to give up, setting her iPad to the side, when her phone buzzed next to her.

  “Hello?” Angelica said, blinking back the sleepiness that was trying to overtake her.

  “I saw Lyric downstairs. Does that mean you’re in Boston?” Hope’s voice had that nervous quality to it that Angelica always seemed to pick up on.

  “We just got in.” Angelica sighed, running her fingers through her tangled hair. She hadn’t been able to move to brush it, and like hell if she was going to ask Lyric to do it. Ansel could if she didn’t get to it before they had to film.

  “Are you…” Hope stopped. The voices in the background were loud enough that Angelica could hear them but quiet enough that she couldn’t make out what exactly was being said. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m sore,” Angelica said with a sigh, hating that she’d actually admitted that. But Hope had always been different, and Angelica had always struggled to keep her feelings to herself when Hope was involved.

  “I bet. Umm… since you’re here… I’d really rather have this conversation in person.”

  “What conversation?” Angelica pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “Ange, just trust me on this one.”

  Angelica sighed, her eyes fluttering shut as she pushed back into the pillow behind her. She just wanted to go to sleep, and this hadn’t exactly been an easy resting time. She’d been thwarting work drama partly from the hotels she managed but mainly from production and rescheduling everything so that she could have time to rest. Because apparently no one else could do it according to Josef.

  “417.”

  “Be right there.”

  “Hope…” Angelica held her breath for a second before she finally admitted what she didn’t want to. “Get a key. I’m not getting up to let you in.”

  “All right… I can do that.”

  Angelica hung up and set the phone next to her. She closed her eyes. It’d take Hope probably ten minutes to get to her room, which gave her ten minutes to power nap. She’d been getting better at those lately.

  The knock came far too quickly. Angelica barely had her eyes pried open as Hope stepped inside, saying, “It’s just me.”

  The warmth in her voice sent a wave of comfort through Angelica. When would that fade? Because they hadn’t been together in any form of a relationship in nearly a year now, and still Angelica hung on every word that Hope said. Angelica brushed her hair out of her face and crossed her arms. She didn’t look her best, but Hope would be expecting that.

  “Well, you don’t look like death warmed over anymore, so that’s a good sign.”

  Angelica hummed a small laugh—it was all she could muster. “I’m still good and bruised though, and I’m still non–weight-bearing on my broken leg.”

  “Ah.” Hope sat on the edge of the bed, her hand resting on Angelica’s leg. “I have some not so good news.”

  “What is it?” Angelica’s stomach clenched. The last thing she wanted to hear right now was that Hope was quitting and leaving the show. She might not be sure about wanting another season’s renewal, but she knew that she couldn’t make it out of this season without Hope by her side.

  “Josef…” Hope paused and sighed. “There really isn’t a good way to tell you this. Josef hired Leanne.”

  Angelica tensed. The muscles in her body protested, but she couldn’t stop herself. “What do you mean he hired her?”

  “I walked in to do prep today, and Leanne was in the conference room waiting to meet with me. She said that Josef hired her to replace you while you’re out. I… he didn’t mention anything to me about it, and I’m assuming nothing to you. And no one else knows⁠—”

  “Of course they don’t,” Angelica snapped. What the hell was this? “No one knows who Leanne is.”

  “Well they might be about to find out.”

  Angelica swallowed the lump in her throat, but it came right back. Tears pricked her eyes, and she had to blink hard to force them back. Why was this season going so awry? And it wasn’t even problems between her and Hope like it should be. That, she knew how to deal with. That she understood.

  But this?

  “Ange…” Hope rubbed her hand up and down Angelica’s leg.

  “I don’t want your pity.”

  “You don’t have it. But you do have my sympathy.” Hope bit her lip and stared directly into Angelica’s eyes. “What do you want me to do about it?”

  “If Josef’s going to replace me, then there isn’t anything we can do.” Angelica shifted, the weight of discomfort crushing her. She hated this.

  “Who are you and what have you done with my Angel?” Hope stared at her confused. “You don’t just roll over and let him do whatever he wants to you. You fight back. You hold strong. You take what you want, and you don’t give up until it’s yours.”

  My Angel?

  Those words rang through Angelica’s mind, weaving stories that she couldn’t trust and didn’t want to believe in. She needed to separate herself from them. She needed to put up walls to protect herself from facing that heartache again.

  Angelica looked at Hope directly. “That’s not entirely true.”

  Hope paused, her lips parting in surprise. Did she understand what Angelica wasn’t saying? Nowhere in the course of their short relationship had Angelica pushed to make Hope choose between her and Rex. Nowhere had Angelica forced Hope’s hand in that. And she never would have. Same with Leanne. Angelica hadn’t fought to keep that relationship. Instead, she’d done the exact opposite, and she’d just let it go.

  Did Hope understand that?

  Angelica didn’t move her gaze from Hope’s, needing to know if she was reading between the lines enough for this to be clear. Angelica didn’t fight for things she knew she couldn’t have, and this show was one of them. She’d been told time and time again that she wasn’t worthy of it, and she was tired of fighting that battle.

  “Ange—”

  “Josef has been very clear from the start of filming that I’m not the right person for the job. Perhaps this car accident is just one way for me to bow out without causing issues.” Angelica held her breath. Why did those words feel so awful coming out of her mouth? They left such a bad taste.

  Hope sighed heavily, cocked her head to the side, and then shook it. “No.”

  “No?” Angelica furrowed her brow. “What do you mean no?”

  “I don’t believe it. Josef hired you for a reason. He sought after you for a reason. You were the first person hired, well before I was. He wouldn’t have put up with you if he didn’t think that you were right for the job.”

  Angelica clenched her jaw. He had fought for her, way back in the beginning. He’d paved the way for her to end up where she was now, but that didn’t mean he still believed that. But perhaps more importantly, Angelica didn’t believe she had the energy to fight for something she wasn’t sure she wanted.

  “He hired Leanne to piss you off, and he knew it would work. He hired her to create drama. That’s all he does.” Hope reached forward and clutched Angelica’s fingers tightly. “He wants drama, and what better way to get that than to throw your ex into the mix without telling you? And it’ll create the sexual tension that he can’t define that exists between the two of us.”

  Angelica’s heart thudded hard. She glanced down at Hope’s hand against hers, the way her fingers were soft, her nails cut short, but the strength that she held Angelica with was obvious.

  “Why are you just giving up?” The words left Hope’s lips and bored their way into Angelica’s soul.

  Tears stung her eyes again, threatening to spill. This past week had been so difficult. It’d been so hard to even think about what she needed to do and how she could still be here. If she’d never agreed to this show, then nothing like this would have happened. She wouldn’t be heartbroken, again. She wouldn’t be facing Hope now. She wouldn’t⁠—

  “Ange?” Hope prompted. “You can trust me.”

  “I don’t want to,” Angelica whispered. “I don’t want to be in this position anymore. I don’t want to rely on you. I don’t want to feel this way anymore.”

  Hope sighed and nodded. “Do you want to walk away?”

  Angelica snorted with a laugh. “You mean hobble my way out of here?”

  Hope’s lips pulled upward in a small smile. “Do you want to quit?”

  Before she knew what she was doing, Angelica was shaking her head. “No. No, I don’t.”

  “Then what do you want to do next?”

  “I don’t know.” Angelica shuddered. She flipped her hand and grabbed onto Hope’s, tightening her grip. “I don’t know what I want.”

  Hope sighed. “Is this about what you said before the car accident?”

  “No.” But it was. It was about that and so much more. “No, yes. It is. In part.” Angelica licked her lips, trying to steady herself and figure out what she wanted to say and what she didn’t. “Sometimes, it feels like the whole world is against me.”

  “And today is one of those days?” Hope asked.

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “But I’m here,” Hope whispered. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, Ange. I promise you. I know we didn’t end well, that we haven’t talked about any of that, but I’m here.”

  Angelica nodded, her lips pulling tight. She finally raised her gaze from their joined hands to meet Hope’s gaze again.

  “If you want to quit now, I’m not going to try and stop you. I think that’s only fair, to let you go like you wanted to let me go. That’s your decision to make.” Hope lifted Angelica’s hand to her lips, pressing a sweet kiss to her knuckles. “But if you want to stay and fight, know that I’ll be standing right next to you the entire time. I won’t let Josef bully you any longer.”

  Oh how Angelica wanted to believe that.

  She’d fought so long to make space for herself here on the set, and she’d never managed to do it. Every step of the way, she’d had to fight, even with Hope. And this time, she wasn’t sure if she could believe Hope, if she could trust Hope’s commitment.

  “Trust me, Ange. Let me make this right with you.”

  Hope’s words wrapped around her, pulling her deeply in. Angelica shook her head, those same tears filling her eyes. “I don’t want to.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m scared of what it’ll mean.” Angelica bit her lip. “For us.”

  “It doesn’t have to mean anything for us. We work together, and if we don’t have each other’s backs, then we know what’ll happen. We saw that in season one, remember?”

  Angelica nodded.

  “Then, for the rest of this season, and any other season we get renewed for, we have each other’s backs. It’s us against them. Got it?” Hope squeezed Angelica’s hand tightly.

  “Okay.” Angelica nodded, calm settling into her chest and her heart. “Okay. So tomorrow, I go down, and I film.”

  “I…” Hope’s lips parted. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “How else do you expect me to fight? From this bed?”

  “No, I just meant… are you feeling up to it?”

  “It doesn’t matter if I do or don’t.” Angelica breathed in relief. The feelings she’d had before were too convoluted. It was much easier to think now, to plan. She had a show to fight for and take back. At least for this season, but she wanted it. She wouldn’t let Leanne take one more thing from her. “I need to be ready to film tomorrow.”

  “All right.” Hope grinned at her, her cheeks tightening. “What can I do to help?”

  “I, uh…” Angelica fell back into the pillow, cold rushing through her. “I can’t believe I’m going to ask this.” Angelica’s cheeks burned, and she couldn’t bring herself to look into Hope’s eyes. “But I can’t ask anyone else.”