Page 122 of Under the Table

Not now.

Not ever.

But Rex wasn’t being cruel in telling her she needed to make a choice. He was simply saying what he felt. But he hadn’t asked Hope what she felt. He hadn’t asked her how everything was going or if this was where she wanted their relationship to be. He’d simply given her an ultimatum.

Him or nothing.

Hope pinched the bridge of her nose. She needed yet another walk. God damn this property, she was going to have every inch of it memorized by the time they left, and no way in hell was she ever going to want to come back here. But she couldn’t stay in this room tonight. She couldn’t sit here and watch Rex sleep, knowing that he was forcing her to confront things that she wasn’t ready to face.

But Angelica was out of the question too.

Because something had been off there for days now, and Hope couldn’t put her finger on it. Not that she’d tried very hard either. Maybe she should. Maybe she just needed to sit everyone down in a room so they could actually hash this out instead of her being stuck as the go-between for everyone and every relationship.

She hated it.

She hated this.

Hope pushed up from the table and slipped out the door again. Fresh air would do her good. Fresh air, a walk, and clearing her head. That was exactly what she needed right now. Nothing else.

Chapter

Forty-One

Angelica’s heart raced.

She focused on her breathing, the way air came into her lungs and went out. She kept it as steady as possible. Her feet pounded into the pavement, one after the other, the rhythm of her run propelling her forward.

This week had been hellaciously long, but it wasn’t in ways that she had expected. The hotel wasn’t that difficult a fix. And even though the conversations had been tough, they’d gone smoothly enough.

But the battle that faced her once they were done filming was going to be the hardest one she’d faced yet. Angelica kept her pace, moving around the property at a steady speed. Her goal wasn’t to push her body tonight but to release the pent-up tension that had built over the last week.

Josef.

He was going to give her a run for her money, but she wasn’t willing to let her complaints about his actions fall on deaf ears this time. She would push and push and push until she had some sort of movement or decision from the studio and production. Because what he’d done was out of line. And she wouldn’t let it go.

She turned the corner and stopped suddenly. She smiled as she found Hope staring at her, wind in her hair, tank top tight against her skin and body. The shadows from the near midnight moon cast across her, making it impossible for Angelica to decipher the look on her face.

“You’re not usually up this late,” Angelica said, catching her breath by leaning down on her thighs a little.

“You are,” Hope responded.

Angelica nodded. “Yeah, I don’t sleep much.” She walked closer. “I’m glad to head back tomorrow. This week has been tough.” She looked around, finding no one, and she walked right up to Hope. Cupping Hope’s cheek, Angelica pulled her in for a kiss and a sigh. She breathed in the moment, the connection that she’d craved since she’d gotten back from Los Angeles, but they just hadn’t found a moment to be together like this.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said,” Angelica started, staying close by Hope. She wanted to be in her presence. That much had been clear in the last couple of days. She craved that connection, the way she’d started to rely on Hope to meet her needs.

“What I said about what?”

“About going away for the weekend.” Angelica sighed, her lips curling upward. “I think it’d be a good idea. I have no idea when we could manage it between post and press and our other jobs, but I want to find time for it. Time for just you and me.”

Hope’s lips parted in surprise, a blank look on her face. “What if Eva were to come with us?”

“Eva?” Angelica stilled. A niggling fear picked up in her belly. Something about this didn’t feel right.

“Well, she’s my daughter, and I need to spend time with her.”

“You do,” Angelica quickly agreed. She’d never want Hope to disregard that relationship for her. That wasn’t what she wasasking. “I thought you wanted time with just the two of us. Did I misunderstand?”

Hope sighed heavily. “I also need to spend time with my family.”