Page 58 of Under the Table

Angelica looked up at her, realizing for the first time that perhaps she was the one putting the wall between them far more than Hope was. She glanced toward the door to make sure that no one else was coming in and then relaxed back into the chair.

“I saw Rex last night, on my way up to my room.”

“Oh.” Hope’s face fell.

Angelica’s stomach churned. “I don’t suppose you two talked and resolved whatever is between you in this short period of time.”

“Not exactly.” Hope wrinkled her nose a little. “We did talk, all night.”

Nodding, Angelica crossed her legs. “Good. You should.”

But that also meant that she wasn’t a part of the conversation until Hope figured out exactly what was going to happen fromhere on out. She didn’t want to be the other woman. And she certainly didn’t want to be the reason behind a marriage being torn apart. Still, she hadn’t decided if she was looking for a fling or for more when it came to Hope Lawrence.

“I’m not leaving him, Angel.”

“I know you’re not,” Angelica responded, lifting her chin up in defiance. Had Hope really thought she would push for that? That she’d demand some sort of ultimatum? Because that wasn’t her style. Not at all. “Before Vegas or after?”

“After,” Hope finally answered. “Are you hungry? You really should eat something if you haven’t had anything since lunch.”

Angelica bit the inside of her cheek. She hadn’t eaten anything. All day, in fact. Not that she was about to tell Hope that. The last thing she wanted was for Hope to follow up on when she was eating and how much. And damned if she’d go eat now. She had zero appetite at all.

“I’ll put it into the schedule. That is…” Angelica stopped and frowned. “…that is if Rex is comfortable with it.”

Fuck, why did she have to go and complicate everything like this?

“I…” Hope paused. “I don’t know. I’ll have to talk to him about it.”

“You do that.” Angelica stiffened. She reached down and grabbed her iPad. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Without waiting for Hope to say anything else, she rushed out of the office and down the hall. She pressed her finger into the button to call for the elevator and held her breath. She just had to get to her room. She just had to get to the one safe space she had left and make sure that she could calm herself down.

The elevator doors opened.

“Angelica!” Eva’s voice was so excited and loud.

Angelica stood there stunned for a second as Eva wrapped her arms around Angelica’s legs in a tight hug.

“I was just coming to find my Mom. It’s bedtime! Do you know what that means?”

Angelica blinked once before the inkling of a memory reached her brain. “It’s…fairytale time, right?”

“Yep!” Eva bounced in her shark slippers. “Since she didn’t read to me last night, she promised to read two chapters to me tonight.”

Angelica couldn’t stop the smile that curved her lips upward at Eva’s enthusiasm. She brushed her fingers over the top of Eva’s head in a light touch before dropping her hand to her side and looking up to find Rex staring right back at her.

“I bet she’ll love reading to you tonight.” Angelica nodded firmly. If there was one thing she knew about Hope, it was that she loved her daughter. Any parent who was willing to read every night to their kid was the kind of parent that should have children. Angelica’s mother hadn’t been that—or anything close to it, actually. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Night!” Eva waved at her.

Angelica stepped around her and toward the elevator doors that were just shutting.

Rex shot his hand out to keep them from closing. Then he leaned in and pushed himself into Angelica’s space.

He lowered his voice, making himself quiet enough that Eva wouldn’t be able to hear. “I don’t know what you’re doing with her, but my wife doesn’t give up on things easily. And she’s not going to let us go.”

Angelica raised her chin up, looking at him directly. “I know.”

She stepped around his arm and into the elevator, jabbing the button for her floor hard. She stared at him, keeping her face as passive as possible while she watched the doors close on Rex’s surprised face. As soon as she was alone, her shoulders collapsed and her entire body ached.