Page 89 of Under the Table

“Right.” Angelica breathed out slowly. She had, in fact, forgotten that Josef was arranging this. She’d stayed out of it as much as she could because she hadn’t thought anyone in her family would actually show up for it. She plastered on a smile and reached for Christian to give him a hug and a kiss as well. “Welcome to the chaos, I suppose.”

“She did forget,” Christian said to their dad before laughing. “Good to know some things never change.”

Angelica refrained from saying anything else, but that comment stung far more than she wanted it to. Stepping back, she looked toward reception and rolled her shoulders. “I have a meeting to discuss the scenes for today, but I can talk to you after that.”

Her father nodded. “Go, go. We’ll be here.”

She did always love him. She kissed his cheek again and then walked toward the conference rooms on the other side of reception where they were housing their headquarters for the week. She clenched her jaw as she slipped inside, finding Rex, Hope, and Josef already sitting at the folding tables and waiting for her.

How was she ever going to get through this week with her family here?

She smoothed her skirt down and sat next to Hope, needing the instant comfort that Hope could provide more than the feel of distance between them.

With the plan in hand, Angelica sat down with the two owners and organized herself as Rex and Sy finished setting up to film. She caught the sound of her father’s laugh in the hallway, followed closely by Hope’s trill of laughter. At least someone was being entertained by him and his jokes. Hope would find him amusing, she could see that now.

But she didn’t have time for it.

Nor did she have the desire.

Years of sitting in a room where he chose to crack a joke instead of take a stand was enough for her. And while they didn’t have a contentious relationship any longer, she certainly didn’t want to open herself up for a deeper relationship either.

“Ange, you ready?” Rex’s voice broke through her thoughts, and everyone in the room was staring at her.

How many times had he tried to get her attention?

“Yeah, sorry.” She breathed deeply and centered herself on the work that needed to get done. At least this hotel would be better than Julian Towers in Las Vegas. She hadn’t seen any signs that the Wessels were in any way like Julian. In fact, from what she’d seen and read about so far, they were the complete opposite. A middle-aged couple who were just trying to do the right thing.

“And action!” Rex called.

Damn it, she’d missed even more.

Angelica smiled at Sydney and Lisa, and then she didn’t hold back at all. “Do you think that Kayla will be joining us today?”

Lisa’s jaw dropped. Sydney’s jaw tightened, his entire face hardening.

“Because she is the manager of the hotel, right?” Angelica asked, pushing her agenda. “When’s the last time that she showed up to work on time?”

Lisa’s lip quivered. “I-I don’t know.”

Angelica hummed, flicking her gaze from Lisa to Sydney. “I think you know where the problem is, and I think you already know how to resolve it.”

Sydney crossed his arms, leaning back in the chair and glaring at her. Lisa seemed to be the only one willing to have a conversation at this point, and Angelica was going to take that and run with it while she could.

“She’s our daughter,” Lisa murmured.

“She is.” Angelica sighed heavily. “But she’s also the reason your hotel is floundering.” She’d specifically not said failing, although that was exactly what she’d meant. She needed them to understand how dire the situation is. “I’ve been through your numbers, and ever since Kayla took over managing the hotel, there’s been a spiral downward. It didn’t start right away, but it’s increased dramatically over time.”

“We had a few issues with our previous chef and Kayla. They didn’t get along well.”

Angelica pressed her lips together hard. She was fairly certain she knew why that was, but she also didn’t want to out Kayla and her relationships if her parents didn’t know about it. At least, not if she didn’t have to.

“Regardless of her personal relationships,” Angelica started, testing the waters to see how much Kayla’s parents knew, “she’s not a good employee or manager.”

“We’re not firing her,” Sydney said, his voice booming through the room.

Angelica’s shoulders stiffened, her back going straight. Normally she would have been able to control herself a bit better, but she had no doubt that her experience in Las Vegas was still affecting her to an extent. Not that she wanted to admit that to anyone, not even Hope.

“She’s our daughter,” Lisa repeated.