Page 79 of The Secret Play

Whitney raised an eyebrow. “Casey, the story is set to go live in less than an hour. What are you going to do?”

“I need to talk to her,” I said, grabbing my phone. “Privately, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.” When she was in the doorway, she added, “Don’t let her retract it if you want to keep your job.”

Like I needed another thing heaped onto the pile.

When the door was shut, I dialed Gemma immediately. The phone rang only once before she answered, her voice shaky. “Casey?”

“Explain the article,” I said, trying to keep my tone calm but firm.

“It’s the truth. This is all my fault. I should have reached out. I should have told you about Winnie. I should have?—”

Her voice broke, and I could hear her sobbing on the other end of the line. It shattered me.

“I should have done everything differently,” she cried. “You didn’t deserve this. You didn’t deserve to have your life turned upside down because of me. I deserve this. I deserve all of it.”

“Gemma, stop,” I said, my voice softening.

“It’s true,” she sobbed. “I kept your daughter from you. I kept her from knowing you. How do I justify that? How do I make up for that?”

My heart broke at the sound of her crying. There was nothing for her to make up for. Maybe I felt that way when I first learned about the situation, but I was angry and lashing out back then. It wasn’t how I actually felt. “Gemma,” I said gently. “It’s not like that.”

“Yes, it is. I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so, so sorry. I know how wonderful Winnie is. She’s the best little girl in the world…and I kept her from you. The world needs to know that none of this is your fault.”

I stood, pacing the length of my office as my mind raced. I needed to see her, to hold her, to tell her that we’d figure this out together. “I’m coming over?—”

“No, you’re not,” she said quickly, her voice trembling. “You have a game tonight.Thegame. The team needs you. The Seattle Razors have been at the top of the Western Conference for a long time. You have to focus. Just forget about this for now. Please. Show Matthew why he shouldn’t fire you.”

“I can’t?—”

“The Razors have put two centers and three wingers into the hospital this season, Casey. My brother is going to be on the ice. I need you to have his back, and you can’t do that if you’re worried about me. Please do this for me.”

I already hated myself for the lie I was about to tell her. “All right, baby. I’ll do this. For you.”

She sniffled. “Thank you.”

But there was no way I wasn’t going to be by her side right now. She needed me. I heard it in her voice. I was halfway to the door when Nico appeared, his expression tense.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I said quickly, brushing past him.

“You’re supposed to be getting the guys ready,” he said, his voice sharp. “It’s almost game time, Coach. They need you.”

I stopped, turning to face him. “Gemma?—”

“Gemma will be fine,” he said firmly.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Nico.”

He shook his head. “I know my sister. She’s handled bigger shit than some article.”

“She told you about it?”

“She mentioned that you’d hate it. Didn’t take a genius to figure out you might bail tonight.” He stood there, solidly blocking me from going down the hall. “Don’t do it, Coach.”

“You didn’t hear her crying, Nico. I have to go.”

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