Page 30 of Tropical Inferno

“You left me here alone, dealing with your mess.”

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea we’d been seen. No one ever pays attention to me when I’m in Hawaii. I don’t know why…” His voice trailed off. “Shit. My stepfather.”

“Your stepfather?”

“It’s a long story, but he’s been mad ever since I joined the NHL instead of going to college. I told you I went to my parents’ house when I first got down there. Instead of support, I got a huge I-told-you-so, telling me what a horrible human being I am and how this never would have happened if I’d gone to college and joined the family business. I walked out and he was still yelling about how ungrateful I am… I guess this was his revenge, telling the press where I was.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Like I said, he’s pissed that he took me under his wing and taught me everything he knows about cars—which is a lot, I have to say—and I thumbed my nose at him to play hockey.”

“You can’t play hockey forever… Couldn’t you invest in his business and then join him when you retire?”

He chuckled, loving that even in the middle of this crisis they thought alike. “Yeah, I tried to tell him that but I gave him a check for $25,000 a couple years ago and he tore it up. Said he’d rather go bankrupt than take money from me.”

“I’m sorry, Garrett.”

“We got off track here—this phone call isn’t about me. I wanted to make sure you were okay...clear up a few things.”

“Like?”

“This doesn’t change anything—we still can’t be together—but I couldn’t stand the thought of you believing I was capable of saying something so ugly.”

“I don’t know your side of the story.”

“I know.”

“Well, are you going to tell me?”

He didn’t say anything, merely waited as she grappled with his silence.

“Is this really too much to ask? After all you’ve put me through, you can’t even be honest with me?” She sounded so sad, it hurt him to listen to the pain in her voice.

“I am,” he whispered, willing her to understand, to know his heart as well as he thought she did. He couldn’t spell it out; she needed to know instinctively that he was innocent.

“Garrett?” She sounded miserable, her voice quavering a little.

“Honey. Listen to what I’m saying. Please.”

She was silent now too, the only sound coming from her strained breathing. “You haven’t said anything… Wait, are you trying to tell me that you actually didn’t…say anything?”

He closed his eyes, so much emotion coursing through him he wasn’t sure he could speak. Not only did she know his heart, she trusted him. She’d basically been presented with proof of his guilt and she’d still questioned it. She had his back more than even his parents did, and that meant everything to him. How the hell could he live without her now that he’d found something so special with her?

“I don’t understand! The linesman said he heard you, that’s why you got such a harsh suspension and fine, because it was right in front of him… Garrett, tell me what happened. Please.”

“It wasn’t me who said it.”

“It was that guy next to you—I saw the video—what’s his name? Cucumber?!”

He snorted. “Culkin. Roger Culkin.”

“Then why are you taking the blame?” she demanded. “Why are you letting this moron get off scot-free while you’re in trouble?”

He blew out a breath. “It’s really complicated. The dynamic in the locker room is based on trust. If I give him up, no one will ever trust me. You don’t do that to a teammate. You just—ask your brother. Ask him about the locker room bond. And tell him I’m sorry, that I’d never, ever say something so hateful. I have nothing but respect for him and Viggo, and I hope he understands why I have to keep quiet.”

“Garrett!” Her voice broke as fresh tears were unleashed in a torrent of sobs that had her crying so hard she couldn’t speak.

“Aw, baby, don’t…” He spoke gently, his voice as filled with pain as hers. “Please don’t cry. I just needed you to know the truth—I had to make sure you knew I’m not that kind of man, that I care about your brother, that he really was my friend… Please don’t cry.”

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