Page 32 of Tropical Inferno

He hung up wondering what she’d meant. He did know her, just as she knew him. He knew she wanted them to be together, but he also knew what that would mean for her. People would always wonder what kind of woman would date a man who’d said what everyone thought he had about her brother? He had to help her get through this, though. He owed her that much after getting her involved in this. The fact that she’d had a nightmare last night—after not having them for a while—proved she needed him. He just didn’t know if he would make it worse by standing at her side. He didn’t care what people thought of him, but he really didn’t want people to think badly of her because of him.

The problem now was that those two things were intertwined. He had to protect her, but loving her—wanting to be with her—meant clearing his name. The only way to do that meant he’d probably be out of a job at the end of the season. That left him with no way to support the woman he’d just promised he would take care of.

He owned condos in both L.A. and Ottawa, and if he sold them he’d have more than enough for them to buy a house somewhere less expensive than L.A. There would probably be enough left over for him to open a repair shop where he could work on cars all day, which was something he loved. It wasn’t hockey, but he’d always enjoyed taking apart an engine and diddling with tools. The scary part was not knowing how long it would be before he started making enough money to support them. It took time to build a clientele and gain repeat customers. He didn’t even know where to start in that department, and he wasn’t going to begin a life with Maddie without any kind of financial security. She could, and probably would, get a job at a law firm wherever they settled and they’d be okay; he just wanted so much more for her. He hadn’t been as good with his money as he could have been, but he did own two pieces of real estate outright and had zero debt. He also had six more months of paychecks coming at his current salary, which was substantial, so there were options.

A million things were running through his mind as he thought about his conversation with his agent. He was dreading looking his coach in the eye and apologizing for something he hadn’t done, but his agent had said he wouldn’t have a choice if he wanted to stay on the team. No matter what he did he was going to end up looking bad. Either way, his career was going to be in shambles and the choice was really no longer about hockey because there were always choices, he realized, even if they weren’t good ones.

Giving up the game he loved more than almost anything in the world meant he could have the one thing he couldn’t have unless he gave it up: Maddie. And he wanted her more than absolutely anything. He would be lucky to get three or four more years out of his body for hockey; he would have his beautiful sea nymph for the rest of his life. At least he hoped so.

He didn’t need to think about things much longer. He called his agent back, asking him to cancel the upcoming appointment with his coach and to tell everyone he would be making a public statement about the incident either tonight or sometime tomorrow. Then he called Jim and explained what he needed. Next, he called the airlines and changed his flight from tomorrow morning to two hours from now. Finally, he made the most important call of all, and said a silent prayer that his luck didn’t run out.

* * *

Maddie was in the middle of the most glorious massage. Jamie had called and told her to splurge and put it on his credit card. She’d demurred initially but he’d insisted and she’d finally acquiesced, figuring an afternoon at a spa couldn’t hurt. Her feet were kind of beat up from running on the sand and a pedicure sounded heavenly. It had been ages since she’d treated herself to a manicure too, so she wouldn’t turn her nose up at one of those either. The massage hit the spot, especially since they’d worked out hard for the three days before her vacation imploded.

She lay on the table and closed her eyes, letting the stress of the last twenty-four hours drain away. After she’d hung up with Garrett, she’d called Jamie back and told him what she’d found out. Ironically, he hadn’t been all that surprised and when she’d said “Cucumber,” he’d known exactly who she was talking about. He had let out a string of expletives and when he was done asked her if she was certain she loved or at least was falling in love with Garrett, if three days together was enough time to know what she wanted. She’d laughed and said she’d known almost immediately. Then her big brother had told her he loved her and that everything was going to be okay.

She had one day to kill before she saw Garrett and they headed to Toronto, where an inevitable disaster was awaiting them. With Garrett at her side, she’d be okay, but she hated it for him. She didn’t care what anyone said about her. She was nobody; fifteen minutes from now they’d forget all about her and would move on to a bigger, juicier scandal. Garrett’s career was on the line, though, and after Jamie had explained how difficult his teammates could make things for him if they felt he’d betrayed one of them, she understood what a no-win situation he was in. Somehow, she had to make him see that the tattoo on her backside was more than just ink—it was her mantra and it was how she’d gotten through the summer.

She’d gotten it with Jamie the day he’d gone to start the first tattoo that would cover up the scars on his back from what those animals had done to him. It was her only tattoo, but it had been important to her to get it at the same time he got his. He had the same one in the same place, as did their brother Dwight and their parents, though their parents had them placed on their shoulders. It was something they lived by as a family now, and if she had anything to say about it, Garrett was going to be one of them.

“Nèi zài de lì liàng,” she whispered to herself as the masseuse kneaded the tension out of her. She’d have to dig deep for hers and she would do whatever it took for Garrett to find his as well.

* * *

Hawk arrived back at the resort a little after three and practically flew through the lobby and into the executive offices of the Blue Dolphin, where Jim assured him his special event coordinator would be waiting with all the information he needed. An attractive blonde looked up with a smile and got to her feet. “Mr. Hawkins? I’m Wendy Roarke, Jim’s wife.”

“Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand. “Thanks for everything you’ve done—is there anything else I need to do?”

She smiled. “You have to propose.”

He took a deep breath. “Yeah. That.”

“She’s at the back of the property in the private suite we put her in. I’ll have someone drive you out there in a golf cart.” She reached for the phone but glanced back at him. “Good luck.”

“I’ll need it,” he muttered.

“Assuming she says yes, you’ll need to text me immediately. We have a limo standing by but the judge I spoke to about issuing the license won’t be there much longer and it’s Friday, so you’ll need to hurry.”

He nodded. “Roger that.”

* * *

Maddie was back in the chair by the window, wondering how she was going to get through the rest of the day when a soft knock on the door startled her. She got up to answer it, fully expecting to see another resort employee. Instead, Garrett was standing there with a huge bouquet of white roses and a lopsided smile on his face. He was wearing pressed dark gray slacks and a dark teal button-down shirt that brought out the steel color of his eyes, looking about as handsome as she’d ever seen him and she was momentarily glad she’d spent all day at the spa. Then she was in his arms, eyes closed, breathing in the faint scent of his aftershave.

“You came!” she whispered, her face buried in his chest.

“I promised, didn’t I?” he asked softly.

She didn’t move, clinging to him so tightly he had to gently pry her arms free. “Can I come in?” he asked.

“Yes.” She cradled the flowers and took a whiff, smiling. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

“Not as beautiful as the woman looking at me.”

She flushed. “Well, I spent the day at the spa.”

“You were beautiful before that, but you look extra nice now.” He sat on the couch and held out his arms to her.

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