“I only met her one time, briefly, at Sand Point. She seemed decent, friendly, and she didn’t eye me like I was a threat, but I don’t know her. It could have been an act.”
“Or it’s not, and this is all completely innocent.” Hadley drums her fingers on the steering wheel. “You won’t know until you speak to Garrick, and there is no point second-guessing.” Her pretty eyes bore into mine. “You need to look him straight in the eye and ask him if something is going on with Pepper.”
“I know.” I exhale heavily as the tightness in my chest almost becomes unbearable. Tears prick my eyes again at the thought of losing Garrick. I don’t know how I’ll survive it. Not when he’s become so embedded in my life. “This is what I was afraid of,” I admit, resting my head against the window. “Becoming too invested in a guy and him letting me down.”
“Don’t do that, babe.” Hads grabs my hand, squeezing it in a comforting gesture. “Don’t assume the worst, and don’t put those guards back up. Not unless it’s justified. Then I’ll help you stack them into place.”
We make our deliveries in relative silence after that, and I’m grateful when Hads drops the topic and puts music on. She knows I need to retreat into my head and think this through.
Pulling out my phone, I discover a ton of missed calls from Garrick in the last hour, so he has clearly seen the evidence and knows how bad it looks. I don’t return his calls, deciding to go home, get showered and changed, and head out to North Bend to see him.
Except I don’t need to. Because he’s already beat me to it. When Hads pulls Nana’s car alongside the house an hour later, Garrick is pacing back and forth in front of the door, repeatedly dragging his hands through his hair, looking panicked and agitated and concerned.
Good. I’m glad I’m not the only one upset.
“Do you want me to stay?” Hadley asks as she parks and powers off the engine.
I shake my head. “Thanks, but I’ve got to do this alone. I’ll call you later.”
“Just hear him out.” She hauls me into a hug. “I stand by my assertion he’s a good guy and he’s head over heels for you.”
“I hope you’re right.” I force a weak smile as we break apart.
“If I’m not, I’ll help you dispose of the body.” She waggles her brows and grins wickedly.
That raises a genuine smile on my face. “Love you, babe.”
“Right back at ya, beautiful.” She hugs me one final time as Garrick watches our interaction through the window. He’s not approaching the car, and I don’t know if that’s because of a guilty conscience or his fear of Hadley. He constantly denies it, but I think my bestie scares him. Hadley is intense and fiercely protective of me, and he knows it.
“Call me,” she reiterates as she opens her door and climbs out.
My heart is tripping over itself as I slide out my side, and an anxious fluttering feeling has taken up residence in my chest. Hadley narrows her eyes at Garrick as he moves in my direction, stalling for a moment to drill him with a pointed look. His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat as he keeps his gaze firmly locked on mine, but I know he feels the tense charge in the air and the weight of Hadley’s stare.
“It is not what it looked like,” he says, striding to my side. His usual deep voice contains an undercurrent of panic as he reaches for my hand.
I yank it back, shoving both hands into the pockets of my jeans. Lifting my chin, I channel my inner Nana as I stare at him. Pain radiates from his eyes, and a crestfallen look washes over his face. “I swear there is nothing going on with Pepper. She’s only a friend. Nothing more. Please believe me, Stevie.” His voice cracks a little. “I would never cheat on you. I deplore cheaters. It’s personal for me after what my mom did to my dad.”
He confided in me on vacation how his mom had been having an affair before she filed for divorce from his dad. I didn’t need additional reasons to loathe that woman, but I got them. She’s such a selfish bitch. I remember the hurt when he talked about it, and his words go some way toward reassuring me. “Take a walk with me?” I suggest.
“Of course. I just want an opportunity to explain.”
“I will give you that,” I confirm, striding forward in the direction of the poppy field. “But before you say anything, I need you to understand how much this has hurt me.” I look up at him, shielding nothing. Pain eviscerates me on the inside, and it’s hard not to collapse into tears. Except I’m made of sterner stuff, and I refuse to break down over any man. “Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to see my boyfriend in a compromising position with another woman and for it to be splashed all over newspapers and on social media? I’ve had calls and texts in the last hour from tons of people commiserating with me because they believe you have cheated on me with the governor’s daughter. I look like a fool.” I don’t mention the cruel text I received from Cohen as that will only sidetrack us, but I don’t plan on hiding it from him either.
“Nothing happened, Stevie. Please say you believe me.” Agony is supplanted across his handsome features, and he looks genuine, but am I just a sucker who has taken everything he’s given me at face value when I’m being played all along?
“Who is Pepper to you, Garrick? I need you to be completely honest with me. Is something going on with her, or has it in the past?”
“She’s just a friend, Stevie. I don’t have feelings for her.” His eyes penetrate mine, flickering with a host of emotions. “We have never touched, or kissed, or had sex, or had anything but a friendship. That is the whole truth.”
“I want to believe you, but this has me questioning everything that has happened between us.”
“Don’t say that!” he exclaims, reaching for my arm as I turn left into the field. Bittersweet, smoky, nutty scents accost my nostrils as I plow through the poppies, confused and hurt and disappointed and feeling a host of other things.
“I won’t lie to you, Garrick,” I say, turning around and spinning to a stop. My fingers trail the tops of the flowers, skimming over the soft red petals as they swish and sway against my thighs. “I always promised you honesty, and this has shaken me. I’m wondering if I’ve been played all along.”
“I promised not to lie to you either, Stevie.” He firmly clasps my face in his hands, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. “Nothing happened with Pepper. Not last night or ever. She’s a friend. That’s it.”
“Does she know that?” I hiss, letting hurt imbue my words. “Because she’s looking at you in that picture like you hung the stars in the sky just for her.”
