Good point. How was chugging two mimosas going to help anything? She wasn’t the type to let problems pile up without looking for solutions, and although she might not be able to “fix” Doug’s broken heart or Brody’s decision to stay away from her, she sure as hell could do something about her father.
“I need to talk to my dad,” she said flatly.
In the chair beside her, Darcy nodded. “You do. Time to tear that Band-Aid off.”
“The Band-Aid being that he’s probably a criminal and an alcoholic?” She couldn’t keep the misery out of her voice.
“I didn’t say it wasn’t going to hurt. But it needs to be done.”
Darcy pulled her feet from the tub. Apparently, the fish were done with her. Hayden quickly followed suit, breathing a sigh of relief when the tickling abated.
“Are you okay if I abandon you mid-pedicure?” Hayden asked, biting her lip. “I don’t think I can sit around here all morning. I want to go see him. Force him to give me some answers.”
Because enough was enough. She needed to look her dad in the eye and demand the truth from him. This scandal was affecting her, too, and she deserved to know whether or not the trust and faith she’d placed in her father was justified. Presley’s mess had taken her away from Doug and brought her to Chicago; it had broken up her and Brody, caused stress to tangle inside her.
And now it was time to try to make sense of everything that had happened.
She drove to the Lincoln Center with a heavy heart, knowing Brody was scheduled to be interviewed by the league investigator today. She hoped she wouldn’t run into him. If she did, she’d be tempted to hurl herself into his arms, and she had no desire to be pushed away again.
It was so ironic. She’d been fighting this relationship from day one, set on keeping it a fling, and in the end he’d been the one to break things off.
And she’d been the one to fall in love.
Forcing the painful thoughts from her mind, she parked the car and walked to the building’s entrance. After greeting the woman behind the lobby desk, she rode the elevator to the second floor, which housed the franchise head offices.
Her father’s office was at the end of the hall, through a pair of intimidating wood doors more suited for a president than the owner of a hockey team. Tucked off to the right was the desk of her dad’s secretary, a pleasant woman named Kathy, who was nowhere to be found.
Hayden walked up to the doors but stopped when her dad’s voice practically boomed out of the walls. He sounded angry.
She slowly turned the doorknob, then froze when she heard her dad say, “I know I promised to cover your ass, Becker, but this is getting out of hand.”
Becker? Brody’s closest friend on the team?
Her blood ran cold. She knew she shouldn’t stand there and listen, but she couldn’t bring herself to announce her presence.
“I don’t give a damn about that...they won’t trace the money...”
Enough. She’d had enough.
Feeling sick to her stomach, Hayden pushed the door open and strode into her father’s office. He was standing behind his desk, clutching the phone to his ear, and he nearly dropped it when he saw her enter.
“I have to go,” he said into the phone, disconnecting the call without giving the other person—Becker?—a chance to respond.
Hayden inched closer, fighting the urge to throw up as she stared into her dad’s eyes. His face had gone pale, and she could see his hands trembling as he waited for her to approach.
“So it’s true,” she said grimly, not bothering with any pleasantries.
He had the nerve to feign ignorance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sweetheart.”
“Bullshit!” Her voice trembled with anger. “I heard what you said just now!”
Silence hung over the room. Her father looked stunned by her fury. After a beat, he lowered himself into his leather chair. He gave her a repentant look and released a heavy sigh. “You shouldn’t have eavesdropped, Hayden. I didn’t want you involved in any of this.”
“You didn’t want me involved? Is that why you asked me to come home? Is that why you forced me to give a deposition in your divorce? So I wouldn’t be involved? Too late, Dad. I already am.”
Her legs barely carried her as she stumbled to one of the plush burgundy visitor’s chairs and sank into it. It was hard to think over the roar of her pulse in her ears. Anger and disgust and sadness mingled in her blood, forming a poisonous cocktail that seared through her veins. She couldn’t believe this. The signs and suspicions had been there from the start, but hearing her father confirm his criminal actions was like a switchblade to the gut.
If someone had told her that the man she’d loved unconditionally, whose flaws she’d always ignored, whose attention she’d always craved, could be capable of such dishonesty, she would’ve laughed in their face. And yet, it was true. Her father had broken the law. He’d lied. He’d cheated on his wife.
When had this man become a stranger to her?
“Sweetheart...” He gulped. Guilt etched into his features. “At least let me explain.”
“You committed a crime,” she said stiffly. “What’s there to explain?”
“I made a mistake.” He faltered. “I made some bad investments. I...” Desperation filled his eyes. “It was only two games, Hayden. Only two. I just needed to recover the losses, and... I screwed up.”
Her belief in him slowly began to shatter, tiny jagged pieces of trust and faith chipping away, ripping into her insides. How could he have done this? And why hadn’t she seen it, damn it?
“Why didn’t you call me?” she whispered.
“I was too ashamed.” His voice cracked again. “I didn’t want you to know I’d destroyed everything I’d built.” His eyes looked so tortured Hayden had to turn away from them. “I never wanted another woman after your mother died. None of the ones I met even compared to her. So I focused on my job instead, first as a coach, and then as an owner. Money was tangible, you know? Something I didn’t think I could lose.”
When she looked at him again, she was stunned to see tears on her dad’s cheeks.
“But I did lose it. I lost it and I got scared. I thought I’d lose Sheila, too.” He swiped viciously at his wet eyes. “I know part of the reason she married me was for my money. I’m no fool, Hayden. But Sheila and I also loved each other. Sometimes I think I still love her. She’s so full of...life, I suppose. And after so many years of feeling dead, I needed that. I didn’t want to lose her. I started drinking too much, trying to forget about what was happening, I guess. Sheila tried to help me, but I wouldn’t listen. I didn’t want her to think I was weak...”
His voice drifted, eyes glistening with pain, shame and unshed tears. Tears sprang to Hayden’s eyes, too.
