Page 97 of Play Dirty

“I wish I knew. She knows our financial situation and I don’t have that kind of cash on hand to give her. The kind it would take to make her go away.”

“How much do you think she wants?” Harper meets my eyes.

“I don’t know, but probably more than I can get my hands on without cashing out investments or my 401K. Which is bullshit.”

“Don’t do that, Marty,” she says softly. “I know you love your children, but you have to protect yourself too. You’re already in your thirties, and as someone who’s married to a pro hockey player in his thirties, I know his time—and probably yours—is limited. There are exceptions but we both know one injury can end your career. Don’t put yourself in a position where you’re out of workandbroke. Your kids need that money more than she does.”

“I won’t,” I say. “At least, not unless it’s an absolute last resort.”

“Please come to me before you do anything like that.”

“Thanks, Harper. I appreciate it.”

“Have you asked her?” she asks abruptly.

“Asked her what?” I ask in confusion.

“What she wants? Like, a flat-out ‘how much will it take’ conversation?”

I frown. “Not directly like that, no.”

“Maybe you should. Get a feel for what kind of payout would make her go away, give up custody, whatever it is you want. See if you can pull it out of her without lawyers, because Madeline is going to cost you a fortune. And no matter how good she is, there are no guarantees with custody.”

“I know.” I sigh. “But you’re right. It’s something to think about.”

“Have a number in mind. And if it’s in the ballpark of what you can do, we can work out an interest-free loan for the rest. I’m not interested in making a profit off you.”

“Thank you,” I say. “I mean that—and don’t think I won’t take you up on it if we get to that point.”

She smiles, resting her hand on her belly. “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you to take me up on it.”

“Well, I’ll let you get back to your day.”

“No problem. Tell Stevie I said hi.”

She goes back to whatever she was doing before I arrived, and I pull out my phone to call Stevie as I walk out to the parking lot.

“Hi.” She picks up right away. “How’d it go?”

“I have a meeting with Madeline tonight at seven thirty.”

“Harper for the win,” she says quietly.

“Yup. Do you want to come with me?”

She hesitates. “Actually, I need to pack tonight. I’m flying to New York in the morning.”

“New York?” I ask in surprise. “Why? When did this come up?”

“Saylor is going on a buying trip for the gallery, and I decided to go with her, plus we’re meeting with Alexa Humboldt about an upcoming fashion show. In Milan. You know I haven’t been back to Milan since before the incident, so it’s an exciting opportunity.”

“Oh. Well, that’s great, babe.” I’m frustrated she won’t be with me tomorrow, but I also sense a need for her to distance herself from the drama in my life. She doesn’t need the publicity or the negativity, and someone is bound to say something if they see her at the courthouse. Besides, she’s having nightmares again, and I hate that it’s my fault.

“I’m sorry I won’t be there tomorrow,” she whispers. “I just think it’s better if I put a little distance between us.”

“Stevie, I don’t want there to be distance between us. Not emotionally, anyway.”

“I know.” She sounds funny, and I’m not sure what’s going on. This is about more than just her wanting to focus on work. “I don’t want that either, but we need to think about the kids. It’s obvious Brenna is going to make trouble for you because of me, which is the last thing I want.”

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