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I study him closely. He’s dying to know all the secrets I hold close. I’ve mentioned Dad a few times with him now. He knows that Mom died right as I started college. But really diving into the darkness of it all? That’s…fucking terrifying.

“He was your best friend once. You trusted him with your life, right?” Garrett asks, aware of where my head is at.

Dropping my eyes from his, I stare at the horizon. “I never told him the truth,” I confess. “When I was with him, I forgot about what was happening at home. He gave me an escape. Until I made him the enemy.”

My words float off with the breeze.

“He’ll understand,” Garrett assures me, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “I’m sorry I made our date all depressing.”

“It’s okay,” I say, although I can’t deny that my chest is tight and my stomach knotted with thoughts of the past and all my mistakes.

“Have you had enough?” I ask when neither of us has reached for food for a while.

“Yeah, it was delicious. Thank you. You’re quite good at this romantic date thing, hey?”

“It’s just a picnic,” I counter.

“It’s so much more than that, and you know it.”

As he watches me, my cheeks heat.

“Ready to move on to our next location?”

Garrett looks a little nervous, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” he responds without hesitation.

My shoulders relax, and the stress I was feeling from talking about my feud with Kodie begins to ebb away.

Garrett does that. He levels me in a way I’ve never experienced with anyone else before.

“Come on then.”

My body aches as I climb to my feet, reminding me that I played a grueling game of hockey not so long ago. The lingering stiffness isn’t enough to put me off my next destination, though.

If Coach were to find out, he’d rip me a new one. But I figure the chance is slim. The arena will be deserted by now.

Excitement stirs in my stomach as I tidy everything up and lead Garrett back to my car.

“Where are we going?”

“Surprise,” I say, just like I did earlier.

The drive is short, and all too soon we’re pulling into a very empty parking lot. I’m relieved that we’re the only car here. If there were any others, I probably would have bailed on this plan.

“What are we doing back here? Did you forget something?” Garrett asks as I kill the engine.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Okay, did you want me to wait here or⁠—”

“Oh no, you’re coming in.”

He follows me as I tap my security pass to let us into the building.

The automatic lights flicker above us as we move toward the equipment room.