Aria wasn’t sure what to expect from Griffin Hayes whenthe two first became intertwined. Maybe she had no expectations at all. But she can definitively say she’s happily surprised by what she’s come to know of him so far. She’s no football expert, but she saw him in action with the Wardens before she met him. His physical power on the field becomes obvious within a play or two on game day. He’s aggressive and explosive.
The side of Griffin that Aria’s gotten to know in person thus far is so difficult to marry with the tough athlete that hits the field on Sundays. His genuine kindness, humility, and generosity are just as much a part of him as his muscular build and his intensity on the field. It seems like something that should be a contradiction, but with Griffin Hayes living and breathing as such in front of her, there’s proof that it’s possible.
Aria of all people knows how much more there is to public figures than what’s broadcast to the world. Of course she knew it’d be the same for Griffin. She just never expected tolikeso much of who he is off the field.
Griffin pulls out his phone now that the conversation has slowed, and the screen lights his face in a way that accentuates his cheekbones and his wide jaw. His mouth curves gently upward—not a smile so much as a mouth poised in waiting for a smile. Like perhaps he’s wired for optimism.
Griffin’s been objectively attractive from the start, but only now in this moment inside the dark car, with him carrying her home to safety, does her heart do a tiny, barely there flutter.
Is Aria attracted to Griffin Hayes, her fake friend for PR purposes only?
She pushes the thought away. It’s nothing more than a side effect of their arrangement. Her team has already pulled himinto this scheme, one that serves his football career far less than it serves her pop star engine, and the last thing she wants is to complicate it. He’s not here to woo her.
He’s here for the job.
But at least he’s easy on the eyes—as well as a good guy, funny even—while he sticks around.
Chapter 9
Griffin
Griffin flew down to Florida the day after the gala to play the Stingrays that Sunday. He got to see one of his college teammates who is now the quarterback for the Stingrays, and to make it even sweeter, the Wardens took the win. Their record so far is strong, and Griffin and his teammates are hopeful they’ll make the playoffs.
It might be unlikely for this year, but that doesn’t mean they’ll take their sights off the goal.
On Tuesday the following week, Griffin attends practice, which includes weight training, mapping out plays, and reviewing film once more from the previous Sunday. Griffin practically lives in the weight room, so that part of the day comes easy. He eventually makes it to the film room where the lights are dimmed and the screen is lit up with clips of the game.
“What’s up, guys?” Griffin calls out in greeting to the otheroffensive players already seated, and a sea of greetings are murmured in reply.
All of the players sip their drinks as the play coach kicks off the meeting by reviewing the tasks at hand.
“We saw some great work from y’all last week against the Stingrays. They have a strong defense, but it didn’t stop you. There were also spots we can improve on for next week.”
Coach begins reviewing plays one at a time, and the first few don’t include Griffin. His mind wanders.
In all honesty, his mind has wandered on several occasions since last week, and every time, it wanders to Aria. Every time he sees the scarf she accidentally left behind in his car now sitting on his coffee table at home. He replays their evening at that glitzy old Chicago hotel, Aria being the glitziest thing in attendance. She was stunning, as always, but he can’t shake the feeling of her pulling him out of his comfort zone again, helping him through the fundraiser, and her utter confidence in his ability to navigate it. Despite all that, the car ride was even better.
Should he feel bad that he was sort of glad her driver got sick? The sparks he’d felt sitting beside her were almost embarrassing. A big, tough guy like him letting his little crush take the wheel like he was an awkward teenager. He wondered for a moment whether Aria had felt the same thing pass between them, but as quickly as he considered it, he dismissed the thought.
Aria is busy with far more important things than entertaining his crush.
Still, his heart jumped a little when he got Mike’s email yesterday about an appearance on a late-night talk show for thepair of them next week. His first instinct was to feel excited at the prospect of teaming up with Aria again, but then he realized he would be filming an actual segment for a talk show. Whatever happened to this being easy like Mike promised?
“Griff, you with us?” Coach said.
“Yes, sir.”
Griffin’s eyes dart around the screen, and eventually he orients himself to the film. It was a moment he made a catch but was pushed out-of-bounds before he could plant his feet from the jump. Griffin takes feedback from the coach and remains focused for the rest of the session.
Once he’s back on the road heading toward his condo, he dials Mike on the hands-free system in his car. Mike picks up on the second ring.
“My favorite client. How you doing?”
“Good, good. Just leaving practice now, and I wanted to follow up onThe Late Night Showinvite.”
“It’s great, isn’t it?”
Griffin reaches up and squeezes his chin. “In some ways. It’s definitely not my forte, all this being onstage in front of people. Weren’t we going more for photo ops?”
