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“I thought you were speaking metaphorically, but literally slowing down works too,” Sam quips.

“I mean,youneed to slow down with the romance game plan. Even though I might be interested in dating Danae, I need to consider if that’s even what she would want in her life right now,” I say. “She became a mom to a nine-year-old a little over a month ago, and that’s a lot to work through with him. Might not be the best timing to start a new relationship, even without the added obstacle of the public attention. I don’t want her to take on more than she can handle.”

“Danae’s a grown woman, Griff. Why don’t you letherdecide what she can handle in her own life?” Sam replies.

I drum the steering wheel. Sam’s right—I should let Danae decide for herself what she can and can’t handle. But the attraction I feel to her is different from the surface-level physical attraction I’ve felt for other women in the past. It’s even different from the interest I had in the few women I’ve actually dated. Interest that typically fizzled as soon as I realized they were chasing association with “Griffin West, Wizard of Defense.”

Danae is different. She’s empathetic and caring but not just in words. She’s living it out in huge, significant ways. Not to mention the spark of passion inside her that flares when she talks about books or her role as a librarian.

Plus, she has zero passion for baseball, which means she doesn’t care about my athletic prowess or success. That’s not what she sees when she looks at me.

Except for the public attention that comes along with it. That, she might see. And she may not want that. Which means, I’m not sure if she’ll wantme. Public attention is part of the package that would come with dating me. It’s who I am.

My grip on the steering wheel tightens.

Sam flicks my ear.

“Ow!” I yell, shooting her a chastising glare.

“Get out of your head, big bro. It’s unlike you to think so much,” Sam says.

I roll my eyes, although I doubt she can see the gesture in the dark car. “Very funny.”

“I’m serious,” Sam replies. “It’s obvious you’re drawn to Danae. And I happen to think she’s pretty amazing as well, plus Jason’s a great kid.You don’t have a lot of time before you leave for spring training camp. So hurry up and shoot your shot.”

“Basketball lingo, huh?” I sigh. “What if it’s a swing and a miss?”

Sam shrugs. “Then at least you swung.”

Chapter eleven

Danae

Glancing at the clock, I see that I have twenty-five minutes until the first class will come to library. My library aide is still helping clean up breakfast in the cafeteria, so I have a few moments alone.

Moments I should be using to update my substitute lesson plan binder or to make copies for next week or to write a to-do list for all of the spring library activities. This is my busiest season, between the special reading week activities I plan each year, as well as conducting the Battle of the Books competition for the fourth and fifth graders. Throughout the school year, teams of students read twenty books selected by librarians across our district, taking notes about them. In the spring, I conduct a tournament of battles between teams to see who can correctly answer the most questions about the books.

Thatis what I should be spending this free time doing—getting ahead on battle preparation.

Instead, I walk back to the storage space attached to the library and lean against a counter, staring into space. Thinking about Griffin West.

Last night threw me for possibly the biggest loop I’ve ever experienced. And that’s saying something, considering I recently became a single mother with very little advance notice. Somehow, Griffin’s presence in my life is more disconcerting than Jason’s presence.

After an hour of lying wide awake in bed, I'd finally succumbed to my taunting curiosity and looked him up online. I didn’t fully fall downthe rabbit hole, but I read enough (and clicked through enough photos) to outline the basic gist of his life.

He grew up all over during his elementary years before his family settled in Oklahoma. He played baseball for a college in Texas for three years before he was drafted by the Crowns. He eventually became a darling of Kansas City sports fans due to his athletic success and all-around “great guy” reputation. His good looks don’t hurt him on the popularity front, either. Apparently, kids all over the city ask their barbers for “The Wizard” cut with the faded sides and longer hair in the middle that makes Griffin’s hairstyle stand out so much.

Call me an ostrich because my head was deep in the oblivion sand when it came to Griffin West’s existence.

Now, my head has been forcefully wrenched out of that sand.

But Griffin is the exact opposite of everything I want. I like stability and security. I like solid plans with little disruption. I like to assess every possibility and plan for everything.

Ido not likebaseball.

So why can’t I stop thinking about him?

“Earth to Danae!” Kara’s voice jerks me out of my reverie. She walks over and leans a hand against the counter next to me. “What’s got you off in la-la land? Something with Jason?”