Page 9

Chapter eight

Griffin

E yes closed, head leaning against the back of the couch, I try to slow my thoughts. The heating pad on my shoulder is helping my muscles relax after a particularly intense workout today. I just need a heating pad for my brain.

As we creep closer to spring training, the burden of success weighs heavier and heavier on my shoulders. And not only because of the injured one. The Crowns could have a real shot at a World Series run this year, and I certainly don’t want to be the weak link that messes that up.

Which leads back to the injured shoulder.

I know the baseball world is going to compare my every move this season to my previous success.

Watching for any indication that I’m not what I used to be.

Ready to over-analyze and dissect any sign of weakness, even though they already had that shot in the month I played for the Crowns’ farm team at the end of last season.

I want to be the post-injury success story. I want to be every success story. It’s what the sports world expects of me and what I expect from myself. I’ve trained everyone to expect success from me.

Except maybe Danae Collins.

She’s kept my thoughts running almost as much as the upcoming season.

Sam came home from their lunch raving about how incredible Danae is, how thoughtful she was in getting to know Sam while also being loving and attentive to Jason.

Sam’s comments only added fuel to the fire—probably intentional on her part.

Sighing, I adjust the heating pad to center lower on my shoulder blade. I drop my head back again, pressing my thumb and forefinger to my closed eyes.

“Oh Griffie, I need you to drive me somewhere!” Sam singsongs.

“Do not call me that. You know this,” I rebuke her. She comes waltzing into my line of sight in the spacious living room. “Why do you need me to drive you? Is something wrong with your car? I can call Phil if we need to get it into the shop tomorrow.”

“No, no, don’t call your repair guy. My car’s fine. I just want the pleasure of your company,” Sam says.

“Okaaay, that’s suspicious,” I respond as I switch off the heating pad and stand up from the couch. “Where am I driving you, exactly?”

“You’re dropping me off at Danae’s house, so I can babysit Jason while she goes to book club,” Sam states, like this was obvious information.

I shoot her a look. She smirks.

“What if I have other things to do tonight?” I ask.

“I plan your calendar, dummy. I know you don’t have anything going on tonight other than brooding on the couch with your heating pad,” she retorts. “Let’s go!”

I start to protest. “Sam, don’t you think you’re being a little—”

“Are you going to stand there and honestly tell me that you’re not itching to talk to her again?” Sam cuts in. She sharpens her stare. “Honestly?”

I lose the staring contest. “At least give me a second to change,” I say, motioning to my joggers and Crowns t-shirt.

“You have ten minutes.”

I utilize all ten of those minutes. After changing into jeans and a long-sleeved Henley shirt, I head to the bathroom to touch up my hair.

Giving my reflection a once-over in the mirror, I change my mind and throw on a plain ball cap.

The downside of having a very recognizable haircut is that I tend to get, well, recognized.

But it’s part of my image now, my brand as a player, so I’ve kept the same hairstyle for the past four years.

Maybe it’s time for a change?

I leave the question unanswered in my mind and join Sam in the entryway. “Ready?” I ask.

She scoffs. “Are you ready is the real question.”

Sam punches the address into my GPS and then proceeds to yammer the entire drive to Danae’s house.

“I took one for the team and talked to Joe—AKA the world’s most annoying agent—this morning to double check your promotional schedule.

Tomorrow you’re shooting that cereal commercial, and next week you have the photo shoot for the grocery store.

A trainer will come over to our house for your sessions on the day of the photo shoot, but otherwise you’ll be at the training facility with the other guys. ”

“And what exactly will you be doing with all your free time while I’m back in training full time? Trips to the spa?” I tease.

“Har har,” Sam fake laughs. “Just for that snide remark, maybe I will schedule daily trips to the spa instead of fielding all of your media inquiries, coordinating meals with your chef, and scheduling your appointments like usual. It would save me from any further phone calls with Joe.”

I reach over to flick her arm.

The GPS instructs me to pull into the parking lot of a large complex of townhomes.

I slow the car to a crawl as I peer around looking for the right house number.

“Do you see which one is hers?” I ask Sam.

She eventually spots it and points me to a visitor parking space.

I quickly scope out the area, relieved that the sidewalks are empty at the moment.

“You sure Danae isn’t going to think it’s totally weird that I came along to drop you off here?” I ask uncertainly as we walk up to the door.

“Oh, she’s definitely going to think it’s weird,” Sam states. I groan. “Just play it off with all your Griff charm,” she adds, ambiguously waving her hand in my general direction.

I’m tempted to leave her here, but Sam has already rung the doorbell. And if I’m honest . . . I do want to talk to Danae again. Possibly several agains .

A few seconds later, the door swings open. Danae stands there in black leggings and a pale purple tunic that hugs her curves the perfect amount. She smiles at Sam but startles when she sees me.

“Oh, Griffin, er, Mr. West, I, uh, didn’t expect to see you,” Danae stammers.

“Definitely just Griffin, or Griff if you’d rather,” I say with a warm smile, leaving it up to Sam to explain my presence here.

Danae motions us through the doorway, and we step into the small entry. Sam finally speaks up. “Griff gave me a ride over because my car’s been acting up.”

Well, then. Didn’t expect her to blatantly lie.

Jason chooses just the right moment to come barreling into the entryway to greet Sam. “Sammi!” he yells. When he sees me standing next to her, his grin spreads wider. “And Mr. Griffin! Wow! I didn’t know I’d get to see you again too!”

“Hey, Fireball,” I say holding out my fist for a fist bump. “I couldn’t let Sam here have all the fun. I wanted to say ‘hi’ too.”

“Let me show you my new Lego set!” Jason exclaims, tugging on Sam’s hand.

“Hold on a minute, Jason,” Danae says, sounding concerned.

She looks to Sam. “If you didn’t drive yourself here, then you won’t have a car to drive Jason in case of an emergency.

I got his booster seat out of my car to be ready for you.

He’s so small for his age that he still doesn’t meet the minimum height suggestion to ride without a booster. ”

“Oh, I didn’t even think about that,” Sam admits, having the decency to look chagrined. “I mean, I can always call 911, right?”

Danae’s face still looks panicked, even though she’s trying to hide it.

“How about I drive you over to your book club? That way your car is here in case Sam needs to drive Jason anywhere?” I offer.

It wouldn’t take an expert in body language to interpret Danae’s hesitance. Sam, for her part, impishly grins at me.

“I guess that would be okay,” Danae says. Her voice sounds less than excited. I try not to take it personally. “Let me put the booster seat back in and show you which car is mine,” she adds to Sam .

“Great—that gives me time to see this famous Lego set,” I say, smiling at Jason.

“Yes!” he yells before grabbing my hand.

Danae and Sam go out to the parking lot as Jason leads me to the living room.

The space is tidy but homey, with throw pillows and blankets that beg you to settle into the plush couch cushions.

The small dining area to the side of the living room leads directly to the kitchen, where a pizza box sits on the otherwise uncluttered counter.

“So, this is a small Harry Potter Lego set from when Harry arrives at Hogwarts in the boats. There are all sorts of big sets like the castle, but I don’t have those yet,” Jason says as he pulls me over to the coffee table.

The instructions lay open on the table, the remaining pieces of the half-assembled set organized into piles.

“Super cool!” I say, picking up one of the characters. “Who’s this?”

“Well, that’s Neville, of course,” Jason says. He peers up at me with narrowed eyes. “Haven’t you read Harry Potter ?”

I give a sheepish grimace. “Afraid not. I’m not a huge reader.”

“But Harry Potter is the best book series ever! You have to read it!” Jason exclaims.

His passion may be contagious, but I tend to avoid reading at all costs. I certainly don’t want to discourage his love of reading, though, so I reply with a diplomatic, “It must be good if you like it so much!”

Danae and Sam come back inside, and it’s obvious that Danae is in the middle of a very detailed rundown of the evening with Jason.

As they walk to the kitchen, Danae says, “There’s pizza, but if you cook for some reason, there’s a fire blanket in the cabinet under the sink.

There’s also a fire extinguisher in the coat closet and in the linen closet upstairs. Do you know the Heimlich maneuver?”

I hold back a snort of laughter when I see Danae’s dead-serious face. Thankfully, Sam maintains her composure as she responds, “Can’t say I’ve ever actually performed it, but I do know the basics from the CPR training.”

Danae looks like she wants to say more, but Jason interrupts her. “Can I have pizza with Sammi now?” Danae smiles down at him and holds out her arms for a hug. Jason lunges into her embrace, and you’d need a granite heart to be unaffected by the scene .

“Get out of here and enjoy your book club,” Sam says, making a shooing motion with her hands. “Jason and I are going to have a great time.”

“Okay,” Danae says, releasing Jason from the hug. “Call me if you need anything. I promise I’ll be back before Jason needs to go to bed.” Her gaze cuts over to me. “Or, I guess, as long as Griffin is able to get me back on time?”

“Of course,” I reassure her questioning tone. “Your personal taxi will be available at the drop of a hat.”

Jason giggles at that, and I wink at him.

“All right, I suppose we do need to leave if I’m going to get there on time,” Danae says. She looks at Jason once more. “Listen to Samantha and have so much fun, okay?”

We walk to the entry, pausing for Danae to put on her coat. Sam and Jason are already talking loudly about their plans for the night, which seem to include fort building and card games. Danae looks back over her shoulder once then looks apprehensively at me.

“Ready?” I ask, giving her what I hope is my most reassuring smile.

The apprehension doesn’t leave her eyes as she mumbles, “Okay.”

Her apparent reluctance to be in the car with me is so palpable, it’s becoming impossible not to take it personally. It’s also such an unfamiliar experience that I’m a little baffled as to how to turn the situation around.

As she locks the front door behind us, I stretch my neck from side to side. Winning Danae over just became my top priority.