“Your green is showing, newbie. There’s no cooldown or massages here, no locker room chat. It’s in and out. Check off the job, then onto the next.”
Aria pushes out of the back doors into the chilly night, and Griffin catches the door and walks out behind her.
“I need to text my driver,” Aria says, her breath turning white in the cold air. She takes her phone from the clutch, then very quickly groans.
“Everything okay?” Griffin asks, genuine concern flexing in him.
Aria sighs. “My driver got sick. Food poisoning, he thinks. He said he could send his other—”
“Come with me,” Griffin says.
“Oh, I couldn’t. Where do you even live? I’m out in the boonies.” Aria begins to type rapidly.
“It’s no problem, and I’m not going to leave you here to wait alone. Not with all those dangerous animal lovers inside. Who knows, they might ply you withtwokittens at gunpoint.”
Aria laughs, and when she tosses her head back, Griffin realizes he hasn’t seen her do that before. The times he’s seen her laugh onstage, she never wore this real happiness. It’s like a glimpse into the rest of her—the woman who’s hiding behind the Aria Wilder brand.
Aria’s eyes flick left then right as if she’s thinking.
“We’ll go to your house first, drop you off, and it’s farewell until our next engagement. No weird stuff,” Griffin says.
“You’re being so nice.”
“I try to be a decent guy.”
Aria blinks long and slow. “Okay, fine. And thank you. I genuinely appreciate it, because rolling the dice with new drivers—or god forbid a rideshare—is risky. Me traveling alone is a genuinely unsafe option.”
“I imagine,” Griffin says. He’s already taking his phone from his pocket, knowing his driver is idling around the block. He sends a quick text. “Vic is just around the corner.”
“I owe you one.”
“Let’s just say we’re even after you saved my butt out there.”
Aria folds her arms tight across her chest, shivering slightly. Griffin wonders if he should offer his coat. Usually he would in a situation like this, but after insisting on the ride, would it be too much? This is a PR operation, and the last thing he wants is Aria thinking he’s hitting on her in the context of a professional arrangement. Sure, they do get along pretty well. He genuinely enjoys her company. And yes, there’s that small issue of the long-standing crush on his end, but that wouldn’t have anything to do with it. Maybe it would be the right thing to do to offer his jacket. Afriendwould offer, and them acting like friends is part of this.
“Would—”
The beam of headlights shining into Griffin’s eyes interrupts him.
“Oh, is that Vic?” Aria points.
“Should be,” Griffin says.
“Sorry, what were you going to say?” Aria turns back to Griffin.
“Nothing. Nothing important.”
As the car pulls up, Griffin reaches around Aria and opens the door. She hops back as if surprised by the gesture, and Griffin internally kicks himself. Maybe he is leaning too hard into being kind. Maybe he needs to relax. Once Aria is in, Griffin closes the door and rounds to the other side of the car.
He climbs in and tells Vic, “Let’s drop her off first, and then take me to the condo, please. I appreciate you being flexible.”
“Yes, thank you so much!” Aria rattles off her address and thanks Vic a second time. She looks over to Griffin and offers him the warmest smile, one that presses her eyes into a delighted squint. “And thank you for being so generous. You know this isn’t a for-pay gig, right?”
“Oh, it isn’t? In that case, it’s $200 for the ride.”
Aria swats at his thigh, and Griffin feels electricity run through him.
“I bet you’d waive the fee for a friend.”
