Bailey gasps in mock horror. “Aria Wilder took off her armor with a stranger?” She puts the back of her hand to her forehead as if she’s a Victorian woman on the verge of fainting.
Aria grins. Bailey might be joking, but she’s not off the mark. What’s worked for Aria so far in life has been keeping her walls up, her circle close, and her heart off-limits to anyone but Bailey—and her parents, who have floated to the edges of her life.
“He’s trustworthy.”
“If you say it, I believe it.” Bailey flips the switch on the blender, and it churns loudly for a moment before she shuts it off and removes the pitcher. She turns her back to Aria and reaches for a glass inside the cabinet. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Shoot.” Aria senses what this question will be, and frankly, at this point she wants to discuss it too.
“Are therefeelingsfeelings in the mix here? Half the internet is already talking about how it’s a budding romance, even though the PR spin is ‘best friends this, best friends that.’ Everyone knows that friendship is the basis for great romance.”
Aria pulls a smile, then releases it. “Realistically? No. How would it even work?”
Bailey shrugs. “Your schedules are lining up pretty okay for these publicity deals.”
“You know I hate all this stuff.”
“Refusing to be vulnerable might take away the chance of being hurt, but it also takes away the possibility that you might eventually get what your heart desires.”
Aria has been burned in love just as she was burned in friendship. One ex turned out to be using her in an attempt to launch his own country music career. Another was a fellow celebrity who got prickly as soon as her fame began to outpace his. So far all life had taught Aria Wilder about love is that it wasn’t made for people like her.
Even if her love ballads made claims otherwise.
Aria closes her eyes to make saying it easier. “At the shoot the other day, he went to bat so I didn’t have to drink the ghastly sports drink. He grabbed my hand on the field, and it was like my insides lit up like a Christmas tree.” Aria’s chest swells as she puts herself mentally back in his presence, that comforting force, strong and gentle at once. “Obviously, he’s a hunk.”
“People’s sexiest guy, right?”
“Runner-up, I think.”
Bailey barks a laugh. “Right. That changeseverything.”
“I’m not sure he feels the same. I think he’s just genuinely kind and attentive to everyone. He does all these sweet gentlemanly things like he’s from another century. You can tell he was raised to keep others in mind. Honestly, I think I’ve just been so starved of genuinely good people—aside from you—for so long that my brain is making it into something it’s not.”
“So he’s perfect, is what you’re saying?”
Aria bites her lip. In many ways, Griffin Hayes is perfect. In many ways, Griffin is the type of person Aria wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to have in her life. Someone who might be a beast on the football field, massive in physical stature, but in person, one-on-one, entirely nonthreatening. Someone interested in knowing the details of who she is beyond the stage.
Then again, this whole connection started through their publicists, so Aria won’t get ahead of herself.
“He might be, Bails. But for now, he’s become a good friend, and I know better than to let that slip away.”
“You’d better let me get in on the hang then—if it’s friends only.”
Aria feels a prickle of possessiveness. “Ifhe says yes, then you can join us for a couple minutes.”
Her phone that’s tucked into her jeans back pocket buzzes, and Aria slips it into her hand. Her heart picks up at the sight of Griffin’s name, and she rushes to read the message.
Griffin:A backstage look at your recording studio? Heck yes. Sign me up for the audio tour if there’s one as well. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.
Bailey peeks over Aria’s shoulder and eyes the text. “Oh my gosh.” She grabs Aria’s shoulders and shakes. “You’re holding out on me! He’s so into you.”
Aria turns the phone over, face down onto the counter. “He’s into learning more about music. Let’s not get carried away.”
Bailey pours the thick smoothie into the glass, then shoots her sister a look. “Whatever you say.”
As she glides out of the room, Aria is wondering the same, though. Is it possible the sparks she’s feeling are happening on Griffin’s end too? Surely that would be too good to be true.
Chapter 25
