Griffin lets out a pressured breath. “It got bad there for a second, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, man, it did. I’m glad you found some footing, though. There’s so much more life to be lived off the field.”
Griffin notes a wistfulness in Elliott’s voice he hasn’t noticed before. “If you were in my shoes, how would you be filling your time?”
“I have to tell you, I’ve got the itch for fashion. After Fashion Week, I’m reading the magazines, watching the releases. And I don’t mean in a bootleg celebrity mash-up product line. I mean like starting my own thing, for real.”
It’s clear from the quickness in which Elliott lands on the well-developed idea that this isn’t his first time thinking about it. Griffin has always assumed that all of these players have been just like him: singularly focused. But in reality, all of them are just humans at heart, and humans are never just one thing at a time.
“I’m lucky to get a second act,” Griffin says, genuinely meaning it. “Thanks for helping me see it.”
“I’m always here. And when it’s my time to bow out of the game, you’ll be able to help me find my way.”
“Just say the word, bud.”
The reception grows spotty as Griffin progresses into the underground portion of the parking garage, and he ends the call before it drops. How surprising life can be; it certainly has been for him as of late.
Aria coming into his life was one of the brightest, most shining surprises.
And now in the light of his fresh start, a new longing for her blooms within him.
For better or worse, he decides to invite her to the foundation kickoff.
Chapter 50
Aria
Aria leans on the kitchen island on her forearms, looking at her laptop, and Bailey squeezes in beside her for a closer look. Aria squints as she tries to decode some unwritten meaning in the email invitation, one she’s most likely conjuring into existence.
“Here, let me just see it,” Bailey says, like there should be an obvious answer to be found.
Aria silently slides the computer in front of her sister. “It’s obviously an email blast.”
Bailey scrolls up and down the message, then checks the sender details. “You’re right.”
“So how am I supposed to take this? Am I just on Griffin’s contacts list and was accidentally sent this? Or does he actually want me there?”
When Aria checked her email this morning, the last thing she was expecting was an invitation to the soft launch of TheGriffin Hayes Foundation for Youth Sports. The graphics are sleek but bespoke, a rounded font that’s soft but powerful. The color scheme is slate gray and red—a nod to the Wardens, Aria can only guess.
All in all, it’s impressive for a foundation Griffin announced to social media only a week ago.
Nevertheless, the email comes without personalization and notes only that Griffin is inviting his network in hopes of kicking off his foundation with gusto. Obviously there will be a fundraising component—as there should be for a celebrity guest list—and Aria is always more than happy to contribute to organizations doing good work. She would happily write a check.
She doesn’t care about the money; she cares about Griffin.
“I just wish he would’ve texted to ask, you know?” Aria says, dropping her head onto her propped-up palm.
Bailey nods. “Agreed, but also—he’s obviously throwing this together pretty quick. He’s still physically recovering, and this brewery venue holds a lot of people.”
Aria sticks out her bottom lip, letting herself be pouty in only the company of her younger sister. “They’re all reasonable points.”
“But I get it. It would’ve been nice to know that he really wanted you there. Not just to blast it to every connected person he knows.”
Aria wonders if Griffin saw the clips of the song that’s gone around online—the song about him she performed off the cuff. Surely fans would’ve tagged him. Singing the song itself was impulsive, so it wasn’t quite like she’d mapped out the consequences beforehand. Nevertheless, when the realitydawned on her that the song would eventually make its way to Griffin, she quickly made her peace with it.
Aria wants him to know how she feels. It’s why she called. It’s also why her heart still stings when she reminds herself of the fact that he didn’t call back.
“So, what do you think? Are we going?” Bailey asks.
