Page 20 of Home Safe

Griffin acts like he’s perusing the bookshelves, but he makes casual eye contact with me and gives a subtle wave of his hand that seems to indicate I shouldn’t be worried about the time. Then again, I don’t really know him all that well. So why do I think I can accurately interpret his body language?

Unfortunately, Griffin’s glance in my direction turned his face to us just long enough that one of the book club ladies recognizes him. Mary leans forward and whispers, “Is that Griffin West?” She jerks her head in his direction with zero subtlety. The rest of the group follows Mary’s conspicuous behavior by looking very obviously in his direction.

“It is! It’s absolutely him!” Anna affirms, voice low but above a whisper.

My eyes can’t help but find Griffin, and I see a faint blush of red spreading up his neck.

Well, shoot.

Before I can speak up to turn our attention back to the book, Mary has popped up out of her seat and made her way over to Griffin.

“Excuse me, Mr. West?” she says. I see Griffin square his shoulders a split second before he turns to face Mary, a smile locked firmly in place.

“You caught me,” he replies. “I was . . . looking for a gift for my sister.”

Mary beams. “You’ve come to the right place, then! Christin’s store is full of great gift ideas in addition to books,” she says. She clears her throat. “Would you mind if I take a quick picture with you? My son would absolutely lose his mind.”

Griffin smiles. “Of course! You've gotta get some cool mom points.”

As Mary rushes to grab her phone from her purse, the rest of the ladies follow suit. They’ve soon formed a line taking pictures of each other with Griffin, who smiles broadly for every one. He offers autographs, so Christin hurries to find some blank paper behind the checkout desk.

In all the excitement, no one has noticed that I’ve quietly gathered up my things and slipped to the front door. My heart found its way to my throat the moment Mary made her way over to Griffin. In the midst of the famous-person-induced commotion, the last thing I want to do is call attention to the fact that I know him—that he’s my ride home.

I reach the door, and Christin is asking Griffin questions about his sister’s interests to help him find a gift. It’s not like I can make it home without him, but I’m too panicked to stay in the bookstore with the chaos surrounding him. Before pushing the door open, I glance back and manage to briefly meet his eyes. I give a look that I hope he’ll interpret as, “I’ll be waiting by the car.”

And then I slip outside into the blast of winter air, gulping in the chill.I should have kept a better eye on the time instead of getting so caught up in the discussion. I should have set an alarm so I knew when I needed to leave. I’m going to be late getting home to Jason because I didn’t pay attention. Then Griffin had to come in and get me, and now he’s being ambushed by my friends, so we’ll be even later getting home.

I’ve managed to locate Griffin’s Jeep in the parking lot, and I lean against it as casually as possible.You’re messing up, Danae. You need to pull it together and be more responsible if you’re going to be a stable personfor Jason.

My thoughts pivot from berating myself to replaying the mayhem inside the bookstore.Is that what Griffin’s life is like all the time?The way he reacted certainly looked like a well-worn response. Most people probably wouldn’t notice the flush of his neck, the mental preparation in the squaring of his shoulders before he faced everyone with that charming smile.

I’m suddenly sad for Griffin. Sad that he has to socially perform in that way everywhere he goes, that he can’t just walk into a local bookstore and study the shelves unbothered.

Wait, you don’t even know him. Maybe he loves it. Maybe he’s not sad at all. Maybe he feeds off of the fame, lets it go to his head until he expects special treatment everywhere he goes.

Even though I don’t truly know Griffin all that well, the negative assessment doesn’t fit, doesn’t sit right in my thoughts. Because he doesn’t seem like a fame-hungry, self-absorbed guy in the slightest. He’s been thoughtful and disarming in every interaction I’ve had with him, in spite of his athletic celebrity status.

Which might be even more confusing.

Chapter ten

Griffin

We’re on the highway driving back to Danae’s townhouse in Shawnee, and she’s been deathly quiet. I should have texted her about the time instead of going into the bookstore. We’d exchanged phone numbers after arriving at the bookstore, so it would have been a less intrusive solution.

I couldn’t resist the allure of glimpsing Danae in her element at the book club. After she lit up so much when she talked about the book in the car, I wanted to get an additional peek at that passion. But I was overly confident in my ability to be stealthy and remain unnoticed.

The wide-eyed, panicked expression on Danae’s face when she slipped out of the bookstore hit like a fast pitch to the ribs. I made the wrong call going inside the store and being seen by her friends. Because I force-fed her a giant helping of the chaos that is my life in public. A chaos I have a feeling she wouldn’t be drawn to. Danae strikes me as someone who appreciates the quietness of life in all the best ways.

Of course, I screwed things up right after I spent an hour aimlessly driving and obsessing over how muchI’mdrawn toher. Replaying every interaction I’ve had with her and Jason. Cataloging the times I’ve seen her smile and the precise causes. Working up the nerve to ask her on a date during the drive back to her house.

I’ve ruined that chance tonight.

“I’m sorry you got mobbed by a bunch of book ladies,” Danae finally says. I chance a glance over at her. Her profile stands out in the dark, accentuating the dip of her nose and the fullness of her lips.

Flashing a smile, I wave her off. “No big deal. Nothing you need to apologize for.”

“Still, if I would have kept track of the time, you wouldn’t have had to come in there after me,” she says. After a pause, she asks, “Is that pretty much the way it always is for you?”

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