Empty Net by Toni Aleo Page B

ask. He felt it would be rude to ask her things while she was watching her nephew play, but what if he never got this opportunity to be with her again? He needed to gather up all the confidence he had in him and channel his inner Lucas. He had tostand out in her mind, make her think of him when he was gone.
    “How did you get so great at making cupcakes?”
    Yeah, that was going to make her think of him later.
    With her eyes still on the ice she said, “My mom bought me an Easy Bake Oven when I was four. I’ve been obsessed ever since. It calms me and makes me happy.”
    Since she wouldn’t look at him, Tate looked out at the ice, and was just in time to see Aiden shoot and score. They both stood, screaming for him as he hugged his teammates. When the boys lined up for the puck drop, Tate and Audrey sat back down.
    He said, “It isn’t what you do for a living, though?”
    Audrey glanced over. “Huh?”
    Tate blushed, feeling stupid. “The cupcakes, you don’t do that for a living?”
    “No, I work for my family’s wine company,” she said.
    “With Fallon?”
    “Not with her, but I’m in the same building. She’s the PR rep and I’m the customer service manager.”
    Tate nodded. “That’s cool. How long has the company been in the family?”
    “Oh, Lord, for forever. Eighty-one years now. There isn’t a day of my childhood that I wasn’t out in the vineyards, chasing my granddaddy and father around or racing Fallon up and down the rows of grapevines. I have lived and breathed Rocky Top Wines my whole life.”
    “You must love it a lot.”
    Audrey looked over and smiled. “No, actually I hate it.”
    Laughter bubbled in the base of Tate’s throat, coming out as a cough. “Excuse me?”
    “Oh, I hate it. If I could quit today, I would.”
    “Wow, I didn’t see that coming.”
    “Yeah, not too many people do,” she said with a shrug. “They all think that since Fallon
loves
it, that I do too, but really I hate that place. I don’t like wine, I hate grapes, and I think being a customer service rep blows.”
    Tate chuckled, leaning his elbows on his knees. “Tell me how you really feel, Audrey.”
    She giggled as she glanced at him. Her eyebrows were drawn together in a puzzled look and she was cupping her neck with her right hand. Her eyes were glossy and wide. They reminded him so much of the dolls that Matilda collected and their father made. They all had wide bright eyes and round faces, much like Audrey’s.
    “I have no clue where that came from, jeez.” She blinked twice, then shrugged her shoulders. “I seem to get diarrhea of the mouth around you.”
    Tate shook his head. “That doesn’t sound safe.”
    Her giggles intoxicated him. She laughed with her whole body, smacking her knee as her other hand went to cover her beautiful mouth. He loved it. He had never been around someone so bright. “Ha ha, no, it’s not.”
    When she didn’t go on, he smiled shyly and asked, “What exactly does that mean, ‘diarrhea of the mouth’?” He had never heard that before.
    She giggled. “It means that I seem to just run off at the mouth when I’m around you.”
    Tate was still confused. “Is that good for me?”
    Audrey nodded. “Yeah, but not for me because I keep embarrassing myself in front of you.”
    He shook his head. “You shouldn’t be embarrassed,” he said, “and I think you’re fascinating.”
    Her lips quirked up as her cheeks darkened with beautiful color. “Well, thanks.”
    He nodded, looking out at the ice. Nothing was said for the rest of the period, and he wanted to scream in frustration. With Audrey not speaking, he felt uncomfortable. He was afraid to say or ask anything because he didn’t know what she would think. Yeah, they had slept together, but that felt like eons ago. Plus, there was no talking happening in that bed. This was different. He knew how to make love to a woman, he even knew how to pick up one when needed, but he didn’t know how to actually