Empty Net
Page 31
“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 back 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 just in time to see Aiden shoot and score. They both stood, screaming for him as he hugged his teammates tightly. As the boys lined up for the puck drop, Tate and Audrey sat back down.
“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?”
Audrey nodded, “No, I work for my family’s wine company.”
“With Fallon?”
“Not with her, but I’m in the same building. She’s the PR rep and I am the customer service manager.”
Tate nodded, “That’s cool, how long has the company been in the family?”
“Oh, Lord, for forever. 81 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 grape vines. I have lived and breathed Rocky Top Wine 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 against his knees, “Tell me how you really feel, Audrey.”
Audrey giggled as she glanced over 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. Her eyes 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. Just all the dolls had blonde hair and blues eyes, while Audrey didn’t. “I have no clue where that came from, jeez.” She blinked twice, and then shrugged her shoulders, “I seem to get diarrhea of the mouth around you.”
Tate gave her a slight shake of his head, “That doesn’t sound safe.”
Audrey’s giggles intoxicated him as 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. “Haha, no, it’s not.”
When she didn’t go on, Tate became more confused. He had never heard of that phrase. When she glanced up at him, he smiled shyly, “What exactly does that mean?”
She giggled before saying, “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.”
Tate shook his head, “You shouldn’t be embarrassed, and I think you are 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 Tate wanted to scream in frustration. Audrey wasn’t saying anything and he felt very 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 talk to one. Back home, no problem, but here, he didn’t know if he would sound stupid. He was nervous around her.
She made him nervous.
“So, do you like Nashville?”
Tate glanced over to see that she was looking up at him, her head on her legs again with her arms wrapped around them. She blinked twice and he found himself speechless. No other woman had made him nervous. Especially with his coaching with Lucas, but ever since day one with Audrey, he had been nervous.
He didn’t understand it.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Yeah, I like it a lot.”
She nodded with a grin on her lips, “How long have you been here?”
“Um, right around 8 months.”
“And you came from Florida right? The Rays?”
He nodded, “Yup, I was there for a month before I was brought here.”
“Wow, so you haven’t been in the states all that long.”
Tate shook his head, “Nope, not even a year.”
“I bet you miss it.”
Tate shrugged his shoulders. There was nothing to miss, so why would he? “Sometimes.”
She watched him for another minute and then let out a long breath, “This is really awkward.”
“What?” he asked, confused.
“This conversation. It’s super awkward. All I can do is think that you think I am a crazy slut, and no matter how much I try to forget that you’ve seen my wobbly bits, I can’t. So I think that we should just part ways, you know? Like just agree to be cool around each other since we will see a lot of each other but that’s all.”
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 back 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 just in time to see Aiden shoot and score. They both stood, screaming for him as he hugged his teammates tightly. As the boys lined up for the puck drop, Tate and Audrey sat back down.
“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?”
Audrey nodded, “No, I work for my family’s wine company.”
“With Fallon?”
“Not with her, but I’m in the same building. She’s the PR rep and I am the customer service manager.”
Tate nodded, “That’s cool, how long has the company been in the family?”
“Oh, Lord, for forever. 81 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 grape vines. I have lived and breathed Rocky Top Wine 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 against his knees, “Tell me how you really feel, Audrey.”
Audrey giggled as she glanced over 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. Her eyes 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. Just all the dolls had blonde hair and blues eyes, while Audrey didn’t. “I have no clue where that came from, jeez.” She blinked twice, and then shrugged her shoulders, “I seem to get diarrhea of the mouth around you.”
Tate gave her a slight shake of his head, “That doesn’t sound safe.”
Audrey’s giggles intoxicated him as 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. “Haha, no, it’s not.”
When she didn’t go on, Tate became more confused. He had never heard of that phrase. When she glanced up at him, he smiled shyly, “What exactly does that mean?”
She giggled before saying, “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.”
Tate shook his head, “You shouldn’t be embarrassed, and I think you are 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 Tate wanted to scream in frustration. Audrey wasn’t saying anything and he felt very 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 talk to one. Back home, no problem, but here, he didn’t know if he would sound stupid. He was nervous around her.
She made him nervous.
“So, do you like Nashville?”
Tate glanced over to see that she was looking up at him, her head on her legs again with her arms wrapped around them. She blinked twice and he found himself speechless. No other woman had made him nervous. Especially with his coaching with Lucas, but ever since day one with Audrey, he had been nervous.
He didn’t understand it.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Yeah, I like it a lot.”
She nodded with a grin on her lips, “How long have you been here?”
“Um, right around 8 months.”
“And you came from Florida right? The Rays?”
He nodded, “Yup, I was there for a month before I was brought here.”
“Wow, so you haven’t been in the states all that long.”
Tate shook his head, “Nope, not even a year.”
“I bet you miss it.”
Tate shrugged his shoulders. There was nothing to miss, so why would he? “Sometimes.”
She watched him for another minute and then let out a long breath, “This is really awkward.”
“What?” he asked, confused.
“This conversation. It’s super awkward. All I can do is think that you think I am a crazy slut, and no matter how much I try to forget that you’ve seen my wobbly bits, I can’t. So I think that we should just part ways, you know? Like just agree to be cool around each other since we will see a lot of each other but that’s all.”
