Empty Net (5 page)

“You’re right, they’re better.”

Looking back, Audrey took in the champagne sheath dress, which would come to mid-thigh. It had gold jewels covering the bodice of the tube top, and then a pretty little white sash. It was nice, but the other dress was amazing. It was also champagne colored, but it had a tutu skirt, which was more Audrey’s style. Its lacy tube top was cut down the middle, where her breasts would be on full display. Around the waist there was a white lacy sash.

“Where’s the other lace dress we had picked?” she asked. “You don’t like it anymore?” She knew Fallon would change her mind, as she had about everything, except for the theme. Which Audrey had to admit was pretty stinking sweet, and even she wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I think it matched mine too much,” Fallon said about the other dress. “I want you to stand out.” Her sister’s eyes were bright with excitement.

“Okay,” Audrey said skeptically.

“What, you don’t like them?” Fallon asked with concern.

“No, I do,” Audrey assured her. “I love the lace one. Let me try it on and it’s a done deal.”

Fallon clapped her hands as Audrey went into the dressing room. She was at the point where she didn’t care what she wore. The damn wedding was going to be the death of her, and
they still had the rehearsal dinner to get through.

Lord, help her.

Everyone loved Red Velvet cupcakes.

How could they not? They were delicious, the perfect combination of buttercream and cake. They were also Audrey’s favorite. Not only to make, but to eat. She turned off her mixer before setting each of her cooled cupcakes in a row along the bar. After filling her piping bag with the cream cheese buttercream, she frosted each cupcake with a flair she had mastered. She loved the way the frosting would ripple, topping each one with a little red heart. Finishing the last cupcake, she took a step back and smiled.

They looked great.

Hopefully, her neighbor would like them. His trash can was always filled with doughnut boxes and candy wrappers. Not that she stalked him, because really, she hadn’t even seen him, but she noticed that he was a big sweets kind of guy. She figured that he would appreciate a good cupcake, and since she knew she could make a mean Red Velvet one, she decided to make him a batch.

It was a great welcoming gift, she thought.

After packing the cupcakes in a cute little brown box, she went to the bathroom to make sure she looked all right. Audrey decided she looked fierce in the short caramel brown, flowery one-shoulder dress that she had paired with matching lace heels. She loved the way the dress hugged her curves, and she had to admit the shoes made her legs look fantastic. It was too much to wear to meet her neighbor, but afterward she had to go to the rehearsal dinner.

As Audrey made her way back to the kitchen, she wiggled her teal pearl bracelets up and down her wrist. She was jittery and didn’t know why. Maybe it was because she was going to Fallon’s rehearsal dinner alone. She hadn’t been to a family function alone, since … hell, she couldn’t remember. She always had a date, it kept her mother out of her hair, but now she had no one and she knew she would have to deal with her mother’s sympathetic looks. Nora Parker wanted both her babies to marry, and since Fallon was doing what their mother wanted, Audrey knew she would be Nora’s sole concern now.

Wonderful.

Audrey took a deep breath, then picked up the box of cupcakes as she walked to her front door. Outside in the cool November air, she ran her hands down the front of her dress before walking slowly to her neighbor’s condo. At his front door, she knocked tentatively at first, then a little harder.

But no one answered.

Hmm … she could have sworn he was there.

She looked back at the drive and saw his big black truck. Turning back to the door, she knocked again, but again no answer. Frustrated, Audrey went back to her own apartment. She was never going to meet this guy? After setting the cupcakes on the back of the couch, she went to the kitchen for a Post-it, wrote a quick note, and stuck it to the top of the cupcake box. She put the box in a plastic bag and went back to his door, to lay it on the doormat in front. Hopefully, she would meet him tomorrow at the wedding, because she didn’t have time to wait for him now. She had to go.

Unfortunately.

“Are you coming to the rehearsal dinner?”

Tate looked up from the competitive game of Ping-Pong he was engaged in with Assassins forward Phillip Anderson. Guys hung out in the locker room, winding down after a game or practice before heading home. When Tate glanced up at Lucas, wearing an expensive-looking suit, he was given the usual “Hurry up and answer me” look. Lucas had invited him to the rehearsal dinner weeks ago. Initially, Tate had wanted to go, but lately all he wanted to do was sit in his condo and be by himself. He’d win this game and then he would go home.

Alone.

He shook his head, tossing the white ball across the table to Phillip. “No, I have things to do tonight,” he said to Lucas. “It’s a family thing.”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “You are family, Tate. Come on, Fallon wants you to come.”

Tate shook his head again. “No, thank you. I’m tired anyway.”

And he was. The Assassins had an intense practice, and afterward an even more intense team meeting. Bacter yelled and screamed about the way they had been playing and suggested they all get it together before the next round of games, which began in a week. It gave Lucas and Fallon enough time to go on their honeymoon and come back without missing anything. That was one of the reasons Fallon had planned the wedding for that week. At first she’d wanted to wait until next year, but Lucas wanted it done quickly, and who could blame him?

Tate thought Fallon was gorgeous, and a great catch. She was always really nice to him and, as Lucas had said, did treat him like part of the family. Seeing him and Fallon together, though, was like watching a fireworks show. They were beautiful, but there was always that chance that something could go wrong. One minute they fought like cats and dogs, and the next they would be wrapped up in each other’s arms like nothing had happened. It was the craziest
thing, and seeing it always made him green with envy.

Because he wanted that too.

He wanted a girl who would love him for him. Not because he was an upcoming star, or because he had money. He wanted a girl to look at him and love
him
, not his career. Of course, he wanted her to be supportive of what he did, but to love him first. Elsa, his ex-fiancée, hadn’t. She hated that he traveled all the time, and when he left Sweden almost two years ago, she broke off the engagement, didn’t even consider coming to the States with him. It still stung a little, but the past was the past.

And now he was too busy hungering for the Brunette Beauty.

Pathetic.

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever, you guys better be there tomorrow. Remember, Anderson, Audrey is going to be there. Fallon wants to hook you guys up.”

Phillip rolled his eyes. “You have told me that six times. I got you. I’ll check her out, but I mean if she’s anything like Fallon, I’m down. Your soon-to-be wife is an MILF.”

Laughter filled the locker room as Lucas took in a sharp breath. Tate looked over at Phillip, confused. “What the hell is a MILF?”

A large grin came over Phillip’s face as he said, “A mom I’d love to fu—”

Without any warning, Lucas had Phillip up against the wall by the collar of his team shirt, his face inches from Phillip’s. Tate stood frozen, watching. Acid dripped from Lucas’s voice as he said, “That’s
my
soon-to-be wife. Watch it.”

Whoa. Not cool.

Phillip put his hands up in defense, but there was no fear on his face. That was one thing about Phillip—he wasn’t afraid of anything. “Sorry, it was a joke.”

“You’re always joking,” Lucas said, dropping his hand from Phillip’s collar. “But it isn’t funny.”

With that, he walked away and out of the locker room in a huff. Phillip fixed his collar and glanced at Tate, shaking his head. “People are so fucking sensitive.”

Tate didn’t think Lucas was sensitive at all.

He would have reacted the same way.

“See you later,” Anderson said as Tate got out of his black Chevy truck.

“Later,” Tate responded, then slammed the door shut.

As he fished his keys out of his gym shorts, he regretted not going to the rehearsal dinner with Lucas. He should have gone. Fallon probably did want him there, plus he would have been able to see Aiden, Lucas’s son. He hadn’t seen the little guy in weeks, and he missed him. Aiden reminded Tate a lot of his sister Matilda when she was younger. She used to have tons of energy, and was full of life, just like Aiden. He missed her, along with his parents.

Yeah, he should have gone to the dinner.

Shaking his head, he climbed the steps to his front door, where he saw a box on the doormat with a bright green Post-it note on it. Frowning, he bent down and picked up the box, peeling off the note.

It would be nice if we met … Enjoy!

       —Audrey

Audrey?

He opened the box and was pleased when he saw six cupcakes with big red hearts on them. A small smile came across his face as he picked one out before taking a huge bite. He loved cupcakes. When the amazing flavors of Red Velvet registered in his mouth, he almost moaned out loud. He really loved Red Velvet cupcakes.

But who the hell was Audrey?

Tate opened the door with his key and threw his stuff down on the floor before heading to the kitchen with the note and cupcakes. After laying the box down, he reread the note. When he saw
Your neighbor
at the bottom, he smiled again. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Audrey Parker. Hell, he still hadn’t met most of his neighbors. He had heard amazing things about her from Aiden and Lucas and wanted to meet her, but for some reason they hadn’t crossed paths yet. It was strange, since he had been living beside her for almost two months. He planned on changing that tomorrow at the wedding.

It was about time they met, and if she was as hot as Fallon, then Phillip might need to find himself another prospect.

Maybe there was another Parker sister.

If she had to hear “We always thought it was going to be you getting married first” one more time, she was going to kill someone.

Audrey took a long sip of champagne. Maybe if she stayed drunk through the next couple of days, it wouldn’t hurt as bad. The jealousy would stay at bay. What kind of person was she to be jealous of her older sister, her best friend? It was disgusting, and she needed to stop that now, because Fallon was coming toward her with a radiant smile on her face and looking unbelievably beautiful. It was hard not to feel like the biggest piece of crap for being so envious.

Fallon was holding Lucas’s hand, of course, and they both looked like they had just stepped out of some high-society fashion magazine. Audrey leaned against the railing and smiled at her sister as Lucas wrapped his arms around Fallon’s waist. They both grinned over at her. “I have a feeling you’re hiding,” Fallon said.