She provided what she thought was fantastic commentary; Tate would laugh and joke around with her. It was so easy and stress-free to hang out with him. They didn’t talk about anything important, didn’t discuss the past, nothing. They just enjoyed each other’s company, and the show.
Four hours later they were done with all the recorded shows, and she found herself right back in the lusting boat she’d been in before. Tate glanced over at her and smiled.
“So you were right. I like that show.”
Audrey smiled. “Told you. It’s amazing. Tomorrow I’m watching Swamp People. Another favorite.”
“Swamp People?”
“It’s fantastic. Alligators and bayou-talking folks! It’s awesome. You gotta come over for that.”
Tate nodded. “I’ll be here.”
“Cool,” she said, tucking her knees under her chin.
Audrey watched him take a long swig of beer before he took a deep breath. Looking over at her, he said, “Tell me something.”
“Something?”
“Yeah, anything. I feel like we’ve just watched TV. I only know that you like reality TV, have a tendency to burn things, and bake kick-ass cupcakes. I know there is more to Audrey Parker.”
She laughed. “There is.”
“Well, tell me something.”
Audrey went blank, then started laughing again. “You put me on the spot! You ask me something.”
Tate smiled, leaning his head against the back of the couch while she restrained her laughter. “What’s something no one knows about you?”
She put a finger to her lip, trying to think of what to tell him. The only thing no one knew was that she’d had the abortion. Other than that, there wasn’t anything. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “I’m really open.”
“There has to be something,” he said with a grin.
She thought for another minute and then grinned. “Okay, it’s not something that no one knows but it’s a little weird and I always get weird looks when I do it.”
Tate sat up, his arms coming across his chest. “And that is?”
“I only eat green candy.”
His eyes got wide, as if he was shocked. “What?”
“No, really, I hate any other kind. Only green.”
“That’s so weird because I do the same thing,” he said with a laugh. “Mine is orange, though.”
“Not uh!” Audrey said with a snort.
Tate laughed. “Really.”
“That’s so funny,” she said, laughing. Tate joined her, both of them holding their stomachs. It was so easy to laugh with him. She liked that.
While Audrey still giggled, Tate said, “I like to sleep, a lot.”
She looked over at him, confused. “Huh?”
“No one knows that, everyone thinks I’m always ready to go, but really, I could sleep for days.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “Then why don’t you?”
“I don’t know. I try but sometimes it doesn’t work.”
“There’s pills for that.”
He chuckled, while he nodded. “Yeah. I don’t like pills.”
“Me neither,” Audrey agreed. “I also love to sleep. I can be found at work passed out on my desk, but that’s because I hate my job.”
“Still?” he asked.
She nodded. “Still. I think I’ll always hate it.”
“Then quit.”
“Nah, my dad would flip, and what would I do afterward? I know customer service, it’s what I grew up doing,” she said sadly. “I’ll probably be stuck there the rest of my life.”
Tate’s brows came together. “Why do something you don’t love?”
Audrey shrugged, moving her hands up and down the silky fabric of her tights. “ ’Cause my family loves it. It’s kinda weird that I’m the only one who doesn’t love working at the family winery. Maybe I just need to wait it out, see if my love for it comes later.”
“How long have you been there?” Tate asked.
Audrey smiled shyly. “Eleven years.”
“If it has not come yet, I do not think it will,” he scoffed. “You can’t wait around for something to become good, it either is or isn’t.”
Well, didn’t that just apply to a few things in her life at that moment? she wondered.
“I know, but I don’t want to disappoint my dad.”
“I get that, but I doubt he would want you to be unhappy.”
“You don’t know my dad. It’s his way or the highway,” she said with a shake of her head.