Page 28 of Empty Net

He’s right. They do. I wish Lilah’s mother understood that instead of crapping all over her life. It might not be Lilah’s nameon the side of those hotels, but she helped build them just as much as Auden did. Her mother should be a lot prouder of that than she is, that’s for damn sure.

I still can’t believe the shit I overheard her saying last night, the way she spoke to her daughter. No—the way sheberatedher daughter. There was no pride in her voice, only criticism. And then to try to force her into dating some guy Lilah has no interest in? It’s ridiculous. Yes, my mother is concerned about my dating life—or lack of one—but she would never interfere like that, especially not to try to impress her friends. Mostly because her friends don’t care one lick, but still.

It’s why I stepped in when I did. I’ll gladly sacrifice one night if it means Lilah won’t have to go on a date with someone her terrible mother sets her up with.

“Anyway, thanks for making sure she got home okay. Auden really appreciated it.”

I lift a shoulder. “It was no big deal.”

It really wasn’t. I would have done it for anyone, even if they weren’t my fake girlfriend.

“Hutch! Fox! Quit gossiping and get back to work!” Coach Smith yells, and with reluctance, we follow his orders.

The rest of practice drags by—and lasts about thirty minutes longer than usual, making me sure Coach Smith is trying to kill us—and when I finally make it back to my truck, the only thing I want to do is grab food, go home, and sleep for the rest of the day.

Which is why I’m shocked when my truck ends up in front of Lilah’s apartment building, a bag full of greasy breakfast sandwiches on the seat next to me. I stare up at the trendy-looking building with its sharp edges and mixed-material siding and try to figure out what I’m doing here.

Am I just checking on her? Am I simply being a good friend? Or am I here because I agreed to be her fake boyfriend, nearlykissed her,andsaw her naked ass all in the last twenty-four hours? I’m unsure, and honestly, I don’t care.

I snatch the food from the front seat and make my way into the building. I punch in the elevator code she slurred out to me last night, and the car takes me to the fourth floor. With a deep breath, I knock on her door and wait.

CHAPTER 6

LILAH

“Please stop shouting.”

“I’m not shouting at all. In fact, I’m whispering because my head is absolutely killing me, and it’s all your fault because you were the one who got me drunk,Lilah.”

She says my name pointedly, and I’d laugh if my head didn’t feel like it was point two seconds away from exploding. After a lot of self-encouragement, I finally pulled myself off my floor and made it to my bathroom, where I was stuck on the toilet for nearly thirty minutes because I was afraid to move again. Now, I’m lying on the couch after two cups of coffee, and I still feel like death. I can’t even hold my phone up I’m so tired, so it sits on my chest as I talk to Auden.

“Nobody was force-feeding you champagne,” I say.

“False. You did with that one glass.”

I wince. That’s true. I did do that. But I was so far gone at that point I’m pretty sure I did a lot of things sober me wouldn’t have done.

Like almost let Arthur Fox kiss me.

Like beg him to stay the night and then tease him about sex.

Unfortunately, I remember both events enough to be sufficiently embarrassed, which I would have been this morningif not for the fact that I did something evenmorehumiliating—showed Fox my ass.Literally.Thing is, I couldn’t have moved even if I had tried—and trust me, I did. My body was having none of it.

I felt him staring. I felt those brown eyes of his that are far too dangerous for their own good caressing every inch of my body like he was memorizing me. For what, I don’t know, but I liked it all the same.

Still, I had some sense of preservation because I managed to get my body to cooperate while he was moving around my apartment. It was strange to lie there and listen to it. I couldn’t stop thinking about what he must be seeing. What did he think of my pink couch? Was it too much? Did he find it strange that I only use coffee mugs because I firmly believe everything tastes better out of a mug? Did he look at the old photos of me, Auden, Sadie, and Rory hanging on the wall? Did he wonder why I have no pictures of my parents up there? Did he look close enough to see that one of those photos is of the Spice Girls?

I don’t know. I just know it was strange to have someone else in my apartment. I can only count on one hand the number of people who have been here, and I’m on the phone with one of them.

“But I’m going to forgive you,” Auden says, dragging me back to the present, “because that might have been one of the best nights of my life. Can you believe I got Hutch to dance?”

“Yes. That man is obsessed with you. I’m fairly certain he’d commit murder if you asked him.”

“Really?”

“Okay, you soundedwaytoo excited about that.”

She laughs, then groans. “I’m not sure I’m ever going to recover.”

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