Unknown - driven

“I didn?t do that for my folks, I did that for you.” She grinned, wrinkling her nose. “I always get such great rewards when we win.”

“True, but I guess this one will have to wait until your folks leave.”

“Hey, why don?t you join us? My day would love that. He?s a big fan you know?”

“I don?t want to?”

Cat held up her hand. “Stop, just stop. Don?t say it. I wouldn?t have invited you if it were a problem. Come to dinner with us. I?m sure we can find something on the menu at Ramano?s that you can eat.”

“Actually they have an eggplant dish that?s one of my favorites.”

“Good. Then meet us there at eight. I need to go home and change. I?d invite you, but they?re meeting me there.”

“Eight it is then.”

Making sure they were quite alone in the hall, Cat gave Dylan a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “See you soon.”

Cat opened the door of her apartment and found her folks sitting in front of the TV watching the highlights of the game on the evening news. “Didn?t you get enough the first time?” She teased as she dropped her gym bag by the laundry room door.

“Never,” he father stood and opened his arms for a hug, which she gave without hesitation. “I love watching you play. I have all your televised games on tape.”

“Good. When I?m retired and I want a highlights tape I know who to call.”

“You?ve got years ahead of you, Cat.”

He led her back to the couch, where they sat, with her mother between them. She gave her mom a hug. “I?m so glad you guys could come for a visit. I?m sorry I couldn?t get home, I just had so much to do.”

“It?s okay, sweetheart. We understand.” Her mother brushed a lock of hair from her daughter?s face. “You?re a busy young lady. Sometimes I think too busy.”

Un-oh, this can?t be good. “What?s wrong, Mom?”

“Nothing is wrong, honey. I?m just worried that you?re working so hard you?ve forgotten to have a life.”

“I have a very nice life, Mom.”

“What about finding someone?”

“Mom, let?s not get into this again, okay. You know we don?t see eye to eye on this subject.”

“But honey, I?m just?”

“Please?” Cat asked with just a hint of pleading in her voice. “We shouldn?t discuss this. It only ends up in an argument. We agreed not to talk about this.”

“All right, fine sweetheart.”

Cat sighed at her mother?s tone. “I promise you with all my heart that when I find that someone special, you?ll be the first to know and I hope you like her.”

“Any chance it?ll be a him?”

“Only if he has breasts and a v?”

“Catherine,” he father warned. He knew that his wife tried to accept their daughter?s choices and that sometimes she didn?t manage it as well as any of them would like, but he hadn?t raised his daughter to sass her mother and he wasn?t going to let her start now.

“I?m sorry, Dad. I?m going to go take a shower and change so we can go to dinner. By the way, Coach Lambert is joining us. I thought you?d like to have a chance to talk to her one on one.”

“That?s great sweetheart,” he father gestured her toward the upstairs and a shower, giving her the signal that he wanted to speak with her mother.

Once Cat was out of the room, he turned to his wife. “Don?t do that to her.”

“What?”

“Try to push her into an argument with you.”

“I was doing no such thing!”

“You were too. Now I know you love Cat and I also know that you don?t care for her choices in companionship, but don?t start this. Let the girl be.”

“I?” The doorbell ringing stopped her next comment.

“Dad,” Cat called from upstairs. “Can you get that, I?m just about to get in the shower.”

“Sure, Sweetheart, you go ahead.”

Her father turned on his heel going to the door at a fast clip. He pulled it open to find Dylan standing there with a large blue notebook in her hand. “Hi, um I was supposed to meet you at the restaurant but Cat forgot the new play book and I was in the area?”

“Come in Coach Lambert. I know Cat won?t mind.”

Dylan stepped into the studio apartment and smiled finding it as she always did, neat and uncluttered. As she closed the door she heard a familiar clicking on the floor. “Hey, Hamlet, you flea bitten mutt.” She tormented the dog, but knelt down and gave him the scratching he always expected when she visited.

“He seems to like you,” Cat?s mother offered from the couch. “It took him an hour to stop growling at us. Does he see a lot of you?”

“Actually he does. Cat and I spend a lot of time together.”

“Really?” The suspicion in her mother?s voice was quite clear.

“Yes, I?m the head coach and she?s the team leader.” She hefted the playbook as proof. “It?s a hazard of the job I?m afraid.”

“I?m sure Cat doesn?t think of it as a hazard or a hardship. You inspire her.”

For all kinds of things. Dylan managed to keep the words from tumbling from her mouth. “That?s good to hear.”

“Would you like a drink?”

“Actually I don?t drink, not normally at least. But if Cat?s got some juice around here?”

“I?ll get it.” Cat?s mom left the couch and wandered into the kitchen, leaving Dylan and Joseph standing in the center of the room.

“Have I done something to upset her?” Dylan lifted one brow and gestured toward the kitchen.

“No,” Joseph sighed. “She and Cat had a ?moment? before you arrived. It?s fine.”

“Is Cat okay?”

The older man smiled, hearing genuine concern in her voice. “She?s fine. She and her mother go ?round about things once in a while.”

Dylan felt the need to press further. “And this time?”

“Ilene thinks that Cat needs to get into a relationship.”

“Well, to be honest I discourage that in my players during the season. It messes with their concentration.”

“That makes sense.”

“So you?re the reason Catherine is alone?” Ilene entered the living room and placed a glass of orange juice on the table.

“No, Mother!” Cat yelled from the top of the steps. She hopped into her sneakers and charged down the stairs. “Dylan is not the reason I?m not in a relationship. Now would you please stop.”

The blonde turned to her coach and smiled. “I?m sorry about that. She?s off her medication and she gets nuts.”

“CATHERINE!” Her mother yelled.

Dylan chuckled and her father out right laughed. “It?s okay Cat,” Dylan turned sympathetic eyes on her favorite person. “I can understand why your mother doesn?t want you to be alone.”

If looks could kill, Cat would have seriously wounded Dylan. They were tempting fate by playing this little game, but Cat had warned Dylan. And she had told her that she wasn?t ready to spring their new relationship on her parents just yet.

Cat?s parents loved her, that was never in question. And they wanted her to have her career as a basketball player. The young woman had worked hard for it and they supported her every step of the way.

However, her mother had never really been comfortable with Cat?s sexual orientation. In their home it had been a case of don?t ask, don?t tell and when Cat brought home someone she was dating, her mother simply pretended they were just friends. Ilene had always hoped it was a ?phase? and that Cat would grow out of it when she found a nice man to settle down with.

“So,” Dylan broke the silence. “How about we go to dinner. My treat.”

“Dylan, I invited you to dinner. You don?t have?”

“I don?t have to. I want to. But you have to eat eggplant.”

“I?ll buy and have a steak.” Cat chuckled as she patted Dylan on the back in a gesture that was familiar if not intimate.

This did not get past her mother.