Susanne Novan - Driven

"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.

*******

Dinner was actually relaxed and the foursome had a good time. Dylan got to embarrass Cat with stories of games and practices that her folks hadn’t seen

and her parents got to tell embarrassing Cat stories. For Cat’s part she just sat, sipping her tea and wishing for a quick death.

Her parents had both excused themselves before coffee and Dylan leaned over to speak with Cat. "How you holding up?"

"I’m okay. I’m sorry about Mom."

"Well, honey you did warn me. But I do understand what you were telling me."

"She’ll be okay, but it’s better if we just let her figure it out for herself, then she’ll just deal with it."

"I gotcha." Dylan leaned over a bit closer. "How long are they in town for?"

Cat whimpered and twisted her napkin in her hands. "Three days." She turned playfully murderous eyes on her lover. "And don’t you start something we can’t finish."

"Me? Would I do that to you?"

"You know you would. You evil thing."

Dylan laughed and picked up her glass as her parent’s returned from their respective trips to the restroom.

"Did we miss something funny?" Her mother asked as she retook her seat.

"Yes, I was just torturing Cat."

"Well", her father took his seat and took Cat’s hand. "I’m glad to know someone is taking the job seriously since I’m not here to do it."

Dylan laughed as Cat could only hang her head and shake it slowly, knowing that it was the truth and there was no way to fight it.

********

Returning back to Cat’s place, Dylan was invited up for coffee and but declined. She did ask to speak to Cat for a few minutes and the player’s parents

headed up to the apartment leaving the two in the car.

"Thanks for tonight." Cat said as she took Dylan’s hand. "It was sweet of you."

"Well, I’m hoping I can get them to like me without knowing why." Dylan chuckled, lifting her hand to caress Cat’s cheek. "I’m going to miss you."

"Let’s just thank God that they’re only going to be here for three days. We can survive three days."

"Now I remember," Dylan snapped her fingers playfully. "My shower has a cold setting."

"Yes it does. And thankfully, so does mine."

Dylan smiled, leaning over to kiss Cat goodnight.

*******

When she entered her apartment her mother was in her long nightgown sitting on the couch. She was noticeably alone.

"Where’s Dad?"

"Why were you kissing Dylan Lambert?"

"What?"

"I saw you kiss her. Why?"

Cat looked to the heavens for divine intervention and when she realized it wasn’t coming she took a few steps toward her mother. "I kissed Dylan

goodnight. Is there a problem with that?"

"Are you seeing her?"

"Does it make a difference?"

"Why didn’t you tell us?"

Cat sighed hard and sat down in the chair across from the couch. "I didn’t tell you because it’s none of your business."

"So you are seeing her?"