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Catching her reflection, she stopped briefly to make sure her appearance was up to par. Dark, crisply pressed slacks and a mint polo were formal enough

for Morrissey’s, but relaxed enough that she could feel comfortable. Her shoulder length hair, normally pulled back in a tight braid, hung loose and shining

in the bright spring sun.

Opening the door, Hodge stepped into the cool, dim interior and then into a short line of customers waiting to be seated. The restaurant was crowded with

business types enjoying a late lunch and some last minute schmoozing. Conversation was muted; a soothing hive drone interspersed with the pleasant

sound of silver ringing on china.

As she waited in line, she resisted the urge to look around like some gawking fan searching for a glimpse of her favorite star. A moment later, she found

herself before a tall podium. A well-dressed and attractive blonde woman was staring down at her, her smile polite. “May I help you?”

“Yes. I’m meeting Pallas Lambert here today.”

The hostess’ expression froze as her eyes narrowed. “And you are?”

“Catherine Hodges, Ma’am.”

A more genuine smile appeared. “Ms. Lambert is already seated. If you’ll follow me?”

Hodge followed the hostess through the restaurant, past the central grouping of tables, and toward a darker, more intimate area, where small, sheltered

booths ran along the far wall. Hodge wondered at the intimacy of the setting, then realized that the placement was more to hide Dylan’s celebrity from

prying eyes than anything else.

The hostess stepped out of the way to reveal Dylan seated at the table, a cell phone up to her ear. She wore a royal blue silk top whose sleeves were

rolled to the elbows, revealing corded forearms and thick, supple wrists. Like Hodge, her hair was down, spilling past her shoulder blades and shining blue

in the muted, overhead lighting. Hodge felt her body instinctively respond, and she shifted on her feet, caught between a rock and a hard place.

Alright, Catherine, settle down. Just because she’s an absolute knockout doesn’t mean you can’t treat her like any other person. Right? Right. Nothing to

it. Now if my heart would only stop beating like a freight train going uphill, I might have this thing licked!

Dylan smiled at Hodge and gestured for her to sit down. Hodge slid into the booth and immediately picked up the menu to avoid staring at the woman

across the table. She’d seen this menu many times before, and knew exactly what she wanted to order. Morrissey’s had excellent food, though it was a bit

pricey. Still, the money from the part time job she’d carried all through college would easily cover this unexpected expense. Besides, she’d been craving a

thick, juicy Morrissey’s steak for a week now, and damned if she wasn’t going to take care of that craving.

Dylan finally managed to get her troublesome agent off the phone by promising him a meeting with the Nike people within the next week. She folded the

phone, slipped it into her vest pocket, and rubbed at her throbbing temples. Headaches bloomed every time she talked to Manny. She wondered, for

perhaps the thousandth time, why she didn’t just fire the bastard and be done with it.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she summoned up a smile, which she gave to the young woman seated across from her. “Thanks for coming.”

Hodge returned the smile. “Thank you for asking me.”

The waiter appeared, as if by magic, and with a bow of her head, Hodge gave Dylan the honor of ordering first. As she listened to the selection, her face

fell. Dylan was ordering from what Hodge and her friends liked to call the “crunchy sticks and bark” section of the menu.

Great. She’s a vegetarian.

Her stomach cried bitter tears as all thoughts of a nice slab of beef went swirling down the drain.

Catching Hodge’s woebegone expression, Dylan couldn’t help but grin. “It’s alright,” she said softly after she’d finished ordering. “Get what you like.”

“But….”

“Believe me, you won’t offend me. I’m the only vegetarian I know, and if I took exception to people eating animal products, I’d be dining alone for the rest

of my life.” She chuckled. “Really, it’s fine.”

Something in Dylan’s eyes convinced Hodge, and her stomach leapt for joy.

After the waiter left, Dylan folded her hands in front of her, and fixed her dinner companion with a penetrating stare. “As you probably know, the Badgers

have several picks in the upcoming draft. Aside from the number one, we’ve got another first round, two seconds, and a third.”

Hodge nodded. She’d heard about the flurry of deal making during the off-season. The Badgers were well positioned to pick up some outstanding talent.

“I’d like you for number one.”

If she hadn’t been sitting, Hodge would have likely collapsed to the ground in an undignified heap. While even a blind man would have noticed the interest

in her as a player, never in her wildest fantasies had she ever imagined she would be the first person selected in the draft. At most, given the multitude of

excellent prospects this year, including a 6’ 7” center who people were already comparing to Dylan, she hoped to go somewhere in the late first, early

second round.

Dylan was obviously still talking, but Hodge couldn’t hear her for the buzzing in her ears. When the coach stopped talking and fixed her with that piercing

gaze again, Hodge all but slapped herself out of her stupor.

“Would you…mind running that by me one more time? I think I missed something.”

“Which part?”

Hodge blushed. “Everything after the ‘I’d like you for number one’ part.”

Dylan laughed softly. “I asked you if that would be alright with you.”

Hodge felt that queer stunned sensation threaten to come down over her again. She gamely shook it off. “You’re asking me?”

“Yes, I’m asking. To be honest, Catherine, I have no desire to waste my prime pick on someone who’ll refuse to sign a contract because she believes her

talents could be put to better use elsewhere. The Badgers have never been contenders, but we’re getting close. I want someone who wants to be on our

team as much as we want to have her. And I’d like that someone to be you.”

“Are you kidding?” Hodge asked, with a natural exuberance that she couldn’t hide if she tried. “I’d love to play with you!”

She froze as those words hung in the air between them. She felt her entire body go warm with a flush hot enough to start the overhead sprinkler system.

“I…uh…didn’t exactly mean that the way it sounded.”

“I think I understand your point,” Dylan replied dryly.

Hodge continued on as if she hadn’t heard, though in fact she had. “It’s just…. When I was a child, I fell in love with basketball. I don’t know why, I just

know I did. And as I got older, people kept giving me reasons why I couldn’t play. They told me I was too short, or too slow, or too skinny, or whatever.

And it was hard, because when you’re a kid, you kind of walk this tightrope between wanting to listen to ‘authority’ and wanting to prove everyone wrong.”

She laughed. “I know I don’t look like much of a rebel, but I was in those days.”

Dylan simply smiled and nodded, interested in hearing this fascinating young woman speak her mind. Her voice was melodic and soothing, and as she

listened, Dylan felt her headache begin to slip away.

“I was in high school, fighting for a spot on the team, when you turned the league on its ear. You were…it was…god…amazing to watch. It was then that I