Reflections on Ice Ch. 05

"No!" Cassia laughed and swatted the older woman's hands away from her last few bites. "All right. I've been... sort of seeing Dylan for a little bit now."

Sally nodded, as if this was old news.

"And..." Cassia paused, not sure of what to say. She hadn't been able to put her finger on it herself, how was she going to say out loud. "I think I like him more than he likes me."

Sally's eyebrows rose and Cassia covered her face in her hands.

"That sounds so juvenile."

Sally patted her hand. "Now, now. It's not juvenile. Everyone goes through the same period of doubt as you."

"They do?" Cassia couldn't ever recall feeling this doubt before. Maybe because in the past, she'd dated guys for real, never asking them to pretend out of some misguided attempt to simplify things. Then again, she'd thought Alex had really liked her so maybe his betrayal had screwed her up worse than she'd thought.

"And there's only one way to find out the truth."

Cassia met Sally's steely eyes and nodded. "You're going to say I have to ask him, aren't you?"

Sally smiled and gave her a hand a squeeze before straightening. "I don't need to." She took the pot of coffee and walked off to see to a new customer at the other end of the counter.

Cassia watched her go before dropping her eyes to the pie on her plate. She finished it, not really tasting the last few bites, and pulled out money to pay for it. She waved good-bye to Sally and walked home. At her apartment, Kyle was already in bed, so she sat in the living room and turned on the TV, catching the last period of the hockey game. Dallas was tied with Phoenix, but that quickly changed with Jake Brown's next goal. Cassia found herself smiling as the game continued to swing in the Stars' favor.

She loved watching hockey and seeing the skills on display. It was unlike anything else out there. And knowing Dylan as she did added a new dimension to the games. No, he wasn't a superstar, and he wasn't on the ice as much as some of the other players. But he drew her attention all the time.

She was reminded of the night at the charity casino, and how she'd acted the part of a starstruck fan. Nothing she'd said had been untrue and she burned with embarrassment at how she'd fumbled things now.

As the final horn sounded, she turned the TV off and went to bed. She'd be seeing him soon enough. Maybe she'd know what to say then.

****

Cassia did her best to ignore her brothers during work on Wednesday. They were in rare form, yo-yoing back and forth between extreme affection that their little sister was another year older, and extreme irritation that her upstart boyfriend had invited himself to dinner.

"He didn't invite himself, you dumbass." Cassia pulled herself out from under the car she'd been working on all morning. She turned to shoot her brother Kurt a dirty look. "You were there. Dad invited him."

"He didn't have to say yes."

Cassia rolled her eyes. "Hard to argue with that stone-cold logic." She brushed past him, heading for her tall toolbox in the corner.

And so it went for the rest of the day, until she cut her losses and hurried home to wash up before dinner. Her brothers had been getting on her last nerve, but in truth, she was keyed up at the thought of seeing Dylan again. They hadn't spoken since that day he'd driven her to her car, and had only exchanged a few texts in between his games, and her work, in order to plan whether or not to head to her parents' for dinner together.

She couldn't stop thinking about the look on his face when he'd dropped her off at her car. Maybe she'd been fooling herself to think they could keep up the charade this whole time. Maybe he was tired of being tied down, so to speak. Maybe he'd met someone else, though she felt sick at the thought.

As she stripped down and jumped in the shower, she tried to push the thoughts from her mind. She had a whole night of the charade to get through, under the scrutiny of her family. She should focus on that and worry about what to say to Dylan later.

She got out of the shower, dried off, and wondered what to wear. It was a nice enough evening that she could get away with wearing a dress. The thought made her smile, knowing that if she showed up to a family dinner in a dress, they'd have her committed. She settled on her old stand-by: comfortable jeans, a button-up blouse, and slip-on flats. Her hair she decided to leave down, but she brushed it out to tame some of the waves.

Dylan arrived at five minutes past four, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry I'm late."

She smiled and shook her head. "You're barely late. It's fine."

He came in when she held the door open. "You look very nice."

"Thank you. So do you." And he did. He had on dark khaki pants and a white shirt with the top button open at his throat. In his hands, he had a large bouquet of flowers. "Are those for me?"

His smile turned sheepish. "Uh. No, sorry. They're for your mom."

"Aw. You're very thoughtful. She'll love them."

"Really? I wasn't sure. I thought it might be too much."

Cassia shook her head. "No, trust me. She's always complaining that no one brings her flowers. She'll love you forever."

Dylan's ears turned pink and he nodded. "All right then. Are you ready to go? Is Kyle coming, too?"

"Kyle is working until five, so he'll be there after." She turned to go down the hall. "Let me grab my sweater and we can go."

They made small talk as they walked through the neighborhood to her parent's house. He didn't reach for her hand and she crossed her arms over her middle, unsure of what to do or say. Thankfully, they walked up the front porch steps to the house as her father came out to greet them.

"Hi, sweetie." He gave her a warm hug. "Happy birthday."

"You already said it today, Dad." She hugged him back.

"I'm your father. I can say it when I want, and as often as I want." He turned to Dylan and shook his hand. "Welcome."

"Thank you, Keith."

Her father led the way inside where they found her mother in the kitchen, boiling pasta.

"Mom, come and meet Dylan."

Katherine turned with a smile and gushed over the flowers as Dylan handed them over. "Oh, aren't you the sweetest young man. Thank you so much."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. Thank you for having me."

"Of course. We've been dying to meet you ever since Kyle mentioned Cass had a fella."

Cassia rolled her eyes. "It hasn't been that long since he told you."

Katherine gave her daughter a firm look. "And we've been dying to meet Kyle since then."

Keith cleared his throat. "Come on, Dylan. Let's let the ladies talk."

Cassia turned to protest but Dylan threw her an apologetic look before following her dad from the room. She turned back to her mother, watching as Katherine filled a vase with water and slid the flowers in place.

"So, how have you been, Mom?" They hadn't really spoken since the last disastrous family dinner.

"Fine, just fine." Katherine fluffed the flowers and turned to her daughter. "Sweetie, I'm sorry."

Cassia was surprised by the abrupt apology. "For what?"

"I shouldn't have been pushing Alex at you. If I'd known you were seeing someone else, I would never have dreamed of interfering."

Cassia smiled. "It's fine, Mom. I know you meant well." She paused and her mouth quirked. "Although you are still missing the fact that I didn't want to have anything to do with Alex at all, whether or not I've been seeing someone else."

"Yes, well. We don't need to dwell on it." Katherine came forward and hugged her. "Now, go take your young man a drink."

It was as good an apology as she was going to get. "Yes, Mom."

Cassia grabbed two cans of soda from the fridge and carried them out to the back deck where her dad was going on about the upcoming baseball season. Dylan was listening and nodding as Cassia came outside.

"Here you go."

"Thanks." Dylan moved over so she could join him on the bench. "Your dad was just telling me about the Rangers' chances for the year."

Keith grinned, lifting his beer bottle in a mock salute. "They're going all the way."

Cassia laughed. "Dad, spring training has barely started." It occurred to her then that she wouldn't have to worry about running into Alex again, at least not until the wedding.

"Doesn't matter. They're taking it all."

The door to the house opened and out stepped the twins. They paused when they saw Dylan, their expressions tensing up.

"Wasn't sure you'd actually turn up."

"Kent, don't be rude." Keith shook his head. "He's here for your sister's birthday dinner, same as you."

Kent sniffed but came forward and hugged his little sister. Kurt followed suit and they managed hand-shakes with Dylan before sitting down across from them.

Conversation was stilted for the first few minutes until Dylan asked about their college football careers. Cassia could have laughed at how quickly her brothers changed their attitudes. They went on and on about their time at the University of Texas and Dylan just nodded and smiled.

Cassia relaxed against his side, pleased when he put his arm around her shoulders. It felt so casual and easy. She wanted to stay there all evening, not talking, just sitting with him. So long as she kept her mouth shut, she couldn't put her foot in it.

A short while later, Katherine joined them, and then Kyle made his appearance. With everyone gathered, Keith said they should do presents.

Kyle grumbled an apology as he handed over a plastic bag. "I didn't have time to wrap it."

Cassia smiled and hugged her brother. "It's fine." She opened it up to find a small scale model of a classic '56 Corvette. "Oh, nice." Cassia grinned and turned it around in her hands, checking the tiny details from all angles. It wasn't her all time favorite car, but it was up there. It was a great classic. "Thanks, Kyle."

Keith and Katherine gave her a gift certificate to a local spa.

Katherine touched her leg as she opened the envelope. "I know it's not usually your thing, but I thought you might like a day of relaxation and pampering after the wedding is over. I know it's been a busy time."

"It has. Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad."

Kurt gave her a flowery picture frame, looking embarrassed at handing over such a girly gift. Cassia gave him a big hug in thanks. Kent gave her a Dallas Stars travel coffee mug, that made her laugh.

"As long as you keep it filled for me, it's perfect."

Kent grunted in reply and submitted to a hug as well.

After they were all done, everyone turned to Dylan with expectant looks on their faces.

"Sorry to disappoint. I was planning on giving Cassia her gift in private."

Cassia turned to look at him. She couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or if he'd come up with a believable lie to cover up the fact that he didn't have anything. "You do?"

He nodded, a secretive smile on his face. Cassia couldn't tear her eyes away from his for a moment.

Keith cleared his throat. "So, are we ready to eat?"

Katherine nodded and ushered everyone back inside. They ate, and conversation flowed from the mild weather, to the upcoming baseball season, to the wedding. After dinner, Cassia's mother planted the big chocolate cake in front of her daughter and Cassia blew out the candles following an embarrassing round of 'Happy Birthday.'

Keeping her promise, Cassia made sure she and Dylan escaped before it got too late. They walked with Kyle towards the apartment, reaching the building before eight o'clock. Kyle shook Dylan's hand and went upstairs, carrying Cassia's birthday gifts for her.

Cassia turned to face Dylan, feeling nervous again. "Thanks for coming, Dylan."

"I had fun. Your family is really nice. They remind me of mine."

"Really? Less meddling though?"

Dylan laughed and shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. If I lived at home still, they might meddle as much as yours does."

Cassia smiled. They didn't say anything for a moment, and Cassia started to walk with him towards his truck, parked at the end of the block. Once there, they faced each other, and Cassia knew she needed to say something, or do something. She didn't want to let him walk away with that look on his face that she'd seen the other night.

Then he lifted a hand to brush the hair from her face and her heart skipped a beat. His thumb brushed over her cheek, and he leaned closer. For a wild moment, Cassia thought he might actually kiss her, with no one around to see.

His eyes narrowed on her bruise. "I've been meaning to ask you all night. What happened here? Did you finally get into a fight with one of your brothers?"

Cassia laughed and shook her head, while trying to catch her breath. Dylan's close proximity was unnerving. She'd never have expected this from him, with all his shy smiles and uncertainty with women. Although, as she'd reminded him numerous times, he'd never had trouble talking to her. Maybe the same applied to physical contact. Her heart gave a wicked thump at the numerous thoughts that followed.

"I dropped a wrench the other day." She lifted a hand to her cheek, forcing a bit of space between them. "It wasn't too bad."

He smiled. "Well, try not to hurt yourself again before the wedding. You don't want to be answering questions all night about why you have a black eye."

She grinned. "I'm sure you wouldn't want that either, since you'll be my date."

They shared a laugh. Dylan fell back a step, dropping his hand from her face. "I'll call you this week."

"All right." But she couldn't let him leave. Her mouth went dry right before she took the leap. "Are you in a hurry to get home?"

He shook his head, one hand holding his keys. "Why?"

She twisted her hands together and wondered if she was about to make a huge mistake. "You up for a drive?"

He didn't say anything for a long minute. His eyes bored into hers, going back and forth across her face until she thought he must know all her secrets. "What did you have in mind?"

It didn't escape her notice that his voice had dropped an octave. She swallowed hard and managed a smile. "Just head south on I-45. I'll tell you when to stop."

A smile spread across his face, even as his ears started to turn pink at the tips. Cassia hid her own smile as she climbed in the cab of his truck. God help her, she loved that exact look on his face, the one that made him look at once like a kid on his first date, and a man who knows exactly what he's got in his hands. Heart pounding, she buckled herself in and waited for him to get in the driver's side.

"South, huh?"

She nodded. "South."

"All right." He turned the key in the ignition and they were off.