Romance Reflections on Ice

She sighed and he heard clanging in the background. "My brothers have decided to test my patience today. First, they forgot to buy coffee for the shop, again, and then they spent the whole morning telling me that dating another athlete is hypocritical and that if I think one isn't good enough for me, then neither are any others."

"What? That doesn't even make sense."

"Yeah, well, don't ask me. They've probably been hit in the head too many times. They did play football for a long time."

Dylan chuckled. "I'm sorry you're having such a rough day."

She blew out a breath. "I'm supposed to be here until four but I just can't take another minute of this. If I have to keep listening to their inane comments, I can't be held responsible for what I might do."

"Try not to kill anyone. I don't have enough bail money on me."

She laughed, and Dylan grinned as he got back in the elevator. "You're hilarious. Just hurry up."

"On my way."

She gave him directions to the garage and he put his phone back in his pocket after the call ended.

The drive to the garage gave him time to consider how happy he'd been to see her calling him. Sure, he'd woken up annoyed and frustrated but he couldn't lay all the blame at her feet. He hadn't said anything he really wanted to up to this point either. Some of it was because of his own reticence with women, and some of it was not knowing how she'd react. All he knew for sure was that he didn't think he could wait until after the wedding.

He pulled up in front of the garage and hopped out of his truck. He couldn't see inside, with the sun shining down in his eyes, but he could hear raised voices from inside the open bay doors and stopped when he heard Cassia's raised over the others.

"I said drop it, jerkface."

Dylan covered his smile with one hand. Jerkface? She must be referring to one of her brothers. And holding back.

"If I have to tell you one more time, your face is going to look like this grill, understand?"

"Why don't you get your hockey boyfriend to beat me up instead?"

"I don't need to. I know how to kick you in the balls just as well as anybody."

Dylan barked out a laugh at the image that sprang to mind. He knew, without a doubt, that she'd have done that very thing growing up, at some point or another.

At the sound of his laugh, the argument ceased and something clanged before footsteps sounded and Cassia appeared.

"Dylan, thank God you're here."

Behind her, two identical men walked out, wearing identical scowls. Dylan grinned as Cassia came closer.

"You weren't kidding."

Her jaw clenched as she shook her head. "Seriously, you are saving me from spending the rest of my life in prison."

"I'd break you out."

His comment made her smile and he smiled back. She had a spot of grease on her cheek and her hair was coming loose in wisps from her ponytail. With her grey coveralls covered in paint, grease, and other assorted stains that had distinctive smells, she looked like she'd been working for several days straight. And she'd never looked more appealing. Dylan had to shove his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her, figuring she wouldn't appreciate the display, not with her brothers twenty feet away. He shouldn't have worried.

She glanced over his shoulder before moving closer and reaching up to pull him close. Her expression went from determined to uncertain as she touched his face. She hesitated at the last moment, her eyes questioning, and Dylan knew what she wanted. When he felt her hand slip, he didn't let her pull away. He jerked his hands out of his pockets to pull her close, pressing his mouth on hers. He swallowed her surprised gasp and held her head still while he took the kiss as deep as she would allow.

He was sure they lost some time while they stood there, and he didn't care. When he finally let her stand straight again, she was flushed, her lips were pink, and he wanted to do it again.

"Do you have to do that in front of us?"

Cassia's expression went from dazed to irritated and she whirled to face her brothers. "No one said you had to stand there and watch, Kent."

"Someone has to look out for you."

"Oh, please. I look out for myself, thank you very much."

Dylan grinned, slipping his hands back in his pockets. He had to admit he loved listening to her sharp tone.

The twins faced them both, scowls still in place. "Well, are you going to introduce us?"

"Kent, this is Dylan Samuels. Dylan, Kent is the one on the right, with the mouth, and Kurt is on the left."

"Nice to meet you. Cassia talks about you guys all the time."

Kent's scowl deepened while Kurt started to look nervous. Dylan wanted to laugh, but knew that wouldn't help matters.

Cassia turned back to him. "Do you mind waiting a minute? I need to grab my things from the office."

"Sure. Take your time."

She narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at his chest. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Who, me?" His grin widened. He was having way too much fun with this. That kiss had given him a high that he wasn't going to come down from for a while. "I'm an educated man. I'd never do anything stupid."

Her eyebrows shot up and her smile reappeared. "Yeah, well, they went to college and look at them."

Dylan laughed as she turned and walked away, swatting her brothers on their shoulders as she passed them. They grumbled at her but stayed where they were, eyeing Dylan. Dylan wasn't in the least bit intimidated by the looks they gave him.

"Nice shop."

Kurt crossed is arms over his chest. "Thanks."

"How long have you been open?"

"Our father opened the shop after he got married."

Dylan nodded. It did look like it had been a fixture in the neighborhood for some time. "That's great."

"Kurt! Kent! What the hell are you doing? You can't take breaks at the same time, we've been over this." A big man came walking out of the shop, and Dylan knew it had to be Keith Morgan. Kurt and Kent were twins, and spitting images of their father.

"We're just chatting with Cassia's new boyfriend." Kent gestured in Dylan's direction with one hand.

Keith spun around, a grin breaking out across his face. "Well, I'll be damned. I never thought Cass would let us meet you."

Dylan smiled and held his hand out to shake Keith's as he approached. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Oh, none of that, boy. Call me Keith."

"All right. Keith."

"And you're Dylan. Kyle spilled the beans on you the other night."

"Kyle's here?"

"Naw, we saw him for dinner. You and Cassia were at Vivian's."

"Oh right." Dylan nodded.

"I think Cassia might have kept you all to herself for as long as she could." Keith leaned close, his tone conspiratorial. "She says we meddle."

Dylan laughed. "She tells me that too."

Keith chuckled and slapped Dylan on the shoulder. "Course she does. She complains about us all the time."

"Too much."

"Shut it, Kurt." Cassia came walking out of the shop, a bag slung over her shoulder, her grey coveralls gone. "I see you've met my dad."

"Yes, and you're both coming to dinner on Wednesday."

Cassia frowned at her father. "Is that a request or a demand?"

"You know your mama is going to want to meet him."

Cassia didn't respond. She met Dylan's gaze and he nodded. "Fine. If Dylan doesn't have a game, we'll come to dinner." She held a hand up when her father nodded. "But tell mom absolutely no surprise guests this time."

Keith's smile slipped and he nodded. "You know she feels bad about that."

Cassia didn't say anything, only nodded once before turning to Dylan. "You ready to go?"

"Sure." He looked up at Keith and the twins. "It was nice to meet you all. I guess I'll see you at dinner."

"You kids have a good night."

"See you." Cassia reached for Dylan's hand as they walked the short distance to his truck.

Once alone in the cab of his truck, Dylan didn't start the engine right away. He watched Cassia buckle herself in and meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry about that."

He lifted his eyebrows. "Which part?"

Her cheeks colored and she looked down at her hands. "All of it."

Dylan shook his head. "It's fine."

"It's just... I'm sure you didn't consider all my issues when you agreed to this."

"Your issues?" He smiled when she looked up again. "Well, you're putting up with mine, so I guess we're even."

"You don't have any issues." When he gave her a look, she smiled. "Other than the talking to women thing. But I've told you before, you don't have any problems talking to me, so it's not a real issue."

No, his issues were different now. With a sigh, he turned and started the truck.

"Would you mind if we went to my place first? I want to change out of my work clothes."

"Sure."

He drove the short distance to her apartment and they walked upstairs in silence. Cassia opened the door and walked in ahead of Dylan.

"Good, Kyle's not home." She closed the door behind them. "I don't think I could deal with any more of his apologies."

Dylan chuckled. "Has it been that bad?"

"I know he didn't mean to spill the beans, but I guess everyone was giving him a hard time on Sunday and he only wanted to get the attention off himself."

Dylan followed her into the living room. "And he's apologized?"

"Numerous times." Cassia turned down the hall. "Give me a few minutes."

"Sure." Dylan looked around, taking in the gaming system that he guessed belonged to Kyle. "Maybe we should get some pie on the way back."

"You read my mind. It's definitely a pie day."

Dylan laughed and wandered towards the kitchen, stopping when he glanced down the hall towards her bedroom. Her door was open and he watched the shadow moving around, knowing it was her. Undressing, or possibly naked already. A moment later, he forced himself to move on. He didn't need to be that pervy guy, spying on an unsuspecting woman.

He looked over the pictures stuck to the fridge, recognizing Cassia's friends in some of them. There were a few of her with her brothers, all of them smiling, which seemed strange to him after having met them.

A few minutes later, Cassia came walking down the hall, finding him looking out the window in the living room. "Did you want something to drink before we go?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks."

"So polite." She smiled and turned towards the kitchen. "I'm going to."

"Not something alcoholic, I hope."

"Hardy-har-har. Seeing as how we're going to pick up my car after my last drinking episode, that's a no."

Dylan followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the counter as she poured a drink and downed it almost in one go.

"Sorry. It's been a long day."

He nodded. "Seemed like it. I bet the hangover didn't help."

She made a face. "I wasn't that hungover. Just tired." She finished her drink and they left.

They didn't say much on the drive through town. Cassia broke the silence as they approached a red light.

"Dylan, if you don't want to come to dinner, you don't have to."

He turned to her. "Why wouldn't I want to?"

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "My dad didn't mention that it's sort of a birthday dinner. For me."

Dylan nodded. "I know that. I remembered when your birthday is."

They fell silent again.

"Do you not want me to come?" Dylan glanced at her as the light turned green.

"What? Of course I do."

"You're not worried what they'll think?"

She snorted and shook her head. "If I was worried about that, I wouldn't have suggested this whole thing in the first place."

Dylan smiled. "Right. Well, I suppose I'll have to find you a birthday present."

"Oh, no. Please don't."

"Why not? It's what a boyfriend would do."

"Not a pretend one."

He blinked and shook his head, her words stinging more than he knew she meant them to. It wasn't like she was saying something untrue. Man, this situation was getting more and more difficult every time they saw each other.

They didn't say anything else on the drive to her car. Dylan pulled into the parking lot next to the car and waited as she got out to check that it was all right.

"Looks all right." She turned back to him, where he leaned out his window. "So should we head back to the diner?"

Dylan wanted to say yes. He knew the pie would be great, and they'd talk and laugh and have a good time, as always, but he didn't think he could pretend anymore, and he didn't know how to bring it up right now.

"I'm actually kind of beat after practice this morning." He felt like an ass as he watched her smile fade. "How about we get pie another night?"

"Sure. OK." She twisted her hands around her keys. "So I'll see you Wednesday, I guess?"

"Yeah. I'll call you." With that, he put his window up, waved, and pulled out of the parking space.

How fast things had changed. He shook his head at the situation he'd got himself into. He really didn't need these complications in his life right now, with playoffs coming up, and the team doing their best to make it into at least a wild card spot. Maybe he should never have agreed to this fake dating deal in the first place. He was such a sucker.

With a sigh, he turned onto the road and headed away from the lot, and from Cassia's hurt expression.

Over the next few days, although frustrated, Cassia knew she had little right to be upset with Dylan. They weren't a couple. They'd barely been friends when this had started. She just couldn't erase the image of Dylan driving away from her, saying no to pie. Or maybe just saying no to her.

She was distracted enough that she stubbed her toe at home, twice, and dropped a wrench on her face when she was working under a car one day. Luckily, it was a small one, but her cheek still bruised and swelled for the rest of the day. Her brothers took great delight in pointing it out repeatedly. In the end, she gave up and ignored them, as best as she could.

Later that night, she knew only pie would make her feel better. And yet, delicious though the coconut cream pie was, she wasn't satisfied. She nursed her coffee for a long while, idly testing the tenderness of her cheek as she stared across the counter at the wall.

"What's wrong, darlin'?"

Cassia blinked and focused her gaze on Sally. "Oh, nothing, Sall."

Sally's eyes drifted to the bruise on her cheek. "I know that's not from your nice young man. I could tell at a glance that he's not that type."

Cassia smiled and shook her head. "He's not my man, but you're right, he's not the type."

Sally set the pot of coffee down and leaned on the counter. "What's troubling you?"

"It's a long story."

"I'm not busy, darlin'."

Cassia looked over her shoulder and nodded, seeing the diner was almost empty. "It's nothing, really. I shouldn't be getting all worked up over it."

"Darlin', I've known you since you were knee-high to a grasshopper. I've seen you punch the daylights out of your own brother for stealing your last bite of pie and I've watched you make a life for yourself in that garage of yours." Sally pointed a finger at her. "I know you well enough to know that if something has got you worked up, it's not nothing."

Cassia flushed at Sally's assessment. "It's silly, really."

"Don't make me take the rest of that pie away from you."

"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.
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