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 realized.?

?What?? Dylan asked, entranced.

?Everything I was going through, you were too.? Hodge held up a hand to forestall any comment. ?I don?t mean that you were too short or anything, because obviously you?re not.? She laughed softly. ?But I can remember the articles and the sports commentators saying that a woman would never be able to dunk as well as a man, or shoot as well as a man, or hundreds of other things. And instead of listening to those people, you just went ahead and proved everyone wrong by doing what they said you couldn?t. And I realized that if you could do it, so could I. I saw that you were opening a door, and I was going to do my best to walk through it.?

Leaning slightly forward, Hodge looked Dylan directly in the eye. ?You taught me how to fight, and you taught me how to win. And I know there is so much more I can learn from you. So yes, I want to be part of the Badgers as much as you want to have me there.?

Their food arrived just as Hodge finished speaking. Dylan used the time to ponder Hodge?s words, and the passion so evident in the young woman. If there had even been a glimmering of a doubt before, none existed any more. Catherine Hodges was a winner.

Dinner was eaten in companionable silence, and when the last morsel had been consumed and the dishes taken away, Dylan again looked at Hodge. ?There are some other things we need to discuss before you make your final decision.?

Hodge felt a tremor of nervousness run through her, but did her best to look unfazed. ?Is there something wrong??

?No. At least, not in the traditional sense.? Letting out a breath, Dylan tried to compose her thoughts. ?What have you heard about the Badgers? owner, Horace Johnson??

?Well, I know that he owns Johnson?s Electronics, a nationwide chain of electronics superstores. I know that he?s active in supporting the Republican party, that he?s married and has one son and a daughter, and that he?s known to be a bit?conservative in his political leanings.?

?Mm,? Dylan replied. ?Conservative would be one way of putting it, yes.?

?Let me guess. He has an issue with the fact that I?m gay.? Hodge didn?t need verbal confirmation. The look in Dylan?s eyes told her everything she needed to know. ?Well, we might have a problem then, because it?s not something I can switch on and off.?

?I know.?

?So?where does that leave us??

?That depends,? Dylan replied. ?Though it?s something I?m not fond of, all the contracts in the league have a morality clause. Same one for everybody, players and coaches.?

?Not the owners, huh??

Dylan smiled. ?No, not the owners. It?s pretty standard. Don?t break the law, don?t get caught sleeping around, don?t party all night long and then lead the police on a chase through the city. Basically, don?t do anything that?s going to embarrass the league or its image.?

?Don?t be gay??

?Be discreet.?

?Closeted, you mean.?

?Discreet,? Dylan answered.

?I don?t mean to sound argumentative, but I?m not sure I understand the difference.?

Sighing, Dylan nodded. She hated herself for even having to bring this up. Damn Johnson and his bigotry. ?There are several gay players in the league. Their right to privacy prevents me from giving you their names. Except for one.?

Reaching into her pocket, Dylan pulled out a business card and slid it across the table. Hodge looked down at the name, then back up at Dylan. ?Shauna Keeps. She used to play with you on the Lightening.?

?Yes. She got traded last year to the Shot and is living here in Boston with her partner and their daughter. She can answer your questions. She?s expecting your call.?

Hodge almost?almost?broke down and asked the question that sat between them, like a white elephant. Instead, she nodded and slipped the card into her own pocket. ?Thank you. I?ll call her this afternoon.?

?Talk to her. Then think about everything. When you?ve made your decision, let me know.?

?I?ll do that.?

When the check was presented, Dylan waved Hodge off. ?This one?s on me.?

Hodge smiled. ?Thank you.?

Dylan permitted herself for just a moment to feel the energy between them. Then she closed it off, and stood.

Hodge stood with her, and the two shook hands. ?I?ll call you,? Hodge promised.

?I?ll be waiting.?

Then Dylan was gone, leaving behind a radiant vigor that echoed her passing.

?Wow,? Hodge said softly, shaking her head. ?Just?wow.?

Much like the woman herself, Shauna Keeps? home was large, open and airy. Situated on a high bluff well outside of the city proper, it had a commanding view of the countryside as seen through a multitude of large, floor-to-ceiling windows.

Shauna opened the door a moment after Hodge knocked and, with a big grin, escorted the smaller woman into her home. A smidge over six feet tall, she was long, lean and incredibly attractive. Her skin was the color of melted dark chocolate and her eyes were several shades lighter, giving her face an exotic intensity that Hodge found extremely compelling.

A wide, warm, and white smile greeted her. ?Cat Hodges, right??

Hodge couldn?t help but return the grin. ?Yes, that?s right. And you?re Keepaway.?

Keeps laughed. ?Right on. C?mon in.?

Hodge followed her host inside, and stopped, entranced as she entered the huge living area. Everything— walls, floor, ceiling, furniture, electronic equipment, everything— was a brilliant, almost blinding white. Except for the warmth of the air, she might have entered some well-appointed igloo on the arctic tundra.

A door to the left of the living room opened, admitting a petite, stunning woman carrying a sleepy toddler on one hip. Shauna?s smile grew. ?Cat, I?d like to introduce you to my partner, Verdelle, and our daughter, LaShonda. Dell, this is Cat Hodges.?

Hodge grasped Verdelle?s hand warmly and smiled at the toddler, who smiled shyly back and burrowed her face into her mother?s neck. ?Very pleased to meet you, Ma?am.?