by Amber Lynn
“And I’m sure you don’t know everything there is to know about him either. The fact that you think you do doesn’t mean you come to an event in honor of my mother and kiss my date on the lips in front of everyone. You obviously heard that we didn’t plan on coming together.”
“Of course you didn’t plan it. For girls like you, everything just falls into your lap. I’ve been trying to get him to pay attention to me for years, and he has never once looked at another woman the way he stared at you out there.”
It was creepy to hear how closely Steph had been watching him. He’d done a good job of keeping out of her path, but her words indicated that maybe he’d missed her stalking him. As far as the claim that everything fell into Casey’s lap, it proved how little Steph really knew about her. Dylan was pretty sure being diagnosed with cancer wasn’t something just falling into Casey’s lap.
“And you still haven’t figured out that he wants a partner who doesn’t act like a puppy? What does that say about your observation skills?”
Steph raised her arm like she was going to slap Casey, causing Dylan to take two steps forward. He may have blinked, but he wasn’t sure. One second he thought the woman he was trying to convince to date him was getting ready to be assaulted by his stalker, and the next, Casey had Steph twisted around with an arm around her neck and the other one had the arm that was aiming for her behind Steph’s back. Knowing who her father was, Dylan shouldn’t have been worried.
“I believe you just proved my point. You honestly think I would’ve let you slap me? Look, I’m not a threat to anyone who wants to ask Dylan out, but I am his date for tonight, and I expect that fact to be honored. Come tomorrow, you can walk up and kiss him all you want. While his arm is wrapped around me and the cameras are pointed our way, I’m not going to be a very nice person.”
Dylan wasn’t sure if he should come right out and announce that Steph didn’t have a chance. It probably wouldn’t help matters much, but at some point it needed to be said.
“Does he know you yell obscenities at him during hockey games? You’ve called him every name under the sun and even said a few unfavorable things about his mom.”
“And yet I still dream about her, which is why you either need to leave or learn to act civilized fast. We don’t have time to spend dealing with your unrequited feelings for me. I know you’re Nelson’s sister, but I’m not available.”
Steph hadn’t realized Dylan was in the room, or she somehow thought she’d been in a cone of silence, evident from the surprised look on her face as she glanced over at him. Since he had trouble keeping his attention on anything other than Casey, it wasn’t a shock other people did too.
“Last I checked, you were the city’s number one bachelor, so maybe you need to recheck that statement.” Steph looked close to tears, but she was angry enough they weren’t spilling over.
“Maybe whoever comes up with those statistics will rethink it before the night is over. Casey and I currently disagree about the probability of there being something between us, but I’m not one to give up. Now, I’d like to take my date out on the dance floor. I hear she doesn’t dance and I’d like to prove she’s wrong about that too.”
Dylan walked closer to the pair and took the hand of the arm wrapped around Steph’s neck and twirled Casey around so she let go of her captive. Casey was glaring at him, telling him with her eyes that she wasn’t happy about what he had to say.
“Tonight’s about you and your mom. We’ve had a quick bump that has taken us away from that focus, but I’m not going to let anything else get in the way.”
Connecting his eyes with Nelson’s, Dylan let his friend know that he was counting on him to clean up the mess. Dylan didn’t blame him for what had happened, but he was in charge of Steph for the night, and that meant he had to keep her under control.
“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep. The only thing that could stop that is if we left, and that’s not happening. I think we should stick around here for a few more minutes and make sure this fire has been put out.”
Dylan had already guided Casey out of the room. Her words said one thing, but she didn’t resist his direction.
“Nelson will take care of her. We’ve both said our piece. I’m hoping one of us manages to get through to her.”
“You really think someone is going to give up on the city’s most eligible bachelor?” Casey’s tone was borderline mocking.
“Not unless you make it look good. I think a good start would be you kissing me like you did earlier tonight. Do you think you have another kiss in you?”
Dylan was partially joking. He wanted to take a kiss to the next level, but Casey needed to focus on the event. Teasing her was a ploy to get her in a better mood as they rounded the corner back into the dining area. With her still following his lead, he took her straight to her father, who stood with Wendy at the front of the room by a stage.
“If you can get me through tonight without killing someone, you may have a chance.”
Dylan was stacking up wins in his column. He still had the three questions that she’d answer, and chances were good he’d get another kiss. He was going to have to figure out what interests Holcomb had and send him a present.
“Deal. Sorry for our quick exit. I promise the rest of the night will go smoother.”
Holcomb raised his eyebrows like he wasn’t sure Dylan was being truthful. It was a hefty promise to keep, but he’d do his best.
“You’re sure you can keep everyone other than my daughter from kissing you?”
“That’s the goal. I’m trying to convince her walking up on stage and giving me a giant smooch would erase any question about who I’m here with.”
Casey elbowed him in the side while she squeezed his hand. “I think you leading me around with our hands locked together is probably good enough. Shall we get this started?”
Dylan wasn’t sure what that meant, but he was game for anything. As crazy as the whole notion of him already being in love with Casey was, he wanted to prove to her he could fit in her world.
“Sure, we can see how well Dylan does keeping the women off him when you aren’t by his side.”
Dylan was a little horrified by Holcomb’s words. Not so much because he didn’t think he’d stop random women from kissing him, but because he’d seen the looks on various men’s faces in the crowd as Casey walked by. He wasn’t the only person who thought she was the most beautiful woman in the room.
“I assume he’s capable of staying out of trouble for ten minutes while we go up and give our witty speech. Right, Dylan?”
Casey squeezed his hand and shocked the world when she leaned in to give him a peck on his cheek. It probably wasn’t the whole world, but Dylan heard whispers pick up.
“Just tell me where to sit and I’ll wait patiently for your return.”
“Come on, honey. Gary showed me our table, so we can sit and marvel at whatever Casey came up with them to say, because I know Gary didn’t come up with anything witty.”
Wendy laughed and winked at the two they were leaving behind as she grabbed Dylan’s arm and guided him to a table in front of the stage. Holcomb’s booming laugh followed them the twenty feet they had to go.
“I have a feeling most people wouldn’t get away with saying something like that to him.”
Dylan pulled out a chair for Wendy and waited for her to sit down, before he moved three chairs over to sit at the place with his name on it. Evidently Holcomb had planned for him to sit at the table whether Casey or he agreed with the idea.
“I think most of them will be sitting at this table. Although Governor Wilson may be an exception.”
There were eight seats at the table, with the governor and his wife and the Vice President of Hockey Operations and his wife filling out the chairs. Dylan had had as many meetings with the vice president as he had Holcomb, but if conversation ever waned, he supposed it was good he was sitting next to the guy who knew about hockey and not the governo
r.
“What horrible stories are you telling about me now, Wendy? You aren’t still mad about our golf game, are you? I thought since you’d started hanging out with Holcomb, you’d gotten better about taking a joke.”
“You would think, but I still take my golf game seriously. You cost me three strokes with that air horn. I hope the course banned you for life.”
Dylan wasn’t exactly sure what he’d stepped into, but it wasn’t about politics, so he was happy to sit and listen.
“Luckily for me, since we’d rented out the course, there weren’t any disgruntled customers, other than you. How’s the official introduction into society on Holcomb’s arm going? You’ve been dating under the radar for five months now. I can’t believe you haven’t gotten caught.”
Who knew the governor was such a gossip? Dylan was surprised how easily things flew out of his mouth. Keeping quiet and staring at his steak dinner seemed like a good way to gather intel Casey might not know about her father. Depending on exactly what was said, it could serve as a way to get on her good side.
“There are many reasons we were determined to keep things quiet, and it comes to mind now that letting you in on the secret was probably the worst mistake we made.”
“You’ll have to tell me how you made him keep quiet. He even tells the kids what we got them for their birthdays or Christmas as soon as we buy the presents.”
Julie Wilson seemed like a quiet woman, and her demure voice added to the description. Dylan didn’t know much about the governor and his wife. He liked to mind his own business and only read about his own gossip. Since most of it was wrong, he didn’t believe what he heard about others.
“I’ll leave it up to him whether he tells you, but I doubt it’d work for anyone other than Gary. He has this way about him that convinces you to see things his way.”
The governor broke out laughing, slamming his hand on the table. The shake made the beverage glasses wobble, causing Dylan to reach out and make sure his glass of water didn’t topple over. While he had his hand on it, he went ahead and took a drink. Everyone else looked to be enjoying champagne, but Dylan was satisfied with the water provided. He wanted to wait for Casey before he started eating, but his throat was a little dry.
“That’s one way to describe Holcomb. The man had to have been a beast commanding troops. I asked him once how many people ran the other way just from looking at his ugly mug, and he seriously answered with three. I have a feeling there’s some he dismissed because of technicalities.”
“That’s why we don’t let him interact with the players, unless he does it behind our backs like with Dylan here. He hasn’t threatened to rearrange any organs, has he Dylan? That’s one of his favorite threats.”
Craig Hutchinson nudged Dylan with his elbow as he spoke. In the receiving line, Dylan had been introduced to Craig and his wife Tracie, and had immediately been put on a first name basis with both of them. Craig had initially seemed a little gruff, but his first glass of champagne lightened his demeanor a bit.
“I’d like to think that if he had, I wouldn’t have flinched, but I’m not sure about it. Thankfully, he’s been cordial during the few conversations we’ve had.”
“How exactly did you end up at Casey’s side tonight? You’re probably too busy during games to notice, but I have to say Casey doesn’t tend to think too highly of your playing abilities.”
Dylan decided he needed to be careful about anything he said to the governor. He’d thought the press being around was going to be the hardest part of the evening, but they probably didn’t have anything on the man running the state.
“Do you sit in her section, or just know it’s her yelling?”
“So you do know. I sit in the suite directly above the section she likes to call home. Listening to her is almost as fun as watching the game. It’s definitely added a level of variety to a bunch of guys skating around trying to hit each other.”
The tactic of overlooking the part of his question asking how Dylan ended up as Casey’s date worked as expected. Everyone at the table nodded along with the governor’s words, so they all knew about Casey’s yelling. It seemed like the easier, less likely to be plastered all over the Internet, topic to focus on.
“I like to think she helps me keep focused, and in a weird way only I understand, she coaches me to play better. There are a few things she’s said that probably aren’t true, but for the most part I agree with her critiques.”
Dylan didn’t want to call Casey a liar, but there were some things she said that people had to know were false. Casey tapping on the microphone set up on stage brought the conversation to an end. Dylan had lost sight of her as she and Holcomb had disappeared behind a curtain. With the round table, he was lucky he’d been given a seat that faced the stage, so people didn’t notice his semi-frantic searching for her.
With Holcomb by her side, the already low chances of some guy stealing her attention were down to nothing, but Dylan wanted to be sure none of the playboys he’d seen in the audience got any ideas. He’d never been territorial when it came to a woman, and he was sure Casey was someone who wouldn’t enjoy the fact that he was obsessing. They were both going to have to figure out a way to deal with it.
Once he knew for sure she’d fight off advances from anyone else, he’d feel better. At least he hoped he would. The anxiety of the unknown was making him battier than usual.
Chapter Ten
Casey was good with small groups of people, but every time she had to stand up in front of hundreds of people, her tongue liked to tie itself in knots. Picturing everyone in their underwear was terrifying, so she picked one or two people in the crowd and focused on them.
The honor usually fell to her Aunt Julie and her husband, who were kind enough to make faces during the speech. Anyone who met the governor knew he was a goofball, and he seemed to like to prove it. Most people didn’t know she was related to him by marriage, and she liked to keep things that way. It was bad enough she worked for her dad. If people thought the governor had also pulled some favors over the years, the whole idea of her getting to where she was on her own would be destroyed.
Since Dylan was directly in front of her, Casey’s eyes locked on him. He probably hadn’t been told the secret about making faces, but he’d proven easy for Casey to talk to, and that’s what she needed.
“Thank you everyone for taking a little time out of your busy schedules to come out tonight. Every year I’m more humbled by your generosity when it comes to the cause that brought you all here, because we both know you really aren’t here to see us. I’ve been told many times what horrible company my dad is, and I can vouch that it hasn’t gotten any better over the years.”
Casey paused for a second, knowing her uncle would have something to say. They hadn’t spoken about him doing so, but anytime he had a chance to take a jab at his brother-in-law, he was all over it.
“I’ve offered to pay for a professional attitude adjustment, but he keeps telling me I should invest in one myself to see if it really works, and then he hands me a card for the local Army recruiting center.”
It wasn’t the angle Casey thought he’d go, but it garnered laughs, which was the goal. Getting people to loosen up when it came to finding donations was key.
“Surprisingly, he’s never given me one of those cards, but I hear he does have a wallet full of them, in case anyone wants to give the procedure a try. On the serious side, we’re here to raise money in honor of a cause near and dear to our hearts. Most of you have heard our story before, but for the new faces in the crowd, my mother, Elizabeth Holcomb, was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer when I was two-and-a-half years old. By the time I was three, she’d passed away. I never really knew my mother, but I experienced her through my father’s stories.
“She was a strong woman, who was brought down by a disease that also killed her mother. Breast cancer took two women, who should’ve been key influencers in my life, away from me before I had a chance to get
to know them. It’s estimated that forty thousand woman in the U.S. will die this year because of breast cancer. There are also thousands of people out there who haven’t been diagnosed yet, but still live in fear that it’s just a matter of time when it comes to the genetic probabilities of them having breast cancer. There’s a statistic that only fifteen percent of breast cancer cases are genetic, but if you’ve had someone close to you die, statistics don’t always soothe you.”
Casey felt her father put an arm around her back. She didn’t like pointing out that she was a statistic, but putting as many faces as possible with the cause didn’t hurt. She wasn’t ready to announce that she’d moved into one of the other statistics categories, but she could handle that people knew she was genetically predisposed to the disease.
“Most of the proceeds from tonight will go to research to fight the disease. The Elizabeth Holcomb Foundation also provides support to the women like me who have high chances of eventually being diagnosed, but thankfully haven’t so far. As well as support for people in all stages of diagnosis and treatment. It isn’t just about fighting the disease, it’s about helping those who are living with it now. We’ve got a few speakers who will speak more about that aspect, but I’ll turn it over quickly to my father. As most of you know, he’s always got something to say about everything.”
Casey’s eyes hadn’t drifted from Dylan’s, and he’d done a terrific job of keeping her on point. Treating it like there wasn’t anyone else in the room other than the two of them worked even better than silly faces.
She stepped back from the microphone and gave the floor to her dad. He usually spoke even less than she did, so her time on the stage was almost over.
“Well, I don’t really know what else I can personally add to the wonderful words Casey has already shared. As a male who’s had over half of the females in his personal circle affected with breast cancer, I know the emotional toll it takes on a family. The part Casey mentioned about living in fear of the unknown isn’t restricted to just the patient waiting to hear what their doctor has to say. It spreads to the family.
