by Amber Lynn
“I’m not exactly sure how you’re planning on hiding the fact that your C cups are no more. It’s not like you’re starting with just nubs.”
That little, or big, issue was what made her sure she wouldn’t be able to hide things until she got her breasts reconstructed. The trees they were passing started to turn into buildings and their ability to discuss her mindset as far as the surgery went was coming to an end.
“You don’t think I can convince everyone that I’m a magician?”
“I think a disappearing boob act is an act no one in the world wants to exist. Essentially when it comes to what you’re going through, just let me know what I can do to help. You know my schedule better than I do, so you know when I’m available. I’ll skip practice Thursday, and we’ll have to figure out what to do Friday. If you could stay in the hospital until Saturday, that would be ideal. Otherwise we have to look at taking you home by four or waiting until after the game.”
It was almost comedic to hear someone who’d whirlwind into her life making plans for her hospital stay. Dylan was rearranging his own life, without her asking him to. She hadn’t expected that when she told him, maybe a little sympathy, but no commitment.
“The way you’re talking, I’m surprised you’re planning on playing Friday. I’ll be out by four, but I don’t know how much before four. I already told you I’m going to be at that game.”
“You’d kill me if I told you I was taking family leave to take care of you, so I’m just trying to get all the scheduling mapped out in my head. I think going to the game would be a mistake. You’ll be on pain meds and you’re already belligerent enough.”
Casey rolled her eyes and let the conversation come to a natural ending as they pulled into the parking lot. Her car was still there, and it wasn’t alone. Nelson was busy walking around it, taking in some graffiti that wasn’t there the night before.
Written in white spray paint were “whore” and “slut” on the side of the car she could see. It was hard to determine handwriting from an aerosol spray, but Casey assumed a female was behind it.
“I’m trying to decide if that’s a knock against you or me. Either way, we evidently didn’t end the night like we should have.” It was hard for Casey to believe someone would take her hanging out with Dylan that badly, and then she remembered the glares she’d gotten.
“Sorry, I don’t tend to take the opinion of a psycho into account, so if you ask me, we ended the day perfectly fine.”
Casey had to laugh about the situation, because otherwise she was going to kill Steph the next time she saw her. She had plenty of things she already needed to get off her chest, having murder on her mind would interfere with her getting her points across.
Nelson walked over and tapped on Dylan’s window as soon as the car was parked next to the other man’s SUV. Casey wondered if she could equip an SUV to run over other cars, because that was the only reason she’d have to drive around in something that big.
“Since you didn’t mention the artwork, I’m guessing it’s the first time you’ve seen it?”
Dylan didn’t bother talking through the window. He pushed Nelson away from the car as he opened the door and got out. Casey had barely waited until the car was stopped to get out and get the full picture of the new damage.
“That’s new, and a little bit more personal than just slashing tires,” Casey said.
The two words were the only things written, but they were jotted down on various parts of the car. Overall, for a revenge tactic it severely lacked creativity.
“I’ve known for a while she was a little off. Anyone who thinks they’re in love with you has to be, but this is totally bat shit. I called my parents a few minutes ago, warning them that there was a chance Steph had crossed a threshold we needed to do something about.”
Nelson walked around the car again, shaking his head. Casey rarely saw a player outside of a suit or their equipment, so it was a little odd seeing the defenseman in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. Not to mention his wild curly hair without a hat or a helmet. He’d pulled it back into a ponytail for the ball. Seeing it all out, it was clear the guy needed to keep his fingers away from electrical outlets.
“Careful, you’ll scare Casey away, after she just gave me permission to call her my girlfriend. We probably should verify that only one person did all this. Last night it sounded like there were quite a few people who wouldn’t be happy that I went home with you, so I want to make sure we aren’t falsely blaming someone.” Dylan paused for a second and rubbed a finger across the paint to see if it was dry. It looked pretty dry to Casey. “I’m convinced it was Steph, but it’s just as easy for a guy to go crazy with spray paint.”
“That’s an interesting plot twist. Did a guy walk up to Casey last night and start attacking her with his tongue?” Nelson winked at her.
“Does it look like I’m in jail for killing someone?”
The banter between the two teammates was fun to watch. Dylan had remained close to Casey, while Nelson stood on the other side of the car. There were two cars in the parking lot that didn’t belong to any of them, but Casey didn’t see anyone else who could laugh along with her as Dylan and Nelson talked.
“Touché. But it did sound like you had a particular guy in mind.”
Before Dylan could go into details, the door to the banquet hall opened and the person Casey had dealt with as far as renting the space stuck her head out.
“I’m guessing you’d like to look at some footage? It seems a little personal, but I’ve got to believe the person didn’t know anything about you, Casey. At least it’s pretty obvious they haven’t seen you in kickboxing class.”
Jenny’s pale blue eyes darted quickly to the men with Casey, but they were back on Casey before she could blink. She was a bit timid around Casey at times, so two burly hockey players had to terrify her.
“Guys, this is Jenny. Jenny, this is Dylan and Nelson. I’m pretty sure they don’t bite, but I’d make sure you’re up-to-date on your rabies shot just in case.”
Casey pointed to each of the guys as she said their names and made her way to the door with the guys following. Jenny stepped out and held the door open. Her short spikey blond hair always reminded Casey of a porcupine. It seemed like almost every strand of hair was its own spike.
“They’re from the team you talk about, right? I’ve never been to a game, but they look like hockey players.”
“They are. I’d explain who and what they are to the team, but I know you’d have no clue what I’m talking about.” Jenny had let it been known that any sport terminology was beyond her expertise whenever Casey tried to bring up hockey.
“I know hockey involves skating on ice and hitting people, so if you were going to tell me more than that, you’d be right. I went ahead and watched the footage while I waited for you to show up. I’m pretty sure it’s the same girl both times. She was dressed up like she’d come from a party.”
“I suppose that narrows it down to about twenty to thirty women if we cut out all the married ones.” Casey was happy to hear a female was behind the attack. She hadn’t really thought it was Jimmy, but it was good to have it verified.
“Is the footage in color? We’ve been placing bets on whether she’s wearing blue.”
Casey wasn’t sure hearing Nelson joking about his sister potentially vandalizing her car was a good thing. Reading between the lines was difficult when you barely knew a person.
“Dark blue to be exact. I thought you’d need to see the video, but if you have a person in mind, she looks like a woodland nymph with her blond hair tucked and twirled around her head. She didn’t seem at all scared about being caught.”
“Check, check and check, I guess. I’ve never considered her a woodland nymph, but I also don’t look at women the same way you do. Is there anything else you can think of that would confirm it was the same person in both videos, and that it’s who we think it is?” Casey didn’t particularly want to sit through the destructi
on of her car if she didn’t have to.
“Well, the dress looked the same and I have a good eye for certain features. I may have noticed a cute little birthmark above her right breast to help me come to my conclusions, but I really didn’t feel like leading with that.”
“This may come out all wrong, but are you a lesbian?”
Casey already knew the answer to Nelson’s question, and thought her hint earlier made it obvious. Jenny had tried to hit on her after they’d met at the gym. It was the first, and only, time a woman had ever hit on her.
“Seems like a simple question to me, so I don’t know how you could make it come out wrong. I don’t shout from the rooftops that I like women, but it’s a true statement.”
Casey looked up at the camera over her head. They’d stopped at the door to talk, so they hadn’t made it very far.
“So if his question didn’t come out wrong, I’m pretty sure mine will. Just how high-def are those cameras? It’s at least thirty feet from my car, and birthmarks aren’t exactly visible at that distance.”
She should’ve been conferring with Nelson about whether the birthmark sounded like his sister. With the low cuts of just about everything Steph wore to the arena, Casey had seen what she classified as a mole, but others could call a birthmark.
“We probably have the clearest cameras you can get, and the zoom isn’t too bad. I also ended up rewinding to earlier in the night and may have seen the same person getting dragged into the building by you, and things were pretty clear then.”
“Why didn’t you just say that? It’s not like Casey dragged dozens of people inside. There’s no reason for us to waste time looking at videos if you already verified who the person was.”
Dylan didn’t know Casey as well as Jenny did. They saw each other weekly at the gym and had spent hours talking about what Casey needed from the venue they were standing in front of.
“I didn’t study every second of footage, just scanned for the blue dress. If Casey didn’t manhandle at least three people, she was on some serious mellowing drugs.”
Dylan looked down at Casey as she shrugged her shoulders. “I told you you have a calming effect. Usually I’m kicking people out instead of taking them inside.”
“I’m a little sad I kept you dancing all night so I couldn’t see that firsthand. Clearly we’re dealing with Steph, so there’s no need to watch anything. The question is what you want to do with the car. Just running out and getting new tires isn’t going to get you back on the road.”
“I’ll pay for the repairs and a rental car while the repairs are being done,” Nelson offered. “I’m partially responsible for letting her take things as far as she did. If I would’ve been firmer about Dylan’s lack of interest, she would’ve gotten over him by now.”
“I know you make more money than you know what to do with, but I can pay for my own repairs. I doubt it’s going to be more than three or four thousand dollars.”
Casey couldn’t believe how conceited that sounded. Most people wouldn’t think thousands of dollars were nothing. She didn’t want Nelson to think she couldn’t pay for it herself, though. Her independent streak wasn’t just going to disappear because she allowed Dylan to push his way into her life.
“Technically, I don’t think you’ll need a rental. You should be able to use my car to get around.”
“Yeah,” Casey said, not sure why Dylan thought that would work. “I’m going to call a tow truck to take it to the dealership and get it taken care of. Then we can figure out whether I need to hire a security detail to protect me against your sister.”
Casey tried to make sure Nelson could tell she was joking about that part. She was mad, but it wasn’t his fault, and taking her frustrations out on him wouldn’t help matters.
After the tow truck came and left, they stood around chatting for a few minutes, but Nelson begged off relatively quickly. He wanted to track down his sister to make sure she hadn’t ended up in jail for doing something stupid.
Dylan had some shopping he claimed had to be done, so Casey climbed in his car and let him drive her around while he tried to find what he was looking for. Three stores and lunch at a cute diner later, they had the purple cushions he’d been searching for.
Casey wasn’t sure where things would go between the two of them, but the man certainly did like to try to please her. She thought that was something she’d enjoy after she got used to someone wanting to do anything to make her smile. Maybe eventually she’d even start believing in the whole soul mates thing.
Chapter Fifteen
“You’ve got to be kidding me, Jones. Are you going to start blowing them kisses next? Why don’t you put a little muscle into your hits?”
Casey had kept her promise to not let up with the taunts. After setting her up in one of the seats he was allotted for the game, Dylan had left her to get ready. They’d had a short discussion on where she would sit. Dylan’s seats were on the opposite side of the arena from where she usually sat, so he lobbied for her to sit there, just in case Steph showed up.
Casey wasn’t afraid of her, but she had enough stress in her life and she didn’t need to deal with one of Dylan’s admirers. Making the days leading up to her surgery as peaceful as he could was his number one priority.
He’d hoped things would be different when he met his dream girl, but he hadn’t immediately expected to be willing to put her needs before his own. He hadn’t even bothered collecting the kiss she’d promised the night before, and as sensuous as her lips were, that hadn’t been an easy decision.
“Do you think she’ll keep that up after you’re married?”
Dylan and Nelson were leaning over the boards when his friend asked the question. They hadn’t had much time to talk before the game, because Nelson rushed in at the last minute. He’d shared that he hadn’t found Steph and her phone went directly to voicemail. It was worrisome, but they both agreed that she’d eventually calm down.
“I’ve heard she doesn’t want to get married, so it will probably be a while before we have to find out.”
Before Nelson could reply, Dylan changed places with one of the other centers on the ice. The game was getting close to the end, and for the first time Dylan was really ready for it to be over. They were up by three, so they were back on their heels a little. The other team didn’t care to even pick a fight.
Dylan ragged the puck around for his entire shift. It was hard for him not to try to pick a fight to battle his own boredom. Thankfully his shift was only thirty seconds, so he was back on the bench waiting for the next time he was sent in.
“How much did you learn about her in a day? Usually marriage isn’t brought up on the first date.”
“Her family makes it really easy to feel like I know everything about her. Did you know she was related to the governor? That’s one guy I wouldn’t trust with a secret.”
“Seriously? I’m sorry I missed the fun. You know I was planning on coming by myself, but as soon as Steph heard about it, there wasn’t a chance I was getting out of the house alone.”
“Yeah, I think Casey is kicking herself for inviting her. They’ve sat next to each other for months, and Casey thought she was being nice.”
Nelson had to leave for a shift, while Dylan looked up and watched the time tick down on the scoreboard. The buzzer blaring was a joyous noise as the team filed off the bench to celebrate on the ice. Dylan didn’t get any signals to stick around, so he headed straight for his stall and started stripping after a quick salute. He was covered in sweat, but a shower would wait.
“So what’s the story with you and the lady? You and Nelson were whispering all game and it sounded like two girls gossiping about a hot date.”
Nelson threw a towel at Doug for the comment. Dylan had almost all of his gear off, so he decided to ignore the conversation.
“I didn’t get a chance to stay at the party last night, did you see the fireworks?”
“I don’t know, Nels. Do you classify Dylan’s ey
es being stuck facing one direction all night as fireworks?”
“No, that’s just a never before seen phenomenon. My sister decided last night was the time to make a move, and kissed Dylan right in front of his date. You haven’t seen Steph today by any chance, have you?”
It was smart to ask the man who’d made it known that he wouldn’t mind getting to know Steph if he’d seen her. Dylan spent zero time with the two of them in the same room, so he wasn’t sure how glaring Doug had made his attraction.
“Your sister wouldn’t give me the time of day if I was the last man on the planet. I take it from your question that you’ve lost her. Have you checked with her friends?”
“She has friends?” Nelson sounded shocked.
Dylan figured there had to be someone else she talked to, because the few times he’d been around her she didn’t stop talking, and Nelson’s schedule left her alone more often than not. As far as he knew, she didn’t travel with the team and they spent full weeks on the road.
“Yeah, she’s got that one chick she hangs out with at Blue Diamond sometimes. I think her name’s Heather, or maybe Courtney. I’m not very good with names, but she introduced her once.”
“You’ve got to be really bad if those are the two options you’re coming up with. I’ve never seen Steph hanging out with anyone. What’s she look like?”
Nelson had finally taken a seat and was working to get off his skates. By then, Dylan was almost back in his suit. He should’ve at least toweled off the sweat, because his undershirt and white dress shirt clung to his skin. He hoped Casey didn’t mind the stink too much.
“I don’t know. I guess she’s a little bigger than Steph and has brown or black hair. I’ve only ever seen them together at the bar, where the lighting isn’t usually great.”
“I don’t like to dip in anyone’s business, but I’m confused as far as why she’s missing. Did she kiss Dylan and realize she’s wasted her time on someone who kisses like a fish?”
