Reflections on Ice Ch. 03

Cassia wanted to whither up and die.

"Jesus, Cass. You're white as a sheet."

"The black is doing nothing for your complexion."

"Maybe the wrap will make it better?"

"Have you got the shoes on?"

Each of her friends shifted around her, straightening the black dress and fussing over her. She hated it. She wanted her jeans, a sweatshirt, and flat shoes. Heels were the enemy but she knew Vivian would never let her get away with wearing flip flops to the wedding, even if they were black.

The bride-to-be stepped up on the little podium with her and brushed Cassia's hair back from her face. Vivian lifted the sheer wrap and pulled it around Cassia's shoulders, arranging it in some kind of wide knot in the middle of her chest. She stood back and studied the result.

"Are we done yet?" Cassia couldn't hide her annoyance.

"Come on, it's not that bad." Vivian smiled at her and stepped down, joining their other friends in their scrutiny. "Although, you might want to consider some tanning before the wedding."

"You could get a spray tan the week before." This suggestion from Janis, the ever-helpful maid of honor.

"I'm not going to fake tan or spray tan or any tan." Cassia crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her friends. "I love you, Viv, but I have to draw the line somewhere."

Vivian waved a hand. "Fine. We can get the make-up lady to do something with your décolletage, maybe make the contrast less severe."

Or, you could let me be a guest instead of an attendant. But Cassia didn't say it out loud. She knew it meant a lot to her friend to have her and the other three standing up with her at the wedding. So she stood there, shivering a little in the flimsy dress and wishing the fitting was over.

It had been two weeks since the last fitting, and the shop had finished with two of their dresses, Cassia's and Olivia's. Olivia's had fit perfectly, her naturally darker complexion a beautiful match to the black dress.

"Turn around, Cass. Let's see what it looks like now." Carol lifted a hand, twirling a finger at Cassia.

With a frown, Cassia turned, keeping her balance with no little effort. She gave them her back and eyed herself in the three-way mirror. She had to admit the dress wasn't all that bad. It was a flattering shape, with a cinched, tight waist, and a long, flowing skirt that swished around her long legs whenever she moved. The bodice was snug from bosom to just above her hips, and after being fitted to her measurements, didn't gape over her less-than-average bust as it had during the first fitting. Wide straps held everything up, wider at the top and tapering over her shoulders in the back to narrower strips where they met just below her shoulder blades. It was a good thing everything was so tight up top, as she wouldn't be able to get away with wearing a bra. The dress showed too much skin in the back, and swooped way too low in the front.

Cassia glanced down at her bust and sighed. She hadn't shown this much skin in her entire life. Prom, Olivia's wedding, every special occasion in between, she'd been able to get away with higher necklines than this black dress had. She didn't do evening attire. She wore coveralls and jeans, and that made her happy even if it did make her stand out from her friends.

"It looks really good."

Cassia turned again, facing her friends as Vivian spoke. The bride-to-be was smiling and clasped her hands together under her chin.

"It's going to be amazing," she went on. "Me in my dress with the black lace at the bottom and you all in black with me."

Cassia smiled at last, glad her friend was happy. It was an agony to try the dress on, and totter around in heels, but Vivian was one of her oldest friends and she would do anything for her friends.

"Can I change now?"

Vivian nodded, and Cassia eased off the little platform, heading for the change room after Janis unzipped the dress in the back. She listened to her friends chattering away outside the room and sighed.

"How's Troy doing with the groomsmen?" Carol asked.

"Great. He told me they found great suits with white ties that match the swatch I gave him."

"You're really going to stand out, with all the wedding party in black, and you in your white dress."

"That's the idea."

The girls shared a laugh as Cassia hung the dress on the hanger. She turned and pulled on her regular, relaxed, comfortable clothes with a happy smile.

"Who are all the groomsmen, again?" Janis asked.

"Well, you know Howie is the best man. Then there's Troy's brother Adam, his cousin Zach and a friend of his from college, Tyler."

"Who are we paired with?"

"I haven't decided yet."

Cassia finished dressing and walked out of the change room. Her friends turned to her with smiles and she handed the black dress off to the lingering bridal shop employee.

Vivian turned to the woman. "We'll be back next week sometime for the other two, and take them all together then."

"Sounds good, miss. Have a good night."

"Thank you."

Together, the bride-to-be and her bridesmaids, gathered up their coats and purses, and headed for the door.

"Where should we eat?"

"I feel like Italian. How about Chianti's?"

Cassia trailed a half-step behind her friends as they discussed where to go for dinner. She zipped her jacket, her mind half on dinner and half on the wedding. She was running out of time. How was she going to meet someone and get to know him well enough to ask him to the wedding without seeming like a total basket-case?

"Cass? You all right?"

Cassia looked up as Janis fell into step beside her. She smiled at her friend and shook her head. "I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

"You're working too hard."

Cassia let out a short laugh. "Hardly. My dad makes all of us go home before we put in too many hours and threatens our lives if we try to work on our days off."

Janis nodded with a smile. She'd known Cassia and her family long enough to understand. "Well, maybe you just need to get laid."

Cassia stumbled a step, making Janis laugh and grasp her arm to help straighten her.

"Why else do you think I told you about Tapley's First Impressions?"

"You wanted me to find someone to sleep with?"

"Well, you're not going to find anyone at the garage with your dad and brothers looking over your shoulder every minute of the day."

Cassia shook her head. "I can't believe you."

"Oh, please." Janis took her arm as they continued to follow their friends up the street. Chianti's, Olivia's suggestion, was only three blocks ahead. "I know you haven't been with anyone since Alex."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"I see the way your face scrunches up whenever we talk about the wedding." Janis squeezed her arm. "You're worried about going alone, aren't you?"

Cassia tried to deny it, but Janis was her closest friend out of all of them, and more observant than the others. "Fine. Of course I am. Who wants to be alone at a wedding?"

"Some people think it's the perfect place to meet someone."

"Yeah, except I've known most of Vivian's and Troy's families and friends my whole life. Some of them are even related to me." Cassia turned a wry smile on her friend. "Not exactly ideal conditions for meeting someone."

"Good point." Janis sighed and they walked in silence for a few minutes. "You never did tell me how it went at Tapley's that night."

An image of Dylan's crooked smile and cute blushes immediately came to mind. She refused to meet her friend's eyes as heat washed over her cheeks.

"Oh my God." Janis pulled her to a stop. "Did you meet someone?"

Of course, the other three overheard and spun around.

"What?" Vivian rushed back to Cassia's side. "You've met someone?"

Cassia went hot all over with embarrassment. How was she going to spin this now? "Not exactly."

Carol and Olivia hurried over. "What's his name?" Olivia asked.

Cassia looked between all four faces and wanted to disappear. She'd never been good at lying, especially not to her four closest and oldest friends. "Dylan," she heard herself saying, thinking she was making a mistake telling them anything at all.

The other four exchanged a look before squealing and jumping around. Cassia couldn't help but laugh as they all pulled her forward, continuing on to the restaurant. They peppered her with questions, only half of which she heard, the rest of the way to Chianti's. After they were seated at a table, the women faced Cassia with expectant looks.

"OK, so we know his name is Dylan." Vivian leaned forward, her eyes avid. "What else?"

"Is he cute?"

"What does he do?"

"How did you two meet?"

Cassia exchanged a look with Janis, who came to her rescue, explaining about Tapley's.

"Oh wow." Carol grinned. "I never would have thought you'd give something like that a chance."

"Why not?"

Carol shrugged. "You're just more comfortable talking to men across the engine block, not a table in a bar."

Cassia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I figured I didn't have anything to lose."

"OK, OK." Olivia waved a hand. "Back to this Dylan. You met at Tapley's and you've been seeing him since?"

Cassia lifted one shoulder and shook her head. "Not really. I mean, we've spoken a few times but haven't really gone out." None of which was a lie. She had spoken to Dylan a few times since they'd met, and they hadn't gone out. Somehow though, she knew it sounded like there was more to it.

"Well, this is incredible." Olivia reached across the table to clasp Cassia's hand. "I knew you'd meet someone if you just put yourself out there."

"Totally. You needed to get out of the garage and meet people."

Cassia scowled, not enjoying the way the conversation had turned.

"I mean, it's not like you had the college experience, which is how we all met our men." Carol exchanged looks with their nodding friends.

Cassia turned to Vivian. "You met Troy in high school."

"Yeah, but we didn't really connect until I came home after my third year." Vivian smiled. "And I ended up breaking up with my college boyfriend to be with Troy, but I never would have known how great Troy is without having gone through what I did at Auburn."

The others nodded at Vivian's assessment. They'd all discussed it often enough. Cassia sighed and sat back in her seat, saved from having to make any other comment when the waiter appeared to take their drink orders.

After he was gone, they turned their attentions to the menu, and Cassia was relieved at the change in conversation. She disliked discussing her romantic life as much as she disliked talking about her 'lack of college experience.' Most days, she didn't care that she'd never gone somewhere, since she'd never seen the point in going to school, just to go, accruing whatever amount in debt, and never know what she wanted out of it. But there were times, usually when someone else pointed it out, well-meaning or not, that she wished she'd made a different choice.

I can't go back and change it now. Cassia turned her focus to the menu, trying to pick something to eat.

Her reprieve was short-lived. After they'd eaten most of their dinners a short while later, Carol turned to Cassia and asked again about Dylan.

"You still haven't told us much about him."

Cassia shrugged. "There isn't much to tell. I don't know him that well yet."

"We know his name is Dylan, and he was desperate enough to try speed dating."

Carol's tone was teasing but Cassia was tired and annoyed.

"Desperate like me?"

"No, you were never desperate, Cass." Janis patted her hand, while shooting Carol a pointed look.

Carol shrugged. "I just want to know more about this guy, especially if she's going to be bringing him to the wedding."

"I haven't said anything about taking him to the wedding."

"Well, you can't go alone."

A silence fell over the table at Carol's pronouncement. To her other friends' credit, they seemed as unhappy with Carol's words as Cassia.

Vivian shot Carol a dirty look before leaning her elbows on the table. "Listen, Cass, you don't have to bring a date. I hope you don't think I was trying to force that on you for my wedding."

"You didn't." Cassia sighed and brushed her hair off her face. "Can we please talk about something else?"

After a moment's hesitation, they agreed and conversation turned to scheduling for the bachelorette party and the bridal shower. Dinner ended a short while later, and they filed out of the restaurant, lingering on the sidewalk for a few minutes before they headed to their vehicles.

Carol and Olivia headed in one direction, arm-in-arm, and Janis got a call before waving and crossing the street towards her own car. Left alone with Cassia, Vivian smiled and reached out to give her a hug.

"I'm sorry for what Carol said before."

Cassia patted her friend on the back. "Don't worry about it, Viv. I know you don't want me bringing some random guy to the wedding."

Vivian pulled back. "It's not that. Not unless some random guy turned out to be totally hot and worthy of you."

Cassia laughed. "Thanks."

They turned and started to walk down the sidewalk, heading for the parking lot they'd both parked in, closer to the bridal shop.

"Is Dylan totally hot?"

Cassia grinned at her friend's hesitant question. "He's very nice-looking, yes."

Beside her, Vivian squealed and smacked her arm a couple times in her enthusiasm. "I knew it. What else?"

Cassia hesitated, still not liking that she wasn't telling the whole truth. For all she knew, she'd never see Dylan again. And yet, she found herself telling Vivian about him, his shy and quiet manner, his politeness and sense of humor, understated as it was.

"I think he sounds sweet." Vivian stopped at the intersection before the parking lot and turned to Cassia with an excited expression. "I know. Why don't you ask if he can come to the cookout?"

"What cookout?"

"The meet-and-greet we're having at our place."

Cassia recalled now that Vivian had planned to have both sides of the wedding party meet up prior to the big day, so everyone could be introduced and get to know each other, or get reacquainted.

"I don't know."

"It'll be really relaxed, no families, just the wedding party and boyfriends and girlfriends and all."

They started walking as the light changed and Cassia agreed that it would be a laid back affair, and a good opportunity to introduce a potential boyfriend. Except... Dylan wasn't even that.

With a sigh, Cassia shook her head. "I don't know, Viv. I mean, I just met Dylan. The whole wedding thing might be too much, too soon."

Vivian's expression fell but she nodded. "Well, think about it. Maybe run it by him and see what he says."

Cassia didn't know if she'd ever have the opportunity to, especially after the way she'd acted last time they'd spoken, but she nodded anyway.

They arrived at the parking lot, exchanged a hug, and waved as they made their way to their vehicles.

As soon as Cassia slid into the driver's seat, she decided she needed pie. Pie and a good cup of coffee. Maybe even some advice, if Sally wasn't busy. At this point, she might even take advice from Kyle.

With a smile on her face, she turned the key in the ignition and headed off. She parked her car at home and walked the short distance to the Lone Star Diner. As the bell rang overhead when she walked in, she looked around. It wasn't late, but there weren't that many people sitting at the tables, or along the counter. However, there was one familiar face down at the end.

What the hell? It was as if all that talk of him at dinner had summoned him.

Cassia walked down the aisle and slid onto the stool next to Dylan Samuels. He looked up from his half-eaten slice of pie and his eyes widened at the sight of her.

Cassia gave him a narrow look, even as her heart pattered into a quicker rhythm. "This is starting to get weird."

Dylan smiled. "It's your fault. I can't get enough of this pie."

Cassia pulled her jacket off and smiled at Sally as she came to pour her coffee.

"Be right back with your pie."

"Thanks, Sall." Cassia wrapped her hands around her mug and eyed Dylan out of the corner of her eye.

Dylan resumed eating his pie, ignoring her for the moment. She watched his jaw working as he ate, saw the way the tips of his ear had turned pink at her appearance. It made her smile and she hid it behind her mug as he glanced her way.

"Rough night?"

His question startled her and she set her mug down, shaking her head. "No, why?"

He shrugged, scraping up the last bite of his pie. "You seem to come here whenever you need a pick-me-up."

Cassia hadn't really thought about it, but she supposed it would seem that way to Dylan. While she normally visited the diner at least three times a week, she had always run into him after some episode that required a pick-me-up, as he'd put it.

"Here you go, darlin'." Sally set a plate in front of Cassia. "It's pecan today."

"Sall, I could kiss you."

Sally laughed and walked away, leaving her to the pie. And Dylan. She dug in, only growing self-conscious after the first few bites. Dylan didn't speak, just sipped his coffee, and he kept his eyes on the television in the corner.

After she was done, Cassia pushed the plate away and looked up to see what he was watching. It was an educational show of some kind, with two men talking while they stood inside an ancient building of some kind, that had mosaics all over the wall and ceiling overhead.

"What is this?"

Dylan shrugged. "Not sure. It was Wheel of Fortune before."

Cassia smiled. "I enjoy the Wheel every now and then."

"I suck at Wheel of Fortune." Dylan's eyes dropped to her face. "I much prefer watching Jeopardy."

Her eyebrows rose. "Jeopardy? A hockey player who likes a quiz show?"

"Well, there's a lot of down time on away trips." Dylan smiled. "And I can only pack so many books in my bag."

Cassia sipped her coffee. "I've never been a big reader."

"I've always loved reading." Dylan shifted on his stool and set his mug on the counter. "My mom read to us all as kids, and it stuck with me through school, college, traveling with the team, all of it"

"What do you read?"

"A bit of everything."

"Romance?"

Dylan laughed. "Not my first choice, but I have read some. I met a writer when I played with Colorado. She was dating one of the other players on the team, so of course, I had to read her stuff, which was primarily romance."

"What's her name?"

"She uses a pseudonym, Dorie Saunders, but her name is Vanessa Bertrand."

"Bertrand." Cassia's brow wrinkled as she thought about it. "She's married to Sean Bertrand?"

"That's the one. They were married last year, I think. I lost touch with him after my trade to Dallas."

Cassia nodded. "And he was traded to Montreal, too."

"Yeah."

"Do you stay in touch with anyone else from Colorado?" As far as Cassia could recall, Dylan had only played for Colorado and Dallas in his career.

He shook his head. "Not really. It's hard to, with different schedules and all."

"Makes dating difficult, too."

His ears turned pink again but he nodded with a smile. "Yes, it certainly does."

Cassia recalled the evening she'd had and her smile faded.

Dylan noticed, his own smile disappearing and he leaned closer. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She sighed. "I had another fun night with my girlfriends."

"Ah. More wedding stuff?"

She nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Could she talk about it without mentioning the whole dating thing? "It was another fitting. My dress was done and Olivia's too."

"Was it not good? Did they mess something up?"

"No. It fit perfectly."

A beat of silence passed.

"So, what's the problem?"

She shot him a narrow look. "You weren't this chatty the first time we met."