?Thanks Mom. You have no idea how much that means to me.?

They made their way further into the room, where it appeared that her father had ordered at least one of everything from the room service menu. ?Dad, how can you afford all this? The suite, the food?? She plucked a bottle from an ice bucket. ??the champagne.?

?Hey, you let me worry about that. This is your party. Your job is to enjoy it.?

?Dad??

A knock on the door sent on of the boys scurrying to open it. ?Welcome to the room of the great Cat Hodges!? he piped up as he pulled the door open and came face to belly button with a body much, much taller than he was. His blonde head tipped back, then back further, until the face of Dylan Lambert came into view. ?Um?.?

?Hello there, little man,? Dylan rumbled, her face set in its most serious expression. ?Is the great Cat Hodges receiving visitors??

?Um?. She?s?.she?s?.you?re?.um?.?

From within the loving grasp of her father?s embrace, Hodge chanced to look toward the door just in time to see Dylan fill it with her unmistakable presence. Pulling away from her father, she hurried to the entrance just in time to catch her brother as he toppled backwards.

?Sorry about that,? she murmured. ?He?s?a little star struck.?

?Must run in the family,? Dylan teased.

?It must.? Setting her brother back on his feet and sending him off with a fond swat to the rump, Hodge shook her head and motioned the coach into the room. When she closed the door she turned to find that her entire family was standing slack jawed. ?Coach Lambert I?d like to introduce my family. Who have just turned into statues for your amusement.?

Her oldest brother finally found his senses, laying somewhere around his shoes with his tongue and he managed to take a step forward, offering Dylan his hand. ?Pleasure to meet you Miss Lambert.? Though the highschooler was well past puberty, he was mortified to hear his voice crack several times His blush rivaled his sister?s at its most vivid.

?Dylan, or Coach. Pleasure to meet you too John.?

Hodge took a step back and watched as her bothers took fawning to new heights, tripping over themselves in order to be the first to greet Dylan and shake her hand. Kevin even managed to ask Dylan for her autograph, which she gracefully gave.

?Leave her alone guys,? Hodge growled finally, shooing them to the other side of the room. ?Coach, these are my parents, Ilene and Joseph Hodges.?

Dylan nodded to the both of them, then shook hands warmly with each in turn. ?It?s a pleasure to meet you in person. Catherine has told me a lot about you.?

Cat?s mother laughed. ?Yes, and we?ve heard all there is to hear about you for the last five years.?

?Oh God Mom?? Hodge groaned and turned her back, wishing the world would just end.

?So,? her mother continued, undaunted, ?it?s nice to finally meet you in person.?

?Thank you,? Joseph interjected, tears misting his eyes, ?for making my little girl?s dreams come true.?

Dylan smiled, liking the older man immediately. His hands were the rough hands of a hard working man, his grip warm and strong. It was obvious his daughter favored him highly, and she, in turn, was the apple of his eye.

While her parents talked to Dylan, Hodge took the time to grab a soda from the table. She waited for a lull in the conversation then stepped forward.

?So Coach what brings you this way? I didn?t think I?d see you ?til rookie camp.?

Dylan tossed Hodge the item she?d been carrying. ?You forgot this.?

Cat looked in the bag and shook her head. She had forgotten her jersey. ?I?m sorry Coach.?

?S?okay. It happens.?

?Yeah, but it always seems to happen with me.?

?Coach Lambert can we offer you something to drink?? Joseph asked, hoping to deflect his daughter?s embarrassment.

?Thanks, but I need to get going. I just didn?t want our star going topless for her first game.? She grinned. ?We?ll try letting her skills speak for her instead.?

?Can I walk you to your car?? Hodge asked, warning herself not to blush.

?Sure. I can go over a few things with you on the way.? Dylan turned to Hodge?s family. ?It was very nice meeting you all. I hope we?ll see you again during the season.?

?Already have my season tickets,? Joseph said, every inch the proud father.

With one final smile, Dylan turned and left, Hodge in tow.

Standing by the elevator, Dylan caught Hodge?s eye. She smiled. ?Good job at the press conference. Well played.?

Hodge grinned. ?Thanks. I?ll admit that the question threw me for a loop, but the talk I had with Shauna really helped.?

?I?m glad she was able to fill you in on everything.?

By the look in Hodge?s eyes, Dylan knew that ?everything? did, in fact, mean everything.

The elevator doors opened. Hodge and Dylan stepped inside, and Dylan pushed the button for the lobby. Silence hung between them as the elevator made its way down to the ground floor.

Just before the doors opened, Hodge turned to Dylan. ?I want you to know that I will keep what Shauna and I discussed in the strictest confidence,? she said softly. ?I?ll never tell anyone.?

Dylan smiled, and nodded. ?I know. Thanks.?

They walked out to the rental, which was waiting in front of the hotel entrance. Going to the trunk, Dylan retrieved her leather briefcase and snapped it open, pulling from within a series of business cards and forms which she handed over to Hodge.

?When you get back home, contact Mac at this number. He?ll set up a time for you to meet and discuss your contract. I?d strongly suggest retaining a lawyer, someone who specializes in contract law, to go with you when you start negotiations. I?d also suggest looking for an agent.?

?I can do that,? Hodge replied. ?Can you recommend anyone for me??

?It wouldn?t be ethical for me to recommend either for you since I represent the ?company? you?ll be working for.? She handed over several more cards. ?Here are some of the contact numbers of players I know and trust. You can ask them for their recommendations. Give Shauna a call too, if you want. She?ll be able to help.?

?I?ll call them as soon as I get home.?

?Good. You should also contact a realtor to set up some housing arrangements for you. Here?s the number of the one I?ve used. She?s very good at what she does.? After handing Hodge the final card, she smiled. ?Rookie camp starts in a month. Relax and have fun during your time off, but try to keep up your conditioning. I don?t run an easy camp.?

Hodge grinned. ?Thanks for the warning.?

Dylan returned the grin. ?Goodbye for now, Catherine. And thanks again.?

They clasped hands warmly, and then Dylan slipped into her car and was gone.

Hodge watched the car recede into the distance, a wistful smile on her face. Then she turned and headed back to the cheerful madhouse that was her beloved family.

Blowing out a cleansing breath, Hodge stood before the imposing, glass walled office building and smoothed out the creases in her dress slacks. She knew she was stalling, but her mind wasn?t quite up to the task of ordering her body around this morning. It didn?t help that her sorry excuse for a contract lawyer had chosen 10pm the evening before to call and cancel on her. She?d spent the rest of the night debating with herself over what to do, but in the end decided that showing up alone was better than not showing up at all. After all, this was a job interview, not Mrs. Smithers? Adolescent Psych course.

A mental kick in the rear finally got her body in gear, and she grasped the ornate door handle, pulled it wide, and stepped into the lobby?s blessed coolness.

Her heels rang loudly as she crossed the vast expanse of dark-veined marble tiling, staring ahead at the gigantic crystal fountain and its rendering of a crystal basketball player holding a crystal basketball high aloft.

Passing the fountain, and marveling at the amount of money it must have taken to create such a thing, she immediately spied a long desk behind which a uniformed security guard was sitting. On the wall above him was a gigantic rendering of the Badgers? logo, all done up in tiny purple and black tiles.

Stepping up to the desk, she gave the guard her friendliest smile. ?Hello, my name is Catherine Hodges. I?m here to meet with Mr. MacKenzie.?

?Mr. MacKenzie is expecting you, Ma?am,? the guard replied, sliding a clipboard across to her. ?Please sign in, and I?ll give you your badge.?

After signing her name, Hodge accepted the visitor?s badge from the guard and clipped it to her lapel.

?Take these elevators, Ma?am, and get off on the seventh floor. Down the hall to your left is Mr. MacKenzie?s office. You can?t miss it.?

?Thank you.?

The trip up was a quick one, and Hodge stepped out into a large, open area whose walls were windows and whose floors were the same dark marble as in the lobby. Turning left, she walked down a hallway that wasn?t really a hallway at all, until she came upon a wide door bearing the name of the general manager on a golden plaque.

The door swung open easily, and she stepped into Mac?s plush offices. The reception office was large and decorated in pleasing, neutral tones. Two long leather couches sat against two of the walls, fronted by a low slung glass table that was liberally scattered with sports magazines.

To the right, an attractive young woman sat behind a large reception desk. The receptionist smiled as Hodge entered. ?Good morning, Ms. Hodges.?

Taken aback for a second, Hodge quickly recovered and returned the young woman?s smile. ?Good morning.?

?I?ll let Mac know you?re in. He should be out in just a minute.?

Hodge waited patiently as the receptionist made a short phone call. True to her word, within a minute, the door to the inner office opened and Mac strode into the room, a beaming smile on his face. ?It?s good to see you again, Catherine,? he exclaimed, grasping her hand in a firm shake. ?Welcome aboard.?

?Thank you, Mr. MacKenzie. It?s good to be aboard.?

?Ah?Mac, please. Otherwise I?ll think you?re talking to my dad.?

?Mac it is then,? Hodge returned, grinning.

?Good. Glad we got that settled.? Mac looked around the otherwise empty outer office. ?Your lawyer?s a little late, I see.?

?Actually, he?s going to be a lot later. He called me late last night to tell me he wasn?t going to show. Something about some Hollywood starlet he?s representing.?

?Oh. Well, that might pose a bit of a problem. Since you?ve never signed a contract before, I?m not sure how comfortable I feel negotiating it without you being represented.?

?Well?is it unethical to let me take a look at it? I promise not to sign anything until I?ve found another lawyer.?

Mac was silent for a moment, considering. ?I suppose it can?t hurt anything. C?mon.?

They walked into Mac?s office and sat down at the conference table. Mac handed over a thick, bound document. Hodge stared it in disbelief.

?What, you thought it was gonna be a couple of pieces of notebook paper stapled together,? he teased.

?I had textbooks smaller than this in college!?

Mac laughed. ?Welcome to the world of professional sports, Cat.?

Opening the cover, Hodge was immediately assaulted with so much legalese that her Latin teacher wouldn?t have been able to decipher it. Mac walked her through each section of the contract, explaining as best he could what was represented in the paragraphs.

When he got to the salary section, Hodge tried her best not to show her surprise. She?d known going in that the base rates?for rookies especially?were nothing short of pitiful. Though higher than a teacher?s starting salary, it wasn?t by much. The number she saw displayed before her was a good deal more than she?d been expecting.

She rose her eyes to Mac, who smiled. ?You were the first pick in the draft,? he explained. A long finger pointed to the next paragraphs. ?I?m authorized to give you a tenth of your base salary up front as a signing bonus. Then you have the standard incentive bonuses, both individual and team. The better you do, and the better we do, the more money comes in.?

?That makes sense,? Hodge agreed.

?You?ll also receive a percentage of any team merchandise that features you exclusively, including posters, jerseys, caps, and jackets.? He flipped a page. ?And here are the endorsement clauses. All endorsements need to be cleared through the team first, because your identity will be tied up with the team.? Another page. ?This is your housing allowance. If you don?t have a realtor, I can give you a few names.?