Unknown - driven

“I?ll be fine,” Dylan replied, distracted by the warm, soft hand encircling her wrist.

Norton smirked. “I?m sure you will be, my friend. I?m sure you will be.”

Bidding them both a silent goodnight, she left the room and closed the door quietly behind her.

Cat looked at the bags on the counter. She sighed and wondered if she could really pulled this off and why in the name of God she hadn?t just agreed to go out to Dylan?s favorite restaurant.

She knew exactly why, and it didn?t take her mind long to come up with the answer as she reached in a brown sack and retrieved the ingredients. She wanted to be alone with Dylan. Plain and simple. She didn?t want to share her with the outside world on the night that was their first ?official? date.

She had offered to make Dylan a ?wonderful? vegetarian meal. Now all she had to do was figure out exactly how to do that. She had slightly misrepresented her cooking skills. She would never starve to death, but she had always felt it was best not to subject her friends to her culinary offerings.

After taking all the things she had purchased at the farmer?s market and the local health food store out of their bags, she retrieved the recipes that she had downloaded from the internet.

Her mother had always told her you couldn?t go wrong if you always followed the recipe. She really hoped that her mother was right this time.

She placed the fresh vegetables in the dish drainer, knowing they would need to be washed and chopped up as she prepared each dish.

Her menu was complete. She would offer Dylan nice raw vegetables with homemade ranch dressing and vegetarian pate for hor d’oeuvres. Dinner would start with a nice miso soup, and then she would serve spinach souffl� and roasted chilies with garlic sauce.

As far as she could tell from all the research she had done this would be a nice meal with the tastes and textures complimenting each other. She had called her mother and asked her for ideas. Her mother wasn?t much help, reminding Cat that she came from a meat and potatoes family and maybe she should try to bring Dylan over to the dark side. That was when she suggested the recipes.

Cat read the recipes as she sorted the ingredients and set everything into their respective piles. “I can do this,” she muttered to herself. “I can fix a perfectly nice dinner for her. It?s only vegetables for Christ?s sake.”

She heard him and looked over to see Hamlet sitting in the kitchen doorway. His head cocked to one side and one eyebrow apparently raised.

“Not a word out of you, Flea Bag.”

The dog all but smirked before plopping down on the floor, head resting on paws to watch his mistress. Smiling, Cat took a treat from the container on the counter and tossed it at the dog. His head whipped up and he snatched the tasty treat from the air with a snap.

“You?re so easy,” Cat chuckled and then started removing pots and pans from under the cabinets. “I wonder if Dylan can be trained through her stomach.”

Cat continued working around the kitchen. Her mind wandered to many topics in order to keep her from thinking about Dylan. They had lost the big game in California. It wasn?t any wonder really, given that she and Dylan had spent the night on a freezing mountain, not quite sure if they were going to live.

Not only were they in no condition to perform their respective roles as player and coach, but the rest of the team had gotten very little sleep when they found out the private plane had gone down. To make matters worse, early reports stated that there had been no survivors and they were waiting for the bodies to be brought down.

Fortunately, Cat, Dylan, and the team doctor had made it out with what could be considered minor injuries, considering the situation. Unfortunately, Cat thought acidly, Horace had survived not only the crash, but a heart attack as well. She shook her head as began slicing vegetables, her mother would not be proud of her for thinking such things. Even if Horace Johnson was a narrow minded, bigoted son of a bitch.

They split the next two games of their road trip, and arrived back home battered, bruised, and sitting in third in their division.

Needless to say, no one was very happy when they touched down in Birmingham just the day before, and Cat just about started in surprise when Dylan reminded her of her bargain and their first ?real? date together. She couldn?t snap the idea up quickly enough, and then spent the rest of the night worrying that Dylan might think her something tart, and cheap, and rhyming with ?go?.

Shaking herself out of those less than pleasant memories, she covered the tray of veggies and the now freshly made pate and placed it in the refrigerator so they would be properly chilled when Dylan arrived.

Next, onto the stock for the soup. She was very pleased with herself and that she had not made any critical errors. She was a bit worried about how soft the tofu was, but she decided that since it was made from soybeans it was probably suppose to be mushy. It still cut up just fine into little cubes to be put in the soup.

She peered into the to soup pan stirring it slowly. “I think it?s okay. God I?m going to need a burger after she leaves.” A slight, sexy smile crossed her lips as she put just a touch of pepper in the soup. “If she leaves.”

Everything was prepared and Cat had to give herself credit. For dishes that had nothing that resembled meat in them, they all smelled good.

“I?m amazed,” she mumbled as she looked into the last pan, containing the roasted chilies. The aroma was spicy and Cat wondered if she would be able to eat it. Hot food was not her thing, but she knew Dylan had a taste for it.

Hamlet jumped up and dashed for the door when the bell rang. He stood there, barking and growling and doing what he was trained to do, protect Cat, with his very life if need be.

“All right ferocious, knock it off. Its just Dylan.” She reached down and tugged on his collar, causing him to stop immediately. He sat back and waited for her to open the door. If she was wrong he was right there to tear the throat out of anyone who would hurt his human.

Cat smiled when she opened the door, finding Dylan leaning against the jam. A bottle of wine in one hand and a bouquet of wild flowers in the other. She?d rid herself of her damnable crutches the day before, over the vociferous objections of Norton and the entire medical staff, and was down to the bulky brace that she wore under loose black slacks.

“Hi,” she said softly, causing chills to run up and down Cat?s spine.

“Hi, yourself. Come on in.” She stepped back and allowed the tall woman entrance.

Hamlet was sure that no one was here for dastardly purposes and left them standing there as he went to his big bed in the living room.

“I?m glad we decided to do this, Cat.” Dylan offered the flowers first then the wine.

Cat took both, blushing at the flowers and looking at the bottle. “I thought you didn?t drink.”

“I don?t really, but one glass of wine with dinner tonight isn?t going to kill me and I thought I would show you I?m not totally weird.”

“Do you like tofu?”

“Love it!”

“Great, you?ll love the soup, but you?re still weird.” She chuckled as she walked to the kitchen with Dylan following behind.

Dylan took a seat on a stool at the breakfast counter. She grinned as Cat removed the trays from the fridge and placed them in front of her, uncovering them with a flourish.

“For your approval madam, fresh vegetables and a vegetable pate. The crackers are also kosher for you meat hating types. I checked just to make sure.”

“You?ve gone all out for me. I?m impressed.”

“Of course I did. I wanted us to have a nice first date.”

Dylan smiled and took Cat?s hand gently, running her thumb over the back of soft skin. “It?s already nice, because we?re together.”

“You?re very sweet. You know that?”

Cat is delighted to see Dylan duck her head and smile in a slightly bashful way. The blonde leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to the lips before her.

When she drew back, she smiled again. “I?m glad you?re here.”

“Me too.”

Cat cleared her throat and slapped back all the thoughts of leaving dinner untouched as she dragged Dylan to her bedroom. “Try the pate.”

The tall woman nodded and took one of the crackers in hand. Cat turned away and rooted around in the drawer for a wine opener.

“Oooo this is good.”

Cat turned around, nearly dropping the bottle and the corkscrew. “Really?” Blonde brows jumped to her hairline.

“Yes, really.” Dylan laughed. “It?s very good.”

There was an audible sigh of relief, which made Dylan chuckle harder.

“Don?t tell me you were worried.”

“Of course I was worried,” she stated as she struggled with getting the cork from the bottle. “My idea of vegetarian is extra tomatoes on my hamburger.”

Dylan took the bottle and easily removed the cork as two glasses were placed in front of her. “Thanks.”

“No problem. After spending all day in the kitchen, that was easy.” Cat sat moved around the breakfast bar and took a seat next to Dylan. Taking her wine glass she held it up in toast, “Here?s to a wonderful evening.”

“I?ll drink to that.” She sipped her wine before turning back to the pate. She offered a cracker coated in the greenish brown paste. “Try it.”

“I dunno?”

“Oh now come on, you didn?t go to all this trouble, just to let me eat it myself.”

Cat tasted the mixture, reluctantly agreeing with a nod that it was pretty good.

“So,” Dylan popped the rest of the cracker in her mouth. “What else is for dinner?”

“Miso soup?”

“One of my favorites.”

“Good. Spinach souffl� and roasted chilies.”

“Wow you did go all out didn?t you?”

“I tried.”

“Thanks. Not many people go to the trouble of cooking for me.”

“I actually enjoyed it.”

Dylan absently scratched her neck. “When will it be ready?”

“Oh it?s ready now.”

“Then let?s eat, but before we do, can I use your bathroom?”

“Sure, you know where it is.”

Dylan got up and headed upstairs, while Cat dishes out the soup. She noticed that it had an extremely tangy smell she hadn?t noticed before, but she figured it must be natural.

“Hey Cat?”

She moved so she could look up to the railing where Dylan was standing. “Yeah?”

“Did the pate have peanuts in it?”

“No why?”

“Well, I?m starting to break out like I do when I eat peanuts. I have a mild allergy. Nothing serious. I was just wondering.”

“No it?s got?” she paused, then dashed into the kitchen, pulling a bottle of oil from the cabinet. “Oh shit!” She ran back out and looked up again. “Peanut oil.”

“That?s it.” Dylan chuckled as she descended the stairs.

“I?m so sorry.”

“Hey, it?s okay, really. I forgot to tell you and you had no way to know.”

“Oh damn.”

“Cat, really, it?s okay. I swear. It?s not serious. I just won?t be eating anymore of that pate.”

Cat nodded ruefully and headed back into the kitchen. “How about soup, I promise no peanuts or peanut extract got within a foot of it.”

“Perfect.”

They went to the small dining table, which Cat had set with a tablecloth and candles. The addition of Dylan?s flowers made it very romantic.

Seated, Cat brought the soupspoon to her lips but stopped just short when the smell assailed her again. Dylan looked at the bowl with some concern.

“Ummm Cat, what?s in this soup?”

“It?s a vegetable stock with tofu.”

“Un-huh. Did you put the tofu in the fridge?”

“No, it?s bean curd for God?s sake?” She stopped and looked to Dylan. “It went bad?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I?m afraid so, tofu can go bad in a flash.”

“I don?t believe this.”

“Hey, we still have the souffl� and the roasted chilies.”

“Right.” Cat tried to remain positive, but her hopes were slowly diminishing. “Let?s hope I don?t kill you with those.”

“Cat,” Dylan moved closer and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman. “You have no idea how much it means to me that you even tried this. Vegan cooking isn?t easy.”

“Vegan?” Cat slowly drew back. “As in no meat by products?”

“Yeah.”

“Great there goes the souffl�.”

“What?”

“Eggs and milk,” Cat sat back down. “God, this has got to go onto your list of hellish dates.”

“No,” Dylan returned to her seat. “It?s not hellish. I could stand to lose a little weight.” She joked hoping to lighten the mood. “We still have roast chilies.”

“Are you sure you?re that brave?”