It was almost two weeks later before Ryan could find a night clear of hockey and basketball games, not to mention a time where she had no rehearsal scheduled.

As they rode out to Chantilly in his car, and the weather was gray and damp, typical of early February. Brody glanced over at Ryan as she stared out the window and fidgeted, tapping her foot on the floor.

"You're not one of those people that steps on imaginary brakes, are you?" he asked.

"What?" She looked over at him, confused.

He smiled and shook his head. "I was just trying to see if you were nervous about my driving."

"Oh, no. Sorry." She fiddled with the fringe on her purple scarf. "Just nervous."

"I'll be on my best behavior, I promise."

"No, that's not it. I've told you that before."

"It'll be fine." Brody couldn't understand why she was so nervous about this. He could accept some general anxiety, but Ryan had been antsy about this for days.

"Yeah, fine. It'll be fine. Just don’t say anything about the band, and it'll be fine."

"Ryan, come on. I get that you're not doing what they expected, but they'll come around."

She gave a short laugh. "Yeah, right. I just haven't been patient enough for the past four or five years."

"Well, you know, in my family, when Eileen said she wanted to go in the Peace Corps, that didn't exactly go down easy for some of us."

"Brody, you don't get it." Ryan huffed in frustration and threw her head back against the seat. "My parents are not like yours. They aren't waiting for me to finish going through a phase. They think I'm being stupid, and that I'm wasting my time and my education, not that they thought much of that, either."

"Okay, I'm sorry." He reached over and patted her leg. "Let's forget about it. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm sorry." She took a deep breath. "Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying I was neglected or abused or anything like that. Not at all. My parents are decent people. But at the risk of sounding like a melodramatic teenager, they don't understand me. They never did. If it isn't sports, Dad's not interested. Mom's happy to be the fifties-era housewife and just goes along with him."

Brody nodded and dropped the subject. They pulled up in the driveway and Ryan stared at the house for a minute before undoing her seatbelt. Brody came around to open her door and she smiled at him.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more," she murmured. At his puzzled look, she explained. "Shakespeare, Henry V, Act Three. I was an English major. See, it comes in handy."

He chuckled and took her hand as he led her up to the house.

x-x-x-x

Brody sensed Ryan's tension all through dinner. She seemed to be waiting for something bad to happen, but he couldn't figure out what. Her mom was sweet, and insisted he call her Judy. Her father, Jim, was a big man, and it was easy to see the football player he'd been.

Judy made spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread, and after dinner, they moved into the living room before having dessert. Judy brought out coffee for everyone and Brody thanked her as he took his and added some cream.

"So, I hear you've met Evan," Judy said as she sipped at her coffee.

"Yes, I did. He's a tall guy," Brody said, drawing smiles from Ryan's parents. "If he's half as good at basketball as Ryan is at her music, he must be something to watch." He felt compelled to say something complimentary about Ryan. The conversation over dinner had centered around her brothers, and he noticed that her parents hadn't said much to their daughter since they'd arrived. Nor had she said much to them; it was weird.

When he'd brought Ryan to meet his family, chaotic as it had been over the holidays, everyone had talked, sometimes at each other, sometimes over. No one had been ignored.

"Evan's the best guard to come out of his high school in twenty years." Jim thumped his hand on the table for emphasis. "The only problem is the NBA making him stay in school. He could be playing in the pros right now."

"Oh, sweetie, you know he'll be fine." Judy patted her husband's hand.

"College can help," said Brody. "I mean, I wouldn't trade my years at college for anything, really. It was a great time to make friends and learn from the coaches in a much less stressful environment." He didn't know what else he might say to bring Ryan into the conversation.

"But you got drafted, right? Before you graduated?" Jim prompted.

"Um, yes, I did. But I would have finished it out if I hadn't been drafted that year, and tried again the next." Brody felt a little uncomfortable with the questions, but saw no reason not to be honest.

"There, see." Jim gestured towards his wife. "Getting degrees is overrated."

"Now, Jim, you know some kids wait until after college to go pro," Judy admonished. "It doesn't hurt."

"I'd have to agree," Brody said. "College can be a big help. I know a lot of guys who got their degrees. One of my teammates was a history major."

Jim grunted into his coffee and silence fell over the group. It didn't last long before Judy spoke up. "So, Brody, how did you come to play hockey?"

"Good question," said Jim. "I would have thought you'd have gone for football at Michigan State. They're a big draw up there."

"They are, indeed. My younger brother went to Michigan State." Brody was at a loss; he'd never wanted to play football, even when he was little. Once he'd had a hockey stick in his hand, other sports held no appeal. Jim obviously thought football was the only sport that mattered. "I guess football just wasn't my thing. I played some baseball growing up, but hockey was what called to me."

Jim nodded but said nothing. Brody sensed Ryan tense more, and he wasn't even touching her. He tried to change the conversation and looked at Jim. "Ryan tells me you went to University of Maryland."

"I did." Jim nodded. "Had me a football scholarship. I played left tackle, and I was damn good. They put me in as a starter while I was still a freshman, and I was going to the NFL, everyone said so. I came this close." Jim held up a hand with his thumb and index fingers almost touching. "I had three teams interested in me. Then a play went bad, a guy fell on top of me and busted my knee."

"Sorry to hear that."

Jim shrugged. "It happens. I got over it. Had to leave school since I lost my scholarship, but I got a job in construction, worked my way up to site foreman. Good, honest work. You don’t need a piece of paper if you're willing to work hard.

"Now, JT—our oldest boy—he's even better than I was. He set the school record for tackles last season and he's entering the draft this year. If he doesn't go in the first round, I'll eat my hat."

"You don’t wear hats, dear," Judy said. Her smile and glance at Brody told him they'd had the exchange many times before.

"Figure of speech, hon."

They chatted for a bit more, with Jim recounting the various successes JT and Evan had had with their athletics. Nothing about Ryan, Brody couldn't help but notice. When it was going on eight o'clock, Judy said, "I know, Jim, why don't you show Brody the kids' trophies? Ryan, could you give me a hand with dishes, dear?"

Brody gave Ryan a quick smile before getting up to follow her father out of the room.

x-x-x-x

"Well, Ryan, he seems very nice." Judy nodded in satisfaction as she rinsed the plates and handed them to Ryan to load in the dishwasher.

"Thanks, Mom. I think so, too."

"Now how long have you two been dating?"

Ryan counted to ten to calm herself down; she'd been on edge all night but her mom wasn't asking anything unreasonable. Yet. "I met him in October, I think, but we didn't start dating until just before Thanksgiving.

I guess it's about three months now."

"Why didn't you say anything? Or bring him to meet us sooner?" Judy admonished.

"I don't know. Just waiting for the right time. He had road trips, and you guys were going to JT's games." Ryan shrugged. "It was hard to coordinate a time."

"Oh, well, I guess you're right." Judy put away the leftover meatballs and sauce in the refrigerator, then moved to get the pasta. "So, is it serious? Come on, you can tell me."

"I suppose. We haven't talked about it." Ryan was cautious. Since she wasn't sure herself, she didn't want to give her mother the wrong impression.

"I mean, because he seems so sweet. He's polite, and he's certainly handsome."

"That's true, but it's only been three months, Mom, like I said."

"He feels like a keeper to me, sweetie." Judy gave her a knowing look. "I know a lot of girls wait to get married these days, but I don't think it's always a good idea to wait. Then you're older when you have kids, if you have kids." She made a tsking sound. "I'd like to be a grandmother sooner rather than later."

Ryan felt trapped. "Yeah, I know, Mom. Still, I don't think we're anywhere near that serious."

"Not yet, maybe," Judy said. "Things can happen quickly. And I know, I know, you want to make your music and everything, but you have to be reasonable. Not many people succeed in that business. You can always keep playing just for yourself, as a hobby."

"Right." Ryan wondered just how awful it would be if she left and hotwired Brody's car to go home. Or, since she didn't know how to hotwire anything, maybe she could swipe his keys out of his jacket. Her father would drive him home.

Her mother's voice pulled her out of her escape fantasy. "Oh, look, they're back. Let's get dessert." Judy pulled a cheesecake out of the refrigerator and put slices on dessert plates and set them around the table.

Ryan followed with forks and napkins, still considering escape plans. Then her father came in and gestured for Brody to sit down. He did, and accepted when Judy offered another cup of coffee. Ryan sat next to him, her appetite gone, and poked at her cheesecake.

"So, Ryan hasn't told me yet, but how did you two meet?" Judy sat down and reached for her coffee.

Brody told them how he'd been visiting Mark and met Ryan when he'd gone to leave and she'd dropped her groceries in the hallway.

"Oh, isn't that sweet? Just like you'd read in a book." Judy beamed.

Brody smiled and sipped his coffee. "I was just trying to be helpful. Then one night we caught up again and went out for dinner. Sushi."

Judy wrinkled her nose and Jim rolled his eyes. "Never could stand the stuff. Who in their right mind eats raw fish?" he demanded.

"It's not for everyone," Brody acknowledged, "but still, I like to try new things."

Ryan spoke up. "Brody cooks. He's good, too. You should try his enchiladas, Mom."

"Only if they're not too spicy. I've just never been one for spicy foods. Neither is Jim, are you, dear?"

"That's okay, there's plenty out there to try." Brody took a bite of cheesecake. "This is terrific, Judy."

"Thank you. Best I can get in a box," she said with a smile.

"Anyway," Brody went on, "I had to convince her, you know, to go out with me. It took a lot of work, but she gave in." He glanced over at Ryan, who gave him a half-smile and sipped at her coffee.

"Ryan always was stubborn," Judy said. "More so than either of the boys. I always said she got that from Jim's side of the family."

Jim grunted a non-committal reply as he ate his dessert.

Brody turned to Ryan. "Hey, have you told them about the tour?"

"Tour?" Judy was puzzled. "What do you mean, a tour?"

Ryan put her fork down and sat back. "The band—we've been picked up for a tour. It'll start in April."

"Is this like when you went around before?" Judy asked. "I never did understand that."

"No, this is different." Ryan cleared her throat. "The tour is sponsored, and we've been asked to join it. We'll be paid. This won't be like before, when we organized the dates ourselves."

Her father stared at her. "Will you quit your job like you did before?"

Judy looked dismayed. "Oh, Ryan, that's a big risk right now. Are you sure that's what you'll do?"

"What about your apartment?" her father objected. "How can you afford your rent if you're not working?"

Ryan shrugged and her voice was tight when she replied. "We're still working out details. I have a lot of leave built up, and some credit time, and I might be able to work out some unpaid leave. Lara and I have both been saving, and we could sublet the apartment. Plus, we are getting paid." Her knuckles went white around the handle on the coffee mug.

"I've seen Ryan perform," Brody said. "I think she and the rest of the band are great. They work hard and you can hear it when they play."

Ryan clenched her jaw as silence filled the room. Her parents stared intently at their coffee and it was all she could do not to storm out right then. Brody darted her a questioning glance, but she just shook her head.

As though someone had poked her, Judy popped out of her seat. "Oh, Ryan, I almost forgot—I have a box of things for you. We're cleaning out; you know how things pile up in the basement. I'll be right back."

They were quiet while she went into another room, then came back with a medium-sized cardboard box. "RYAN" was scribbled in black marker on one side.

Ryan opened the box and her expression darkened. She closed it without a word, all but biting her tongue off in an effort to keep calm.

"I think we'd better get going." Ryan flicked a glance at Brody. "I have to work tomorrow."

"Good idea. I have practice in the morning myself."

Ryan took the box and led the way to the door. They donned their coats and Brody turned to her parents.

"Thanks, Jim. It was a great dinner, Judy. I'm really glad I got to meet you both." He shook hands with each of them in turn.

"It was good to meet you, too, Brody." Judy gave him a bright smile. "We hope we get to see you again soon."

"Bye," said Ryan.

"Bye, honey." Judy gave Ryan a brief hug and a peck on the cheek. "I'll call in a few days. Remember there's your cousin's birthday party in a couple of weeks."

"Right."

They walked out to the car as Ryan's parents closed the door. Brody was surprised at that; his parents would stand on the front step and make sure anyone who was leaving got in their car and started the engine before they'd go back inside.

Ryan was quiet, and Brody struggled with what to say. Ryan's parents had not been at all what he expected, but he didn't think Ryan would want him to say that. They were her parents, after all; he knew if someone questioned his parents, he'd get defensive. He waited to see if Ryan would say anything, but she only stared out the window with her arms crossed in front of her.

"So, ah, your parents seem nice." That was a neutral enough comment, he thought.

Ryan gave a derisive snort. She stared out the window and her responses after that were laconic at best, and he wasn’t sure what to do. Aside from the awkward silences, he thought it had gone all right. They hadn't thrown him out, that had to count for something, right?

They drove in silence for a while until Brody couldn't take it. "So, what's in the box?"

"Nothing."

"You looked a little upset about it, so I just wondered."

"It's nothing. It's not important." Her voice was sharp.

"Okay, okay." He drew in a breath and glanced at her. "Ryan, are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine." She wouldn't look at him.

"You sure?

"Yeah."

"Okay." Brody gave up and said no more as they drove back.