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Saturday morning Lee Stetson woke up in the last place he expected. His apartment. Alone. Even worse, he had no good reason as to why.
When he met Grace, he knew she was an incredible woman. She was smart, running her own business since she was 22. She was fun, quick to share her infectious laugh. She was sexy, using her curvy attention-grabbing figure to her advantage.
They had a delicious dinner seated at the best table La Bonne Vache had to offer. That was followed by a romantic walk along the Potomac in the moonlight and dancing at an intimate club.
Despite all that, Lee found himself walking Grace back to her car much earlier than he usually did on a date. Ordinarily, he would have used his charm and dimples to get an invite up to her place. From the way she was looking at him, he had a feeling that all it would have taken was a little encouragement. Instead, Lee brushed a quick kiss on her check and wished her a good night.
He walked back to the Porsche by himself, and surprisingly he wasn’t disappointed.
As the sunlight filled his bedroom that morning he reasoned that maybe he had been overly tired. Or possibly they just hadn’t clicked. Deep, deep down he had a nagging suspicion that it had more to do with someone else than it did with Grace. As he had for most of his adult life, Lee opted to focus on something else and ignore the feelings triggered by that thought.
“I need a workout,” he told himself. “It’s early enough that I can go to the gym and have time for lunch before I head to Amanda’s.”
At 12:55, he rang the doorbell at the Arlington home. It still felt a little odd to be entering through the front. Before he could give that any more thought, Amanda opened the door. She was wearing jeans and a Georgetown sweatshirt. He couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease her.
“No stained-covered apron? That’s my favorite outfit.”
Without missing a beat she replied, “I save that for special occasions. Like when I make my guests prepare their own meal.”
The two of them were sharing a chuckle when Dotty appeared.
“Oh hello,” she said. “You must be Lee. I’m Dotty. I am so sorry I didn’t get to meet you on Thanksgiving. Thank you again for helping with the meal. I had some of your gravy and it was fantastic! Wherever did you learn to cook?”
Somehow Lee ended up sitting on the sofa having no idea how Dotty had managed to guide him over without noticing.
He then found himself the focus of one of the best Class C interviews ever conducted. By the time it was over Dotty knew more about him then some women he’d dated for months. He kept glancing at Amanda with pleading looks, but she would just shrug her shoulders.
After what seems like an eternity, she interrupted her mother, “Don’t you still have to finish packing?”
“Oh,” Dotty jumped up. “Lee dear, I am afraid I have to cut this short. A group of us are going to Baltimore for a garden exposition. We’ll chat again some other time.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.” Lee’s voice seemed sincere, but Amanda could hear the slightest hint of sarcasm.
“Thanks for the rescue,” Lee said when Dotty was safely out of earshot. “Where did she go to school? The Kremlin Institute of Interrogation?”
“It’s your own fault,” Amanda said gesturing toward him with open palms.
“Mine?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes,” she explained, “She didn’t get to meet you at Thanksgiving. And the boys kept going on and on about how much fun you are, and how cool your car is, and all the interesting stuff you talk about. It was killing her that she missed out. Mother hates to be out of the know. She’s not called the “Gossip Queen of Maplewood Drive” for nothing.”
“Maybe we hired the wrong West woman,” he teased.
Amanda was about to retort when the back door flew open. Philip and Jamie entered with four other neighborhood kids.
“See, I told you we knew the guy with the cool car.” Philip said pointing to Lee.
“Is that really your car?” a tall blonde kid asked.
“Yep,” Lee nodded.
“Are you really letting Philip and Jamie have a ride in it?” another boy with a missing front tooth questioned.
“You bet I am,” Lee smiled obviously enjoying the hero worship.
“Can we have a ride?” the shortest one asked.
Lee looked over at Amanda for help.
“Now fellas, Mr. Stetson is really here to help Jamie with a school project. Besides, I don’t think your parents would be okay with you riding in a car with someone they don’t know. Philip and Jamie are going to be busy for a while, but they’ll catch up with later, okay?”
Shoulders slumped as the four of them replied, “Oh-kay” in unison.
Amanda gave an understanding smile. “And don’t forget to grab a couple of cookies on the way out. I just made them.”
At that the boys’ friends perked up. “Thanks Mrs. King,” was repeated as they each took a snack and headed out.
“Thanks for saving me,” Lee said.
“That’s the second time today,” Amanda teased. “You owe me.”
“Put it on my tab,” Lee replied. Turing to the boys he asked, “Okay, how are we going to do this?”
“Homework first,” Amanda answered.
“Awww Mom,” Philip protested. “Wormbrain here will take forever and I have to go to Brian’s soon.” He looked at Lee, “A bunch of us are going to the carnival and then sleeping over at his house.”
“Don’t call your brother names,” Amanda scolded sternly.
Philip gave a mumbled apology.
“Actually,” Jamie informed them, “I do have a lot of questions. Maybe Philip should go first. Then he won’t be bugging us.”
“Okay,” Amanda said. “Philip, you will go for a ride with Mr. Ste..Lee first. When you get back you get your things together for Brian’s.”
“And don’t forget your toothbrush,” she added as Philip darted out the front door.
Lee grinned as he watched Philip. “The door’s unlocked,” he called after Amanda’s oldest. The remaining three walked out toward the Porsche at a more leisurely pace.
Lee turned to Amanda. “Any suggestions as to what our route should be?”
Jamie spoke up, “He already has a plan so you can drive by all his friends’ houses and they can see him. Then he wants to go on the highway to see how fast it can go.”
“Lee, I’m sorry,” Amanda apologized. “Philip shouldn’t take advantage of you. You can just go around the block.”
Lee put a hand on her arm. “Amanda, it’s fine. I don’t mind. He wants to show off for his friends. It’s just a guy thing.”
Amanda pondered that for a moment. The truth was she often worried about the lack of male influence in her boys’ lives. She supposed this one-time indulgence wouldn’t hurt. “If you’re sure you don’t mind,” she relented.
Lee hustled around to the driver’s side. “Sure thing. Jamie, you get your questions ready while we’re gone.”
Amanda relaxed when she saw the gigantic grin on Philip’s face as the car pulled away from the house. She was still waving when Mrs. Anderson pulled up.
“Is Dotty ready to go?” she asked Amanda.
At that moment her mother came out the door carrying her bag. “I’m here, Annette.”
She kissed Amanda on the cheek, “Alright, we’ll be back Monday night. Don’t forget to water my plants”
“I won’t Mother,” Amanda promised, “You have fun.”
She turned to Jamie, “C’mon. Let’s get things ready.”
Thirty minutes later, they heard car doors shut. Philip burst through the door. “Mom! It was so cool! Everyone was over at John’s playing basketball. So Lee stopped so I could talk to them. He opened up the hood and showed us the engine. Then he shot some hoops with us. He is really good!”
Lee’s face got redder and redder as Philip continued. “It’s easy to look good when your competition is two feet shorter than you,” he conceded.
“Then we went on the highway, and he opened it up!” Philip continued.
Seeing the concerned look on Amanda face Lee quickly added, “While staying under the speed limit.”
Considering the look of sheer happiness on her son’s face, Amanda decided to let that subject drop.
“Alright Philip. Go get your stuff. I need to take you over to Brian’s in a little bit.”
“Okay Mom.”
Then to Lee’s surprise Philip gave him a hug. “Thanks Lee! That was the best!” He turned and was halfway up the stair before Amanda could warn, “No running.”
A rare full dimple smile lit up Lee’s face. Amanda found herself returning it with a big grin of her own.
“Well,” he said to Jamie. “We should probably get started on your project.”
The two of them sat at the kitchen table where Jamie had laid out his notebook and research books. As Jamie started questioning Lee, Amanda put a plate of cookies on a tray. Then she poured two glasses of milk and added them.
When she sat the tray on the table Lee questioned “Milk?”
“It goes best with my cookies,” she offered with a wink.
He shrugged and took a bite of a cookie. He followed it with a sip from his glass. “Yes, I would say they pair well together. The milk has a nice bouquet that compliments the cookie without overpowering it.”
Philip entered the kitchen at that moment carrying a duffle bag. “Ready,” he stated reaching for a cookie.
“Lee,” Amanda questioned, “Do you mind if I run Philip to his friend’s house quickly? I originally thought Mother was leaving later.”
“No problem,” he responded, “We’ve got plenty to talk about.”
For the next twenty or so minutes, Jamie asked all sorts of questions about Germany. Lee found himself really enjoying the conversation as well as the treat.
“Right now they’re experiencing a recession and a downturn in production. But you understand what that means, right?”
Jamie’s face fell.
Lee noticed immediately. “What’s wrong?” He asked.
“My mom told you. Didn’t she?” Jamie looked directly into Lee’s eyes as he asked.
For a split second, Lee considered covering for Amanda. Something in him wouldn’t allow it though, so he simply nodded.
“I hate being different,”Jamie sighed. “I mean nobody makes fun of me or anything, but once people find out….” He looked down at the table.
“It’s like they take a half step back because they don’t know how to treat you,” Lee finished.
Jamie’s head shot up in surprise. “Yeah, how did you know?”
“I lived in Germany and all those other places with my uncle who took care of me because my parents died when I was 5. He wasn’t the parental type. To be fair, he did the best he could, but my upbringing was very different from other kids.”
“What do you mean?” Jamie asked.
“Well, I never had a birthday party or went trick-or-treating. Christmas was never a big deal. It didn’t help that I was the kid without parents. We didn’t even have our own television so I never understood the cultural references the kids my age made. That, coupled with the fact that we never stayed in one place very long, made it hard for me to make friends. Honestly, I still have a hard time when adults make references from their childhood.”
“But Mom’s your friend right?”
Lee looked to side and thought a moment. Then he smiled. “Yeah, I guess she is. Not that I had much of a choice,” he added.
Jamie laughed, “Grandma says Mom can be a force of nature when she wants to be. She just keeps going until it turns out the way she wants.” He leaned in conspiratorially, “Mom says the same thing about Grandma.”
Lee couldn’t stop the chuckle that rose up and Jamie joined in.
At that moment Amanda walked in, “What’s so funny?”
The two of them looked at each other and laughed even harder.
She put her hands on her hip, “Seriously?”
Lee recovered first and explained, “It’s just a guy thing.”
A huge smile covered Jamie’s face. “Yeah Mom,” he added, “just a guy thing.”
Amanda sighed loudly, but inside she was thrilled. “Listen guy,” she said with a stern tone but a twinkle in her eye, “we’ve taken up enough of Lee’s time. I’m sure he has other things he has to do.”
As the exact same time Lee and Jamie protested that the younger King hadn’t had a ride yet.
“Please Mom,” he pleaded, “It doesn’t have to be as long as Philip’s.”
Realizing she wasn’t going to win this argument either, Amanda threw up her hands in mock surrender. “Fine, but not too long.”
Jamie was out the door like a shot. Lee shrugged, gave a grin, and quickly followed.
They had been on the road about 5 minutes when Lee cleared his throat. “Listen, I’m sorry if it upset you that your mom and I talked about you.”
“It’s okay. I understand.” He paused. “It’s really not too bad. I mean Mom never means to make me feel different. She makes sure I get to do all kinds of things. Besides, Philip usually treats me like an annoying younger brother.”
“So you don’t mind being called “wormbrain”?” Lee teased.
“Not really,” Jamie admitted. “The other kids take their cue from him when we’re together. It’s harder in class, but my friend Andy is cool about it.” He paused and then tentatively asked, “Are you going to tell Mom what we talked about?”
Lee considered for a moment. “I won’t lie to her, but I also won’t bring it up on my own. Deal?”
“Deal,” Jamie nodded.
The two of them enjoyed the rest of the drive while talking about nothing in particular. Amanda was waiting in the front yard when they pulled up.
Jamie popped out of the car and ran up to her.
“How was the ride?” she asked.
“Awesome,” Jamie quickly answered. “Did you know Lee competes in real races?”
“Just a few times a year at local tracks,” Lee clarified looking uncharacteristically embarrassed.
“Maybe Philip and I can go watch him sometime,” Jamie suggested. “You don’t mind, do you Lee?”
To his surprise Lee found himself saying, “I’d love to have you come. They don’t start for a while.” He turned hopefully to Amanda, “If you want, I can let you know the next time I’m racing.”
“Am I allowed to watch too? Or is it just a guy thing?” Amanda teased with wink.
Lee’s breath caught, but he managed to recover. “I think we could make an exception for you.”
Amanda turned to Jamie. “Speaking of ‘a guy thing’, Andy’s mom called. Apparently he got a new video game and you’re invited over to play and have dinner tonight. Interested?”
“Yeah! Can I?”
“Sure. I didn’t really have any plans for dinner since your grandma and brother aren’t here anyway. I told them you’d be back any minute and would head over.”
“Bye Mom. Bye Lee.” Jamie rattled off as he took off running. Then he stopped, turned, and waved as he added, “Thanks again.”
“Andy lives just down the block,” she explained to Lee as they waved back. “By the way, you left your jacket in the kitchen. You better grab it before you go.”
“Thanks, I almost forgot. You know, if you have any extra cookies…”
Amanda smiled, “I already put some in a bag next to your jacket.”
A few minutes later, Lee slipped behind the wheel and put the bag on the passenger seat. He turned the key, but instead of the usual engine’s purr he heard nothing.
“Damn it!” He tried again with the same result. He got out and opened the hood.
Amanda glanced out the window and saw him leaning over the engine. She hurried out.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Lee ran his hands through his hair. “I’m not sure. I swear this car spends more time in the garage than on the road.” He slammed the hood shut in frustration.
Seeing the concerned look on Amanda’s face, he took a deep breath. “Sorry about that,” he said sheepishly. “Can I use your phone?”
“Absolutely. I know how frustrating car troubles are,” Amanda tried to lighten the mood. “Of course, my car troubles always seem to be agency related.”
“True,” Lee conceded. “I guess I should be glad it hasn’t been run off the road or the tire shot out.”
They went back into the house. Amanda excused herself to water her mother’s plants while Lee called his mechanic. When she came back in, she heard a deep sigh from Lee.
“Yeah, I understand. Just get here as quick as you can, okay?” He hung up the phone.
“Bad news?” Amanda inquired.
Lee put both hands on his hips. “It’s going to be at least two hours before he can get his tow truck out here. Don’t worry, I’m not planning on staying. I’ll just call a cab and get out of your hair.”
“What about the tow truck driver? How will he get into the car?” She asked confused.
“He works on it so much that he has his own set.” Lee rolled his eyes. “Maybe I should just push that car off a cliff.”
“You would never do that. You love that car.”
He shook his head. “You don’t love a car, but you sure do get attached to one.”
As he reached for phone again, she stopped him. “Lee, don’t waste your money. I’ll give you a ride.”
“I couldn’t do that to you Amanda. You probably have plans.”
“It’s no problem,” she insisted. “Mother and the boys are gone.”
“What about Dallas?” he inquired.
Amanda shot him an annoyed look. “It’s Dean,” she reminded him, “and he’s escorting his mother to a society event tonight.” She put her hand on her hips, “Do you want a ride or not?”
Despite her insistence, Lee felt bad for interrupting her opportunity for some alone time. She probably didn’t the opportunity that often.
“Listen, I know you said you don’t have anything planned to eat. Why don’t I buy you dinner in exchange for the taxi service?”
Amanda looked down at her jeans and sweatshirt. “I’m not really dressed for dinner”
“You look always look perfect.”
The words were out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying. “I mean,” he continued on while focusing his attention of picking up his jacket and not looking at her, “it’s perfect for the place I have in mind. Trust me.”
Amanda smiled and shrugged, “You’re a government agent. If I can’t trust you, who can I trust? Let me just call Andy’s mom.”
After a five minute phone conversation, it was decided that Jamie might as well just spend the night. According to Mrs. Murphy the boys were really enjoying the new game, and she doubted they would be really to stop playing any time soon. Amanda quickly packed a bag for Jamie. Then she and Lee got in the vehicle.
Jamie and Andy were waiting outside. They ran up to the car when Amanda pulled in.
“I thought you guys were playing the video game,” Amanda inquired.
“Mrs. Murphy said dinner’s almost ready so she told us to wait out here for you so you didn’t have to get out of the car. We’re supposed to wash our hands when we go back in.”
“Now you listen to Mrs. Murphy and be a good guest,” Amanda reminded him.
“Yes, Mom” Jamie responded automatically taking the bag. Then he asked, “Hey Lee, what happened to your car?”
“Not sure. Don’t worry about it. I make sure it’s ready to go for race season. You have fun with your friend.”
“Okay, thanks again for your help.”
At that moment, Andy’ mom appeared at the front door. “Dinner’s ready boys!” She called out. She gave a quick wave to Amanda and went back inside.
Jamie watched the car drive off. He felt a little guilty for sneaking back to the Porsche when his Mom and Lee had gone inside. But he’d done his research and knew the replacement wire would be a quick and fairly inexpensive fix.
Once they were on their way again, Lee directed Amanda to a small stand with “Milo’s” on the sign.
“Here?” she questioned with surprise.
“Yeah, Milo’s Daffy Dog makes the best chili dogs in all of Washington. You mentioned that you’re the only one in your family who likes chili dogs. So this seemed like the perfect place.”
“You remember that?” Amanda was touched. Most of the time she felt like Lee wasn’t really listening. Apparently he was hearing more than she thought.
“Not all of the conversation,” he confessed, “but any time someone mentions chili dogs it does tend to catch my attention. I consider myself to be somewhat of an expert.”
“Have you tried ‘DC Dogs’ off of Connecticut?”
“Yeah, I love their sweet pepper chili!”
“Me too! How about Christopher’s in Arlington?” she asked excitedly.
“No,” Lee admitted. “Is it good?”
“Amazing! They have homemade buns, and make their chili from scratch every morning. It’s just the right amount of spicy.” she declared.
Lee smiled wide. “That does sound good. We’ll have to go next time.”
Amanda’s eyes widened as Lee realized how that sounded.
“I mean the next time we’re in the area for a case,” he backpedaled. “Now,” he said directing her attention to the menu, “what sounds good?”
“You’re the expert so I’ll defer to you.”
That brought back his smile. “Why don’t you grab that table, and I’ll order. You like ice tea, right?”
Amanda nodded and walked over to the table only to return in a few seconds for napkins to clean it off. Lee gave her a large handful with a wry smile, not surprised at all by her request.
He turned back to the counter. “Hey Milo, two with everything on it, huh?”
Amanda seemed to have brought the table’s cleanliness to acceptable standards when he came over with the dogs and drinks. He sat down across from her and watched her take a bite.
“Ummm,” she hummed. “These are good.”
“Better than Christopher’s?” he queried.
She smiled, “Not sure. I might have to have another one to be sure.”
Lee gave a hearty laugh before chowing into his own dog.
Amanda finished hers in short order. Lee found himself staring as she was licking chili off her fingers.
She caught him looking and tipped her head to the side. “What?”
He cleared his throat. “Nothing. Just wondering if you’re ready for your second dog?”
“I really shouldn’t…” Amanda started.
“How about if we split one?” he offered hopefully.
“Wellll….okay. You’ve convinced me,” she quickly agreed.
“Wish I could get suspects to confess that quickly,” Lee said.
“Have you tried offering them a Milo’s dog?” she teased.
The discussion about best chili dog places veered into favorite restaurants and then vacation spots. Amanda was intensely listening to Lee’s story about scuba diving off the coast of Greece when someone loudly cleared their throat.
Startled, Lee and Amanda looked around. The only person in sight was Milo wearing a jacket instead of an apron and obviously wanting to leave.
“Oh my gosh,” Amanda exclaimed.
“I am so sorry Milo,” Lee apologized. “I guess I didn’t realize how late it was. We’ll head out.”
“It’s okay, Lee. I just finished shutting down,” the owner reassured him. “I hate to interrupt your date, but it’s been a long day.”
“It’s not a date…” Amanda and Lee said in union and then stopped.
“We’re friends,” Lee explained.
“Oh,” Milo nodded. “Did you enjoy the chili dogs?” he asked Amanda hoping to get past the awkwardness of the moment.
“Oh yes. Very much.” Amanda answered. She paused and then asked, “Did I taste a hint of cocoa in the chili?”
The owner looked around and then leaned in. “Yes. But you’re the first person to ever ask me that. You have quite a palate.”
Amanda looked down embarrassed. Then she shrugged her shoulders and said quietly, “Lucky guess.”
“Lucky guess nothing,” Miles laughed. “She’s a smart one, Lee. Be sure you keep her around.”
“At this point I think I am stuck with her,” Lee said, his dimples showing.
By this point, Amanda’s embarrassed look had become a full on blush. “Well, we’d better be going. Thanks again Milo.”
“You’re very welcome. You two come back real soon,” he added.
It was a short drive to Lee’s building. Most of it was spent in a comfortable silence.
Amanda pulled up to the curb and Lee turned to her. “Thanks again for the ride. Sorry I kept you out so late.”
“It’s fine,” she assured him. “Thanks for dinner. I really enjoyed it.” She looked him straight in the eye as she said it.
Unlike the night before, Lee found himself tempted to use his charms to extend the evening. Something stopped him though. So instead he got out of the car, leaned in to look at her, and said, “See you Monday.”
She gave him a wave and repeated, “See you Monday.”
Lee watched her drive off. He made his way to his apartment with a million thoughts running through his head. Once inside, he pushed the flashing button on his answering machine. It was his mechanic. Apparently, it was a simple fix. A wire needing replacement. The car would be dropped off in the morning.
“That’s strange,” Lee pondered as he got ready for bed. “I just had all the wiring checked last week.”