Amanda pulled up in front of the small residential building where Lee had asked her to meet him. Seeing his car, she made her way quickly up the stairs. Lee had told her to buzz 1B but the security panel only listed the occupants by name. Looking left and right, she saw no one and pulled out her lock-pick. Leatherneck's training was really paying off and she pulled open the door in less than a minute. Sliding the handy tool back in her purse, she hurried up the half flight of stairs to the first level and found the right door. The apartment was empty of furniture which was probably a blessing if the paper on the walls was any indication. It looked like the aftermath of an explosion in a chintz factory.
There was one floral pattern above the chair rails, another below, and someone had then painted all the trims to look like branches or, worse, more flowers. Whoever lived here had committed an inexcusable crime against taste at the very least. "Lee?" Amanda called.
"I'm in here, Amanda!" Following Lee's disembodied voice, Amanda found him standing in the bathroom, contemplating a dusky rose bathtub, toilet, and sink. "Isn't that the ugliest thing you've ever seen?" Lee asked.
"Well, I suppose it matches the tiles?" Amanda suggested. "Lee, why are we here?" Lee grinned.
"I just bought it."
"You what?"
"I bought it. I'm tired of my place. Just want to make a new start; new place, new furniture. You know. Besides, I got a good deal on it because of the décor." Lee told her. The fact that he'd limited his search to within two miles of Maplewood Drive was something he wasn't prepared to tell her yet. It had been six months since he'd ended things with Leslie and he hadn't dated since. It had taken about two months for him to realise that no woman could hold a candle to Amanda any more. Knowing his lease would be up in the spring, he'd started looking around. He wanted to be closer to his beautiful partner and he didn't want the ghosts of old girlfriends looming.
"And you need me to…?" Amanda prompted. Lee had told her on their second case that his approach to decorating was hiring someone to come in and do it for him.
"Help me pick out the colours and furnishings." Lee told her. "Please, Amanda? I want this place to be homier than my old apartment." And he wanted the same cosy warmth that he always felt when he was in her house. He wanted the Amanda touch.
"Okay." Amanda agreed. She couldn't ever tell Lee that her feelings for him were changing, of course. This would give her a chance to make sure that when he was at home, he was comfortable. Lee was long overdue for someone to take care of him and make sure he was comfortable.
