Chapter 14
Epicure Restaurant
Billy and Jeannie sat at the table, waiting for the arrival of Lee and Amanda. "So do you think Lee and Amanda were able to get past their fight they had?" Jeannie asked Billy.
"I don't know, dear. I don't think I've ever seen Lee so upset. Sure they've had arguments, but I don't recall any of them where Lee admitted that he screwed up. This one might take a while. Let's just hope that they're sociable during dinner."
Jeannie nodded in confirmation. "Oh look, here they come. They look like they're on speaking terms."
Lee and Amanda walked up to the table to join Billy and Jeannie, Lee's hand resting at the small of Amanda's back. Lee pulled out Amanda's chair for her as she sat down. "Thank you, Lee. Hello, Sir, Jeannie. Have you been enjoying the sights today?"
"Amanda, please, while we're here, call me Billy. And to answer your question, no, we stayed pretty close to the hotel so far." Billy looked at Lee with a questioning look. Lee returned a look that confirmed everything was okay. "Lee, Amanda, how are you doing? Have you had any chance to do and sight-seeing?"
The waiter came up to the table to take their drink orders. "Oh, yes, Si….sorry, Billy. We went to the Eiffel Tower today and stopped at a lot of little shops on the way to and from the tower. Oh, and last night, Lee took me to the Seine River. I think that was my favorite so far." Amanda smiled at Lee, and they shared a look that only the two of them understood.
Billy replied, "Oh!" Lee just smiled back. The two ladies continued their conversation, not even noticing the looks between Lee and Billy. "You already went to the Eiffel Tower. Wow! We were going to wait until next weekend to make that trip."
"We plan on going back at night so that we can see all the lights, but it was so beautiful in the daytime. I can't wait to see it at night." Amanda explained.
Before another conversation could begin, the waiter walked up to take their orders and left without any further interruptions. Billy started the conversation back up. "I wanted to touch base with you to let you know the conference schedule. There's been a few changes. The morning lectures are only going to be Monday - Thursday 9 am - 12 pm. The afternoon exhibits will start at 1 pm and be open until 4 pm. Friday, the exhibits will be open 10 am -3 pm. One last change, the celebration has moved from Friday night to Thursday night, and because of that, the exhibits will close Wednesday."
"Not that I'm complaining that the lectures have been shortened, but did they give you a reason for it, Billy?" Lee questioned.
"It seems that a few of the speakers weren't able to make it." Lee nodded his understanding. "We have a table reserved for us to use throughout the conference, so all we need to do is show up before nine and find our table."
Their food arrived, and the foursome began to eat. "Amanda, how is your suite?" Jeannie inquired.
"Oh, it's gorgeous. I've never stayed in a room this nice. Not to mention a suite. We can see the Eiffel Tower from our balcony, and it has a full kitchen. We picked up a few groceries last night. You two should come over some night, and we will eat in. How's your suite?"
"Oh, ours is lovely. It has a terrace outside that is bigger than the suite itself with flowers everywhere. You two should stop by before you head back to your room when we're done here."
"That would be great. What do you think, Lee?"
"Sounds good to me. Do you have anything for a nightcap, Billy?" Lee questioned. Billy shook his head no. "I'll grab a bottle before we leave to take with us."
The rest of the meal was spent talking about the week's schedule and plans for the evenings. When they were done with their meal, Lee ordered a bottle of wine to go. Billy picked up the check, and the four of them were on their way to Billy and Jeannie's suite.
Both men offered their arms to the women as they walked back to Billy and Jeannie's suite. When they arrived, Billy suggested, "Jeannie, why don't you show Amanda the terrace. Lee and I will get the drinks ready and bring them out."
"That sounds like a great idea," Jeannie agreed.
Jeannie and Amanda walked to the terrace, and Lee and Billy walked over to the bar in the corner of the living room. "Amanda, I don't mean to pry but, you and Lee seem to be on pretty good terms at the moment. When we saw Lee yesterday afternoon, Billy and I were very worried about you two."
"Well, we did have a pretty big fight. But I believe it was something that had to happen. You know, get everything out and in the open. We are in such a better place right now than we were before." Lee and Billy walked over with the drinks and handed each of them a glass.
Billy gestured to Lee to follow him so they could talk privately. "Ladies, pardon us, but Lee and I need to discuss a few things." Jeannie and Amanda continued their conversation while Billy wasted no time interrogating Lee. "Okay, spill it, Scarecrow!"
"Spill what, Billy? You told me to fix it; it's fixed,"
"What, I get no details? You came up to us yesterday, frantic that you screwed up. Now you are fine. No explanation." The whole time Billy was talking, Lee was staring at Amanda, not really listening to Billy. She was talking with Jeannie very animatedly. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Suddenly, she looked over at Lee. Their eyes met, and everything else disappeared. "Lee, did you hear me?" Billy's voice brought Lee back to the present.
"Sorry, Billy, what did you say?"
"I asked what exactly happened."
"Well, basically, we had a huge fight, we talked it over and agreed that it needed to happen and we needed to get past a few things. Now we're good," Lee shortly answered. "Why don't we go back and join the ladies!"
Billy knew he wasn't going to get any more out of him, so he settled for the fact that they were talking, and Lee was not being a jerk anymore. When they arrived beside the ladies, Lee put his arm around Amanda's waist, and it stayed that way until they left.