Chapter 5

Dieter was sitting at his hotel eating breakfast. He was going to be fat if he kept eating like this, he thought to himself. Ham and eggs with toast and jam and butter smeared heavily on every piece. But it was so delicious. The television was on and an American newspaper was lying beside him, but his mind was elsewhere. He supposed it was time he thought about heading back home. His extended vacation time was nearing an end. But the thought of returning home was not as appealing to him when he thought about what, or more precisely, who he would be leaving behind.

When he decided to come to the United States to finish up Harry's case, he decided to add his vacation time to the trip; he hadn't given anything else very much thought. All he'd known at the time was that he wanted to see Amanda King again and sewing up loose ends in DC was his opportunity to do so.

So now, several weeks later and his heart was having a difficult time thinking about leaving. His head knew it was impractical, but his heart was having other thoughts. But was he becoming serious about Amanda? Was there a future in it? An even bigger question was whether she was as interested in him as he was becoming in her. Though they had gone out countless times, he'd yet to meet her family, unless you call his dropping by with a bag of soup and aspirin one afternoon. Everyone except Amanda was confined to their bedrooms so as not to get anyone else sick, but then as it turned out, they'd all had food poisoning.

Amanda's sons were going to play in a game today, but although Amanda mentioned it, she never once invited him to come and Dieter could clearly understand why. After all, he was from out of town and what if things didn't work out? Dieter thought about going over to the game; it was, how did one say, call it, Little league? It should be easy enough to find, but then again, perhaps he could ask her to invite him some other time?

Well, for now, perhaps a walk would do him some good. Now that he knew how he felt about Amanda, it was time to find out how she felt about him. Soon. Very soon. He thought as he got up and, after putting his dishes in the hallway, headed out the door.

***SMK SMK SMK***

After his uncle left, Lee lay back in bed after taking some aspirins and fell back to sleep, where he tossed and turned as his mind was active with thoughts and dreams from the night before. Finally, know that a restful sleep was not to be had, he sat up straight in bed and allowed himself to remember the night before. He recalled thinking every woman was a brunette; he remembered several drinks, even before Mindi arrived. A drink in his face a little later after some words, something to the effect, If I wanted to be ignored all night, I would still be with my ex. Then there was his uncle, who brought him home and got him undressed. Lee raked his hand through his hair as the last bit of information struck him, almost like a slap in the face. Amanda, what would you say if I told you I loved you?

Him in love? And with Amanda of all people? What in the hell was wrong with him? Oh, he needed to get some air! But his head was still hurting; the aspirin hadn't taken hold completely. Maybe he would get up and get himself a cup of coffee while he thought about what he said last night. Apparently, the Colonel found his remark funny. While Lee was drinking his coffee, the phone rang. Reluctantly, he stood and walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver. "Hello!" Lee answered grumpily.

"Well, I'm happy to see you are awake though your phone etiquette is less than desirable," Robert said from the other end.

"Hi, Colonel."

"I was calling to let you know that I can still come over for dinner, but I can come a little sooner than I was thinking. Do you want me to bring anything?"
"No, no, I can cook everything."

"No need to put yourself out. What if we order something, my treat?"

"You really don't have to do that, Sir!"

"I wouldn't hear of anything else. You still don't sound yourself and not having to cook for me would give you a break."

"But—"

"Lee, that's an order!"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Oh, Lee, did you by any chance remember what you said in your sleep last night?"

There was a long pause before Lee said, "Yes, ugh, I did."

"And?"

"And, what?"

"What do you think Amanda would say?"

"I don't know, Sir! She's kind of seeing someone!"

"You young people! What does that mean? She's either seeing someone, or she isn't."

"It's complicated; it's someone from out of town." Lee couldn't believe how much and how long he and his uncle were talking. There certainly was a first time for everything.

"More reason to tell her how you feel. Those out-of-town relationships never work."

"Doesn't matter, I'm not in love with Amanda."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that and I bet she has feelings for you too."

"I—"

"I've got to go, but I have an idea…if you'll listen to me and take it."

"Okay," Lee answered reluctantly. "What is it?"

"Do you remember when you were a boy and you had to make an important decision and how I would have you write out all the positives on one side and all the—"

"Yes, yes, I remember," Lee groaned inwardly. He used to hate doing that. "But what does that have to do with Amanda?"

"Write out what you love about Amanda and what you don't, then you might get your answer."

"But, Sir!"

"We can talk more about it tonight," and with that, Robert hung up.

That is ridiculous; Lee thought as he hung up the phone. I hated doing it as a child. I certainly am not going to do it now. What I need is to take a hot shower, get dressed and get some air. Lee stripped himself of his clothes and headed towards the bathroom. While in the shower, he grumbled that Amanda was a friend, a good friend, nothing else, and an excellent partner as he showered. Lee was out of the shower before he knew it, writing down all the things he liked about Amanda. And after writing down what he thought was so annoying about her, which were things that no longer annoyed him; but made her a great partner, he was picking up the phone and dialing her number.

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Thank you for reading!

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