The Next Step
Almost twenty past. Damn. Lee Stetson frowned as he glanced at his watch. Despite his best intentions, he was late. He hastily manoeuvred his Porsche into the first available spot, not even bothering to take the time to ensure his car's safety by finding his customary two adjoining spaces.
He looked at his watch again as he hurried into the hotel and navigated the maze of corridors to the restaurant. After giving his name to the maitre d', he was informed that his table was ready and Mrs. King was waiting for him in the bar next door.
The bar was a long, narrow room, crowded with people celebrating the end of the work week. A blue fog of cigarette smoke hung heavy in the air. Lee stood in the doorway, craning his neck to see around the throng. Finally he spotted Amanda sitting at the bar, sipping a glass of white wine. She was wearing a long black dress, its low neckline accentuating the milky smoothness of her neck. As she reached up to brush a lock of hair back from her face, the material shimmered in the light. His breath caught in his throat as it occurred to him again how fortunate he was to have her there waiting for him. After all, she could very easily have decided not to see him again after his return from Europe.
Lee started to walk into the room but stopped cold after only a few steps. His frown, which had disappeared at the sight of Amanda, was soon back in evidence as he realized she seemed to be having an animated conversation with the man sitting next to her. He watched as the man gave his card to Amanda, unconsciously clenching his hands when she carefully tucked it into her purse. What the hell? This jerk had some nerve, putting the moves on his date. And what was Amanda thinking? The guy looked to be what? five foot six if he was lucky, and wearing a bow tie, no less. Surely Amanda wasn't interested in him. Was she?
He nervously brushed his hands over the front of his jacket and reached up to straighten his tie. As he fingered the crisp fabric, it suddenly occurred to him that he was also wearing a bow tie. But with a tuxedo, his mind argued. It was an entirely different situation altogether. That twerp at the bar was sporting an off-the-rack suit, and his tie was some sort of absurd paisley print. It was hardly the same thing.
"Lee!"
He jumped as he realized that Amanda had seen him at last. Her face immediately broke into a welcoming smile as she eased off the barstool and hurried over. He caught her hands in his and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Sorry I'm so late," he said, keeping his tone cool. Evidently she'd had no problem finding something to keep her busy.
"Just let me grab my purse." She turned back to her seat, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort. "Thanks, Bernie, I'll keep what you said in mind," she said to her drinking companion before turning back to Lee.
Lee was silent as they returned to the restaurant and followed the maitre d' to their table. With Herculean effort, he managed to restrain his curiosity until the sommelier had taken their order and the waiter had left them with their menus. "So, what are you going to keep in mind?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light.
"What?" Amanda looked confused as she glanced up from her menu. "Lee, what are you talking about?"
"That guy in the bar," he said. Was she trying to play dumb? Did she think he hadn't noticed? "You told him you'd keep what he said in mind."
She rolled her eyes. "Bernie's an insurance salesman. He was trying to sell me a new policy for the station wagon."
"I'll bet that wasn't all he was trying to sell you." He scowled at the list of appetizers. Why did they need to have so many choices, anyway? "What's so funny?" he asked, looking back up at her.
"You," she replied. "I never figured you for the jealous type."
"I'm not jealous," he tried to protest. "Okay, maybe a little." When she continued to smile at him with a knowing gleam in her eyes, he acquiesced. "Okay, maybe more than a little."
Amanda reached over and patted his hand. "Lee, in case you haven't noticed, I'm here with you. But if you really think that guy was interested, maybe I should go back to the bar and give him another chance."
She half rose from her seat before he caught her hand in his. "What, and leave me without a partner for the reception tonight? We're supposed to be working, remember?"
"Hmm ... I'd forgotten about that. Okay, I guess I've got no choice then." She let out an exaggerated sigh, sat down and smiled over at him.
"I'm sorry," he said, keeping hold of her hand. "I just find it hard to believe that every man in the room doesn't want to be with you. Especially when you look so beautiful." He brought her fingers up to his lips for a quick kiss.
"With an apology like that, you are more than forgiven." Amanda let her fingertips graze his cheek. He breathed in her subtle floral perfume and marvelled at the delicate touch of her fingertips. Much too soon, she pulled back her hand.
"You're looking very handsome, too," she said, tilting her head slightly as she studied him appraisingly. "There's just something about a man in a tuxedo."
"Thanks. I want to apologize, too, for being so late. Harry Singer, my contact, called just as I was heading out the door," Lee explained.
"That's okay. After all, I was the one who suggested I take a taxi here, instead of having you pick me up at the house. I just don't think the boys are ready yet to meet someone new. I felt so bad having to tell them that Dean wouldn't be coming around anymore. Although I think my mother took it the worst of all."
"Well, Dean's loss is definitely my gain." His eyes met hers and held her gaze.
The sommelier arrived with their wine, surveyed the situation, then quickly filled their glasses and left them alone again.
Lee picked up his glass and raised it in a toast. "To Dean's loss."
"And Bernie's gain." Amanda's eyes twinkled at him as she raised hers.
"Amanda, stop that. I said I was sorry." He tried to keep a straight face but failed.
"It wasn't a very cheerful atmosphere around the house tonight, anyway. Phillip and Jamie's Little League team was beaten 21 to 0 this afternoon."
"Ouch." Lee winced. "That's not exactly a close game."
Amanda shook her head. "I think the fact that the other team had two girls made it even worse in their eyes."
"Well, they might as well learn now women will always be one step ahead." Lee smiled. "Listen, we'd better hurry up and choose something for dinner, or we'll never make it to the reception on time."
She glanced up to find their waiter hovering discreetly a short distance away. After a final scan of the menu, she hurriedly made her selections.
As they waited for their food to arrive, Lee said, "I'm sorry; I don't mean to be rushing you." He ran his hand through his hair and smiled contritely. "I seem to be apologizing to you a lot this evening. Maybe a working date wasn't such a good idea. At least not for our first 'real' date."
Amanda smiled back. "I know. It's so exciting, going on my first stakeout."
"Technically, it's a meet," he corrected her.
"Purist," she shot back. "Fine, it's a meet. But I'd also love to just spend the evening with you. We hardly got to see each other at work this week. It's just Mr. Melrose needed all those tapes transcribed as soon as possible."
"And I was checking into this whole Delano East German mess." Lee reached over and took her hand again. "Okay, so we agree, our next date will be purely a social occasion."
"Agreed."
"How about tomorrow night?" he asked quickly.
She laughed. "Not wasting any time, are you? I'll see if Mother can take care of Phillip and Jamie again."
"It must be a big help, having her live with you. It can't be easy raising two children on your own."
"No, but they're great boys. Definitely the best thing that came out of my marriage."
"What about your ex-husband?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light as he let go of her hand and fiddled with his silverware. "Does he spend a lot of time with them?"
She shook her head. "Joe lives out of the country. They're lucky to see him more than once a year." She paused, then asked, "Lee?"
He looked up. "Yes?"
"Isn't all of this in my file at the Agency?"
He shrugged. "I'm sure it is."
"And you expect me to believe that you haven't read any of this?" Her eyes twinkled at him in amusement as she continued, "You didn't even take a peek at the background check the Agency ran on me after you gave me that package?"
He met her gaze straight on. After all, he'd sailed through countless interrogations with enemy agents; surely he could fool Amanda. "Of course not," he said.
"Because it really wouldn't be fair if you had," she replied. "I mean, considering that I don't have clearance for those types of files about you." He continued to look at her as if he had nothing to hide. "So I guess I'll just have to keep using the office grapevine for my source of information. You'd be surprised at how often your name has come up."
"Amanda, that's just office gossip. You don't think ..." he started to protest.
"Lee, if I believed everything I'd heard, I wouldn't be here with you now." She shook out her napkin, then draped it across her lap again. "Why don't you tell me something about yourself I wouldn't have heard at the Agency?"
He reflected for a few minutes. "I was almost court-martialled when I was eight," he finally offered.
"What?"
"My friend Alex and I thought it was time we learned how to drive. So we borrowed a Jeep, managed to get it started, and drove it straight into a swamp. My uncle nearly had a coronary. I had KP duty for three solid months."
Amanda laughed. "Promise me you won't tell Jamie and Phillip that story. The last thing I need is for them to take the station wagon out for a spin." She ran a fingertip along the rim of her wineglass. "So, were you visiting your uncle on his base?"
His expression clouded. "No, I lived with him." Glancing first at his watch, then around the restaurant, he said abruptly, "I wonder what's keeping our dinners. We need to be at the reception no later than 9:30."
Amanda took the not too subtle hint, apparently realizing that there were large areas of his life that were still off limits. Following his lead, she asked, "So, what am I supposed to do once we get there?"
"Not all that much," Lee said, relieved to be back on comfortable footing again. "Harry sounded pretty nervous on the phone. I don't want to spook him, so it's probably best if I meet with him alone. Basically you should just mingle, keep your ears open. Delano's company is in a lot of red ink; who knows what he's trying to pull with the East Germans."
"My sons are going to be so disappointed if Quickie Chickie Snack Shacks end up closing," Amanda said. "They have the best French fries. Not to mention the only coleslaw that isn't made with that scary green dye."
"I'll keep that in mind," Lee answered. "But I don't think coleslaw is our top priority at the moment. We did manage to get someone on the inside as part of the grounds crew on Delano's estate. He missed his check-ins last night and today, though."
"What do you think happened?" Amanda asked in concern.
"No idea." He picked up his glass and took a sip of wine. "He could be in trouble, or it could be that he just can't get away. I'm hoping Harry can fill in some of the blanks." He reached into his jacket pocket and extracted a couple of pictures. Handing them over to Amanda, he explained, "The top one is of James Delano."
Amanda studied the snapshot. "You know, he's really rather handsome."
"You think so?" Lee quickly took the picture back, his eyebrows drawing together as he scrutinized it.
Amanda laughed again. "Stetson, you are way too easy. Now, who's the man in this other picture?"
"Curt Hollander. Flew in from East Germany earlier this week. He's no one to mess around with, so if he's there tonight, you be sure to stay out of his way." He pinned her with a frank stare. "This reception is supposed to be light surveillance, but you never know what might happen."
"No problem. I'll just blend into the woodwork."
"I'm not sure that's possible." He reached out and slowly trailed his fingers over the back of her hand. Amanda drew back as their waiter announced the arrival of their dinners with a discreet cough.
***
TBC
Almost twenty past. Damn. Lee Stetson frowned as he glanced at his watch. Despite his best intentions, he was late. He hastily manoeuvred his Porsche into the first available spot, not even bothering to take the time to ensure his car's safety by finding his customary two adjoining spaces.
He looked at his watch again as he hurried into the hotel and navigated the maze of corridors to the restaurant. After giving his name to the maitre d', he was informed that his table was ready and Mrs. King was waiting for him in the bar next door.
The bar was a long, narrow room, crowded with people celebrating the end of the work week. A blue fog of cigarette smoke hung heavy in the air. Lee stood in the doorway, craning his neck to see around the throng. Finally he spotted Amanda sitting at the bar, sipping a glass of white wine. She was wearing a long black dress, its low neckline accentuating the milky smoothness of her neck. As she reached up to brush a lock of hair back from her face, the material shimmered in the light. His breath caught in his throat as it occurred to him again how fortunate he was to have her there waiting for him. After all, she could very easily have decided not to see him again after his return from Europe.
Lee started to walk into the room but stopped cold after only a few steps. His frown, which had disappeared at the sight of Amanda, was soon back in evidence as he realized she seemed to be having an animated conversation with the man sitting next to her. He watched as the man gave his card to Amanda, unconsciously clenching his hands when she carefully tucked it into her purse. What the hell? This jerk had some nerve, putting the moves on his date. And what was Amanda thinking? The guy looked to be what? five foot six if he was lucky, and wearing a bow tie, no less. Surely Amanda wasn't interested in him. Was she?
He nervously brushed his hands over the front of his jacket and reached up to straighten his tie. As he fingered the crisp fabric, it suddenly occurred to him that he was also wearing a bow tie. But with a tuxedo, his mind argued. It was an entirely different situation altogether. That twerp at the bar was sporting an off-the-rack suit, and his tie was some sort of absurd paisley print. It was hardly the same thing.
"Lee!"
He jumped as he realized that Amanda had seen him at last. Her face immediately broke into a welcoming smile as she eased off the barstool and hurried over. He caught her hands in his and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Sorry I'm so late," he said, keeping his tone cool. Evidently she'd had no problem finding something to keep her busy.
"Just let me grab my purse." She turned back to her seat, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort. "Thanks, Bernie, I'll keep what you said in mind," she said to her drinking companion before turning back to Lee.
Lee was silent as they returned to the restaurant and followed the maitre d' to their table. With Herculean effort, he managed to restrain his curiosity until the sommelier had taken their order and the waiter had left them with their menus. "So, what are you going to keep in mind?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light.
"What?" Amanda looked confused as she glanced up from her menu. "Lee, what are you talking about?"
"That guy in the bar," he said. Was she trying to play dumb? Did she think he hadn't noticed? "You told him you'd keep what he said in mind."
She rolled her eyes. "Bernie's an insurance salesman. He was trying to sell me a new policy for the station wagon."
"I'll bet that wasn't all he was trying to sell you." He scowled at the list of appetizers. Why did they need to have so many choices, anyway? "What's so funny?" he asked, looking back up at her.
"You," she replied. "I never figured you for the jealous type."
"I'm not jealous," he tried to protest. "Okay, maybe a little." When she continued to smile at him with a knowing gleam in her eyes, he acquiesced. "Okay, maybe more than a little."
Amanda reached over and patted his hand. "Lee, in case you haven't noticed, I'm here with you. But if you really think that guy was interested, maybe I should go back to the bar and give him another chance."
She half rose from her seat before he caught her hand in his. "What, and leave me without a partner for the reception tonight? We're supposed to be working, remember?"
"Hmm ... I'd forgotten about that. Okay, I guess I've got no choice then." She let out an exaggerated sigh, sat down and smiled over at him.
"I'm sorry," he said, keeping hold of her hand. "I just find it hard to believe that every man in the room doesn't want to be with you. Especially when you look so beautiful." He brought her fingers up to his lips for a quick kiss.
"With an apology like that, you are more than forgiven." Amanda let her fingertips graze his cheek. He breathed in her subtle floral perfume and marvelled at the delicate touch of her fingertips. Much too soon, she pulled back her hand.
"You're looking very handsome, too," she said, tilting her head slightly as she studied him appraisingly. "There's just something about a man in a tuxedo."
"Thanks. I want to apologize, too, for being so late. Harry Singer, my contact, called just as I was heading out the door," Lee explained.
"That's okay. After all, I was the one who suggested I take a taxi here, instead of having you pick me up at the house. I just don't think the boys are ready yet to meet someone new. I felt so bad having to tell them that Dean wouldn't be coming around anymore. Although I think my mother took it the worst of all."
"Well, Dean's loss is definitely my gain." His eyes met hers and held her gaze.
The sommelier arrived with their wine, surveyed the situation, then quickly filled their glasses and left them alone again.
Lee picked up his glass and raised it in a toast. "To Dean's loss."
"And Bernie's gain." Amanda's eyes twinkled at him as she raised hers.
"Amanda, stop that. I said I was sorry." He tried to keep a straight face but failed.
"It wasn't a very cheerful atmosphere around the house tonight, anyway. Phillip and Jamie's Little League team was beaten 21 to 0 this afternoon."
"Ouch." Lee winced. "That's not exactly a close game."
Amanda shook her head. "I think the fact that the other team had two girls made it even worse in their eyes."
"Well, they might as well learn now women will always be one step ahead." Lee smiled. "Listen, we'd better hurry up and choose something for dinner, or we'll never make it to the reception on time."
She glanced up to find their waiter hovering discreetly a short distance away. After a final scan of the menu, she hurriedly made her selections.
As they waited for their food to arrive, Lee said, "I'm sorry; I don't mean to be rushing you." He ran his hand through his hair and smiled contritely. "I seem to be apologizing to you a lot this evening. Maybe a working date wasn't such a good idea. At least not for our first 'real' date."
Amanda smiled back. "I know. It's so exciting, going on my first stakeout."
"Technically, it's a meet," he corrected her.
"Purist," she shot back. "Fine, it's a meet. But I'd also love to just spend the evening with you. We hardly got to see each other at work this week. It's just Mr. Melrose needed all those tapes transcribed as soon as possible."
"And I was checking into this whole Delano East German mess." Lee reached over and took her hand again. "Okay, so we agree, our next date will be purely a social occasion."
"Agreed."
"How about tomorrow night?" he asked quickly.
She laughed. "Not wasting any time, are you? I'll see if Mother can take care of Phillip and Jamie again."
"It must be a big help, having her live with you. It can't be easy raising two children on your own."
"No, but they're great boys. Definitely the best thing that came out of my marriage."
"What about your ex-husband?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light as he let go of her hand and fiddled with his silverware. "Does he spend a lot of time with them?"
She shook her head. "Joe lives out of the country. They're lucky to see him more than once a year." She paused, then asked, "Lee?"
He looked up. "Yes?"
"Isn't all of this in my file at the Agency?"
He shrugged. "I'm sure it is."
"And you expect me to believe that you haven't read any of this?" Her eyes twinkled at him in amusement as she continued, "You didn't even take a peek at the background check the Agency ran on me after you gave me that package?"
He met her gaze straight on. After all, he'd sailed through countless interrogations with enemy agents; surely he could fool Amanda. "Of course not," he said.
"Because it really wouldn't be fair if you had," she replied. "I mean, considering that I don't have clearance for those types of files about you." He continued to look at her as if he had nothing to hide. "So I guess I'll just have to keep using the office grapevine for my source of information. You'd be surprised at how often your name has come up."
"Amanda, that's just office gossip. You don't think ..." he started to protest.
"Lee, if I believed everything I'd heard, I wouldn't be here with you now." She shook out her napkin, then draped it across her lap again. "Why don't you tell me something about yourself I wouldn't have heard at the Agency?"
He reflected for a few minutes. "I was almost court-martialled when I was eight," he finally offered.
"What?"
"My friend Alex and I thought it was time we learned how to drive. So we borrowed a Jeep, managed to get it started, and drove it straight into a swamp. My uncle nearly had a coronary. I had KP duty for three solid months."
Amanda laughed. "Promise me you won't tell Jamie and Phillip that story. The last thing I need is for them to take the station wagon out for a spin." She ran a fingertip along the rim of her wineglass. "So, were you visiting your uncle on his base?"
His expression clouded. "No, I lived with him." Glancing first at his watch, then around the restaurant, he said abruptly, "I wonder what's keeping our dinners. We need to be at the reception no later than 9:30."
Amanda took the not too subtle hint, apparently realizing that there were large areas of his life that were still off limits. Following his lead, she asked, "So, what am I supposed to do once we get there?"
"Not all that much," Lee said, relieved to be back on comfortable footing again. "Harry sounded pretty nervous on the phone. I don't want to spook him, so it's probably best if I meet with him alone. Basically you should just mingle, keep your ears open. Delano's company is in a lot of red ink; who knows what he's trying to pull with the East Germans."
"My sons are going to be so disappointed if Quickie Chickie Snack Shacks end up closing," Amanda said. "They have the best French fries. Not to mention the only coleslaw that isn't made with that scary green dye."
"I'll keep that in mind," Lee answered. "But I don't think coleslaw is our top priority at the moment. We did manage to get someone on the inside as part of the grounds crew on Delano's estate. He missed his check-ins last night and today, though."
"What do you think happened?" Amanda asked in concern.
"No idea." He picked up his glass and took a sip of wine. "He could be in trouble, or it could be that he just can't get away. I'm hoping Harry can fill in some of the blanks." He reached into his jacket pocket and extracted a couple of pictures. Handing them over to Amanda, he explained, "The top one is of James Delano."
Amanda studied the snapshot. "You know, he's really rather handsome."
"You think so?" Lee quickly took the picture back, his eyebrows drawing together as he scrutinized it.
Amanda laughed again. "Stetson, you are way too easy. Now, who's the man in this other picture?"
"Curt Hollander. Flew in from East Germany earlier this week. He's no one to mess around with, so if he's there tonight, you be sure to stay out of his way." He pinned her with a frank stare. "This reception is supposed to be light surveillance, but you never know what might happen."
"No problem. I'll just blend into the woodwork."
"I'm not sure that's possible." He reached out and slowly trailed his fingers over the back of her hand. Amanda drew back as their waiter announced the arrival of their dinners with a discreet cough.
***
TBC