It was the oddest sensation. Amanda felt as if she was wrapped in several layers of cotton batting, cushioning her from the world around her. A jumble of impressions ran through her mind someone singing an aria from an opera, her purse slipping off her shoulder, a hand reaching out, slapping her across the face, a jabbing pain in her arm, sirens wailing, someone gently touching her cheek, then ... nothing.
She felt as though these images were important, or at least should have been important to her. Yet the sense of detachment persisted, as if all of these incidents had happened to someone else, or that she had only observed them from a great distance.
Opening her eyes, she glanced about, surprised to find herself in a hospital bed, yet still oddly dispassionate about her surroundings. Had she been in an accident? She ran a quick mental inventory of her body, but aside from a headache and this curious sense of indifference, nothing seemed to be wrong.
Gradually she became aware of voices and realized two people were talking just outside her door. A frown creased her face as she struggled to identify the speakers.
Her contemplations were cut short by the entry of a nurse. "You're awake," she observed. "I know someone who'll be glad to hear that." She bustled out again, only to re-enter the room a moment later, followed by two men.
"Mr. Melrose, Lee!" Amanda greeted them. "What happened? Why am I in a hospital?" she asked.
Lee sat down on the bed and took her hand. "Hollander drugged you. Don't you remember?"
She struggled to sit up, fighting back a wave of dizziness. "Hollander?" Suddenly the blurred images snapped into focus. "Lee! I had just opened the door to the veranda for you, and he grabbed me. He must have seen me flashing the light to signal you."
"I figured as much. As soon as I came through the door, one of his goons tackled me. I took care of him, then went looking for you. Thank goodness you had the presence of mind to leave your purse on the landing. Otherwise it might have been too late by the time I found you."
Billy spoke up for the first time. "Hollander and Delano have both been taken into custody. Unfortunately we still don't know who their buyer was."
Amanda thought carefully. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift back through the evening. She was in the darkened study, pressed against the wall, listening to the men in the next room discuss Pershing missile sites. James had been there, and Hollander. They were speaking to a man named ... named ... what had Hollander called him? Commander? No, it was ... "Commoran!" she said aloud. "I'm sure that was the name I overheard."
Mr. Melrose smiled. "Thank you, Amanda. If you'll excuse me, I have an arrest to take care of." He turned and hurried from the room.
Amanda sank back against her pillow. Lee looked at her in concern. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her. "Maybe you should stay here overnight."
She struggled to sit up again. "No, I don't want my family to worry. I'm fine, Lee, I just have a headache, that's all. I need to go home."
The nurse frowned as she walked across the room. "I'm afraid that's for your doctor to decide. I'll go to the nurses station and have him paged." She exited the room.
Lee smiled at Amanda. "In the meantime, I'll go over to the townhouse and pick up your clothing and car. I'll be back soon." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Try to get some rest, okay?"
She watched him leave the room, then settled back onto her pillows again.
***
Lee hesitantly walked through Amanda's backyard. He peered through the window and saw her in the kitchen, busily cleaning up the remnants of supper. Her mother had the television on in the next room and was doing a crossword puzzle. As he watched, Amanda's younger son wandered into the kitchen.
"Look, Mom, I've done all my fractions." He held up a paper for her to inspect.
"Jamie, that's just great." She examined the paper, then bent down and gave him a hug. "Phillip, how are you doing on your book report?" she called to the next room.
He appeared at the door. "Almost done. But I don't have to hand it in until Friday, so can we watch some TV?"
"Sure, just scoot upstairs first, brush your teeth, and put your pajamas on. Your grandmother's show will be over in fifteen minutes, and you can watch TV until bedtime."
Lee waited until the boys had disappeared up the stairs, then knocked quietly on the kitchen window. Amanda looked up, smiled softly, and went out the back door.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Lee greeted her. He kept his voice low, mindful that her mother was just inside.
"Only the supper dishes. Victoria Greenwich may not do dishes, but Amanda King has a sink-full."
"You're going to miss her, aren't you?"
"A little, I guess. But I was thinking about what you said the other day about fantasies and how they eventually turn lousy. And I realized that, as glamourous as Victoria's life is, I'd much rather be Amanda King."
"Good." They walked away from the house and headed towards the backyard gazebo. Lee took Amanda's hand in his, entwining their fingers together. "And you're sure you're feeling okay? Maybe we should have the Agency doctor take a look at you again."
"Lee, as I already told you twice on the phone today, I'm fine. Really."
"Okay, you're fine, I believe you," he acquiesced. "But there's a problem with your phone."
"What? Did Hollander or someone tamper with it?" she asked worriedly.
He stopped just inside the entrance to the gazebo. Amanda's momentum swung her around so they were suddenly face-to-face.
"No, it's just when I talk to you on the phone, I can't do this." Lee reached out and slipped his arms around her waist, drawing her close.
"Hmm ..." Amanda smiled into his eyes. "A very good point. And I can't do this." She reached up and gently trailed just her fingertips along his cheek.
"And we ..." he ran one hand up her back and into her hair, weaving his fingers through her silky curls, "... can't do this." He gently pulled her towards him, at the same time bending his head until their lips met.
Soft and slow at first, the kiss gradually built in intensity. Lee tightened his hold on Amanda as he felt her slip her arms around him. He tried to absorb every nuance of the moment the taste of her mouth, the scent of her perfume, the softness of her lips, the slenderness of her body pressed against his, everything that for a terrifying interval the night before, he thought he might have lost forever.
After they finally broke apart, Amanda sat down on the bench that lined the interior of the gazebo. Lee sat down beside her, slipping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her close.
"I had a long conversation on the phone today with Mr. Melrose too," she said.
"Hmm ... not about the same thing we were just discussing, I hope," he teased, leaning down and nuzzling her neck.
Amanda laughed and pushed him away slightly. "Of course not! He wanted to tell me to take a few days off to make sure I was completely recovered. And to ask what I wanted my role at the Agency to be in the future."
Lee pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "What did you tell him?"
She shook her head. "Nope, first you have to answer a couple of questions for me."
"What kind of questions?" he hedged.
"Well, I know in the ambulance last night, they gave me sedatives and things, and I was just wondering ..."
"What?" he repeated, holding her hands in his.
"By any chance, did you say something nice to me about my work?"
"Like what?" Lee smiled at her.
"Sure, you'll have a fight with me in a public rest room, but I can't even get you to be honest with me about this when we're alone." She pulled her hands from his and hit him lightly in the chest.
"Okay, I give, I give. Last night what I said to you was ..." he took her hands in his again and continued, "that some day you might actually make a decent agent."
Amanda blushed slightly and looked down. "Oh. I was hoping it was something like that. Because when I talked to Mr. Melrose, I told him that I'd like to continue doing fieldwork."
"What did he say?"
"He couldn't promise how often it would be, but as long as my clearance was high enough, and he thought there'd be a use for my talents, he'd assign me to cases whenever he could."
"You don't mind holding back for a while?" Lee asked.
Amanda sighed. "No, in fact, I think it might be a good idea if I don't rush into anything. At least this way, I can take some time to find out what I really want to do."
He leaned back against the wall. "Sounds like a very good idea to me."
They sat there quietly for a time. Lee looked down at Amanda and asked, "You said you had a couple of questions to ask me. What else did you want to know?"
"Well, last night at the party, how did you get me out of there?"
"I carried you."
"Carried me?" A smile crept across her face.
"Yep." He grinned back.
"Past all those people?"
"Yep. Had to make a brief stop to talk to your friend 'Jim' to find out what kind of drug they used on you."
"He's not my friend." Her face clouded. "Lee, you were right the other day. James wasn't doing the killing himself, but he knew all about what was going on. If you hadn't found me, I could have ..." she choked a bit over the word, "... died ... because of his deal with the East Germans."
"Amanda, one of the most important rules in this business is to learn to keep your feelings separate from your work."
She nodded, acknowledging the truth of his statement. "I'm starting to learn that. It's not going to be easy trying to balance our personal relationship with our jobs."
"So we should stop dating?" he asked with a mischievous grin.
He could see the corners of her mouth tugging upwards, despite her attempt to appear to be giving his suggestion serious consideration. She said slowly, "That would be the simplest solution. Maybe then we wouldn't argue so much while we're on a case."
"But think of all the fun we'd miss making up."
"Another excellent point." Amanda reached out and cupped his face in her hands. "That would be a terrible sacrifice." She leaned in and kissed him gently. Lee slipped his arms around her, intensifying their contact. He could feel the pounding of her heart as he pulled her closer to him.
As they drew back from each other, Amanda slid her hands to his chest. She paused for a few moments, then said, "Lee, can I ask you to promise me one thing?"
"What?" he asked guardedly, wondering where she was headed now.
She reached up and ran her hand through his hair. "The next time you carry me somewhere, make sure I'm conscious so I can enjoy it."
"It's a deal." He smiled back at her, then stood up, held out his hands and helped her to her feet. As they headed out of the gazebo, he said, "I probably should be going home. The doctor said you needed to get lots of rest, so be sure you go to bed early."
"Yes, mother." She laughed and followed him into the backyard. "Lee, I have one more thing I want to ask you." He stood, waiting expectantly for her to continue. "Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?"
"Thanksgiving?" He looked at her blankly for a moment. "Is that coming up already?"
She nodded. "Next Thursday. Do you have anywhere to go?"
"No, I was going to spend the day watching football on TV."
She looked down for a moment, then continued nervously, "I was wondering ... how would you like to spend the day with my family and me?"
"A family Thanksgiving?" He knew his voice sounded slightly panicked and was sure his face showed his surprise as well. "Big turkey dinner? All the trimmings?"
"Even homemade cranberry sauce. Plus, Jamie and Phillip would love to have someone else to watch football with."
He hesitated, and she hastily continued, "But if you think this is going too fast, that's okay. I just didn't like the idea of you spending the holiday alone. So, just pretend I never asked." She turned towards the house only to be stopped by his voice.
"Amanda." She turned around. "I didn't say I didn't like the idea. You just took me a bit by surprise, that's all."
"Then you'll come for dinner?" she asked with an expectant smile.
"I'll be there. Unless something comes up at the Agency." He couldn't help but leave himself a loophole, in case he chickened out at the last minute.
"By the way, Lee." He turned around once more. "Despite what you said the other day, I think you're very good at this sort of thing." She smiled, opened the door and disappeared from view.
The End
She felt as though these images were important, or at least should have been important to her. Yet the sense of detachment persisted, as if all of these incidents had happened to someone else, or that she had only observed them from a great distance.
Opening her eyes, she glanced about, surprised to find herself in a hospital bed, yet still oddly dispassionate about her surroundings. Had she been in an accident? She ran a quick mental inventory of her body, but aside from a headache and this curious sense of indifference, nothing seemed to be wrong.
Gradually she became aware of voices and realized two people were talking just outside her door. A frown creased her face as she struggled to identify the speakers.
Her contemplations were cut short by the entry of a nurse. "You're awake," she observed. "I know someone who'll be glad to hear that." She bustled out again, only to re-enter the room a moment later, followed by two men.
"Mr. Melrose, Lee!" Amanda greeted them. "What happened? Why am I in a hospital?" she asked.
Lee sat down on the bed and took her hand. "Hollander drugged you. Don't you remember?"
She struggled to sit up, fighting back a wave of dizziness. "Hollander?" Suddenly the blurred images snapped into focus. "Lee! I had just opened the door to the veranda for you, and he grabbed me. He must have seen me flashing the light to signal you."
"I figured as much. As soon as I came through the door, one of his goons tackled me. I took care of him, then went looking for you. Thank goodness you had the presence of mind to leave your purse on the landing. Otherwise it might have been too late by the time I found you."
Billy spoke up for the first time. "Hollander and Delano have both been taken into custody. Unfortunately we still don't know who their buyer was."
Amanda thought carefully. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift back through the evening. She was in the darkened study, pressed against the wall, listening to the men in the next room discuss Pershing missile sites. James had been there, and Hollander. They were speaking to a man named ... named ... what had Hollander called him? Commander? No, it was ... "Commoran!" she said aloud. "I'm sure that was the name I overheard."
Mr. Melrose smiled. "Thank you, Amanda. If you'll excuse me, I have an arrest to take care of." He turned and hurried from the room.
Amanda sank back against her pillow. Lee looked at her in concern. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her. "Maybe you should stay here overnight."
She struggled to sit up again. "No, I don't want my family to worry. I'm fine, Lee, I just have a headache, that's all. I need to go home."
The nurse frowned as she walked across the room. "I'm afraid that's for your doctor to decide. I'll go to the nurses station and have him paged." She exited the room.
Lee smiled at Amanda. "In the meantime, I'll go over to the townhouse and pick up your clothing and car. I'll be back soon." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Try to get some rest, okay?"
She watched him leave the room, then settled back onto her pillows again.
***
Lee hesitantly walked through Amanda's backyard. He peered through the window and saw her in the kitchen, busily cleaning up the remnants of supper. Her mother had the television on in the next room and was doing a crossword puzzle. As he watched, Amanda's younger son wandered into the kitchen.
"Look, Mom, I've done all my fractions." He held up a paper for her to inspect.
"Jamie, that's just great." She examined the paper, then bent down and gave him a hug. "Phillip, how are you doing on your book report?" she called to the next room.
He appeared at the door. "Almost done. But I don't have to hand it in until Friday, so can we watch some TV?"
"Sure, just scoot upstairs first, brush your teeth, and put your pajamas on. Your grandmother's show will be over in fifteen minutes, and you can watch TV until bedtime."
Lee waited until the boys had disappeared up the stairs, then knocked quietly on the kitchen window. Amanda looked up, smiled softly, and went out the back door.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Lee greeted her. He kept his voice low, mindful that her mother was just inside.
"Only the supper dishes. Victoria Greenwich may not do dishes, but Amanda King has a sink-full."
"You're going to miss her, aren't you?"
"A little, I guess. But I was thinking about what you said the other day about fantasies and how they eventually turn lousy. And I realized that, as glamourous as Victoria's life is, I'd much rather be Amanda King."
"Good." They walked away from the house and headed towards the backyard gazebo. Lee took Amanda's hand in his, entwining their fingers together. "And you're sure you're feeling okay? Maybe we should have the Agency doctor take a look at you again."
"Lee, as I already told you twice on the phone today, I'm fine. Really."
"Okay, you're fine, I believe you," he acquiesced. "But there's a problem with your phone."
"What? Did Hollander or someone tamper with it?" she asked worriedly.
He stopped just inside the entrance to the gazebo. Amanda's momentum swung her around so they were suddenly face-to-face.
"No, it's just when I talk to you on the phone, I can't do this." Lee reached out and slipped his arms around her waist, drawing her close.
"Hmm ..." Amanda smiled into his eyes. "A very good point. And I can't do this." She reached up and gently trailed just her fingertips along his cheek.
"And we ..." he ran one hand up her back and into her hair, weaving his fingers through her silky curls, "... can't do this." He gently pulled her towards him, at the same time bending his head until their lips met.
Soft and slow at first, the kiss gradually built in intensity. Lee tightened his hold on Amanda as he felt her slip her arms around him. He tried to absorb every nuance of the moment the taste of her mouth, the scent of her perfume, the softness of her lips, the slenderness of her body pressed against his, everything that for a terrifying interval the night before, he thought he might have lost forever.
After they finally broke apart, Amanda sat down on the bench that lined the interior of the gazebo. Lee sat down beside her, slipping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her close.
"I had a long conversation on the phone today with Mr. Melrose too," she said.
"Hmm ... not about the same thing we were just discussing, I hope," he teased, leaning down and nuzzling her neck.
Amanda laughed and pushed him away slightly. "Of course not! He wanted to tell me to take a few days off to make sure I was completely recovered. And to ask what I wanted my role at the Agency to be in the future."
Lee pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "What did you tell him?"
She shook her head. "Nope, first you have to answer a couple of questions for me."
"What kind of questions?" he hedged.
"Well, I know in the ambulance last night, they gave me sedatives and things, and I was just wondering ..."
"What?" he repeated, holding her hands in his.
"By any chance, did you say something nice to me about my work?"
"Like what?" Lee smiled at her.
"Sure, you'll have a fight with me in a public rest room, but I can't even get you to be honest with me about this when we're alone." She pulled her hands from his and hit him lightly in the chest.
"Okay, I give, I give. Last night what I said to you was ..." he took her hands in his again and continued, "that some day you might actually make a decent agent."
Amanda blushed slightly and looked down. "Oh. I was hoping it was something like that. Because when I talked to Mr. Melrose, I told him that I'd like to continue doing fieldwork."
"What did he say?"
"He couldn't promise how often it would be, but as long as my clearance was high enough, and he thought there'd be a use for my talents, he'd assign me to cases whenever he could."
"You don't mind holding back for a while?" Lee asked.
Amanda sighed. "No, in fact, I think it might be a good idea if I don't rush into anything. At least this way, I can take some time to find out what I really want to do."
He leaned back against the wall. "Sounds like a very good idea to me."
They sat there quietly for a time. Lee looked down at Amanda and asked, "You said you had a couple of questions to ask me. What else did you want to know?"
"Well, last night at the party, how did you get me out of there?"
"I carried you."
"Carried me?" A smile crept across her face.
"Yep." He grinned back.
"Past all those people?"
"Yep. Had to make a brief stop to talk to your friend 'Jim' to find out what kind of drug they used on you."
"He's not my friend." Her face clouded. "Lee, you were right the other day. James wasn't doing the killing himself, but he knew all about what was going on. If you hadn't found me, I could have ..." she choked a bit over the word, "... died ... because of his deal with the East Germans."
"Amanda, one of the most important rules in this business is to learn to keep your feelings separate from your work."
She nodded, acknowledging the truth of his statement. "I'm starting to learn that. It's not going to be easy trying to balance our personal relationship with our jobs."
"So we should stop dating?" he asked with a mischievous grin.
He could see the corners of her mouth tugging upwards, despite her attempt to appear to be giving his suggestion serious consideration. She said slowly, "That would be the simplest solution. Maybe then we wouldn't argue so much while we're on a case."
"But think of all the fun we'd miss making up."
"Another excellent point." Amanda reached out and cupped his face in her hands. "That would be a terrible sacrifice." She leaned in and kissed him gently. Lee slipped his arms around her, intensifying their contact. He could feel the pounding of her heart as he pulled her closer to him.
As they drew back from each other, Amanda slid her hands to his chest. She paused for a few moments, then said, "Lee, can I ask you to promise me one thing?"
"What?" he asked guardedly, wondering where she was headed now.
She reached up and ran her hand through his hair. "The next time you carry me somewhere, make sure I'm conscious so I can enjoy it."
"It's a deal." He smiled back at her, then stood up, held out his hands and helped her to her feet. As they headed out of the gazebo, he said, "I probably should be going home. The doctor said you needed to get lots of rest, so be sure you go to bed early."
"Yes, mother." She laughed and followed him into the backyard. "Lee, I have one more thing I want to ask you." He stood, waiting expectantly for her to continue. "Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?"
"Thanksgiving?" He looked at her blankly for a moment. "Is that coming up already?"
She nodded. "Next Thursday. Do you have anywhere to go?"
"No, I was going to spend the day watching football on TV."
She looked down for a moment, then continued nervously, "I was wondering ... how would you like to spend the day with my family and me?"
"A family Thanksgiving?" He knew his voice sounded slightly panicked and was sure his face showed his surprise as well. "Big turkey dinner? All the trimmings?"
"Even homemade cranberry sauce. Plus, Jamie and Phillip would love to have someone else to watch football with."
He hesitated, and she hastily continued, "But if you think this is going too fast, that's okay. I just didn't like the idea of you spending the holiday alone. So, just pretend I never asked." She turned towards the house only to be stopped by his voice.
"Amanda." She turned around. "I didn't say I didn't like the idea. You just took me a bit by surprise, that's all."
"Then you'll come for dinner?" she asked with an expectant smile.
"I'll be there. Unless something comes up at the Agency." He couldn't help but leave himself a loophole, in case he chickened out at the last minute.
"By the way, Lee." He turned around once more. "Despite what you said the other day, I think you're very good at this sort of thing." She smiled, opened the door and disappeared from view.
The End