The Lovebirds

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Chapter 15

Amanda laid in bed and checked the time again. It was almost 3am. She and Lee had met up the last 2 nights under the Oak tree. Even though they hadn't made plans this time around, he could possibly be sitting there tonight, hoping she'd showed up.

She wanted to see Lee so much, but images of Dean kept popping in her mind. Dean, who was loyal and reliable and promised her a future. But Lee offered her excitement and laughter and...nothing more. She was barely a working partner to him.

Sitting up in her bed, she took her pillow and slammed her back down on the mattress, putting the pillow over the back of her head.

Why can't I decide? She berated herself.

Then she realized that by staying in bed and not doing anything further, a decision had been made for her.

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Sunlight filtered through the curtains and Amanda woke with a start.

The streaming daylight was telling her that she had overslept. Glancing over at the clock, she noted it was already ten o'clock. She threw off her covers and quickly got ready. Then she dashed downstairs and into the kitchen.

The maid, Isabella, was at the sink, her back facing Amanda. It was obvious she was washing the dishes. Amanda cleared her throat and casually went to pour herself some coffee.

"Good morning, Isabella!" Amanda cheerfully greeted her, "do you need some help with the dishes?"

"Morning, Missus Amanda, and no, no help I need, thank you," Isabella said in a slight accent, as she half turned, "I save to you a very good breakfast, if you like."

But the last thing Amanda wanted was something filling to eat.

"It's rather late, so I'll just make myself some toast, if you don't mind," Amanda stated, as she removed the bread from the bag and put it in the toaster. As she got the butter and jam out, she nonchalantly asked, "Where is everyone?"

"Madame is working with Agent Stetson upstairs on some work she is doing for the Senate. Master Daniel and Missus Liz are having tea in the gazebo, then they say they will stroll the grounds. Miss Deidre and Master Dean, I have not seen since breakfast-"

The conversation was interrupted by the swinging door. Amanda glanced up to see Lee entering. She felt her temperature rising and a blush forming on her cheeks upon seeing him.

"Good morning, Lee."

There was a twinkle in his eye when he spotted her. But despite his cheerful smile, she could see smidgens of dark circles under his eyes.

"Good day, Amanda," he greeted her.

Then Lee addressed the maid, "Isabella, would you mind bringing up some tea and cookies for Madame Olivia? She'd like a midday snack."

"Of course, Mister Lee, right away," Isabella stated, as she wiped her hands and began to prepare the midday snack.

Meanwhile, Lee purposely lingered in the kitchen a bit by helping himself to some coffee.

As he poured the coffee, he gave a sideways glance at Isabella before formally asking Amanda, "So, Amanda, did you have a good sleep?"

"Actually, no, which is why I overslept," she stated, as she spread the jam on her toast, "and, um, what about you, Agent Stetson?" she politely asked, as she took note of Isabella still preparing the snack, "Did you sleep well last night?"

"I had a rough time as well," he admitted, "I woke up in the early morning hours and had a hard time falling asleep again."

Was he hinting that he had waited for her at the bench under the tree?

With the preparations complete, Isabella gathered up her tray of food. The door swung outside/in at her departure. This left Lee and Amanda alone and they dropped their formality.

Lee's body relaxed, "I'd thought she'd never leave!" he stated, referring to Isabella.

"Sounds like you've been busy all morning with your boss," Amanda noted, still standing while taking a bite of her toast.

He took a sip of his coffee, "I have been at that. Olivia has been consulting with the Senate on some bills they are considering. I'm helping her with the research and possible loopholes that may need closing up."

"Are we eventually to search Olivia's room as well?" Amanda asked.

Lee looked uncertain, "It's difficult because she's always in her room. Plus she keeps most of her important papers locked in her file cabinet. I've been able to search her room on rare occasions she hasn't been there, but there's no way I can get into her files."

"So what's the plan for us today then?" asked Amanda, taking another bite of her toast.

"I say we check brother Daniel and Liz's room since they're finishing up breakfast outside and will be strolling the grounds for a time."

Amanda nodded, "Alright. I'd-"

She instantly stopped when the kitchen door swung opened and Deidre walked in.

"Coffee! I need coffee!" she complained. She practically ignored Amanda and when she spotted Lee, her smile was a mile long.

"Oh, hello, there, handsome!" she greeted him. Suddenly her movements were sensually exaggerated as she went to pour herself some coffee.

"So...uh," Amanda began, pretending to continue a made-up conversation with Lee, "as I was saying, I'd recommend The Polo Bar restaurant to you, Agent Stetson. Dean and I went there last night and it was absolutely wonderful!"

"That place?" Deidre interrupted, sounding unimpressed, "It's so...so bourgeois!"

"Now, Deidre," Lee corrected her, "No need to sound smug! I'm sure it's just as impressive as Amanda stated!"

Deidre's eyes flashed for a second at Lee's response, but then she covered it up with a light laugh, "Of course, Darling, whatever you say!" Then as she was about to leave, she playfully grazed Lee's chest with her fingers, "-and, after I come back from my hair appointment, I'll look forward to us being together again!"

And then she was gone.

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Lee and Amanda stared at the spot Deidre had been.

"That was awkward," Amanda stated her thoughts out loud.

"Don't give her a second thought," Lee suggested, as he rinsed off his mug in the sink, "Let's, instead, just concentrate on the search we need to get done this morning."

"I'm on it," Amanda stated, taking the last bite of her toast and then downing it with some coffee, "Let's do it! "

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The mansion felt strangely quiet as they went upstairs to Daniel and Liz's bedroom. This room was elaborately decorated in a combination of rich cornflower blue and ivory. And because this was one of the smaller guest rooms, it had two matching four post twin beds with a touch of gold in the wood structure as well as in the blue comforters.

Once again, Lee and Amanda separated to search in different parts of the room.

"Find anything yet?" Amanda asked after a few minutes of searching through the dresser drawers.

"Not yet," he stated, "But I think Ward and June Cleaver are very happy," he stated as he showed her a loving picture of them on their wedding day.

"I guess some couples just get lucky," Amanda remarked as she turned back and opened another drawer.

"Speaking of which," Lee began, "did McGuire give you grief about helping me out on the investigation?"

She continued searching the drawer, "That's a strange conversation to have while rifling through people's drawers, Lee!"

"That's fine if you don't want to say," he nonchalantly answered back.

She stopped searching and shut the drawer.

"He's not pleased, if that's what you're asking, but...I think he'll eventually come around and accept it. That's the great thing about Dean. He's very reasonable. I'm lucky he's as easygoing as he is."

"No, Amanda. He's the lucky one."

Air rushed out of her lungs at his words. She turned to look at Lee from across the room and her senses became aroused at the way he was intently looking back at her

"Lee, I-"

Suddenly, they heard voices in the hallway and they were getting louder and louder. And they seemed to be headed this way.

Amanda felt frozen to her spot, unable to move.

But Lee quickly reacted. He pointed to one of the twin beds and helped her hustle underneath it. Lee scooted in close beside her just as they heard the doorknob turning and then footsteps entering the room

From underneath the bed, they could see two pairs of shoes attached to legs; one was masculine and the other feminine.

"Good Gawd, Liz," Daniel was heard complaining, "I told you we were going for a walk after breakfast and yet, you still wore heels?"

Daniel sounded irritated.

But right now, Amanda could only think about her and Lee's bodies being smashed tightly together to avoid detention. Amanda's entire body was pressed against the length of Lee's. Her heartbeat began to beat recklessly when she felt him put his arm around her to save even more space.

There was a sound of Liz kicking her shoes off and putting them in the closet, "How was I supposed to know you wanted to walk a marathon? You said a stroll, so I thought we would be leisurely walking for a few minutes, not a thirty-minute walkathon! My feet are killing me!"

Daniel sounded irritated, "There you go, always complaining, Liz! Not happy with this, not happy with that! I don't know how much longer I could put up with this charade!"

Listening to their conversation was quite shocking. In the cloaked darkness, Amanda turned to see Lee's reaction. One of his brows lifted, as if to say, "Get a load of those two!"

"This weekend can't end soon enough!" whined Liz, "I can't wait to get away from your weirdo family AND you!"

Amanda couldn't believe what she was hearing. They weren't lovebirds, after all. Then she felt Lee's eyes on her. She turned his way and her cheeks felt warm as she returned his gaze.

Don't look at him, Amanda calmly reminded herself as she turned away, I am not on a date but am trapped underneath a dusty bed instead.

Lee couldn't believe the effect Amanda was having on him. And even though he couldn't see her completely, he certainly felt her. A strand of hair had blocked his view of her and he reached over to gently shove that hair aside.

That touch ignited a spark in her and she turned his way again. She was astonished at how gently he had pushed her hair back. And then regrettably, it was over and she realized she had missed part of Daniel and Liz's arguments.

It was Daniel speaking now, "...And if I were you, Liz, I'd cut back on the wine for dinner tonight. You know how you are when you get inebriated, or shall I call it what it is: stinking drunk!"

"Did you ever figure that the reason I drink is to forget?"

"What are you trying to forget?"

"YOU!"

"That's not funny, and I'm warning you, Liz...you better watch your drinking tonight!"

Liz haughtily answered back, "If you give me a mirror, then I'll be able to watch my drinking!"

"Gawd, I've always hated your humor!" complained Daniel, "the only good thing to come out of this weekend is that old bag Eunice is gone! I hated how she knew the truth about us! She got what was coming to her!"

"That's a callous thing to say!" Liz snapped back, "Eunice is dead, after all! But you always were a cold-hearted fool!"

Daniel's tone sounded venomous, "Hate you!"

"I hate you even more!"

"I'm done here!" he bellowed, "You coming or what?"

"Alright, just stop your yapping!" an exasperated Liz yelled back.

Lee and Amanda next heard retreating footsteps, the door opening and then silence once again. They waited a few seconds until the footsteps faded away.

"They're gone," Lee stated, as he got up from being underneath the bed in one fluid movement. He was surprised when Amanda didn't get out from under her side the bed, "Amanda? It's safe now. You can come out."

There was a pause.

"I can't," said a meek voice from underneath the bed.

Lee bent down to look underneath the bed, "Why? What's wrong?"

"Oh, Lee, I think..." Amanda stated, as she tugged her pink cardigan, "I think I got my cardigan stuck on one of the bedsprings!"

Lee couldn't help it. He chuckled. Then he crawled back underneath the bed, "Don't yank," he advised her, as he reached out, "let me unhook it for you."

It took a while and throughout that entire time, both of them were again aware of their physical closeness.

"Okay, you're free," he announced all too soon, his voice hoarser than it should be as they faced each other again.

But neither move. They both felt sensations brushing against their sides at their nearness.

Lee couldn't believe all these feelings he had recently been feeling whenever he was near Amanda. It had taken years for him to build an impenetrable wall so that he could not feel pain or hurt, or especially love. He was too busy saving the world to have these kinds of feelings.

But yet, here he was, feeling these feelings. And more.

Those terrifying thoughts were enough to get him to quickly scoot out. From the other side, Amanda wiggled out from underneath the bed and stood. In comparison to him, she noticed Lee was standing with unwrinkled clothes, looking as pristinely pressed as before, while she was covered in fuzz and dust bunnies from being underneath the bed.

"Oh geez," she frustratingly grumbled, as she began to slap the dust away from her clothes, "I'm such a mess!"

But the dust continued to cling to her hair and clothes. She would slap it off, only for it to fly back on her.

Lee watched her, thoroughly entertained, and then slowly shook his head with amusement, "Amanda, you're like a human dust mop!"

She continued her slapping gesture, "Don't I know it! This is getting ridiculous!"

"Let it be!" he jokingly suggested, "Just pretend it's not plain old dust clinging to you, but fairy dust, lightly sprinkled upon you!"

"You're not helping!" she distractedly responded, as she whacked a big pile of dust bunny off her cardigan, only to have it boomerang back onto her sweater.

She looked up wearily at him while pushing aside a strand of hair at the same time, "I'm about ready to give up!"

He grinned, "Looks like 'another one fights the dust'!"

And she smiled despite her frustrations. His playful words had managed to get her in a good mood again.

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