Lee pulled up to 4247 Maplewood Drive and parked in the driveway behind the station wagon. He gave a light tap on the backdoor alerting Dotty to his arrival. She opened the door and let him in.

"Good morning, Lee."

"Good morning, Dotty."

"Come in, come in! It's nice to see you again…so soon."

"So soon?" Lee asked a bit confused. He hadn't seen Dotty in this house for a few weeks now.

Dotty smiled knowingly at Lee.

"Well, you know what they say. Time flies when you're having fun! Can I get you a cup of coffee?" she said with a certain glint to her eyes.

"Uh, yes that would be great. Is Amanda ready?"

"Lee? I'll be right down!" Amanda yelled down the stairs to him.

Dotty gestured towards the stairs, "Almost…..What do you take in your coffee?"

"Nothing, just black."

Dotty handed him the mug of freshly brewed coffee. She tried not to stare at him, but he was a very handsome man. She hoped that he and Amanda would be together for a while.

Lee felt Dotty looking him over and began to feel uneasy.

"Uh…thank you very much" he said as he raised his coffee mug.

"Can I get you something for breakfast?"

"Oh, no….thank you. I am not a big eater in the morning."

"Oh, well that is too bad. You know they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"

Lee nodded his head as she spoke. He had heard Amanda repeat this mantra many times over the years. Lee brought the cup back to his lips and sipped the warm liquid.

Dotty looked at Lee with a big smile and presented him with a platter of muffins.

"Are you sure I can't offer you some fresh baked….."

Dotty's eyes widened and she was stopped in her tracks as she noticed the gleaming, golden wedding band on Lee's left hand. Lee was confused as to what had just caused Dotty's demeanor to so rapidly change and wondered what she was staring at. In that moment, he realized that he had not taken off his wedding ring. He quickly put down the mug of coffee and shoved his hand into his pants pocket.

"Good morning!" Amanda said as she came into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Amanda" Dotty said stiffly as she kept her eyes on Lee.

Amanda looked at her mother and then at Lee.

"Is everything alright?" she said.

"Uh, yeah. Ready to go? We don't want to be late." Lee said as he gestured towards the door.

"Yup. All ready. Just have to grab my purse." Amanda replied. "Mother, I gave the boys each money for lunch. Please make sure they leave on time for school. I am hoping I will be back by dinner time. I'll call you later in the day to let you know."

Amanda hugged her mother and kissed her on the cheek. Dotty's response was very cold and not typical at all.

"Are you sure you're ok, Mother?"

"Oh yes, Amanda. Fine, just fine. You have a good day at work."

"Ok. You have a good day, too."

Lee opened the kitchen door and let Amanda pass through before him. He turned and gave Dotty a slight smile as he walked out the door.

Dotty watched the car pull out of the driveway and then plopped down into her favorite armchair.

"I can't believe my daughter is dating a married man! I knew Lee Stetson seemed too good to be true. Married! I wonder if Amanda even knows."