Chapter ELEVEN - "Cute place. You come here often?"
Amanda pulled up in front of the little house she and Lee stayed in during the Stemwinder case. She shuddered when she remembered all of the agents trying to hunt them down. She sighed and went up the stairs and into the house. Mr. Kerlin, the director, was sitting at the table waiting for her. She smiled at him as he stood up. He stuck out his hand to shake hers and he said "Mrs. Vander Hoosen….good to see you again! I am so glad you were able to get all of your belongings back. How are you?"
Amanda smiled and hello. She giggled to herself at the fake name she had given the strange man. Lee had relentlessly teased her during their stay about the name. She said hello to him and he told her that there was something for her sitting on the kitchen counter. She thanked him and he said he'd be in the office if she needed him. Amanda walked into the kitchen and there were the flowers, the box and another letter from Lee. She opened the box and this time he had given her two charms, a little house and a charm that said "Family". She clipped the charms onto her bracelet and smiled to herself. She opened the letter and began reading.
Mrs.…Vander…no, I love saying Mrs. Stetson,
Honey, I still don't know where you came up with that fake name! It still makes me laugh. Well, here we are in our cozy little hideout. Another typical day in the spy family. Remember that? Even in the face of uncertainty and danger, you Amanda King, were nothing short of amazing! You watched my back and kept us safe. I think that's what makes us such incredible partners, because from the beginning we watched out for one another. I know it may sound silly but I miss that little hideout of ours. Sure, we were in the middle of an Agency manhunt, we had Alexi coming after us and yet we had amazing moments just being together. Just you and me. I know telling you that I loved you over the phone wasn't the most romantic way but when has anything gone the way we wanted. I am so glad I finally told you that I love you…I plan on telling you every day for the rest of our lives. I am so ready to be a family with you, Phillip, Jamie and Dotty. We should have come clean from the beginning. Honey, we were not fooling anyone. I hope you know that.
Your next stop is pretty easy…the one place where we can be Mr. and Mrs. Stetson. It's almost time to see you and I can't wait. I want to hear all about how your day went. I hope you are having fun. I love you Amanda.
Lee.
Amanda wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed. She thought how utterly romantic her husband really was. She gathered her things and took one last look at the little home she and Lee shared for a little bit. She closed the door and headed towards her car. She knew there was a stop or two she needed to go to before she headed to Lee's apartment.