Valentine's Day, part 1
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Chapter 6
After canceling his Valentine's Day date, Lee hung up his phone.
He felt relieved not having to spend a Valentine's dinner with Marlene. He hated to disappoint her, but he no longer felt enthusiastic about a late February 14th nightcap. Instead, having lunch with Amanda on Valentine's Day would be enough for him. In fact, no matter how good or bad the Valentine luncheon turned out, he was still looking forward to it.
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It was Valentine's Day at last.
With her hand cradling her cheek, Amanda sat absentmindedly at her desk, with a faraway look.
Oh, why had I let Mary convince me to meet up with an unknown someone on Valentine's Day, of all days?! She internally berated herself, Maybe it would have been better to be alone on Valentine's Day! After all, there wasn't anyone she'd want to be with on that day... she paused,... wellllll, except perhaps...
"-Good morning, Amanda!" boomed a familiar male voice, causing Amanda to jump out of her seat.
Her head shot up to see Lee suddenly in front of her desk, smiling down on her.
Oh gosh!
Amanda quickly began re-arranging all the objects on her desk in an attempt to look busy.
It didn't fool Lee in the least.
"What are you doing?" he asked, looking at her actions.
Amanda tried to act as if everything was normal, as she picked up her desk calendar and then put it down, "Nothing important, really. I'm just organizing my desk."
"...by picking up random objects and putting them back down in exactly the same spot? That method of organizing may take a week to complete!" he teased.
It was almost as if he were enjoying her nervousness.
She quit fussing with the items on her desk, "Why are you at my desk, anyway?" she bristled.
Lee held up his hands defensively, "Heyyyy, I just came over to greet you, is all!"
Amanda became immediately apologetic, "Oh. Good morning! And sorry. I guess I easily get frustrated when I'm caught wasting time at work."
"So why were you so distracted before I came up?" he inquired.
"I said I was frustrated, not distracted! " she quickly denied, but then realized how much she hated lying, "...okay, maybe a little distracted, I guess."
There was the sound of footsteps coming towards them, halting their conversation. Betty from Accounting came over to Amanda's desk to drop off time-sheets and also a small, pink envelope.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Amanda!" Betty greeted her, while specifically handing her the pink envelope. She then looked at Lee and flashed her best smile, "And a verrry Happy Valentine's Day to you, too, Agent Stetson!"
Lee put his hands behind his back and slightly bowed, "Good day, Betty."
Amanda was determined to ignore Betty's obvious attraction to Lee, "Thank you, Betty, for the valentine!" she smiled, and then held up an index finger, "But don't go just yet! I have something for you, too!"
Then reaching down, Amanda retrieved a wicker basket, covered with a red cloth, and placed it on her desk. Pulling back the cloth cover, she then reached in and pulled out one of her heart-shaped homemade cookies, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a lovely red ribbon.
"Happy Valentine's Day to you, Betty!" Amanda stated back, handing her the cookie.
"Oh! How sweet! Thank you, Amanda!" Betty happily exclaimed. She then turned to Lee, "And I hope to see YOU later, Agent Stetson!" she cooed.
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After Betty left, Lee snapped his fingers, "That's riiight!" he exclaimed, as if the thought just entered his mind, "It's Valentine's Day today!" he then longingly peered inside the basket," So how about a cookie for me? Do I get to be your Valentine, too?"
The thought that he would even considered that caused Amanda's pulse to race.
But she knew he would never be her Valentine.
Quickly whipping the cloth back over the basket again, she saucily stated, "Sorry, Lee, but as usual, you came to work late, and I had just given away the last of my Valentine cookies, as you just witnessed! All gone!"
"Is that so?" Lee didn't look the least bit hurt, "Because just before you covered the basket, I could have SWORN I saw one more cookie in there!"
Amanda's cheeks reddened. The last cookie was reserved for her lunch match-up today.
"Wellll, if you must know, I'm, uh, saving that cookie for a particular someone... later today," she awkwardly revealed.
Lee lifted a brow, "Oh? Man or woman?"
"Like I would tell you," Amanda sardonically stated, "besides, you don't need a cookie from me. I'm sure other women today will be more than happy to give you their cookies!"
She prepared herself for a snide response from him, but instead, his cheeks reddened, something she had never seen before.
He covered up his reaction by looking down and absentmindedly drawing imaginary circles on her desk with his index finger, "You know, Amanda..." he slowly began, "...sometimes I do believe that you have the wrong impression of me."
He then lifted his head and his gaze swept over hers, causing her heart to beat twice as fast.
Relax. Breathe in and out
"Really now?" she cynically asked, once she recovered, "Are you saying you're going to be alone today... on Valentine's Day?"
Now, why did I say it like that? she internally cringed, It almost sounded as if I cared!
He gave her a lingering half-smile, "As usual, Amanda, you are correct. I will not be alone today."
She figured. But hearing him admitting it caused disappointment to pierce her heart.
"Well, then," Amanda responded, "I guess it's good that we both won't be alone today."
He continued to give her a measured look, "I guess so. But I'm still waiting for the identity of your cookie date."
Amanda thought perhaps he might be jealous, but when she studied his face, he didn't show any type of jealousy. Only interest. Darn it!
"It's not a date... really," Amanda responded, wishing to be anywhere but here.
"A-ha! I knew it! Not really a date! That means it's a man you're giving the cookie to!"
She thinned her lips, "I see you're not going to stop until I tell you who will get the last cookie."
He shrugged, "Valentine's Day makes me nosy."
She heaved a sigh, "Okay. But don't laugh. The thing is, I was set up by..." she paused, trying to work up her nerve, "... a matchmaker."
Surprisingly Lee didn't laugh. In fact, his eyes seemed to be dancing, "Really now? A Matchmaker?"
"Yes, a Matchmaker!" Amanda responded, proudly holding her head up high, "You've got a problem with that?"
"No, no problem, not really...but...isn't a Matchmaker just someone who basically says, (Lee counted with his index finger) 'Eenie, meenie, minee, moe, you're IT', to a selection of potential dates?"
"I already told you it isn't a date, Lee! You just don't understand!"
"Okay, you're right; maybe I don't understand," Lee concurred, "I'm just surprised. Do you really think this Matchmaker of yours could find a perfect match for you?"
"Well, I certainly wouldn't find that perfect match here at the workplace!" Amanda stated, and then realizing her blunder, she tried to salvage her pride, for the last thing she needed was a pity look from Lee, "What I meant to say is that this Matchmaker is VERY good at what she does, and who knows? Maybe she will find the perfect match for me so that I can give away my heart to him!"
Lee dramatically dropped his mouth in shock, "You can do that?"
Baffled, Amanda tilted her head, "Do what?"
"Give away your heart to him….WITHOUT surgery?"
And despite herself, Amanda laughed.
"Okay, " she stated, "maybe it does sound like wistful thinking, but, Lee ...you never know!"
He gave her an arresting stare, as if he were sizing up the situation. His intense look caused Amanda's heartbeat to reverberate in every part of her body.
"You're right, Amanda...you never know," he sagely commented, emphasizing the last part.
A flush of heat went through her chest at how low and sensual his voice sounded.
She would have preferred Lee to continue mocking her about the Matchmaker because then she could fire back with some clever, insulting retort. But giving her supportive words, along with his intense gaze, was slowly unnerving her.
She needed to stop these yearning feelings.
"I...uh...have to get back to work," Amanda stated as she randomly picked up two pieces of paper and stapled them together.
A smile tugged at Lee's lips.
"Amanda?"
"Hmmm?"
"Do you always staple your time sheet to your Bulgarian translations?"
"What? Oh."
Blushing, Amanda went into her drawer to get the staple remover.
Lee thought she was adorable when she was flustered.
"Oh, and Amanda?"
She heaved a sigh, "Now what, Lee?"
"I gotta go, but just wanted to say..." he paused, and then took a deep breath, "...I hope this is a good Valentine's Day match-up for you and you won't be disappointed."
Disappointed? What a strange word choice.
But when her gaze traveled over his, she could tell he was speaking from the heart. And it touched her.
She leaned in and whispered, "I hope so, too, Lee."
And as Amanda watched his retreating backside, she made a promise to herself to not compare today's lunch match-up to Lee.
Meanwhile, as Lee walked away, he looked nervously at his watch. Lunchtime would be in two hours.
He just hoped he didn't blow it somehow.
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Last chapter coming up!
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