Chapter 2 - Arlington
Amanda arrived home after her nearly 10 hour flight and found that everything was just as she had left it. Her Mother was out with the boys according to the note Amanda found. They had gone to the park to practice baseball since they had a game coming up soon and Dotty went along intending to catch up on some reading. Amanda carried her bag upstairs and proceeded to unpack it. She carried her dirty clothes to the laundry room and began a wash. She then went downstairs and pulled out some hamburger so she could make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. As she prepared the meatballs, her thoughts went back to Arizona and a hazel eyed man who drove her nuts. She had been impressed with how well the two of them had gotten along during this trip. It seemed that without Francine and others to influence him, he was pretty decent to her. They had some really nice conversations and Amanda felt that she had gotten to know him a little better. He still wasn't sharing much of his private past life but he at least was showing his true personality. She really liked what she saw. He was a true gentleman deep down as it wasn't often that men held doors anymore, held chairs and helped seat a woman and they definitely did not gently put their hands on a woman's back to help guide her. Yes, Lee might be frustrating at times but he had a lot of redeeming qualities. Their last night together had been a bit of a mystery to her. Lee had been the one that suggested that they go to a formal dinner and then go out dancing at a Nightclub. Amanda was not fond of nightclubs but knew that Lee enjoyed them so she agreed with the condition that he would not desert her for another woman. He had kept his promise and they had spent several hours enjoying the music and doing a lot of dancing. She had enjoyed herself more than she thought she would but during one of the dances, she got a surprise when Lee motioned for her to stay so they could do a slow dance together. She couldn't believe how easily she fit in his arms and how natural it felt to be there. Her body had responded to being that close to him and she wasn't positive but she was pretty sure that his body had responded to her also. She understood why so many women were willing to do anything for a one night stand with him as it was almost overwhelming to be with him. Amanda wasn't that type of woman though and Lee knew it. He was a pure gentleman during the entire dance and after that, they both chose not to dance any more of the slow dances. Everything had gone fine until they went back to the hotel and Amanda remembered that she was going to have to sleep in the same bed as Lee. She had had quite a few beers during the night though and when he suggested using a barrier to keep their sleeping spaces separate, it sounded like a good idea. Amanda had slept better that night then she had the whole time she was away. In fact, Lee had woke up before her and gone to take a shower. She vaguely recalled him moving her head off his chest. Wait, did she dream that or was her head really on his chest? She had no way of knowing how that happened but she did remember feeling very safe as she slept. Things were awkward afterward for the first time during the trip. She didn't quite know what to say to him and he seemed at a loss of words too. They hadn't let it stop them from putting on a great demonstration of the Bus and Amanda was relieved to find that they would be taking separate flights back to DC. She had decided to let it go and not talk about it but apparently Lee wasn't ready to do the same. As they were parting at the Proving Grounds, he felt the need to explain it all to her. She hadn't cared much for his explanation though as he stumbled around what had happened and in the end, she couldn't help but smile at him trying to make it seem like none of it had affected him. It drove him nuts to see her smiling at him and that made the whole thing worthwhile. Yes, Amanda King had left Lee Stetson speechless and walked away from him. It served him right for all the times he had made her feel silly.
As she sat thinking about all of that, it occurred to her that she still needed to call Dean. In some ways, she felt like she had cheated on him a little since she had enjoyed her time with Lee a little too much. She knew she hadn't really cheated on him though because nothing had happened between her and Lee. Still, she needed to hear Dean's voice and let him pull her back into the normal world and out of this fantasy world she had entered for a short time. She picked up the phone and dialed his number. His answering machine came on and it stated that he was out of town. Oh yes, she had forgotten that he had some sort of awards celebration to go to. She was sure he would call her at some point and they could talk then. For now, she better get this dinner cooking before her hungry family came back and wondered why they had to wait to eat.
TBC