Chapter 3: The Secret Revealed!

Amanda had been discreetly dating for a couple of years, and Dean, so loved by Dotty, was only lukewarm as far as Amanda was concerned. The weatherman was nice, dependable, and utterly boring. Amanda truthfully rather liked Lee Stetson. Not romantically, but she liked the air of excitement that he had about him. She did not like the messy apartment, cavalcade of seemingly loose women, or his way of often being quick to criticize. If Dean could only capture a bit of Lee's excitement, she might give him serious consideration.

She thought about these things as she pulled into the driveway with her kids. It was ten at night; Jamie had a play, and afterwards, they had gone out for ice cream. It was a Friday, and things had gone so well this week that Amanda had decided to reward them with a late night. That was when she saw a silver Corvette parked in front of the house. Another mission, she thought, rolling her eyes. She had missed so many of her kids' events, and with the lull in Agency activity, Amanda had been determined to catch up. She had even refused Lee on his request that she join him in Hawaii. Too much time away from my family, she thought. To her surprise, Scarecrow had agreed and told her that he would find another way. But here he was at her house, and not even bothering to hide the car!

Amanda just knew that Lee had either changed his mind, or that more likely, Billy had insisted. But why the sudden lapse in secrecy? Did he not understand that if her mother found out about Lee, it would be like World War 3 in the King household?

"Awesome! That's the new Vette!" Philip had made a beeline for the sleek, silvery car, Jamie close behind him.

"I hear it'll hit 150!" Jamie was now joining Philip in a moment of male bonding over machinery.

Joe would be tickled, she thought. "Come on, kids; it's probably a neighbor's guest, so let's not get too close.

"Mom, it even has a car phone!" Jamie was now peering into the car, and Amanda realized that the targa roof was removed and the windows were down. It was unusual for Lee to be so careless with his car.

"That's nice dear, now let's get inside. You were wonderful at the play, Jamie, so let's get inside; you can both stay up and watch that Star Wars film we rented from Erols." Amanda desperately wanted to get inside and get the kids occupied so that she could see what Lee wanted, and hopefully send him on his way before her mother got involved.

The kids dutifully went inside with her, but when she opened the door, she heard her mother's voice. She was speaking animatedly to … Lee?

"Lee Stetson, that was the best night out I've had in years. Years!"

"Lee?" Amanda called out as she ran to the kitchen. No, no, no, she thought. Mother cannot meet him! To Amanda's shock, and near horror, Lee and her mother were at the kitchen table having drinks together, her mother in a rather showy red dress and high heel shoes.

"Amanda, I'm so glad you're home," Dotty began. "Now sit down with us while the boys watch Darth Vader." Lee just looked at her and grinned.

"Mother!" Amanda was flabbergasted. A hundred emotions went through her mind, and a hundred more came to her when she saw that Lee and her mother were clearly having a good old time together. "What are you …"

"Sit, sit, sit, Amanda." Mother was insistent. Then she looked over at Lee. "She's always been like this, Lee."

"MOTHER!"

"Amanda King," Dotty intoned, standing up. "Do not take that tone with me, young lady. Now sit down."

"Calm down, Amanda," Lee said, making a downward motion with his hands as though he were bringing down the volume of an orchestra. "Don't worry; we can explain."

Amanda sat down, looking back and forth at the two of them, her expression that of having seen a ghost. Mother and Lee together in the same room telling her to sit down so that they could explain was not something she wanted to come home to. Not to mention that her own raised voice had summoned Phillip and Jamie.

"Mom, Grandma?" Phillip entered first. Then seeing Lee, he brightened. "Hey, mister, is that your Corvette?"

"It is my Corvette." Lee proudly claimed his ownership of the top of the line Chevrolet.

"And I had a lovely ride in that Corvette," Dotty added, walking around and putting her hands on Lee's shoulders, rubbing them gently. "Phillip, Jamie, this is Lee Stetson. He's a friend of your mother, and has been my escort this evening."

"So that's what all the fuss is about," Jamie said. "Grandma's got a boyfriend. Come on, Phillip; the previews are over. I don't wanna miss Darth Vader!" He turned to leave, then said, "Good to meet you, Mister Stetson!" Then he ran off to watch the movie.

"See ya," Phillip said, following Jamie.

Amanda waited until she could hear the telltale sound of John Williams and blaster fire before saying anything. Once she was sure that the kids were safely ensconced in the science fiction film, she turned to Lee and her mother.

"Now would you two mind telling me just what's going on? I mean, I go out and, Mother, you're in your nightgown, and Lee, you said you'd find someone else for the mission, and I just thought I'd have a night with the boys and come home to a quiet house. I even turned down an urgent plea from Dean, so that I could be with the boys, and …"

"Amanda," Dotty interjected, halting Amanda's ramble. "You do realize that I know about the Scarecrow."

"You do?" Amanda looked at Lee, who did not look the least bit worried, and then looked back at Dotty.

"Well of course I do," Dotty exclaimed, her hands up in frustration. "Do you really think I'm that gullible? Some of the explanations you've given me are … well frankly insulting. I figured out the perfect places, the best windows, to listen to you and Lee talk when all this started."

"You were spying on me?" Amanda was a bit indignant.

"Amanda, I was worried! Imagine how I felt; an older woman in a home with a daughter and two young boys? I had to know what kind of man was knocking at windows and backdoors and hiding behind the shrubbery!" Dotty looked angry, but then her expression softened. "But when I found out that you were serving our country, I was so proud of you. And Lee is one of our boys, fighting for our freedom, so how could I not be pleased? I mean, I was concerned that the missions were dangerous, but I had a good feeling about Lee Stetson. I really hoped you would strike up a relationship with him."

"Really?" Amanda was duly shocked.

"Of course, really! Why do you think I kept extoling the most boring virtues of Dean all the time?"

"Oh." Amanda felt a bit stupid now. Poor Dean, she thought.

"But then I realized that you really weren't interested in this dashing spy, so I thought it was about time one of the West women stood up and made herself known."

"But Lee's a spy," Amanda protested. "It might be dangerous."

"To a widow with a grown daughter and no excitement? Is that what you want for your mother, Amanda? To waste away like an old maid, with no romance or adventure?"

"No, but Mother …"

"Amanda, listen to me," Lee said in a tone that brooked no protest. Amanda knew that tone, and knew better than to argue. "I have been trying to keep Billy from constantly dragging you into agency business so that you could have more of a life with your kids. You've been training, and you're doing great, but I knew you'd been missing out on time with your kids, and you said as much yourself. You specifically turned down this mission for that reason. Billy insisted that I ask you one more time. I knocked on the back door, and Mrs. West …"

"Dotty," Dotty corrected.

"… and Dotty, sorry Dotty, answered. Boy did I have some explaining to do. But we really hit it off. Now, the Hawaii mission isn't dangerous at all, and all I needed was a date. We got to talking and went out for drinks, and …"

"You took my mother out for drinks?"

"And why wouldn't he?" Dotty looked annoyed that Amanda was so disapproving.

"Dotty's right," Lee continued. "Why wouldn't I? She's single, she's vibrant, she's beautiful, and she's sophisticated. Anyway, I promise you, Amanda, I'm not dragging Dotty into the agency; you're already training to be an agent, so why would I do that?"

"You said I'm doing a great job too," Amanda added.

"You are doing a great job, Amanda. But I still need a lady with me in Hawaii, and Dotty really wanted to go. I promise you, Amanda, she'll have the time of her life, and she'll be in absolutely no danger."

"No danger," Amanda repeated.

"None whatsoever," Lee confirmed.

"Amanda, I'm the mother, not you," Dotty protested. "You don't get to tell me it's dangerous; I get to tell you that. And if I'm not telling the mother of two small boys, my own daughter, to get out of the business, then you should be counting your blessings."

"Lee, no danger?" Amanda looked pleadingly at Lee. He had already promised her, but she still wanted that extra reassurance.

"None, Amanda. I promise." Lee's mouth spit into a wide grin. When Amanda raised an eyebrow, he got more serious, adding, "And I promise to be a perfect gentleman with Dotty. You have my word."

"Alright," Amanda said hesitantly. "Well, at least we don't have to be so … secretive here anymore."

"Well, we do a bit," Lee countered. "Phillip and Jamie can't know that you and I are spies. To them, I'm their grandmother's beau, and your coworker at IFF."

"Good point," Amanda conceded.

"Then it's settled," Dotty exclaimed, making a 'voila' motion with her hands.

Amanda retreated to the living room to watch Star Wars with the boys, wondering if Lee and her mother would continue to date after Hawaii. She was happy for her mother, but at the same time, she still felt weird about her seeing Lee. On the other hand, she knew that Lee would never take undue advantage of her mother, or be abusive or pushy. And with Lee on her arm, Mrs. West could be no safer when out on the town. Amanda settled into watching the film, smiling contentedly at the thought of mother finally having a steady date.