Fun at the Festival
Lee looked at Amanda in complete surprise. He knew she loved him but he also knew that as much as she did love him, she wasn't ready for marriage again just yet and if he was being completely honest he wasn't ready either. He needed more time with her family before he joined them on a day to day basis.
Lee hadn't even had a chance to reply before Mrs. Marston took their attention away from the question. "Amanda King! What in the devil has this pregnancy done to you? First, you get all weepy because that man has no sense in his head, and now you go off and ask Lee Stetson to marry you? Have you thought this through or did that man make you feel like you had to do something? I have no doubt in your love for one another, in the last few months I have seen it grow, but at the same time you two fight on a daily basis over how to handle something as simple as a milk run. I know it is none of my business, but in my opinion neither one of you are ready to be married, to each other or anyone else. Mr. Stetson, feel free to answer any way you like." Mrs. Marston put her glasses back on and went back to something on her computer screen.
"Amanda, I think we should talk about this later, in private, actually."
Amanda wiped the teas from her eyes and nodded as they headed toward the elevator. In the elevator Lee pulled Amanda close and held her, "Don't let my uncle bother you. I stopped long ago letting his disapproval of me affect me. Sure, I would like to have it sometimes, but I just know that I never will. I will never measure up to his standards. Is that what that proposal was all about? I have to be honest you don't seem like a woman to ask a man to marry her."
"I'm not. He made me so mad. I don't think I have ever been that rude to another person in my life, not even Francine has been that rude to me. I just know that you have thought about asking me, but you haven't. I thought I would make it easier for you."
"No, it doesn't make it easier for me. Now we have work to handle today and we can talk about it after the festival tonight. Does that sound okay to you, work then proposals?" Smiling his big dimpled grin she melted and leaned up to kiss him just as the door was opening causing her to jerk away from him.
Amanda spent the rest of the day feeling foolish and not able to look at Lee. She couldn't believe she had asked him to marry her. What was she thinking? She didn't want to get married right now any more than she knew Lee didn't. He needed more time with the boys and her mother before they even thought of getting married.
Before Amanda knew what was going on, Lee walked up to her desk and said, "Amanda, it is time to go. We have to go get your car and family to get to the school on time. You have all those desserts to set up and I have to find out what the boys signed me up to help with."
"You know, I really appreciate you helping out. I know the boys and Mother kind of roped you into it. You could have said no, you know." Taking the finished files over to Francine's desk, Amanda smiled at Lee.
"No, they did not rope me. I told you I didn't have any work related stuff for this evening, so I didn't care to help. It is fine, really." Placing his hand at the small of her back they left laughing forgetting all about the embarrassing proposal from earlier.
Amanda and Lee arrived at Amanda's to see that the station wagon was gone already. They walked into the house to see that Dotty had left a note on the chalk board that Eileen Peters had an accident and they had to go over to the school early and for Lee and Amanda to just meet them there.
"I wonder what kind of accident Eileen had?" Amanda asked.
"I don't even know the woman so I would have no idea. What was she in charge of?" Lee asked as he followed Amanda up the stairs to change clothes.
"The whole fundraiser, she is the guidance counselor at the school. I guess they activated the phone tree until they got someone who could come in and since I wasn't home as of yet, they got Mother, so she must have went in."
Lee watched as Amanda began to change out of her skirt and dress shirt. Turning she looked at him and asked, "What are you staring at?"
"You, I knew I could see the difference in your appearance but standing there, being able to see your growing belly, I am in awe." Lee walked over to her and placed his hands on her. "Your appearance has changed almost overnight."
Placing his hands over her breast he said, "Your breasts are fuller," he kissed the tops of each one. Sliding his hands over her they came to rest on her hips, he got on his knees and placed a kiss on each before sliding down her panties.
Lee picked her up and placed her on the bed and said, "I think we have time for some romance before the fundraiser. It isn't often we are alone."
Laughing she said, "I don't think that has ever stopped us before, if you remember last week in the treehouse. We were nearly caught by Mother and her garden club."
"Yes, we were but her garden club isn't here at the moment. Not to mention, we would never have been in the damn treehouse if you hadn't climbed up there to prove to me that you still could, only to get that stupid football the little neighbor boy threw up there."
Smiling at him she brought her lips to meet his as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the man above her. She felt as his lips kissed behind her ear moving down her neck as his hands moved up her legs opening them to him.
"Lee, this feels wonderful, but we really do not have time for this." Amanda moaned as his hands massaged her thighs.
"It doesn't have to be a marathon to take your breath away, Amanda. Sometimes just a quick slip is all you need." He entered her swiftly and proceeded to show her his point. Ten minutes later, the two were lying side by side breathing heavily, sweat dripping from both of them, and Amanda only able to say, "You put a whole new spin on that, didn't you, but we really need to get going now!"
Twenty minutes later they were walking through the front doors of the school when Dotty practically pounced on them, "Where have you two been?"
"The bridge, Dotty," Lee answered.
"Flat tire, Mother," Amanda said at the same time as Lee.
Looking at one another, switching their answers, then Lee said, "We were stuck behind someone on the bridge that had a flat tire."
Waving her hands Dotty said, "Oh, well you're here now. Amanda, I need you at that cake walk before the Donaldson's start a food fight. Please send Mr. Donaldson over to the Spinner game. Lee, Phillip and Jamie are both waiting for you in the gym. They are fighting over who gets you first."
Laughing Lee said, "Yes, Ma'am, I will go take care of that right away. See you two ladies later." Lee walked off to toward the gym feeling happy. He didn't think anything could take that feeling from him at that moment. Walking toward the gym he found the boys at a table that had face painting.
"No, I asked him first, so he is going with me first?" Phillip was telling his brother.
"That makes no sense. He should go with me the first hour because you have him signed up for the dunk tank and I have him helping with the kissing booth."
"Phillip, you never said anything about the dunk tank, I don't have trunks with me." Lee said as he walked up on them.
"We have new trunks for all the people in the tank. Everyone will get twenty minutes in the tank and then you are given ten minutes to change afterward. Then the adults change out. Whoever gets out of the tank gets to take over for the one taking the tickets. Then after you have helped for an hour you get to help Jamie at his booth, which will give you ten minutes to get to his booth."
"Did I hear something about a kissing booth? Does your mother know that you signed me up for a kissing booth?" Lee asked Jamie.
Jamie looked at Lee looking out of the corner of his eye and downward, "Not exactly."
"Oh, boy, I think either way you two are setting me up. Okay, I will go with Jamie first because he makes a great point about me being all wet. I wouldn't want to get anyone wet that didn't willingly go into the dunk tank. I will see you in an hour. I will take tickets when I first get there and be one of the last ones in the tank. Does that sound fair?"
"Yes, Lee." They answered in unison as Lee walked off with Jamie heading toward the kissing booth.
Amanda stood near the entrance to the room that they were using for the cake walk. She was taking tickets as students and adults stood in the circle to try to win the cakes. She was surprised when she saw her mother giving one of the school tours, explaining what the funds were being raised for, when she saw Lee's uncle in the mix of the tour. Not knowing where Lee was or why his uncle was even there, she felt her blood pressure rising. This was not the place for World War Three.
Phillip walked up and handed his mother a ticket, "Phillip, honey, where is Lee at the moment?"
"With Jamie at the kissing booth, Mom, please don't be made at him, he didn't know what we signed him up for."
Smiling at her oldest son she couldn't help but laugh, "I bet he is really worried about what I will say about that, isn't he?"
"I think they are both sweating bullets." Phillip said as he took his place in line for the cake walk.
"Amanda, did I see Phillip go in there?"
"Yes, why Mother?"
"I just hope he doesn't bring our own cake home again this year like last year. Where did Lee get put?"
"At the moment, he is at the kissing booth; Jamie signed him up for it." Amanda made it a point to let the tour group hear that Lee was at a kissing booth because a nine year old led him there. She noticed how Robert Clayton didn't miss the remark or his response to it. Was that a smile she thought?
"Mrs. Donaldson, could you please watch the door for me?" Amanda asked as she took the Colonel by his arm and then asked him, "Why are you here, to berate Lee some more or to judge my parenting skills?"
"I have no intention to do either. My nephew gave me this address and told me he would be here tonight. He also said I was welcome to come and then have dinner with his girlfriend and her family afterward. Am I to take it that I am no longer welcome?"
"No, Sir, you are welcome to be here. You are also welcome to come to dinner with Lee and my family, but I will tell you right now, if you do anything to make him feel bad about our situation, you will not be welcome."
"Mrs. King, I can assure you I have no intentions to show my nephew or your family any disrespect. I am actually looking forward to this evening. Now, where can I find my nephew?"
"Right this way, Sir." Amanda took him by the arm and led him toward the kissing booth. When they got to the area where the booth would be in the gym, Amanda noticed that there was a rather long line. Walking with the Colonel on her arm, she walked to the front of the line to see that Lee was indeed the reason for the backup.
"Exactly how long are those kisses lasting, Stetson?" Lee looked over from kissing the young blonde to see Amanda with one hand on her hip and the other intertwined with his uncle.
"Skip, I really have to thank you for inviting me, I wouldn't miss this for the world." The Colonel said laughing hysterically at his nephew.