Chapter 6

Amanda tucked Lee into her bed with a kiss on his lips and a promise to keep her mother away from him for a few hours. She even unplugged the phone, so it wouldn't ring and wake him again. She closed the shades, shut the door and walked downstairs.

"Amanda, I need to run to the store to pick up a few things for the weekend. Do you mind if I take your car?" Dotty asked.

"No, Mother, that's fine. I'm going to check the boys' overnight bags and bring them down here. Are you mostly packed?" Amanda asked curiously. She knew her mother was usually late and never packed until the last minute.

"I think I have most of it done, which is how I realized I needed a few things. I shouldn't be gone long," Dotty explained as she took Amanda's keys and headed for the back door.

"Drive carefully, Mother. I'll see you when you get back," Amanda said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. After a few sips, she took the mug with her and headed back up the stairs to Philip and Jamie's room.

On each bed was an overnight bag and a backpack. Amanda sorted through Philip's bag first, where she pulled out a few unnecessary items, she then opened his drawers and added a few additional shirts and a pair of jeans just in case it was cool at night. She checked for his toothbrush and wasn't surprised when she found it missing. She collected his toothbrush and toothpaste from the bathroom across the hall.

After she was satisfied with Philip's bag, she did a thorough check of Jamie's bags. She nodded at how thorough he'd been, and only added an additional pair of socks. In his backpack she found the book on photography Lee had given him and the small book she'd found when they were in Virginia Beach previously. With a smile, she dropped the books back into his bag, checked for his toothbrush and a hair brush. She zipped his bag closed and dropped it back on the bed. She checked the time on the alarm clock beside Jamie's bed. She still had a few hours before the boys would be home from school so she took their dirty clothes down to the laundry room and started the washer.

She didn't want to wake Lee so she made a pot of coffee and before she could get the book she was reading, the phone rang. "Hello? Oh, hi, Francine," she said as she picked up the handset.

"Amanda! I'm so glad I got you. Listen, I was thinking about your honeymoon and well… are you and Lee really set on Newport?" Francine asked quickly.

Amanda closed her eyes and shook her head slightly before she responded, "Yes, Francine, we've already made our reservations at a beautiful old Victorian bed and breakfast for the week. It's exactly where we want to be."

Francine's voice drifted over the phone, "Wouldn't you rather go someplace tropical, more romantic, more Lee?"

Amanda laughed lightly as she replied, "Francine, I think you're still thinking of who Lee used to be. He was the one that suggested Newport and as a matter of fact, he's the one that found the bed and breakfast. He found the hike along Cliff Walk and a few other things he's not telling me about. He said he wanted to keep them a surprise."

"Well, what would you say if I offered to send you two on a cruise instead?" Francine asked excitedly.

"I'd say thank you very much, Francine, you're a good friend, but Lee and I really want to go to Newport," Amanda smiled.

"Hawaii? The Keys?" Francine suggested. She couldn't wrap her brain around the idea that Lee would actually want to go someplace as mundane as Newport, Rhode Island.

"You know, Francine, it wasn't all that long ago, Lee and I tried to plan a weekend away and he suggested the same thing. We are very happy with Newport. I've never been there, but Lee said he was there a few times with the Colonel when he was a boy and they were stationed nearby. So, thank you very much for thinking of us, but we're going to stick with Newport," Amanda responded.

"Okay, okay, I was booking my own vacation when I thought of you two. Can't blame me for trying," Francine conceded.

Amanda smiled again, "No, we can't, but we can thank you for thinking of us. Are you taking Jonathan with you?"

Francine groaned, "No, Jonathan and I are in some weird holding pattern. On again, off again, never again. I don't know how to explain it. Nope, this vacation is just for me and me alone."

"Well, if I know you, you're going to find a way to have a good time all by yourself, too," Amanda stated positively.

"Find me a prince and a stack of chocolate chip cookies and you might just be right, Amanda," Francine joked.

Amanda laughed loudly then quickly quieted down so she didn't wake Lee. "Listen, Francine, I should get going. I want to make sure we have everything ready for this weekend. Thanks for thinking of us. We'll see you first thing Monday morning. Lee told me Billy has some plan for him next week to keep him out of trouble," she said.

"I heard that too, but he won't even tell me what he has up his sleeve. Must be super secretive," Francine confirmed.

"I didn't think Billy had it in him," Amanda joked. Upstairs she could hear Lee moving around. She glanced over at the clock, Lee had only been asleep for two hours. "Francine, I hear Lee awake. I really need to go," she explained.

"Enjoy your trip. Take lots of pictures! I can't wait to see Lee as Dad for the weekend," Francine teased.

"I'll have to ask Jamie for that. He's the photographer now, not me. I'm lucky I can get the boys together for a simple shot, but Lee taught him so much, he's surpassed anything I could ever do," Amanda stated proudly. She heard Lee shuffling down the steps. "We'll see you on Monday. Have a nice weekend, Francine," she said as she hung up the phone. She turned to see Lee standing in the doorway, yawning and running his hand through his hair. "Sweetheart, you barely slept!"

Lee shook his head and yawned again, "That was the best nap I've had. It may not have been very long, but I was out like a light. I need to sleep in your bed more often."

Amanda smiled as she asked, "Would you like some coffee?" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed a mug out of the cabinet and began to pour him some.

Lee looked around the kitchen and asked, "Where's your mother?"

"Mother went to do a few errands. She said she needed to pick up a few things, but you know how she drives," Amanda teased as she handed him the steaming mug.

Lee took a sip, closed his eyes, smiled and said, "Mmmm, a nice nap in your bed, a steaming cup of coffee, you spoil me." Amanda heard the washing machine stop spinning in the laundry room. She took two steps toward Lee in an attempt to move around him when he put his arm around her waist and stopped her. He leaned close and brushed a kiss across her cheek. Amanda draped her arms around his waist and loosely held them behind his back. "I have an idea. Let's say you and I sneak back upstairs before your mother gets home. You know, some alone time before the weekend," he suggested between the light kisses he brushed across her forehead.

Amanda tilted her head back as she raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you have enough energy for that?" she teased.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Lee stated as he sought out the soft, sensitive skin under her ear.

He was too distracted to hear the click of the door, but the two of them jumped when they heard Dotty ask, "Find out what? Did you have a good rest, Lee?"

Lee grunted, "Yeah, I did. Would have been even more relaxed if I had time to-"

"Time to do what?" Dotty asked innocently as she handed Amanda a shopping bag. "Darling, I picked up a new top for you. I couldn't help it, it was on sale and I thought it would look so perfect on you!"

Lee shook his head as he groused, "Time to take a shower before we started packing the car, but the boys are going to be home soon, right?" He looked over at Amanda with a pained expression.

"Not for another hour, so you have time, Sweetheart. Just go on back upstairs, take your coffee with you and a long, hot shower will do you some good. Go on," she encouraged.

Dotty had gone back outside to the car to retrieve another bag so Lee leaned in close and whispered, "You could always come up and join me."

Amanda smiled sweetly as Dotty walked back in the kitchen. "Just hold that thought for a little longer. I'm sure we can figure something out," Amanda suggested with a wink.