Chapter 8
Lee pulled into the parking lot of the hotel slowly, to avoid running over a multitude of teenagers walking directly in his path. He bit his tongue and not so patiently drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, as the Wagoneer crawled forward. "Sweetheart, why don't Mother and I go inside and check in, while you and the boys find a spot and bring the luggage in?" Amanda suggested sweetly.
"You know, that's not a bad idea. If I can ever find a spot. This place is crazy," Lee looked around at the throngs of people on the sidewalks.
Amanda and Dotty climbed out and walked toward the front desk as Lee inched his way toward the parking lot behind the hotel. He quickly found a spot wide enough. The boys climbed out and waited by the tailgate. Philip couldn't hold back the low whistle that escaped his lips earning a tap on the back of his head from Lee. "That's not how you respect young ladies," Lee scolded him as he started handing him bags and suitcases.
When they gathered as many bags as they could carry, Lee led the boys toward the lobby where Amanda and Dotty were waiting for them. Together they carried everything up to the eighth floor to their adjoining rooms. They piled everything on one bed and methodically separated the bags into the two rooms. It was decided Dotty would sleep with the two boys in her room, leaving Amanda and Lee a little privacy. "But Mother, there's no reason for the boys to share one bed when there is an extra bed in our room," Amanda pointed out.
"Amanda, this is a vacation of sorts, correct?" Dotty asked, one hand cocked on her hip, the other gesturing at the doorway that separated the two rooms.
"Well, yes, a weekend away," she replied.
"Then you and Lee should have a little privacy at least at night. We're going to be together all weekend, so let me do this for you, please Darling?" Dotty implored.
Lee sighed and said, "Thank you Dotty. We appreciate the thought even though it's not necessary. We knew this was a family weekend and besides that, with our wedding and honeymoon coming up next week, we'll have all the alone time we could want."
Dotty smiled and touched his cheek as she said, "And, as part of this family I can give you and my daughter a little space while we are on vacation this weekend."
Lee smiled at everyone and declared, "How about dinner then. Amanda, I bet we could walk to that seafood restaurant we went to faster than we could drive. This way the boys can build up an appetite."
"And, we can see all the sights on the beach on the way!" Philip exclaimed as he looked out the window to the beach below.
"Ugh, I am not spending all weekend staring at girls with him," Jamie complained.
"I'm not looking at girls, Bozo. Come see!" Philip was pointing at something. Everyone moved to the large picture window and looked down at the beach where they had the perfect vantage point to see all the elaborate sand sculptures below.
Jamie scrambled to find his camera and headed toward the door, the strap now slung across his chest. "Last one down takes the cold shower!" he yelled. Philip followed right behind him and the two boys raced toward the elevators.
"Hey, wait for us!" Amanda called after them before turning to Dotty and Lee. "I guess we're heading down now," she laughed.
"After you ladies," Lee held the door and pocketed the room key.
"Lee's got the cold shower tonight!" Jamie teased as he watched Lee exit the room last.
"The hell I will," Lee muttered under his breath, but not soft enough. Amanda gave him a solid backhand to the stomach as she shook her head disapprovingly, as Lee chuckled.
Together the group rode the elevator to the crowded lobby. Lee took charge when he instructed, "Listen fellas, there's a big crowd around the beach so try to stick together. If you get separated from your mother, grandmother and I, stay with each other and don't leave the spot you're in. It will be easier for us to find you that way."
Philip rolled his eyes over Lee's speech. "We know, we know. And, if there was a tree we would have to hug it! You forget, we used to go hiking all the time when we went camping . It's pretty much the same thing, only fewer bugs."
Lee smiled at him and said, "I know, Chief, I just don't want to give your mom anything to worry about this weekend. So, we stick together and we can see the sand sculptures as we head toward the restaurant. It's a little over a mile that way." Lee pointed to the right toward the end of the beach. "Let's go."
They crossed the busy street and quickly figured out they could walk on the sand easier than dodging the other tourists on the sidewalk. Jamie snapped pictures as often as he could, many times taking two or three at different angles of the same sculpture. At one point, Philip asked if he could be in a picture as the sculpture was a full size caricature of Mr. T. The adults laughed as the boys ran forward to each one, always conscience of how far away they were. They waited patiently for them to catch up before they ran ahead again.
They finally made it to the restaurant forty-five minutes later and as luck would have it, a large table just opened up. Amanda sent the boys to go wash their hands before they ordered and Lee followed.
"Amanda, if the rest of the weekend is like the last hour, it's going to be wonderful," Dotty declared as she clasped her hands together.
Amanda dropped her eyes before she said, "Aw Mother, all we did was walk along the beach."
Dotty leaned close to her as she said, "Darling, Joe was never like that with the boys when you went on vacation."
"Mother! The last time Joe and I took the boys on vacation together they were still little. You can't compare this weekend to that," Amanda scolded her mother in a loud whisper. Amanda glanced up to see Lee and the boys headed back toward the table. She stood and announced, "I'll be back in a minute. Lee, will you order me a glass of wine, please?"
"I'll join you," Dotty declared, as she stood and placed her napkin on her chair. She followed Amanda to the ladies' room where they washed their hands and Amanda fixed her lipstick.
When they returned to the table, Jamie and Philip were snickering, Lee looked slightly annoyed. "What's wrong?" Amanda asked Lee.
"Philip just noticed a car in the parking lot that looked just like Lee's, and when we pointed it out, some super old guy got in and drove away. Philip just joked that was going to be Lee in a few years," Jamie giggled.
"I'm not THAT old," Lee muttered, the muscle in his cheek twitching wildly.
Amanda knew what the boys were doing, so she added her own comment, "Well, if that's the case, then I guess you boys will have to do all the heavy moving once we finally do move. After all, if Lee's only a few years shy of elderly he might break a hip or something."
"Lee's not even close to that guy's age. He's got a long way to go before he gets there," Philip piped up as he shook his head. He glanced over at his brother, and when Jamie didn't immediately say anything, he kicked him under the table.
"Oh, yeah, and Lee looks much better in his car than that guy," Jamie added, as he buried his nose in the menu.
Amanda raised an eyebrow at Lee and smiled, "Well, that's good to know, fellas. Now, let's eat! I'm starving after that walk."
"I second that," Dotty agreed as she snapped her menu open. "Everything just looks so delicious, I think I want to try it all."
"I think we can arrange that, Dotty. Or pretty close to it," Lee laughed. They ordered different appetizers, and the Seafood Surf Rider for the family to share. The meal consisted of steamed scallops, shrimp and crab with a side of French fries. Lee also ordered a Surf Rider crab pot, filled with crab legs, shrimp, clams, smoked sausage, corn on the cob and even broccoli with hollandaise.
"Sweetheart, that's an awful lot of food," Amanda groaned.
"No way, Mom," Philip stated as he tapped his stomach for emphasis. "I'm so hungry right now. Must be all that salt air."
The waitress brought their drinks and the first round of appetizers. The boys and even Dotty emitted sighs and groans of satisfaction with each bite. Lee slipped his hand into Amanda's under the table, thankful their first vacation meal was starting off as a success.
Over an hour later, as the waitress cleared their dishes, Philip declared, "This place is the best. We need to find a place like this at home."
"I know of a few places we could try. Your mom can tell you, when we first met, I didn't cook for myself much. I ate out more than anything and I think I've tried almost every restaurant in the DC and Georgetown area," Lee admitted. "But, I wouldn't trade anything for a home cooked meal now."
"Me, either. I have to admit, Tuesdays have become one of my favorite dinner nights," Dotty interjected.
"Well, maybe when we move, we can figure out other nights the boys can make dinner," Lee suggested.
As they stood and walked toward the outside door of the restaurant, Philip asked, "Are we moving soon?"
"Soon enough. And, remember, we don't have to rush. We can move a little bit at a time, figure out where everything goes. And when your Dad and Carrie get back from their honeymoon, your mom is going to sit down with them and talk about the house. He still owns part of it," Lee explained as he held the door for everyone.
Amanda hung back until everyone else was through before she slipped her hand around his waist, kissed him lightly on the cheek and said, "Thank you."
"You can thank me later when everyone else is asleep," Lee whispered as he brushed his lips across her temple with a smile.
"Oh, you," Amanda groaned as she rolled her eyes, but he didn't miss the twinkle they had or how she bit her lip.