Written by Scooplet
Concept by Cheryl and Scooplet
Scarecrow and Mrs. King characters are the property of Shoot the Moon Productions and Warner Bros. Television. No copyright infringement intended. Not for commercial use. Sarah Stetson, Matt Granger, and the other characters not found in the television show are my creation, however, so please respect my right to claim ownership of them—I do not authorize permission to use them in stories not authored by me.
The Eyes of the Father
Chapter Twelve
Pulling off her gloves, Sarah was tossing them in the box of cleaning supplies she had brought to the master bedroom when she heard a key in the lock downstairs.
"Hello dear. I'm home." She could hear Matt chuckle to himself as she went to the stairs, where he met her at the landing. He had changed into jeans and a sweatshirt before coming to the townhouse.
"Hello. I never knew you could be so corny." Standing one step above the landing where Matt now stood, she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips. "But it was cute."
"And I'm enjoying finding you here." He closed his eyes as she ran her hands through his hair and kissed him again. "Mmm. This is nice." He opened his eyes again and stepped back, sighing heavily as he did so.
Sarah smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."
He ran his hand along her arm in a silent gesture, as if to say it was alright. "How did it go at the track today?"
Sarah did not answer right away, but Matt stood patiently, waiting for her answer. Finally she said, "Okay."
"Just okay?" Matt looked in Sarah's eyes, which were telling him a different story.
"Daddy was late. Then he wouldn't ride with me. And to be honest, I was relieved." She bit her lip and gazed out the window above the landing, where she could see the greenbelt behind their townhouse. At this time of year, it was not green at all, save for a few cedars, pines, and other evergreen trees.
"Oh." He ran his hand along her arm again, as if he was thinking of a way to respond. He knew that today had probably been the last time Lee could ride along with Sarah before she began her formal training. "How did you do?"
"I nailed it. Both times. And I did a few bootlegger's turns, too." She reached up to rub her neck.
Matt turned her around and started massaging her neck and shoulders. "It's a nice trick to use in the rare car chase, but it's not very kind to the neck, is it?"
"No." She made a little sound of contentment. "That feels good." After a moment she continued, "And I guess I wasn't very kind to my dad. I left before he could come down and talk to me."
"Oh, sweetie…" Matt kept working the muscles in her shoulders, hoping she would say more.
"But he was late. And he didn't come down to get in the car with me."
"Did you give him a chance?"
Sarah was silent. When she did answer Matt, she spoke in a small voice. "Not really. I kind of let him know I was mad."
Turning her around once again, Matt's eyes met hers. "It might be good to cut your dad some slack, Sarah. You love each other. He's got a lot on his mind. You moving out, getting married. Then this whole mess with the depositions. He may be a veteran agent, but anyone would be unnerved by Teresa Sandoval."
Sarah's mouth tipped when Matt pretended to shudder at his last remark. "I guess I can't argue with you."
He put his hands on her waist. "And you've been under a lot of pressure."
Sarah looked out the window again. "I guess."
It was time to change the subject. "I brought over a couple of the kitchen boxes with the dolly. Can I help you finish up here? Rene and Patti will be coming to my old apartment soon."
"I'm all done. I figured Patti might not mind helping me wipe down the kitchen before we unpack. And we can be here for the washer and dryer set up."
"Great—the store said they'd be here between seven and nine." He held up a tape measure that he had retrieved from his pocket. "Before we leave I was hoping you could help me measure the room for the exercise equipment. It's heavy, so I want to have it all laid out for the guys. Rene did a great job helping me keep it organized when we dismantled it the other night."
"Guys? Tonight? I thought it was just Rene and Patti."
"Patti said she'd help move boxes and light stuff. Johnson and Gonzales offered to help move the big furniture and the equipment tonight with Rene and me. We won't have to do as much tomorrow."
"But where will you sleep tonight, if we move your bed?"
"In a sleeping bag at the old place. I stripped the bed before I came over, so we can move it. You and Patti have enough to do without moving the food over, too."
"Okay. Let's go measure the room."
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Having said goodbye to the two appliance installers from the home improvement store, Sarah climbed the stairs and went to the kitchen. Patti Enriquez was busy wiping out the refrigerator with a soapy cloth.
"Thanks for doing that, Patti. But it's long past eight o'clock and you already helped me carry over those boxes."
"That's what I'm here for. It's no trouble. The place was pretty clean. This is easy after lugging those boxes up the stairs."
"I hope you don't think I'm OCD about the cleaning."
"Of course not. I'd do the same thing. Now you'll know it really is clean when you move the food over tomorrow." She went to the sink to rinse the rag.
"It was also nice of you and Rene to help us so close to Christmas—and on a Friday night. It was nice of everyone."
"Well, my sister is hosting Christmas, and I made the enchiladas already, so no problem for me. I think the guys were glad to have someone to hang out with, since they don't get to go home for Christmas."
"Sounds pretty lonely."
"Well, Rene invited them to my sister's. It's a crazy big get-together, so two more mouths to feed won't matter." She rinsed the rag again. "I saw that you had all your presents wrapped. You are organized, girl."
"It helped that I wasn't working a lot of hours at the beginning of the month—I finished most of my shopping then." Sarah shrugged. "I should go check on the guys."
"Sounds good. I'll finish up here, then help you unpack the kitchen stuff before we go."
"Oh, would you? I don't think it will take very long. I already know where everything will go." Sarah went to the cooler and took out a few sodas and then went to the workout room.
She was nearing the base of the stairs when she heard Ryan Johnson's voice.
"So I guess that intern of Leatherneck's really blew it the other day."
Sarah heard Matt respond, but she could not make out the words.
"We heard about it when we went for our recerts. Cheap trick, having her dad pop up like that with a gun in his hand. But I have to say, I laughed when I got that one during my training. We all knew who the chief was, so only an idiot would have fired on him."
"Shut up, Johnson." Sarah thought that was Rene hissing out the words.
"I heard Sarah was pretty upset, Granger." That was Gonzales's voice.
Metal clanked on metal. It sounded like they were putting the weights into place. She could not hear Matt's response.
Sarah had frozen on the stairs. She could not go into the room. She was embarrassed that the men she would be working with knew what had happened. And she was too upset to go back to where Patti worked in the kitchen.
Just then Matt came out of the exercise room. Seeing her, he hurried up to where she stood. "Let me take those drinks from you, sweetie." She had to strain her ears to hear his quiet voice over the noise the men were making with the equipment.
She wondered if he was trying to keep her presence hidden from the men in the exercise room. She whispered to him. "I heard, Matt."
"Oh. I was hoping you hadn't."
"You didn't tell me that Grant Hill was spreading rumors about me. Do they know I ran off?"
"We don't know for sure he was spreading rumors. He may have told just one person—he was feeling pretty badly about the whole thing. And no one knows what you did or where you went afterwards. They only know you were upset."
Sarah searched Matt's face, uncertain.
His expression was reassuring. "Come on in the room with me. You can help me hand out sodas and visit with the guys while they take a break."
When Sarah hesitated, Matt pushed further. "The longer you put this off, the harder it will be to face them. I'll be right there with you."
"You're right."
Sarah straightened her shoulders as she followed Matt down the stairs and into the exercise room.
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Sarah and Patti were stacking the last of the flattened boxes from the kitchen items when Matt and Rene came upstairs. It was nearly ten o'clock.
"Well, Bro, you're mostly moved in."
"Still have some things to bring over with the dolly. Mostly books, that sort of thing."
"Great idea to take Gonzales and Johnson up on their offer to help. Moved your furniture and set up the exercise equipment in four hours."
"It always helps to feed people pizza and beer beforehand."
"And stop the beer before they drink too much."
"You figured me out." Matt grinned at Rene.
Rene waited for Sarah to finish with the boxes so he could have her attention. "Hey, Sarah. I'm betting you overheard the guys talking about the arena—the thing with your dad."
Sarah put her hands in her back pockets and wrinkled her forehead. "What makes you say that?"
"You're a lousy liar." He smirked at her. "You need lessons if you're going to be an agent."
Her brow wrinkled further. "Gee, I thought you were my friend."
Matt stepped behind Sarah and put his hands on her shoulders, but he remained silent.
"The hands in the pockets—dead giveaway. You never do that unless you're nervous. Besides, I asked Matt if you had heard us. I tried to get those two to can it."
Sarah frowned and did not say anything.
Rene pressed on. "I just want you to know that no one blames you for being upset about the pop-up. And no one knows what happened next except that you left the arena. If anything, they're going to give grief to Hill. God bless the kid if he ends up becoming an agent. He'll never live it down."
"He seems nice enough." Sarah shrugged. "I'm not holding a grudge."
"Leatherneck was taking the blame. In the end, it doesn't really matter. It was a mistake."
"Rene, they have another long day tomorrow. We should go." Patti went to her husband and put a hand on his arm.
"Right. You sure you don't need any help tomorrow, Granger?"
"I think we have it covered. You guys were great tonight."
"Yes. Patti, you were a lifesaver. I really appreciate your help. Thanks so much for working on the kitchen while the appliance guys were here. I probably should have asked them to come tomorrow."
"Well, now you can wash stuff tomorrow if you need to—like those rags I left in the kitchen. I think it was a great idea. No more hauling stuff to the laundry room in who knows what kind of weather." She finished shrugging on her jacket and pulling on her mittens. "It was a nice night for all of this. You two should have good weather for traipsing back and forth tomorrow."
"Yeah. Too bad we probably won't have time for a run." Matt took Sarah's hand as they followed the Enriquezes down the stairs.
"Well, see you on Wednesday, Granger. Have fun backing up all the other lucky fools who have to work over Christmas." He smiled patronizingly. "At least you have Monday and Tuesday off."
"Thanks, friend."
Rene did not miss Matt's sarcastic tone. "Oh, I don't feel badly for you. You're going on a honeymoon in a couple of weeks."
Patti's eyes widened and she cast a look of apology at Sarah, who was blushing. "Out. Now." She put her hands on her husband's back and playfully pushed him out the door.
Once the door was closed, Matt turned to Sarah and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him and sighed.
"You must be exhausted. You started before I did and I'm tired. The thought ran through my mind to have you curl up on the bed here, but I might be tempted to stay here with you instead of going to that sleeping bag at the old apartment."
Yawning first, she spoke into his chest. "Oh, you'd be safe with me. I'd fall asleep before you could try anything." She pulled back and looked up at him. "You worked hard, too. You guys had all that furniture moved in a little over an hour and a half."
"Well, there isn't that much furniture. It was nice having four of us—dismantling and reassembling the weight machine takes forever with just one or two people." He took her hand and led her upstairs so she could get her purse and jacket. "You need to go home and get some sleep. Don't rush over here in the morning, either."
"Two weeks from now we'll be saying good night and going our separate ways for the last time." Sarah perked up a little at the thought. While she had been yawning a few moments earlier, she was more awake now. "Two weeks is really a short time, when you think about it."
Matt noticed how her eyes were shining and took a deep breath.
Noticing his reaction, Sarah zipped up her jacket and grabbed her purse. She gave Matt a quick kiss on the lips before they walked back down to the garage.
Matt locked the front door and set the alarm before they went into the garage.
"See you tomorrow, my love. I'd give you a ride, but you could probably be over at your old building in the same amount of time it would take me to drive there." She opened the door of her car.
"That's fine. I love you."
"Love you, too."
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Standing in the doorway of their room, Lee watched Amanda's sleeping form. They had argued that evening, and he knew it was his fault.
Amanda had not said anything when Lee got back from the track. Sensing his mood, she had left him alone and he had spent the rest of the afternoon in his office. As they washed the dishes together after dinner, Amanda had tried to start a conversation.
"I thought I'd go over to see Sarah and Matt's townhouse tomorrow. They could probably use some help. When I called, she said that they still had Matt's clothes and the food at his old apartment. I thought I could help clean it, bring them some breakfast."
"You have enough on your plate, Amanda. I've got the proposals for you to edit, and that dress needs alterations. Plus, it's Christmas Eve tomorrow."
Amanda had looked at Lee in shock. "Those reports will take me all of an hour to finalize—on Monday. I worked on the dress today. Christmas is under control. This is not about all of that." Angry at her husband now, she began scrubbing the counters in earnest.
"Oh, Amanda. They probably just want to be alone, anyway."
"They could use our support. We've haven't seen their townhouse. This is important. Sarah's been so stressed out, Lee." Amanda put her hands on her hips and did her best to keep the anger from her voice.
Lee hung up the dish towel. "Since you put it that way, I shouldn't go, anyway. I'll just make her more stressed out. Have a good time. I'll finish editing the proposals on my own."
"No one is going to read them now. You already submitted the drafts. You can take Saturday—Christmas Eve—off. I thought the whole purpose of this consulting business was to keep us from working crazy hours. Now you're using it as an excuse to avoid your daughter."
The truth of his wife's words stung. "Low blow, Mrs. King."
The use of her old code name, the name from her previous marriage, hit Amanda like a kick to the stomach. It had been a matter of pride for Lee when people at the Agency had finally known she had become Amanda Stetson. But now he had used her former name as a weapon. "If you meant that to hurt me, it worked." Swiping at a tear, Amanda had pushed past Lee and went upstairs.
He knew he should have gone after her, but instead he went to his office. In no mood to look at the computer, he wandered to the shelves on the wall. His eyes fell on the photo Amanda had taken at the state track championships years earlier. Although Sarah had competed with a fever, she had still managed to have a good showing, and proudly displayed her medal. Lee remembered the elation and pride he had felt when Sarah had done her best, despite the circumstances.
Frowning, he felt the doubt creep into his thoughts. But were you too hard on her? A memory niggled at the back of Lee's mind. He had been the one to try to stop Sarah from going. He had thought it was not worth risking her health. But as was typical, he had trouble standing up to one of his women, and with Amanda backing Sarah, he had never had a chance. Amanda was right—it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It wasn't a serious illness, and she didn't make it the next year.
He knew Amanda was right this time, too. She always was. He was avoiding Sarah. There hasn't been enough time with her so close by. I missed so much over the years. There were other photos on the shelves, some of just Lee and Sarah, others with Amanda, too, and still others with Phillip and Jamie and their families. The newest frame held a photo of Lee and Amanda with Sarah and Matt. They were so happy there. Lee remembered how proud he had been that his daughter, at such a young age, had helped put together an exhibit at a Smithsonian museum—an exhibit that opened with a Washington gala. Could it really have been the night before it happened? Lee wondered at Amanda placing the visual reminder on the bookshelf.
But should that important event in his daughter's life be marred by or forgotten because of the attack that happened the next day? Sarah was safe. Matt had not only survived, but he was fit once again. Amanda had said at one point that she was grateful Lee had the wherewithal and the aim that allowed him to kill Luis Santiago before he could take Sarah away or hurt her with the knife.
His eyes went to the oldest frame on the shelf. The one that held a photo of Lee with his parents, Matthew and Jennifer Stetson. Without photos, he wondered if he would have been able to remember what they looked like. His memories were only bits and pieces. Some of them poignant, others only vague recollections. He had been so young—only five—when they died. He had spent most of his growing up years in the care of a bachelor uncle who was sparing in his encouragement and affection. While they had reconciled—mostly because of Amanda's influence—Lee had always felt cheated out of having a decent childhood.
That anger had been pushed below the surface for the most part, but it had led to many years of shallow relationships with women. He had been a loner until he had met Amanda. Rejecting her at first, he slowly came to appreciate the stability and love she had to offer him. And once he had had the sense to marry her, they had been blessed with a beautiful daughter. A child of his own. Someone who loved him unconditionally. Phillip and Jamie were like his own sons, especially since their father, Joe King, was no longer alive. But it was not the same.
But did she love him unconditionally anymore? The vision of her with that expression on her face—almost like revulsion—outside Kirby's office haunted Lee. As did the remembrance of Sarah's cry of anguish at the arena. Yet, she had asked him to come to the track. She had driven off before he could come down to get in the car with her, but that had been his fault. He had hesitated. You've hurt her, Stetson. Just like you hurt your wife tonight.
Finally Lee had switched off the lights in his office and climbed the stairs to the bedroom he shared with Amanda. In their twenty-five years of marriage, they had had their fights. Both were strong-willed. But over time they had learned when to choose their battles. And they both had learned that making up was one of the pleasures of married life.
Now, as he stood in the doorway of their room, Lee knew he needed to apologize to his wife. And he would have to hope that she could forgive him. Amanda was right, and that "Mrs. King" dig was an idiotic move, Stetson.
"Lee? Are you coming to bed, or are you just going to stare at me all night?"
He started, surprised to hear her voice. "I thought you were asleep." He stepped over to the bed, barely avoiding a box on the floor by the doorway, and sat down near her.
"I was waiting for you." There was no anger in her voice.
"I'm so sorry, Amanda." Lee said the words with as much feeling as he could muster, hoping Amanda would be willing to accept his apology. "That was a stupid thing to say to you. I don't even want to repeat the words. Please forgive me."
"I forgive you." Her words were matter of fact, but he sensed that she was sincere.
"You were right, as usual. I owe our daughter an apology, too. I've let my fears and insecurities kill her joy. She's found someone—I should be happy that she hasn't followed in my footsteps, wasting some of her best years on meaningless relationships."
Amanda sat up. "Don't say anything you'll regret later. I've heard your take on the Jeff relationship too many times."
"That wasn't meaningless. They were friends. I'm just glad she finally realized that's all it was. Although I'll always hold it against him that he hardly ever came to the house."
"I will admit that was pretty frustrating for me, too. But now you have Matt."
"Who came to the house, intimidated as hell, to hear our crazy story of how we met. Then he came back again to ask permission to date Sarah."
"You were smitten." Amanda reached out to caress Lee's cheek.
The corners of his mouth tipped, revealing the dimple on his cheek. "Yeah. I have to say he had no trouble impressing me after that. No wonder he received honors in Afghanistan. It must have been a piece of cake to face the Taliban, compared to facing me."
The darkened room was briefly illuminated by the flash of headlights as a car pulled into the driveway. Lee got up and went to the window so he could watch Sarah go up to her apartment.
Amanda continued the conversation. "No one is saying you won't still be her daddy. They'll still come for dinner. We can go there. We can go out and have fun together at a movie or something once in a while. And you can still keep an eye on her at the Agency."
"You think I'm hovering."
"No. It's dark out, it's going on eleven, and you're just being a caring father, making sure she made it inside okay. I only got to enjoy that until I was sixteen."
"I know it." Lee walked back to Amanda. Sitting back down beside her, he held her against him and kissed the top of her head. "I never thought I'd even have kids."
She wrapped her arms around his waist. "And I never thought I'd get to have a daughter. I love you, Lee."
"I love you, too, Amanda." He kissed her forehead this time.
"Get ready for bed. We have to be up early if we're going to share breakfast tacos with the future Mr. and Mrs. Granger."
"Yes, ma'am." Lee kissed her on the mouth and ran his hand down Amanda's back.
She responded with a gentle swat on his backside as he stood up. "Hurry up, Stetson. You still have some more making up to do."
He grinned as he took out his toothbrush. Making up is definitely one of the perks of marriage.
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Breakfast at the townhouse had not been everything Amanda had hoped for, but she was grateful that Lee had joined them. Sarah had been tense, but in an effort to appease both Matt's and her mother's concerns about her weight, she had eaten two of the breakfast tacos Amanda had brought.
After getting a tour of the townhouse and helping to bring the last of the boxes from Matt's apartment, Lee had driven off, saying he would be back with lunch.
As Sarah began to place the perishable food items from Matt's apartment in the townhouse refrigerator, Amanda had stopped her.
"Why don't you let me do that? I can remember how Matt had the old fridge set up."
Sarah turned to another box. "Sure. I can set up the pantry."
Amanda stepped over and took her daughter's hand. "Actually, I was hoping you'd take a few minutes to look at something." She led her over to a box that Sarah had not seen before.
"What's this?"
"It's something I had your father bring over. He really wants to make things right between you, but we agreed it might be helpful if you took a look at the things in this box, first."
"Mom, we still have to clean Matt's apartment. He'll be done putting away his clothes soon."
"It won't take long." Amanda went back to the kitchen and set to work.
Sitting down on the couch beside the box, Sarah reached in and pulled out a photo album. "What's this? I haven't seen it on the shelf in the den."
"It's your own album. I put it together over the years when I had snatches of time—then polished it up during the last couple of months. You need your own set of keepsakes, now that you're getting married. Consider it part of your Christmas present."
"Oh, Mom. I don't know how to thank you." Sarah was speechless. She unwrapped some of the items that had been placed in the box with the album. Some of Dotty's teacups, a favorite measuring cup of her grandmother's, and framed photos from the apartment were in the box, along with a few other treasured items.
"Now I know what happened to those framed photos in Grandma's apartment. They disappeared this week."
"I wanted you to have them. Your father and I have our own set of photos, as do your brothers."
Poring over the pages of the album, Sarah saw that it was a chronological story of her parents, grandparents, and then her own life. Many of the photos she had seen before, but never together in one place. She was struck by the few photos of her father and his parents and then the marked absence of her Grandpa West as her mother had grown into her late teens. Amanda had been only sixteen when Grandpa West had died. She spoke up a little so her mother could hear her above the noises she was making in the kitchen. "I remember thinking you were the most beautiful mother in the world, Mom. You were a pretty teenager, too." But there's sadness in your eyes here, Mom. Sarah tried to imagine living the past several years without her father and felt her throat constrict at the thought.
"Oh, now. All little girls think that about their mothers."
"You still are beautiful, Mom."
She took a moment to look at the photos of her father with his parents. "Daddy was a happy-looking little boy. His parents seem so sweet with him."
"I wish I could have met your grandparents." Amanda gazed wistfully at her daughter before turning back to the refrigerator.
Aside from a few photos of her father at special events such as his high school graduation and a birthday party or two, there was little to document his later childhood years. Even the Colonel, his uncle and his guardian since Lee was five years old, was rarely pictured. Sarah was surprised when she felt a tear on her cheek. She took a moment to examine a photo of Lee fishing with an old family friend named Barney, remembering her father's stories of the good times they had had together. A few photos of her father with longer hair and sideburns came next.
Finally, there were the photos she had seen on the shelves of the den, including one of her favorites, in which her father, already a very handsome man, was looking even more so as he stood with her mother on their wedding day. Their joy was apparent, and it surprised Sarah when she realized they had the same expression on their faces in the photo on the next page. Her mother, sitting in a hospital bed, was holding a very new, very small, and very sleepy Sarah while her father perched next to them on the bed, his arms draped possessively around both of his girls.
Sarah flipped through the pages of the other familiar photos, finally stopping at the photo of her with her father at the track championships her junior year of high school. She studied his face for a moment. On it was a look of love and pride. She remembered how he had been hesitant to let her compete, worried that she might become seriously ill by pushing herself when she was already sick. But he had finally conceded to her mother's argument that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He was willing to admit she was right when Sarah had placed high enough to earn a medal.
He had been joyful because Sarah was joyful—or as joyful as she could be with the fever and headache that began to plague her in full force after the race. She studied her face and chuckled a little. While Sarah looked happy in the photo, it was obvious she was not well.
Flipping back to another photo of Lee dancing with her in the den, Sarah found herself chuckling again. While she had started out on her own two feet, she had been only three at the time. Her small hands reached high to the much larger hands of her father, who despite stooping down for the dance, towered over Sarah. In the next photo, Lee was now holding her on one arm, while attempting to hold her mother with the other as they danced about the den. Sarah guessed that her grandmother had taken the photos.
A tear splashed onto the page. Sarah quickly wiped it away. "Good thing you used those sheet protectors, Mom."
Amanda stopped to regard Sarah. She shut the refrigerator and came over to the couch, pulling a tissue from her pocket and handing it to her daughter. She sat down next to her.
"I've been so hard on Daddy. He's just trying to let me go…" She sighed. "He never watched his own parents let him go. They weren't there when he graduated from high school or got married." Sarah wiped her eyes with the tissue. "I'm so sorry, Mom. I've been pushing Daddy away and hurting you both."
Amanda took her daughter in her arms. "Oh, sweetheart. You've been through so much this week. You needed time to deal with things. This wasn't meant to make you feel guilty. I just hoped you could understand what your dad was going through."
"I do now. Oh, I feel terrible." Sarah was crying in earnest now.
"Please don't, Sarah. Your father wouldn't want that. He just wants you to be happy. And he wants to enjoy this time with you. Please don't feel guilty."
Sarah pulled away and blew her nose.
"Remembering what you did this week—it was like you had just lived through everything. You needed time to deal with it emotionally. And it's understandable to feel angry as you work through things. We've already talked about my experience with being shot at."
Sarah could not help laughing a little. "He really shot the bullet through your sweater? I should consider myself lucky."
"Everybody okay down here?" Matt stood a few steps below the landing with a concerned look on his face that belied his cheerful tone.
Amanda stood up and went back to the kitchen. "We're almost done in the kitchen here, Matt."
Sarah also stood up and took a last swipe at her face with tissue. "I just need to get the things put away in the pantry and I'll be ready to go over to the apartment."
"I'll do that sweetheart. Just show me what goes on which shelf. You can go take a look at Matt's handiwork upstairs."
Once they were alone in the bedroom, Matt caressed Sarah's face. "You were crying."
"My mom brought over a box of keepsakes. There was a wonderful photo album inside. Mom thought I should take a look—made me realize how much I really do appreciate my dad. Life wasn't always easy for him."
Matt wrapped his arms around her. "Things will be okay with you and your dad."
"I think Mom is hoping we'll make up when he comes back. I'm going to try."
"I'll say a little prayer right now. Then you can take a look and see if I left you enough space in the closet and the dressers."
After he prayed, they went to the walk-in closet. Matt's clothes took up perhaps one quarter of the space.
Sarah laughed. "Good thing you grew up with sisters and a wise mother."
Matt tried to remain serious. "Women have more stuff to hang up." He gestured to part of the unused portion of the closet where there was only a single rod set high above the floor. "You need this space over here for your long dresses."
"Oh, it's okay to laugh. I'm more of a clothes horse than you."
"I don't mind." He took her hand and drew her back into the bedroom. "Let's take a look at the dressers. I've saved the wide one for you."
On the way back downstairs, the bookshelves in the sitting area at the top of the stairs caught Sarah's eye. All of the books that she and Matt had packed earlier that month at their apartments were arranged on the shelves together. "Oh! Look at what you've done! No wonder you were up here a while."
Matt stood by quietly while Sarah examined Matt's handiwork. "And you've arranged them by topic." She turned back to Matt. "That was really sweet of you. I figured we'd be working on that this week sometime."
"You're happy with it? I was hoping it would be a good surprise." Matt, who was usually so sure of himself, looked a little nervous. "I started on it last night after you left and then finished just now."
She gave him a quick hug of reassurance. "I love that you did this. Thank you."
"We probably have thank you notes to write, but I was thinking we could do something fun on Monday, since you don't have to go to the Agency, either. Maybe go to a movie? It may be our last chance for a real date before the wedding."
"I'd love that."
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The three had finished cleaning Matt's apartment, turned in his keys, and arrived back at the townhouse by the time Lee showed up with their lunch.
Sarah joined her father in the kitchen as he pulled the sandwiches from the bag. "Oh, Daddy! You brought my favorite sandwich. Turkey and Swiss on rye from the place near the shopping mall."
Amanda and Matt glanced significantly at one another, and then went back to the dining room with the drinks.
"Yeah. And Matt told me he likes a good Reuben—this place has the best. I brought some of that nice mustard they sell, too." Lee placed Matt's sandwich on a plate.
Sarah reached out and put a hand on her father's arm. She spoke softly. "Daddy, I just want you to know that I really appreciate this. I appreciate all the things you've been doing for me. I'm sorry I haven't shown it lately."
Lee warmed to her touch and her sincere words. "I know you've been under a lot of stress. Frankly, I admire the way you've handled yourself."
"Oh, Daddy. Not the way I reacted in the arena. I left my gun. Then I had everyone worried about me when I went running without my phone."
"I know you won't let either of those things happen again. Nobody's perfect. You'd had quite a shock."
"I needed to remember what happened."
Lee looked away. His tone was sarcastic when he replied, "Yeah. Every gal needs to know her father shot at her."
"I needed to remember that you were watching over me. Not every girl has a crackshot for a father—one who has worked in the field and knows what to do when someone's life is on the line. I admire you, too, Daddy. You have no idea how much." Sarah put her arms about her father's waist and rested her head on his chest.
Lee was not one to become sentimental, but there were a few times in his life when he had. He could remember having tears in his eyes when he and Amanda had first laid eyes on Sarah in the delivery room at the hospital. And again now. Damn it. Right in front of Granger. "God, those onions are strong. I forgot to tell them no onions."
"It's okay, Daddy. Matt took Mom downstairs to show her the exercise room or something."
Lee swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. He took advantage of their moment alone. "I love you so much, Sarah. It was tearing me up that I'd risked your life. Then when you became angry at me, I couldn't blame you. I hope you can forgive me."
"Of course I forgive you. I wasn't angry. Not really. I was upset. I wanted to talk to you. I didn't know what to think. It was hard to process."
"And I avoided you."
"Not every time. I avoided you, too. The point is, Daddy, that I needed to believe that you had everything under control. You saw what needed to be done and you did it. You've always taken care of me."
"I need to pass the baton now."
Sarah stepped back. "I guess so. But Matt won't mind having you as back up. You were backing him up at the park. Matt was trying to throw his knife at Santiago when you shot him. I'm not sure I'd like being skewered by accident."
"Hey. Matt's aim is dead on. Do you know his field name is Eagle Eye? I talked with his former commanding officer when we hired him on. The one he reported to in Afghanistan. He said he got the name from Matt's men. Matt saved me once with his knife, and he's saved others before me in the same way."
"I guess you made sure that if you were going to pass the baton, you'd do it to a good man?"
Lee absentmindedly took a potato chip out of the bag and leaned against the counter as he popped the chip in his mouth. "You caught him on your own. By the side of the road, if I remember correctly."
Sarah smirked. "But you still had him pass inspection."
Sheepish now, Lee took the sandwiches to the dining room table as Sarah followed him out of the kitchen.
"I love you, Daddy. I'm not moving out of town. I'll still be around. And we can have lunch together, go to the range, drive on the track…"
"Yeah. All that great bonding stuff fathers do with their daughters." Lee's smile was rueful.
"It's what I like to do with you."
Lee stopped Sarah, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Like I said. I love you, Sarah. You have no idea how much."
"I guess when I have kids someday, I'll have more of an idea."
They were hugging once again when Amanda and Matt came back into the room. Somehow Amanda managed to pull her husband aside once Sarah went to sit with Matt at the table. "Well done, Stetson." There was a pleased smile on her face.
"I've learned from the best."