In this installment, Auggie and Annie solicit Amanda's help to keep Joan's true identity under raps while preparations for an Anderson Thanksgiving continue. I need to remind you that this is an exercise in pure fun and it has no association with the Covert Affairs we all love on USA Network.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this new chapter.
Chapter 8 – Planning for an Extra Guest
Auggie hurried downstairs but slowed down when he entered the breakfast room. Annie looked up when she heard his sneakers squeek on the hardwood floor and said, "The apple thief is back. Let's protect the produce."
"Oh, har … you think you're so funny." Then he leaned casually against the refrigerator door and was quiet for a moment. "Annie, are you about at a stopping point?"
"Sure. Two more apples and I'm finished. Why?"
Auggie tilted his head toward the French doors leading to the patio. "We need to have a word."
Annie glanced at Amanda and as their eyes met, they each knew something must be happening back in Washington. Annie finished the apples and scooted them down to where Amanda was working. "I'll be back as soon as I can." Cynthia looked up from the fresh cranberry sauce she was making and smiled at Annie.
Annie washed and dried her hands and followed Auggie out to the patio. The early cold wind had calmed, the sun was out and the temperature was in the low 50s. "What's going on?" she asked as they sat at the outdoor table.
"Joan called. There's a problem with an officer in St. Louis. We need to be down there Sunday evening, and Joan is bringing us the technology and equipment we need tomorrow. She'll give us more details when she gets here. We need a cover story for why Joan is coming to our family Thanksgiving dinner."
Annie was speechless for a couple of minutes. "Joan's coming here? Never in my wildest imagination would I have come up with that one."
"Me neither," Auggie chuckled, "But we need to make this convincing. Any ideas?"
"Well, she could be my oldest sister, but that wouldn't explain why she's in Chicago with YOUR family. Could she be a friend of your mother's from one of her national boards passing through … maybe there's a mixup with her flight reservation and she has an unexpected layover scheduled for tomorrow."
Auggie liked the national board and friend idea. "Now we have to read in Mom," he said as he walked toward the door to the breakfast room. "I'm going to ask her to come upstairs to check something on her music list. You go on upstairs."
Walking back into the breakfast room, Annie put her hand on Auggie's back and said she needed to go upstairs. Auggie nodded. After he'd chatted with Cynthia for a few minutes and retrieved a can of soda out of the fridge, he asked his mother if she could come upstairs to check the progress on the playlist.
"I'm finishing the pies, I'll be up in a few minutes."
When Amanda walked into the bedroom, she knew she was there for more than a consultation on her play list. Annie was sitting on the bench at the end of the bed, and Auggie turned his desk chair and almost looked at her with an expectant expression on his face.
"This involves more than music, doesn't it?"
"We can't tell you everything, Mom. But something has come up, and Annie and I need some equipment for something we have to do Sunday night. Joan is going to fly out with it tomorrow. She needs to bring it here. It's either that or we meet her someplace near the airport and miss Thanksgiving dinner. How do you feel about inviting a friend who serves with you on one of your national boards join us for dinner because her flight plans get changed and she has an extra-long layover?"
Amanda smiled, "You trust me with a national security assignment?"
"Something like that." Auggie said quietly.
"Tell me what you want me to know and what I need to do, and we'll make it work."
Amanda listened as Auggie and Annie described how they envisioned the visit should play out.
"Now, just to add to the credibility of our story," Auggie said, "I'm going to have Joan call you in a few minutes so you can invite her to dinner tomorrow while Cynthia overhears the conversation. And since you do know Joan, this little operation won't be too big a stretch for you."
"Well," Amanda said as she left the room, "If Joan has to be away from home on a holiday, I'm happy to share our celebration with her. Besides, she'll get to meet the rest of your family."
After Amanda had left the room, Auggie let out a long breath, and whispered, "That's what frightens me most about this." He wasn't smiling.
Annie walked up behind Auggie, put her arms around him and reaching around to the right and kissed him on the cheek. "Every DPD officer's nightmare, huh? Having the family meet Joan. It will work out. It's going to be fun for me to work with her in the field again, even if the field your mom's dining room. She was amazing in Mexico City."
Auggie managed a devilish smile. "I just hope she doesn't break out any of her mad self-defense moves on one of my brothers if they say something she doesn't agree with."
"I need to get back to the kitchen," Annie whispered after giving Auggie another kiss. "I think my next assignment is preparing the vegetables for the … what did Cynthia call it? … crudité?"
"Fancy name for raw veggie snackies," Auggie said. "I'll finish the music downloads and then come down to terrorize the kitchen."
About an hour after Auggie heard the phone ring with what he assumed was Joan's call to Amanda, he finished the music download and synced his mother's custom playlist to her iTouch. He gathered the CDs along with the iTouch to take downstairs. Walking down the hall he smiled as he eavesdropped on the conversation coming from the kitchen. Amanda was explaining her to Cynthia and Annie they would have one more quest at Thanksgiving dinner.
Auggie ambled into the kitchen unloading what he was holding onto the breakfast table. "Hey, guys, I'm getting hungry. If you'll point me in the direction of the deli meats, I'll make us some sandwiches."
Amanda considered stopping what she was doing to make the sandwiches, but didn't want to get one of Auggie's "I'm fully capable" lectures. "I have packages of ham and roast beef in the meat drawer. They're both in the front of the drawer. The mayo jar is in the second shelf on the door, and the iceberg lettuce is in the vegetable drawer. The bread's where it always is in the bread keeper on the counter."
Auggie smiled and nodded. "I'll work on the table, if that's OK. Does everyone want a sandwich? Beef or ham?"
The consensus was ham sandwiches. Auggie gathered his supplies and lunch plates from the cupboard and began making the sandwiches. Amanda and Cynthia watched in fascination as he worked, but Annie paid little attention except to direct him to the mayo jar in the fridge door. After all, he'd been making lunch for her for the past year.
Auggie finished making the sandwiches and Annie pulled a bag of chips out of the pantry to add to the lunch plates. Annie set the plates in front of the chairs at the table while Auggie went to tell his dad lunch was ready. When the men reappeared in the kitchen, Cynthia was pouring ice tea and Amanda was distributing the napkins.
During lunch, they discussed what needed to be accomplished during the afternoon and what would be finished Thursday morning. The family and friends would start arriving about three in the afternoon to spend time together before dinner was served in the early evening. Cynthia poured herself a second glass of tea, and as she was stirring in the sweetener she asked Amanda, "Who is this friend you invited to Thanksgiving dinner?"
Annie kept her expression neutral and took another bite of her sandwich. She noticed Auggie's expression showed the barest hint of amusement upon realizing his mother was helping them run an op. Amanda cleared her throat and explained, "We serve on a board together in Washington. Her holiday flight plans were changed unexpectedly, and she's going to be stuck in Chicago tomorrow evening. I decided she shouldn't spend Thanksgiving afternoon and evening at the airport," Amanda said convincingly.
The smile Auggie had been suppressing finally spread across his face. "You don't think the Anderson family might be too much for one of your society lady friends?" Auggie asked.
"She'll probably find us entertaining," Amanda answered.
"Uh, huh," Auggie said softly as he stood up and reached for Annie's empty plate. Annie pulled the remaining plates across the table and added them to the stack, which Auggie took to the sink. Everyone kept their tea to sip on while they worked on their various projects and assignments. Cynthia excused herself to call Aaron. When she was out of earshot, Amanda asked Auggie, "Was that OK? Was I convincing?"
"You did great, Mom. All you have to do is be yourself. Annie and I will take care of Joan," Auggie reassured his mother by putting his arm around her.
"I'm flattered you two have confidence in me," she answered. "And by the way, thanks for taking over lunch duties this afternoon."
Auggie smiled and nodded, "You're welcome. Now, I'm getting out of your way to make some phone calls."
"Auggie, I think you're teasing … but never, ever feel you're in the way anyplace in this house."
Thanksgiving morning Auggie awakened early and after quietly checking his watch tried to go back to sleep. If he got up at quarter to five, Annie would surely wake up, too; and he knew she'd appreciate at least another hour of sleep. So, he dozed lightly about another hour. Annie started waking up about six. She stretched, rolled over and giggled at the sight of Auggie smiling at her. "How long have you been awake?"
"Not long," Auggie answered. "I was enjoying listening to you sleep … next best thing to watching you sleep."
"I hope I wasn't snoring," she said, snuggling deeper under the comforter.
"No snoring. Just some contented little sleeping sounds," Auggie said as he reached over and pulled her closer to him.
Annie sighed in contentment, "Can we just stay here till dinner time?"
"I don't think so," Auggie teased. "I want to do something for Mom and Dad, and I need your help."
"What have you got up your sleeve?"
"I want to cook breakfast for them, but I need you to be my eyes in Mom's kitchen. She doesn't have Braille markers on the stove, and I know the contents of the refrigerator are a nightmare with everything you, Cynthia and Mom did yesterday preparing for today."
"I'd love to help make breakfast," Annie whispered as she rolled out from under the warm comforter into the cool room.
"Mom always gets up super early on Thanksgiving, so let's shower later," Auggie suggested.
"OK. Give me a minute to wash my face and brush my hair."
They both freshened up and pulled on jeans and sweatshirts before making their way downstairs in the quiet home. Annie surveyed the kitchen and said, "First, we have to get the coffee going."
Auggie opened the cabinet under the island and found the stack of mixing bowls. He pulled out the bowl just larger that the medium size one. Annie started the coffee and turned around to find Auggie exploring the cooktop and feeling the counter beside the cooktop. "Are you checking things out or looking for something specific?" Annie asked through a yawn.
"Mom's always had a copper thing that she stores her cooking tools in. Did I miss it, or is it not here?"
Annie chuckled lightly, "Your fingers must have missed it by millimeters. Find the left front corner of the cooktop and go all the way back to the back splash and then go to your left a little. It's there and filled with every tool imaginable. What do you want?"
Locating the tools Auggie answered, "A whisk or any kind of wire stirring thing for the eggs."
"I bet you're going to find one in there. What do you want out of the fridge? Eggs? Butter?" she asked as she began pulling the food off the shelves.
Auggie answered, "Yeah, and bacon and some cheese to sprinkle over the eggs."
Annie surveyed the ingredients that were laid on the counter. "Do you want me to do the bacon in the microwave?" she asked.
"Sounds good. Do you know where Mom stored the left over cinnamon rolls? We can warm those in the oven," Auggie said as he started breaking eggs into the bowl.
The coffee had finished brewing, and Annie placed a cup on the counter for Auggie to the left of the mixing bowl. "Coffee at your nine o'clock," she said as she leaned against the counter to Auggie's left and sipped from her cup. "Well, it looks like we have breakfast under control, so all we need now is for your parents to come down."
Auggie located his cup and cradled it in his hands as he sipped. They talked quietly about their impeding assignment from Joan and both had to chuckle about Joan coming for dinner later in the day. When Annie poured their second cups of coffee, they heard their parents moving around upstairs. Auggie tilted his head up and listened a few seconds before saying, "That's our cue to start cooking."
Annie layered the bacon on paper towels and shoved the plate in the microwave. She put the leftover cinnamon rolls on a cookie sheet to warm in the oven, and Auggie started whisking the eggs and melting the butter in the large skillet. In a few minutes, Amanda shuffled into the kitchen wearing yoga pants and a faded Northwestern sweatshirt. She stopped short when she saw Auggie at the cooktop melting butter in a skillet.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"You get three guesses," Auggie teased, "And the first two don't count. What do you think it looks like? Did you forget to put in your contact lenses this morning?"
"Auggie …." Amanda exclaimed in a tone of fake exasperation. Annie handed Amanda a cup of coffee.
"Mom, you take a seat and relax a few minutes with your coffee. It's my turn to cook breakfast for you … well, it's our turn," Auggie said.
"I just did what I was told. Auggie's in charge," Annie laughed as she started the microwave to finish cooking the bacon.
The chunk of butter in the skillet had melted and Auggie could hear it begin to sizzle. He gave the bowl of eggs another quick whisk before slowly pouring them into the skillet. While the eggs started cooking, he walked across the kitchen to the cupboard that housed the plates and took out four plates. He thought through everything that needed to be done. Annie recognized his thinking, calculating expression and sidled up to his right side lightly leaning against him.
"What do you need me to do now?" Annie whispered.
Auggie smiled as he scraped the cooked eggs from the bottom of the skillet with the spatula. "Set the table with silverware and napkins, and pour the juice," he whispered.
Fred walked into the breakfast room and was surprised to see his wife relaxing with her coffee while reviewing the list of tasks that needed to be accomplished by the time the family would start to arrive about three o'clock in the afternoon. "You taking a vacation this morning?" he teased as he patted her back on the way to the coffee pot.
Fred stopped for a few seconds to observe the scene in the kitchen with Auggie working at the cooktop and Annie checking on the bacon in the microwave. He smiled, enjoying the way his son and future daughter-in-law (he hoped) worked together. He greeted them with a "good morning."
"Sit down and relax, Dad. Breakfast is almost ready. Does everyone want a little cheese sprinkled on their eggs?" Auggie said nonchalantly.
Annie reported the bacon was cooked and the rolls were warmed. "Great," Auggie said. "Annie?"
Annie walked across the kitchen and put her hand on his back as she looked into the skillet. "Eggs look perfect," she reported.
"Now, will you put them on the plates? I don't want to risk spilling the perfect eggs," he whispered with a smile.
Annie plated the eggs, and Auggie sprinkled the cheese while Annie pulled out the bacon and rolls to add to the plates. She nudged Auggie to let him know the plates were ready to take to the table. He picked up two plates, took them to the table and set them in front of his parents. Annie followed with their plates and then returned to the kitchen for the coffee pot. She topped off everyone's coffee before making a fresh pot.
Amanda took a few bites of her breakfast. "Auggie, thank you for breakfast."
"You're welcome, Mom. You know I did it for two reasons. The first is to give you just a little break before you get started on the big meal. The second is to reassure you that I'm not subsisting on restaurant and fast food at home."
Amanda chuckled a little. "I get the message, Auggie. But you must understand it's a mother's mission to always worry about her children. There are just some circumstances that give me cause to worry a little more about you. It's my mother's prerogative."
"I understand … don't always like it … but I understand," he said giving her a toast with his orange juice.
Amanda studied the notes on her clipboard and got up to turn on the larger of her double ovens. "Fred, Auggie, would you bring in the turkey I have brining in the refrigerator out in the garage? It's going to be heavy … it's in my commercial pot and I poured in the brining solution after I'd put it in the refrigerator."
The two men went to retrieve the turkey, and Fred was glad he had his son to help when he had trouble lifting the pot out of the fridge. "Auggie, can you lift this pot?"
"Let's see if my hour a day in the gym is paying off? Where is it?"
"Center shelf. The pot has sturdy handles."
Auggie reached into the fridge and lifted the filled pot out. "You're right. This is heavy, but it's not too bad. Do you have the door to the house open?" he asked as he started carrying the pot.
"It's open. What can I do to help?"
"Make sure the door into the kitchen is open and we're good."
Fred stepped up into the laundry room to check and reported, "All the doors are open. You have a clear path to the kitchen."
Auggie nodded and as he walked he allowed his left elbow to occasionally touch the wall. When walked into the breakfast room, Auggie called to his mom and Annie, "Is the counter clear by the big sink?"
"All clear," Annie answered from the table where she was stacking dirty dishes.
He set down the pot and asked if there was anything else he could help with. Amanda laughed and told him that Thanksgiving Day kitchen rules were now in effect and the men had to stay out of the kitchen unless they were invited in. "Great," Auggie replied. "I'm going to shower and check email."
Amanda prepared the turkey for the oven, and Annie mixed the fillings for the pumpkin and pecan pies. When the turkey was safely in the oven, Amanda made and rolled out the pie crust for the pies and explained the finer points of flaky crust to Annie.
When the pumpkin pies were baking, Annie excused herself to shower.
Annie opened the door to the bedroom and found Auggie at the computer reading and responding to his emails. "Have there been any changes to Joan's plans?" she asked.
"Nope. The weather in D.C. and here is pretty good today, so she ought to be here close to on time. This is going to be an interesting afternoon and evening," Auggie mused.
Closing the door to the bathroom, Annie said, "It sure will be."
By the time Annie returned to the kitchen, Cynthia had arrived and begun crumbling the dried bread for the dressing. "Mornin' Cynthia," Annie said as she bounced into the kitchen. Cynthia smiled at her and asked if she would peel the sweet potatoes they had baked yesterday and mash them for the casserole. Cynthia and Annie had developed a close friendship, and chatted quietly as they worked. They shared stories about the personality quirks of their significant others.
With Cynthia having the kitchen duties under control, Annie helped Amanda set the table. Since there would be so much food on table to pass, Amanda decided to put the fall table arrangement on the buffet. She did place a line of pillar candles down the center of the table to light before the family entered the large dining room. Now that the ovens were filled with baking food, space was freed up in the refrigerator, so Annie could assemble two vegetable trays with dips and a tray with an assortment of cheeses and crackers for the family to nibble on before dinner was served.
Annie took a bottle of flavored water out of the fridge, and taking a gulp asked, "What else can I do?" While Cynthia was thinking, Amanda walked through and asked her to bring in two cartons of vanilla ice cream from the freezer in the garage. With that task accomplished, Annie excused herself to get dressed for the afternoon. When she returned to the bedroom, Auggie was still working at his desk, but he was wearing dress slacks, a white shirt and tie with a charcoal cashmere V-neck sweater.
"Hey, Handsome," Annie said as she approached him.
Auggie turned his head in her direction, smiled and said in a mocking tone, "You talkin' to me?"
"Just who do think I'd be talking to," Annie asked with a giggle in her voice. She leaned over to kiss him. She steadied herself by placing her hands on his shoulder. After the kiss, she leaned her forehead against his and said, "Officer Anderson, you clean up remarkably well."
"Yes, I do. Don't I?" he teased. Annie gave him one more soft kiss before she showered, put on a touch of makeup, and dressed in slacks and a silk and cashmere tunic sweater that Auggie had helped her pick out on a recent shopping trip.
They had been running errands in Georgetown when Annie noticed a "Sale" sign in the window of one of her favorite shops. Before Auggie had realized what was happening, Annie whipped into a parking space and he was being pulled out of the car. Auggie found the sweater before Annie when his fingers touched it as he was following Annie through the racks. He was drawn to its soft, luxurious feel; and it was available in Annie's size and in the shade of blue that she liked. She fell in love with it when she tried it on; but since it wasn't on sale or dressy enough for work, she decided to put it back. Auggie intervened and bought it for her.
Annie stood in front of the dresser to brush her hair and put on her earrings and long strand of chocolate pearls. Auggie walked to the corner of the dresser to retrieve his folded cane and he paused, waiting for Annie to finish. Annie looped the pearls over her head and looked in the mirror to straighten the necklace. When she saw their reflection in the mirror, she gasped just a little.
"Something wrong?" Auggie asked.
"No," she said a little flustered.
"What then?"
"It's nothing, Auggie." She said in an embarrassed tone.
"There is something. Spill. You can't gasp and not explain to me what is happening."
"It's just … Auggie, I'm embarrassed. I looked in the mirror, saw our reflections and realized that we really do make a nice looking couple."
Auggie smiled his most devilish smile and said, "I had no doubt. Now, we'd better go downstairs. I need to get Mom's background music up and running."
Auggie draped his left arm around Annie's shoulders and kissed her temple. "It's time to do the Anderson Thanksgiving." Annie nodded into his shoulder. "Thanksgiving is not nearly as scary as one of Mom's big parties or an Anderson wedding," Auggie whispered as they started walking toward the staircase.
Check back soon for the next chapter to find out what happens during the pre-dinner party and what happens when Joan shows up for the party. Again, thanks for spending some time reading my story. Hope you continue to enjoy it.