Later, that evening, Amanda was helping the boys with their homework, while Dotty was in the kitchen cleaning up.

"I'm really proud of you boys. You're both doing so well in school now."

"How's my math look, Mom?" Phillip asked.

"Terrific, Sweetheart." She ruffled his hair affectionately. "Now, why don't you both go upstairs and get ready for bed and I'll be up in a minute to tuck you in."

"OK." both boys answered obediently as they raced up the stairs. The phone rang and Dotty picked it up.

"Hello?...Hold on... Amanda, it's for you. "

Amanda got up to answer the phone. "Hello?" she answered cautiously.

"Hi." Lee responded cheerfully on the other end. Amanda looked at her mother and smiled a false smile. She took the phone with her into the living room.

"You can't call me here!" she hissed. Dotty just looked at her and smiled knowingly. Amanda turned away, knowing she'd hear about it later. She could only imagine what her mother must be thinking about all this.

"I just called to see how you were feeling," he feigned innocence.

"Couldn't this have waited? I had a hard enough time trying to figure out how to explain where I was." she whispered.

"I need you," he admitted reluctantly. He hated to ask for her assistance again after what he'd just put her through, but he didn't know what else to do.

"What do you mean you need me? Right now?" She realized she'd said that louder than she'd intended. She gave a backward glance toward her mother. Dotty just raised a curious eyebrow.

"Yes, right now. I need you to help me with a little job."

"I can't right now." How on earth could she explain being gone again this soon?

"I'm desperate. Please. I know you've been through a lot in the last couple of days, but I really need you. Can you please meet me at my place?"

"Your place?" she asked suspiciously. Dotty edged closer to hear what was going on. Her curiosity was growing.

"All right. I'm on my way." She hung up, frustrated. This day just refused to die in peace. Her mother looked at her, burning with curiosity.

"Well, who was that, Dear?"

"That was...um...Mr. Johnson. He has a sick parakeet that needs looking after."

"Ah, I see." She said, not believing it for a minute. Amanda started to leave when her mother called after her. "You know, these things never last, Amanda!"

"Oh, I know, Mother. I'm sure the parakeet will be fine in no time." Amanda replied, deliberately misinterpreting her mother's comment.

"You know what I'm talking about. This...this...thing you've got going."

"Mother, I do not have a thing."

"Sure, Dear. Whatever you say. That's why you get these mysterious phone calls all the time and just run out of the house like you're going to a fire." Dotty stated. She decided to try a slightly different angle. Amanda took Dotty's moment of silence as a cue to try to escape. She headed toward the coat closet with her mother hot on her heels. "You know, if you're having an affair, you really need to let Dean go. It's not fair to lead him on."

Amanda turned and stared at her mother in disbelief. "Mother, I'm not leading him on. I care for Dean. He's a good person."

Dotty nodded in agreement."But obviously not good enough if you're running after this other man."

Amanda heaved a sigh of frustration. "I really need to go." she responded hurriedly, desperate to escape. "Duty calls." She flew out the door before her mother could question her further.

Lee and Amanda were sitting in his car keeping an eye on the building across the street. Amanda was rather irritated with Lee.

"I still don't understand this." She complained. "You call me at my house when I'm almost ready to retire for the night. You tell me I have to meet you at your place rather than at the agency, and all you'll tell me is that we have to watch this building and you won't tell me what we're watching for. How am I supposed to watch if I don't know what I'm looking for?"

Lee sighed. Amanda was the only person he knew who could rattle off a million things in one breath like that. "Look, Amanda, I told you before it's..."

"...Need to know." She finished for him. "Yes, I know, but don't you think that when you drag me out of my house in the middle of the night that I have a need to know?"

"First of all, I didn't drag you out of the house. You came on your own. Second, I'd hardly call ten o'clock the middle of the night."

"You know what I mean. Lee, I demand to know what's going on." Lee ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. No one could push his buttons the way Amanda could.

"All right, here it is. I'm staking out this building on my own. The Agency doesn't know anything about it."

"Why?" Amanda wanted to know.

"Because I think that there was at least one other man involved with the men who grabbed you. The Agency is convinced that this case is closed and I wanted to check it out. They..." he looked at her and couldn't say what he was thinking.

"They what?" Amanda wanted to know what was going on.

"Since we caught the men responsible for the airport incident, they think that's all there is to it. They don't think someone of your status is important enough to worry about."

"...But you do?"

"I do what?" He started fidgeting in his seat.

"Think I'm important enough to worry about."

"Well...we are...friends." He managed to choke out. Oncoming headlights startled him. He pulled Amanda close to him.

"Friends, huh?"

"Shhh." he said, silencing her. The approaching car came to a stop. He peered cautiously out and noticed that it was a police cruiser. He pulled Amanda closer and lightly kissed her, trying to make it look as if they were lovers as the policeman in the car got out and walked toward the Porsche. Amanda protested at first, but then kissed him back as he pulled her closer to deepen the kiss. It had been a long time since she'd been kissed like that. The policeman knocked at the window, breaking the spell.

"Hey, what's going on?" He said. Lee rolled down the window.

"Can't me and my lady friend have a little privacy? That's what we came out here for in the first place."

"Move it along, Buddy. This isn't Lovers' Lane and you two certainly aren't teenagers, so beat it!" Amanda blushed, knowing what the officer must be thinking.

"Oh, all right." Lee grumbled, playing up his act as he started his car and pulled away.

"Get a room." The policeman muttered under his breath as he walked back to his car.

A short while later, Amanda walked into the house to find her mother still waiting up for her.

"So, how's Tweety?" Dotty asked.

"Tweety?" Amanda asked. She'd already forgotten the lie she'd told her mother.

"Tweety. The Johnsons' parakeet."

"Oh, Tweety. He's fine. He'll be all better in no time at all."

"And how's Mr. Johnson?" She asked.

"He's fine."

"Is he now?"Dotty inquired her voice dripping with innuendo as she fixed her daughter with a probing glare.

"Mother, what are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything. I just wondered why you flew out of here like you did, supposedly because Mr. Johnson's parakeet is sick. Then I see Mrs. Johnson's car go down the street on the way to their house and you suddenly come home."

"I don't think I like what you're suggesting," Amanda replied, starting to get annoyed with her mother.

"Look at you, Amanda, you're a wreck. Your clothes are all messed up, your lipstick is smeared and you have a guilty look on your face."

"What look? I don't have a guilty look on my face and the reason I don't look guilty is because I don't have anything to feel guilty about."

"Amanda, don't you know that married men never leave their wives for their lovers?"

"Well, it doesn't matter, Mother, because I'm not anyone's lover."

"Then what was all this about Mr. Johnson tonight? Maybe I should call Mrs. Johnson and have a talk with her."

"No! Don't do that!" Her cover would be blown if her mother called the Johnsons and found out she hadn't been anywhere near their house tonight.

"Then tell me the truth."

"Mother, I'm exhausted. I've had a long day and I just want to go to bed."

"It seems to me you've already done that once tonight."

"Mother!" Amanda stared at her mother open-mouthed. She was shocked that her mother could suggest such a thing.

"I'm sorry. I'm just concerned for your well-being."

"Mother, there's nothing for you to worry about. There's nothing going on between me and Mr. Johnson. I just look after his parakeet. That's it. Now I really need to get some sleep. I'm worn out."

"Ok, Dear. Good night."

"Good night." Amanda said as she headed up the stairs. She got to her room and started undressing for bed. She couldn't believe what had happened. She'd wondered for a long time what it would be like to really kiss Lee. Now she knew. As she took her clothes off, her imagination started running wild. She began wondering what it would be like to do other things with Lee, if he were the one undressing her. Stop it! she told herself. You've got a great boyfriend who loves you. Besides it was just part of the job anyway. She slipped her nightgown over her head and climbed in bed. She lightly touched her fingers to her still tender lips. As much as she tried to stop her tormenting thoughts and push them to the back of her mind, she fell asleep reminded of what Lee's kiss had felt like.