She Can And She Did

Chapter 11

When Amanda arrived at Lee's, and he let her inside the apartment, he could tell by her expression that she had been through the wringer with her mother, and closing the door, went to kiss her cheek, saying, "Okay...How bad was it?"

Amanda sighed while taking off her jacket, and remarked, seeing Lee hang it up, "Oh, let's see...The boys both tried to get out of doing their homework, and Phillip's being punished for a prank he pulled on his science teacher today..."

Lee queried slowly, "Oh? Which was?"

Amanda shaking her head answered, "He put a water ballon in the teacher's chair, and-"

Lee's guffaws filled the room, and Amanda stated tersely, "Lee! Stop it! It was not funny! That poor man didn't deserve it-"

Lee, recovering finally, commented, "Oh, c'mon! No one likes school! Especially science! The guy's probably a nerd anyway! And it was a harmless prank-"

Amanda, shaking her head, replied, "You should talk! You obviously didn't like school either, being thrown out of three colleges?! It's a wonder you graduated at all-"

Lee interjected irritatedly, "Alright, alright! Let's not go over my ancient history! Now, about your mother?"

Amanda shrugged commenting, "It was interesting to say the least. She thought you were a very nice man."

Lee smiled answering, "Thanks...What else?"

Amanda sighed responding, "She was glad she could help you apologize. In fact, she compared your behavior to my late father's, in that he also had Foot-In-The-Mouth Syndrome..."

Lee remarked sullenly, "Okay, I said I was sorry. Go on..."

Amanda, clearing her throat stated, "I told her you had white tulips on my desk, and that we sang a Barbra song-which, by the way, I hope we never have to do again! Mother thought it was hilarious when I also mentioned the entire office watched our display-she thought it was cute...Ugh!"

Lee putting up a hand answered, "I know, but I just wanted you to realize i was being sincere."

Amanda nodded, responding, "Duly noted...Now, can we start our dinner? I'm a bit hungry."

Lee gestured to the dining room, which he had already had a set table and candles lit, stating,"Your wish is my command, M'Lady...Please sit down..."

Amanda smiled, stating as Lee seated her and then himself after he brought in the salads, "Well, someone's been working extra hard to get out of the doghouse with me, huh?"

Lee winked at her as he poured wine into their glasses, and clinking his with hers, remarked, "A little bit. Is it working?"

Amanda, with a tilt of her head commented slowly as she began eating her salad, "I dunno...I haven't tried your steak or baked potato yet-"

Lee smiled answering as he also began eating, " O-ho! Nice shot, King! What will you do for an encore?"

Amanda chuckled replying as she sipped her wine and swallowed, "There's always dessert to go over..."

Lee chuckled as well saying, "Well, as long as we aren't mad before-"

Amanda put down her fork and sighed, beginning her rambling and gesturing in a hurt tone, "I knew it! I knew you weren't gonna just let that one slide! I know Mother told you that bit about not going to bed angry, and I told her she shouldn't have said anything like that because you probably think differently of me now, right? And besides, you and I aren't even in that area of our relationship-which, by the way, defies explanation, and-"

Lee, putting his fork down, watched as Amanda stopped her words as she rose from the table to go to the living room window to look out, and sighing, got up from his own chair and strode over to her answering testily, " Stop! What do you mean our relationship defies explanation?!"

When Amanda didn't look at him, he pulled her towards him to face him saying angrily, "I wanna know what you meant by that! Tell me!"

Amanda looked at him and his hands on her arms and answered calmly, "I will...If you let go of me...right...now."

Lee slowly took his hands away from her arms responding with a gulp, "I-I'm sorry...But look, I don't happen to think any way other than how much I care about you. The only thing I do know for sure, is that we're important to each other, okay? Now, can we please go back to the table and discuss this calmly, hmm?"

-SMK-

Amanda nodded, and following Lee back to the table, thought morosely, Am I letting everything get to me here? Am I trying to ruin what could be a wonderful new start for Lee and I?

As they once again sat at the table, Amanda stated, "Well, it defies explanation because of our backgrounds..."

When Lee gave her a puzzled look, Amanda commented, "You're an agent...I'm not-"

Lee groaned answering, "Aw, here we go again! You are-"

Amanda waved it away responding, "Only a civilian auxillary-"

Lee, shaking his head, stated, "Look! You and I make a great team! And you are getting the hang of this job-"

Amanda scoffed, remarking, "Yeah! A job I can't tell my family about...I mean, look. My mother isn't stupid. She's probably figured out by now that half the stories that I've told her over the years just aren't true, you know?"

Lee commented drily, "Well, sometimes I think you allow your mother to cloud any sensible judgement you do have-"

Amanda replied, "Oh, c'mon! She knows we're co-workers and friends, but says that friends with "fringe benefits" can be just as wonderful-"

Lee answered slowly, "Fringe benefits? As in..."

Amanda chuckled, nodding as she stated, "Yep! So, what do you think of my mother now? And be careful how you answer that, My Friend."

Lee shrugged saying, "Ahh...Well, I thought I knew what she was all about, but now that you've dropped that tidbit, I think she is the one that defies explanation-"

Amanda raised an eyebrow as she looked across the table at him and responded, "You did mean her theories about certain subjects, right?"

Lee, thinking quickly, commented, "Of-Of course...So, are you ready for steak?"

Amanda, knowing Lee all too well, sighed stating with a shrug, "Sure...Can I help?"

Lee, getting up from the table, collected their salad plates, answering as he went to the kitchen, "Yeah, there's some new wine I bought the other day in the bar cabinet if you'd like to refill our glasses, please..."

Amanda shook her head with amusement thinking as she opened the cabinet, My, how he loves to deflect...

Then seeing an unfamiliar bottle, called out to Lee, "What about this one called "Sassicaia?"

Lee called back, "Yeah, that's it. You'll love it!"

Amanda pulled the bottle out, and closing the cabinet, looked on the counter for the wine opener, and not finding it, asking, "Lee, do you have the opener?"

Lee stated, "Oh, yeah... In here. I just forgot to bring it out to the table."

But as Amanda came into the kitchen and found the wine opener, she found his kitchen sink full of dishes and asked surprisedly, "What's all that?"

Lee, offhandedly answered as he glanced at the sink, "Ah, just leave it. I'll get it later, because the steaks are just about ready."

But a while later, as they ate their dinner, Lee noticed how quiet it was, and asked Amanda, "How's the steak?"

Amanda, finishing a bite, replied, "Delicious..."

Lee queried then, "And the wine?"

Amanda smiled remarking, "Also delicious...So, what's with you? You usually don't fish for compliments, so what's up?"

Lee, taking a sip of his wine, and swallowing, responded, "Nothing. I'm just glad you like everything..."

Amanda sighed adding, "And?"

Lee, shaking his head commented, "Okay! So, while we've been eating, I've noticed that you keep staring into the kitchen. You're thinking about the sink, aren't you?"

Amanda stated, "Yeah, a little-"

Lee queried, "Why? I told you I'd take care of everything later."

Amanda put up a hand answering softly, "I-I'm sorry...I shouldn't even worry about it since you've made it such a nice evening for us, and I had to go stick my nose where it doesn't belong...So, what's for dessert?"

Lee guiltily replied, "Well, it was going to be a souffle that I made, but that tanked, so I went and got us a pineapple upside down cake..."

Standing up from his chair, he collected their plates and went into the kitchen answering, "Be right back...Want some coffee?"

Amanda responded, "That sounds terrific. I'll put away the wine..."

Lee called to her, "Thanks...Feel free to put on some music."

Amanda stated, "Okay."

As she looked through his record albums, she chuckled softly, giving up after seeing how disorganized they were, and settled on the stereo radio, finding a soft jazz station.

-SMK-

As music filled the room, she then heard the clattering of dishes, and concerned, she called to him, asking, "Everything alright in there?"

Lee then let out a swear word, and Amanda came to the kitchen querying gently, "What's the matter?"

Lee sighed, and gestured to the dishwasher answering, "I thought I ran this the other day, but I don't know if there's something wrong with the machine, because some of the soap is still in there..."

Amanda commented, coming into the kitchen, "Well, let me take a look..."

After a half hour of checking everything, and jiggling whatever wires she could, Amanda then unplugged it and plugged it back in, saying, "Okay, let's see if this will do it..."

Lee asked, "Do we put in more soap?"

Amanda shook her head remarking, "No, you've got enough in as it is...Let me try a normal wash setting..."

She closed the dishwasher, and set the buttons, turning it on, but nothing happened!

Shaking her head, Amanda stated, "Well, it looks like this patient is dead, Lee...I'm afraid we'll have to wash these ourselves-"

Lee sighed and shaking his head, "No, I can't ask you to-"

But Amanda interjected, "You didn't ask! I'm offering, okay? Besides, two people can get this done quicker than one. Mother and I do this all the time. So, you get the hot water and the dish soap started here, and I'll get us dishcloths and a dishtowel to dry with..."

Another hour later they were finished, after doing the dishes from the dishwasher as well as what they had used that evening, with Lee glancing at his watch and grumbling, "Great! It's almost ten thirty! There goes our evening...I'm sorry-"

Amanda shook her head as she gestured saying, "Hey! Just look at what we accomplished here...And there will be other evenings for us to enjoy, okay? I'm not going anywhere-uh-except home right now, so I'd better go..."

As they walked out of the kitchen and Amanda went to get her purse, Lee met her at the door, and helping her on with her jacket, asked, "Raincheck?"

And Amanda, wrapping her arms around him, responded by giving him an amorous kiss, and stepping back, answered softly, "Does that answer your question?"

Lee, clearing his throat, nodded and stated, "Y-Yep...But how do I sleep after that?"

Amanda smirked, and as they walked out to the elevator, she pressed the Down button, and giving him a final hug goodbye, whispered in his ear, "Two words...Cold shower...."

The elevator opened and Amanda stepped inside, and blew him a kiss as the doors closed, and Lee growled, "That's dirty pool, King!"

TBC