She Can And She Did

Chapter 16

Lee and Amanda met at his place the following evening after work. As he let her in, Lee stated, "I've ordered pizza. It should be here within half an hour. Is that alright with you?"

Amanda shrugged as she went to sit on the couch answering, "That's fine. I don't have much of an appetite, anyway, so I'll just nibble at it, I guess..."

Lee looked concernedly at her responding, "Yeah, I noticed when they called out to the deli at work that you didn't have anything. You're not sick are you?"

Then shaking his head, he commented with a gesture, "Oh, wait...Your "talk" with Phillip and Jamie! You must have had it last night. Well, how did it go?"

Amanda sighed deeply, responding, "I guess the best way to describe it is...Mind blowing? I mean, they came out of it unscathed, but I'm still kind of reeling from it, you know?"

Lee, coming over to the couch, sat down next to Amanda, and taking her hand, squeezed it gently, replying softly, "It can't have been easy, you being the lone person to deliver that message...I hear it's hard the first time you have to, though...I know when Barney filled in what the Colonel left out with me, I-"

Amanda, puzzled, put up her hand asking, "The Colonel talked to you about a Playboy magazine?"

Lee nodded, then confusedly remarked, shaking his head, " Yea-N-No! I meant the "Birds and Bees" talk. You did discuss that, didn't you?"

Amanda chuckled and shaking her head also, stated, "Uh, no...Because by the time I had finished the magazine talk, I realized that Joe should be the one to handle the puberty discussion, because I was wiped out already. I called him before going to bed last night to tell him."

Lee chuckled answering, "I'll bet he was thrilled to hear that, huh?"

Amanda shrugged replying, "Well, he did tell me that he would've discussed the magazine issue if I had chosen to wait until he came back, but I pointed out that Phillip had already looked at it, so I felt I needed to talk to both boys about the situation...To which he said, "Well, I hope you didn't confuse them too much."

Lee scoffed responding, "Wow...I don't know your ex-husband, but I think it would've helped you if he had chosen to return for this-"

When Amanda looked at Lee with surprise, Lee put up a hand commenting, "Not that you did anything wrong, okay? I simply meant that as their father, Joe should have rescheduled some things instead of postponing to invest in this time of the boys' lives...Agreed?"

Amanda nodded answering, "Yes. You're very intuitive...Sure you weren't a father in a past life?"

Lee shook his head and chuckled lightly as he gazed at her, "No! C'mon! You know me..."

Amanda, then shaking her head once more, replied with a quizzical glance at Lee, "No, not totally...You know, now would be a perfect time to enlighten me-"

Just then, the doorbell rang, and Lee got up from the couch and smiling at her, stated, "Saved by the bell..."

But Amanda knew better, and after sticking her tongue out at his retreating figure, called out, "Chicken..."

-SMK-

After their dinner, they cleaned up the dishes, and Lee asked, "Want any leftovers to take home?"

But Amanda shook her head answering, "No, thank you...But I appreciate you talking me down as it were, and convincing me to eat something."

Lee commented softly, "Well, I know it was upsetting you, but stewing about the issue wasn't doing you any good."

Amanda shrugged, responding as she looked at her watch,"That's what Mother told me also...Guess I should take a page from you two, huh?"

Lee grinned and answered, "Couldn't hurt...Time to go, right?"

Amanda shrugged replying, "Yeah...We do have work in the morning, so..."

Lee then walked her slowly to the door, and after giving her a tender kiss, said, "Did your mom happen to say anything else besides not to worry about this stuff any more?"

Amanda peered closely at Lee, querying, "What are you talking about?"

Clearing his throat, Lee remarked offhandedly, "Well, I-I mean, did she happen to offer other advice lately that you may have forgotten about?"

Amanda smirked as she realized what Lee meant, and hugging him stated, "Oh, I love a man that goes fishing-"

Lee was confused, and pulling back as he looked down at her, asked, "What's Dean got to do with this?"

Amanda raised an eyebrow at him, and then giggling, stated, "I meant you, Silly! Fishing for compliments, and in a roundabout way, trying to figure out if my mother likes you!"

Lee waved the comment away with his hand responding quickly, "N-No! I-I was just-"

Amanda sighed commenting, "She said, and I quote: "You must mean something to that man, who openly embarrassed himself in front of the office staff to let you know how he felt. To me, that's an eleven move." End quote."

Lee, perplexed, opened the front door as Amanda got her purse, and asked, "What does that even mean?"

Walking to the elevator with him then, and pressing the 1st floor button, Amanda commented as the doors opened and she stepped inside, "On a scale of one to ten? Just think about it...Goodnight..."

The elevator doors shut as Lee was left standing there puzzled over the comment, and as he walked back into his apartment, closing the front door, he then realized Amanda's meaning, and chuckled, answering aloud, "Amanda King, you have one amazing mother! I think we have a real chance at a future here! Oh, we certainly have a lot more to talk about!"

TBC