SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK
Amanda stood at the corner of the bar. She’d been waiting for the bartender to take her order for the past ten minutes. But they were extremely busy, so she waited, content with the time away from her misguided friends.
She remembered what Mary Ann had said. ‘You’d be amazed at how exciting it can be.’ “Maybe I could use a bit of excitement,” she murmured.
“Careful what you wish for. It’s not always all it’s cracked up to be.”
She turned at the sound of the deep baritone voice behind her. As their eyes met, her breath caught in her throat. It was the man she had bumped into just minutes before.
“Excuse me?” Was he talking to her?
“I’m sorry for the wait. What can I get you?” the bartender asked.
Whirling around to face the impatient bartender, her voice cracked when she replied. “Wha…oh, um, yes. Could we have another round over at that table?” She pointed toward her friends.
“Another round of Margaritas?”
“Right. Thanks.”
“And for you, sir?” He looked just beyond Amanda’s right shoulder.
Amanda stole a quick glance at the tall gentleman holding the empty pitcher. Beautiful eyes and great hair…I’m sure he knows it too. That type usually has the arrogance to go along with the whole package.
He caught her staring at him and smiled, keeping his gaze on her, while he replied to the bartender. “Yeah. Can I get another pitcher, please?” He handed the empty pitcher to the man.
She politely smiled and suddenly found something compelling about her feet. She didn’t dare look back up into those eyes, lest he see her embarrassment. Where is that bartender with those drinks? What was taking him so long?
“So, you’re looking for some excitement, huh? Would you care to dance?” He offered her his hand.
She glanced at the bartender, then her friends. They appeared to be dishing out more advice to poor Sara, who was having problems in her marriage. ‘At least it’s not me,’ she thought.
He seemed to sense her unspoken question. “I’ll have the bartender deliver the drinks to your table, okay?”
Looking back at the handsome stranger, she smiled shyly and took his hand. “Okay, thanks.”
“Can you have those delivered to those two tables?” He pointed to his and Amanda’s table of friends and placed a twenty-dollar bill on the counter.
He turned to face her again, then led her to the small dance floor in the corner and pulled her close. “My name’s Lee Stetson.”
She drew back from his embrace and looked into his eyes. “Amanda King. Nice to meet you, Mr. Stetson.”
“Please, call me Lee. And I assure you, Amanda, the pleasure is mine.” He pulled her to him once again. “So, you’re here with friends, I take it?” He nodded in the women’s general direction.
“Yes. We have a friend who is going through a bit of a rough spot in her marriage, so we thought we’d take her out to get her mind off things. But it seems they had an ulterior motive.”
“Oh? How so?”
“Hmm? Oh, nothing really. Their focus just seems to have turned to me tonight, rather than Sara. She’s the one with the actual problem.” She shook her head as she glimpsed her friends still ‘advising’ the poor woman.
“Yeah, that seems to be going around tonight.” Lee’s eyes darted to his supposed friends, who were giving him knowing looks. His thoughts turned to what they had said earlier. ‘You couldn’t last two weeks in a real relationship!’ What did they know? He could be in a committed relationship if he wanted to. He looked down at the woman in his arms and smiled. She seemed the complete opposite of the type of women he normally dated. Maybe she was exactly what he needed to win this bet. Time to turn on the charm, Stetson.
After the song ended, he guided her to a small table in the corner of the bar. “Would you like a drink?”
“Oh, um…I think I better just have a water, thank you.”
He called a waitress over and ordered two waters. “So, Amanda...” She looked at him questioningly. “Tell me about yourself.”
“Well, what would you like to know?”
“Everything!” At the sound of her laughter, he added, “Why don’t you start with the basics?”
“Okay, I’m a divorced mother of two boys, Phillip and Jamie. Phillip is ten, and Jamie is eight. We live in Arlington with my mother. She moved in shortly after the divorce to help me out. If it weren’t for her, I don’t think I’d ever have made it through the past year.”
He couldn’t believe how much she could say in one breath. Did she just say kids? Well, it’s only for a month. “Do you work, Amanda?”
“Actually, I’m looking for work. I have an interview at Honeycutt Typewriter week after next.”
“That’s great.” The loud banging of the band setting up across the room startled him. The sound of the musicians tuning their instruments made it difficult to hear her.
“Hey, what do you say we go to a quiet café for some coffee? It’s getting difficult to have a conversation in here.”
She seemed as if she was about to decline, but then glanced at her friends, looked into his eyes, and silently nodded.
SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK
Amanda weaved around the tables and returned to her friends. “I’m going to go have some coffee…with Lee.” She pointed to the devastatingly handsome man standing by the door. “I’ll get a ride back to my car from him. Unless you don’t think it’s a good idea?” She was torn between needing their approval and wanting to avoid another intervention. Judging by their silence and surprised expressions, she’d rendered them speechless.
“GO!” They all yelled and laughed.
As she grabbed her purse and walked toward the door, she smiled, overhearing their shocked words. Evidently they were amazed she would actually take them up on their advice. Not that she planned to go home with the man, but the thought of getting to know him sent a shiver of excitement throughout her body.
He held the door open for her. “All set?”
“Yep.”
After leaving the bar, he escorted her to his car and opened the door for her. Once she was seated, he closed the door, walked around the back of the car, and slid into the driver’s seat.
“I know this little place on M Street that’s usually pretty quiet this time of night.”
“Sounds great.”
The rest of the drive was spent in silence.
SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK
After they were seated in a dimly lit corner of the room, he ordered coffee, sat back, and relaxed. The soft sound of jazz could be heard throughout the establishment, adding to the ambiance.
They talked, for what seemed like hours, about her children and mother, his work as a film director, anything and everything. He’d never felt so at ease with another person before. They didn’t seem to run out of things to say. When there was silence between them, it was comfortable, not awkward. Not like some of his dates, when, after the sex, there didn’t seem to be anything else to say. For a brief moment, he wondered what it was he found attractive in those women.
Their waitress returned to fill their cups and left. Amanda smiled at him, and he realized again that she was very different from the typical women he dated. Sure, they were beautiful and sophisticated, but Amanda was a classic beauty. The other women always worried about how they would be seen and by whom. She didn’t try to act like someone she wasn’t. She was able to laugh at herself. She was genuine. Something he wasn’t used to. He looked up from stirring his coffee to find her big brown eyes looking at him expectantly. “I’m sorry, did you say something?” He was embarrassed to be caught daydreaming.
“I was just saying that I think they want to close.” She nodded toward the wait staff that was obviously anxious for them to leave.
“Oh.” He looked at his watch--a little after midnight. How time flies….
He got up and threw some money on the table, then offered Amanda his hand and helped her out of her chair. They walked out of the cafe, hand in hand. When had he taken her hand? Apparently she hadn't noticed the action, either. Somehow, it seemed so natural. He felt a sense of warmth radiating between them. Perhaps she felt it, too
SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK
“I guess I should get you home, Cinderella.” He smiled, showing his hidden dimples as they strolled toward his car. She merely nodded, fascinated by those dimples.
When they reached his car, she leaned against the passenger door. Looking up into his hazel eyes, she licked her lips, silently requesting him to kiss her. He complied. The kiss was soft and sweet. And seemed to end just as quickly as it began. But the moment their lips touched, she felt that same jolt of electricity she’d felt earlier course through her body.
She no longer felt like Phillip and Jamie’s mother, nor did she feel like Dotty’s daughter, or Joe’s ex-wife. She was Amanda King--a vibrant, young woman with needs and wants, just like everyone else. It was time she put her needs ahead of everyone else’s, even if it was only for one night. She thought of what her friends had told her earlier. Why shouldn’t I have a little excitement? I’m thirty-four years old; it’s time I lived. With new resolve, she looked him in the eye and whispered, “Or we could go back to your place.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she couldn’t believe she had said them. The blood pounded in her ears, and she again found her shoes intriguing. Should she tell him she was kidding?
He tilted her chin and gazed into her eyes. “That sounds like a wonderful idea,” he whispered, leaving a soft kiss behind her ear. She gave him a small smile as he opened the car door and helped her in. The engine came to life moments later, and they made the short trip to his apartment in Georgetown.
To Be Continued…