CHAPTER THREE
Lee was sitting in the 'Vette tapping his fingers on the steering
wheel impatiently waiting on Amanda to appear. He was beginning to
think she had not been able to convince her mother that she was
attending an I.F.F. function He was about to go back up to her
kitchen window to see what was going on when she finally appeared on
the sidewalk.
As she walked towards the car, he noticed that she was dressed in a
loose fitting, but flattering, blue cocktail dress and heels. He
watched her closely as she walked towards him—they way she had her
hair pinned up, the way her hips swayed as she walked. He nearly
forgot to get out and open the car door for her because he was so
caught up in watching her approach. He told himself, get a grip,
Stetson, this is Amanda, not a date. He finally exited the car and
walked around to open the passenger side door for Amanda, doing an
impressive job, he thought, of avoiding looking at her.
"So, do I look alright, Lee?" Amanda asked as she came to stand
beside the car. She was concerned that he didn't think she had
dressed appropriately for the event since she could tell he was
avoiding looking at her.
"Ummm, yeah, you look fine, Amanda," Lee said distractedly as she
slipped into the passenger seat. "Let's get going or we're going to
be late," he said as he quickly closed her car door. He walked
around the rear of the car, taking a couple of deep breaths as he
approached his door. OK, this has got be nerves about this case
right, he asked himself, as he opened his door and dropped into the
driver's seat.
Before Amanda could speak, he began to fill her in on what Billy and
Francine had told him earlier in the afternoon about the
gala. "Your job tonight will be to stick by my side and keep your
eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary," Lee informed
her as they pulled away from the curb heading towards downtown
Washington.
"So, what'd you tell your Mother?" Lee asked, attempting to make
small talk with Amanda to pass the drive time.
"Well…," Amanda said as she began to tell the story of convincing her
mother of the reason why she had to suddenly get dressed up and go
out. Lee attempted to listen politely, but found his mind wandering
as Amanda rambled on as usual. Oh well, he thought, we'll be at the
museum soon enough. So he just let her continue to talk most of the
way, adding a word or two in here or there as he felt necessary.
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