July 4, 1985

The Fourth of July began dreary and wet, as usual. Amanda really had no idea what the day would hold. The boys had been invited to spend the night with the Lightners. They were going to see the new movie, Back to the Future, and then watch the fireworks from their backyard. Dotty was in the kitchen, reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee, while the boys gathered their stuff together.

"Mom!" Jamie called out. "What time is Mr. Lightner getting here?"

Amanda smiled. Jamie was so excited about going to see the movie and couldn't wait for the Lightners to pick them up. "He'll be here around 9:30, Jamie. You have time to get packed and ready to go. Did you finish your breakfast?"

"Yes, Mom. Phillip!" Jamie yelled as he ran up the stairs. Amanda shook her head and turned towards the kitchen. She fixed herself a cup of coffee and sat next to her mother.

"Amanda," Dotty said. "Did you know that Princess Penelope is back in town? I just read about it in the paper. Gee, she was so nice...I wonder if she'll give you a call? You two seemed to hit it off pretty well the last time she was here. Oh! Wouldn't it be wonderful if she invited you over and you met royalty? I mean, there must be some single duke or earl or something or other with her!"

Amanda glanced at her mother and replied, "No, Mother, I hadn't heard anything about it. I don't know if I'll hear..." Before she could finish, the phone rang. Dotty looked at Amanda and grinned.

"Hello?" Amanda said, then smiled. "Oh, hello, Your Highness...all right, Penny. How are you? Yes, I was just talking to Mother about...tonight?" She glanced at Dotty who was violently nodding her head. "Yes, I could get together with you tonight...oh...well, I don't know what...yes...that sounds good. I'll be there! It'll be great to catch up!" She hung up the phone and looked at her mother. "Well, Mother, I guess you were right...Princess Penelope has invited me to come see her."

"Oh my gosh, Amanda! It's just like a fairytale. Now, what are you going to wear? I'm going right up to look through your dresses..."

"Mother, it's just a little get together, not a formal ball."

"All right, all right..." Dotty trailed off as she headed up the stairs.

Amanda shook her head. Her mother was so predictable. As she took her mug to the sink, she heard a knock on the back door. A smile came to her face as she walked over to see Lee.

"Hi, there...is it safe?" Lee whispered, glancing around.

"Mother and the boys are upstairs. What's up?"

"Have you heard from anyone today?" He had a little smile on his face.

Amanda grinned. She should've known. "Maybe," she responded. "What do you know about it?"

Lee shrugged and looked around.

"Actually, I heard from Princess Penelope. Apparently, she and Prince Reza have come back in town and she wanted to see me. She, uh, also asked me to see if you wanted to join me," Amanda said, a little uncertainly.

"Oh, she did?" Lee said. Then, he smiled. "OK, yes, I knew they were back and I knew she was going to call you. I met with Reza last night to discuss their security detail. He mentioned that Penny would love to see you, so I told him to have her call you."

"So, are you going to come with...I mean...are you going, too?" Amanda stammered. She looked at him, trying to guess what he was thinking.

"Yeah, I'm going. I'll pick you up at 3, if that's all right?" Lee looked at Amanda. She really was cute when she looked perplexed. That stopped him for a second. Amanda, cute? Where did that thought come from? They were just friends, and she was definitely not his type.

"That sounds great!" Amanda smiled. She couldn't help but feel excited by the idea of spending the evening with Lee, even if it wasn't technically a date. However, it definitely wasn't business, at least on her end.

Lee smiled back, then looked in the house as he saw Dotty coming back into the kitchen. He motioned to Amanda, then slipped out the back. Amanda smiled and went back in the house. It was going to be a great day after all.

SMK SMK

At 3:00, Dotty stared outside the window. She became flustered when she saw a vehicle pull up in front of the house and a man in a chauffeur's uniform get out. "Amanda!" she called out. "Amanda, there is a limousine sitting in front of our house! Oh my gosh, Edna Gilstrap is going to be so jealous!"

"Mother, why don't you open the door for the man?" Amanda walked down the stairs, dressed in a sparkling royal blue blouse and black slacks.

"Oh, Amanda, you look just great! I really hope there are some single men there for you to knock their socks off!" Dotty gushed. She really was so proud of how her daughter had turned out. A few years ago, when Joe had finally left for good, Dotty had been worried about Amanda. She had been so melancholy about the end of her marriage that Dotty thought she'd never be happy again. But, here they were three years later and Amanda looked great. She was self-confident and seemed to get happier all the time. That job at IFF must really be interesting. Dotty wondered if there weren't some man at work that had caught Amanda's eye. She really hoped that Amanda would find somebody. She was too good to spend the rest of her life alone.

"Mother..." Amanda said, apparently for the second or third time. "Where were you, Mother? I've tried to say goodbye at least three times." Amanda laughed. Dotty smiled at her.

"Oh, just woolgathering. You really do look fabulous, darling. Have a good time. I won't wait up!" Dotty grinned and waved as Amanda walked down the sidewalk.

As Amanda got in the car, she saw Lee sitting in the back in a nice suit. "Hello," Amanda said as he grabbed her hand to assist her in.

"Amanda, you look, uh, amazing," Lee stammered. He was so used to seeing her in everyday casual or business attire, that when she dressed up it just blew him away. She really was beautiful. He cleared his throat and continued to a safer subject.  "Are you looking forward to seeing Penny?"

"Actually, I am. She and I have kept in touch a little over the past couple of years, but that's not the same as catching up in person," Amanda replied. She glanced around the limo and then back at Lee. "This is a really nice car, Lee. You threw Mother for a loop!"

Lee laughed and answered, "Actually, Penny sent it for you. I just tagged along for the ride. I would've met you at the door, but figured..."

"...that Mother would be waiting," she finished for him. They laughed and continued chatting during the ride. Neither one seemed to notice that Lee had never let go of her hand.

SMK SMK

Penny was waiting at the door of the Zaquirian Embassy for Amanda and wasn't too surprised to see Lee Stetson walking with her. She shook her head and smiled.

"Amanda," Penny called out. "I am so glad to finally see you again!" She held her hands out and Amanda took them in her own.

"It's been a long time, Penny. I'm so glad you invited me this afternoon!" Amanda gushed as Penny led them into the Embassy. Amanda looked around her as she walked through, impressed by the décor. For a small country, Zaquir really had a beautiful Embassy.

Penny led them to a small courtyard where several people milled around. Penny explained, "Reza and I invited several of our friends from Washington today. We haven't seen many of you since our last trip to America in 1983, so we thought this would be a good way to visit with everyone."

"Penny, you look amazing. In fact, you're glowing!" Amanda said. "I take it things are much better now than they were?"

Penny beamed. "Oh, they are wonderful! In fact..." Penny bent over and whispered in Amanda's ear, "...I'm expecting! I guess sexy nightgowns really do work!"

"Oh, Penny, that's wonderful," Amanda raved. She grasped Penny in a hug. Amanda glanced over at Lee, who was glancing around the courtyard. He seemed to be mentally checking off who was in attendance.

Penny caught the glance, but said nothing. "Now, Amanda," Penny whispered, "this is a secret. I'm only a couple of months along, so Reza doesn't want it out yet."

"You can count on me," Amanda assured. "No one will hear it from me."

"Well," Penny countered. "If you want to tell Mr. Stetson, you can." Penny winked at Amanda, then said, "I need to visit with some of my other guests, but I'll be back as soon as I can!"

Amanda smiled as Penny walked away, then turned to Lee. "So, Lee," Amanda asked, "are you here on Agency business?"

Lee looked at Amanda and replied, "Well, not officially. But, when Billy found out we would be here, he said to keep an eye on things. Reza doesn't like a lot of American interference, but we are their largest ally and it wouldn't be good if something happened while they were on American soil."

Soon, waiters came out with refreshments and Lee led Amanda to a little table. They sat together and began sampling the various treats the Zaquirian government had provided.

Throughout the afternoon, Penny would watch Amanda and Lee to see what they were doing. She noticed that they never got far from one another and Lee rarely took his eyes off of her. ‘Very interesting,' she thought to herself.

SMK SMK

Later that evening, after most of the guests had left, Lee and Amanda stood on a balcony with Penny and Reza, watching the fireworks display. As the finale burst forth, Lee turned to Amanda and said, "I think it's time for us to go," and motioned to a yawning Penny. Amanda smiled and nodded. They turned to the royal couple and Lee said, "Your Highness, we've had a wonderful time. Thanks so much for including us. However, we must be going."

Penny grinned widely at Amanda, who gave her a funny look in return. Penny walked over to Amanda and took her by the arm. "Amanda, it was so good seeing you again. It is so nice having a friend to talk to for a change...do you mind if I call you if I have questions about my pregnancy? I just don't think I can ask Reza's grandmother!" Penny laughed and Amanda joined in.

"Penny, you know you are more than welcome to call, write, whatever...I love hearing from you. And I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have, though it's been awhile since I had babies around," Amanda smiled at Penny. Penny grinned back. "What?" Amanda asked.

"Nothing," Penny laughed, then glanced at Lee. Amanda followed her gaze and began to blush. "Nothing at all, Amanda."

Lee walked over to Amanda and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for a wonderful evening. Amanda?" He held out his arm to Amanda. Amanda turned and hugged the princess, then took Lee's arm. Together, they walked out of the Embassy.

Penny turned and saw her husband standing a few feet away from her. Reza walked over to her and said, "Well? Did you have a good time? Are you feeling OK?"

Penny replied, "Oh, Reza, darling, it was terrific. It was so good spending time with Amanda. I told her our good news." Reza smiled lovingly at his wife. "Reza, I'm going to tell you something...I bet you anything that Lee and Amanda end up together. They won't admit it...yet...but there is something between them. You can tell in the way they act."

Reza smiled. "Matchmaking, Penny? I will admit, though, that Mr. Stetson didn't go far from Amanda's side. And she only had eyes for him."

"Well, I only have eyes for you, my darling," Penny said, and they turned to head to their rooms.

SMK SMK

It was 1 a.m. and Amanda was sitting in her bed, thinking about what a wonderful day she'd had. Seeing Penny so happy had been a nice surprise. She was so glad for her friend. She knew that Penny would be a great mother. Amanda thought back to when she had been pregnant with the boys. With Phillip, she'd been so worried about money. Joe was still in law school, and they didn't have a lot. They had moved in with Joe's parents for awhile to try and save up for a house. The whole pregnancy had been wrought with stress and fear. But, Phillip had been the most beautiful baby she'd ever seen and Joe had been so proud. With Jamie, it had been different. Joe had a good job and they were living in a nice apartment, but Joe hadn't been thrilled with having another mouth to feed while Phillip was still in diapers. Amanda had spent her pregnancy worried over how they would get along. But, Jamie had been so adorable and such an easy baby. Joe loved him just as much as Phillip and they had done fine, eventually buying the house on Maplewood.

Amanda started thinking about what it would be like to have a pregnancy without worry about money or jobs or even how her husband felt about another baby. Did she even want more children? It would be nice to have a little girl...maybe with blond hair...and hazel eyes that looked just like her daddy's...

"Amanda King, you stop thinking that way right now!" she scolded herself. "Lee will never think of you that way. You are his friend, and you are going to be the best friend he has, but he will never fall in love with you. You are not his type!"

But, as she settled herself back on her pillows, she thought to herself, ‘It doesn't hurt anything to dream about him, though....'

SMK SMK

It was 1 a.m. and Lee was finally getting into bed. It had been a long day, but he really had enjoyed himself. It was funny, but he really liked spending time with Amanda now. She was smart and could talk about a wide variety of topics. He could be himself around her, especially since he wasn't trying to impress her or get her into bed. It was nice to have someone like that in his life. Reliable, dependable... She was his best friend. He thought to himself, ‘If you had told me two years ago that I would consider Amanda King my best friend, I would have laughed in your face!' He chuckled.

She really had changed a lot in his life. He had a cleaner apartment (of course, it helped that he moved once a year!), didn't stay out late very often, and had a better solve rate than he had on his own. She really had become a good partner, and he didn't mind admitting that to himself any longer. Of course, he wouldn't admit it to many people at work, but that was different. No, Amanda was great. She was smart, brave, beautiful... Yes, she was beautiful, even if she wasn't his type. It didn't hurt at all to have someone normal in his life. He had gotten somewhat tired of the same old bimbettes he met in bars.

Maybe he should start thinking about looking for someone more like Amanda...but, not Amanda...no, she wasn't his type. But, maybe someone like her...