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Chapter 2

There was a loud knock on her door. She just laid in bed, hoping it was a dream and not someone knocking on her door at 8am on her only day off that week. The knocking came again. She groaned. "Just a minute," she yelled out as she climbed out of bed and threw on a terry cloth robe. She opened the door to her apartment. She squinted at the bright sunlight.

"Amanda Parrish," the gentleman in a green polo shirt with the Toyota emblem on it asked.

"Yeah," she answered.

"I have a delivery for you. I just need you to sign here," he indicated on the clipboard he held.

"Um, what is it, I don't own a Toyota," she questioned before she signed the paper.

"Apparently you do now," he replied with a smile.

"Uh," she asked in total confusion.

"Come take a look," he said as he reached for her hand.

She jumped back as she had been bitten by a rattlesnake and slammed the door in the gentleman's face. "If you think I'm going to fall for that, you've got another think coming," she said as she redid the dead bolt for the door and grabbed a chair from the dining room set and shoved it under the handle.

"Miss, I don't know what you're talking about. I was just told to deliver this vehicle to this address to a woman with your name," the gentleman said, sounding exasperated.

"Fine, what is your name?" Amanda asked as she picked up the phone and pulled out the phone book. She looked up the dealership and dialed the number. She noted the number of the dealership on the invoice on the clipboard she still held in her hands was the same as the one in the phone book.

"John Phillips." Amanda quickly verified with the dealership the information. When she hung up the phone, she opened the door and sheepishly peered up at the gentleman.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Actually, you don't have anything to be sorry about, I realize how it may have seemed, and I just hope my little sister is as smart as you were if she had been in that situation," he said as she signed the invoice on the clipboard. "Just one question, how do you know the number you dialed was to the dealership?"

"Because I didn't use your invoice, I used the yellow pages," she replied with a smirk.

"Even better thinking. Now, here are your keys, the warranty information, and owner's manual," he said as he handed over a large envelope.

"One other thing, who is this from," she asked as she peer over the railing to the parking lot down below. There, a flat bed truck was unloading an indigo blue 4-runner wrapped in huge red ribbon with a gigantic bow centered on the hood.

"Oh, yeah, and this," John said as he handed a card to her before bounding down the steps.

She quickly ripped open the enveloped and pulled the card out. It was a light cream heavy card stock with the words "I'm Sorry" embossed on the front. She opened the card. It read:

I'm sorry for wrecking your first new car.
Please accept this gift as a replacement.
P.S. Answer your phone

Just then, her phone rang in her hand and she looked at it as if it were possessed. She quickly pushed the "talk" button. "Hello?"

"Look down." She looked down to see JC, cell phone in one hand, bouquet of yellow roses in the other. "I'm sorry."

Amanda hung the phone up and just smiled in bewilderment. She had no idea how to react to JC and his gift.

Chapter 3

"JC, I can't accept this," Amanda said as she handed the keys and envelope of information to JC.

"Is the wrong color. The 2002's don't come in Indigo Blue so I had it custom painted. Just say the word and I'll have it changed," JC responded. He was baffled by the woman standing in front of him. He wasn't used to people telling him "no".

"No, the color is fine, perfect, it's just…"

"What, gold emblems instead of silver…"

"No, silver is perfect. I just cannot accept this. My car will be fixed in a couple days and after that we can put what happened to us last week behind us." She was trying to be firm but finding it harder and harder to resist him.

"Do you want something different? I hear the Dodge Durango is quite nice and Joey loves his Cadillac Escalade…"

"JC, no, I don't need a car. Please, just take the keys and take it back," Amanda said again, putting the keys into JC's hand.

"Please, I don't know how else to say I'm sorry for damaging your first new car," JC pleaded.

"JC, you just said it," she responded quietly with a small smile playing on her lips.

"Then please take the car, do whatever you want with it," he said as he handed the keys back to her.

She sighed. She was tired and didn't want to argue with him any more. And it was a great gift. And she knew she was going to regret accepting it…. "Ok, fine, I'll take it," she said reluctantly.

JC didn't know what to say so he grabbed her in a bear hug and picked her up and spun her around.

"Thank you, thank you, you don't know how much better it makes me feel," JC beamed when he put her down.

"JC," she said, "Take this anyway you want, but you've got to realize that you don't have to buy someone an expensive gift to make them feel better or forgive you for something you've done. And when you learn that, you'll be a much better person. Thank you for the gift." She took her flowers and headed back up the stairs to her apartment leaving JC standing with his mouth half open.

"Hey wait a sec, where are you going," he yelled up to her.

"Back to bed, I was up till 4am last night," she replied through a yawn.

"Don't you want to take your new ride out for a test drive? I'll come with you," JC said back with his award-winning smile. Amanda knew it was no use arguing.

"Fine, let me change. Could you take the bow off the car, it creates a terrible blind spot…."

Five minutes later she stepped out of her apartment and locked the door behind her. He didn't know why, but the sight of her made him catch his breath. Maybe it was how she was unaware of how beautiful she was in her low slung jeans and pink tank top with her brown hair piled messily on her head. Maybe it was how she reacted around him, treating him as he were the guy next door. Maybe it was how she always found his character flaws and pointed them out, politely. Whatever it was, he wanted to get to know her better.

"So, where are we going," JC asked as they climbed into the SUV.

"Well, since I'm up, I might as well get some errands done," Amanda responded as she adjusted the seat and mirrors. As she started the vehicle, she pulled her sunglasses off her head, causing a few strands to come loose from her messy bun. She tucked them behind her ears as she adjusted the radio to her favorite station. She looked over at JC to see if the selection was ok and caught him staring at her. "What, do I have snot running out of my nose?"

JC realized he was caught. "Um, no, I was just, ummm…"

"Staring," she finished for him.

"Yeah," he answered as he blushed.

As they drove along, they sat in silence. After five minutes, Amanda couldn't stand it anymore. "I've always pegged you as the strong silent type. But never would I have guessed you'd invite yourself on someone's first drive in her new car and then stare at her the whole time without speaking."

Just as he was about to speak, Amanda cut him off. "Oh, turn it up, great song," she said as she started to sing along. "Don't pretend your sorry, I know you're not, I know you've got the power, to make me weak inside, girl you leave me breathless…"

"What are you doing," JC said, slightly astonished she was singing a song by the Backstreet Boys.

"Impressing you with my awful voice so that maybe you'll take me on tour as your opening act," she grinned at him.

"Ummm, Amanda, I hate to tell you this…"

"But I don't have a voice that can be commercially marketed."

"Uh, yeah, that's putting it nicely," he smiled.

"Oh, come one, it wasn't that bad."

"Ok, I've got to admit, it wasn't the worst I've heard…"

"Oooo, I'll quite while I'm ahead," she said as she pulled into a parking space at the Wal-Mart Super Center. "Hey, I didn't even think to ask, are you ok to be out in public with out one of the jolly black giants with you?"

"Yep, got that covered," he said as he reached into her glove compartment and pulled out a hat and sunglasses.

"What are those doing in my car?"

"Hiding." She looked at him funny. "Hey, don't look at me in that tone of voice young lady," he scolded.

"Yes sir," she pouted then broke into a smile.

Thirty minutes later, they were loading the groceries into the car.

"I've never seen someone shop at Wal-Mart that fast," JC said as he picked up the last bag.

"Well, when you're on a limited time budget, you learn to power shop," she said as she shut the lift gate. "But I don't know how you can comment on my power shopping abilities, you must be good at it, especially at Wal-Mart seeing as how you've got to be in here pretty often."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, the whole comment about never wearing the same socks twice, among other things, and that Wal-Mart is such a great thing…"

He blushed. "I never thought they'd publish that."

"Hey, you've got to expect that since it wasn't the normal 'How's the tour going?' or 'What do you look for in a girl?'…."

"Down to earth, good sense of humor, able to cook, confidant, understands the nature of my work, independent, outspoken but polite, has a career of her own. Someone that looks absolutely beautiful in jeans and a tank top," he finished softly as he leaned down and gently placed a feather-light kiss on her lips. "Need I go on?"

"Um, no," she said as she turned away and walked to the front of the car. JC sighed and headed towards the passenger side.

Thanks everyone for the replies, I really do appreciate them. Here's the next chapter.

Chapter 4

They drove back to her apartment in silence. Amanda didn't know how to respond to the kiss while JC was afraid anything he said would make the situation worse.

"Can I help you with these bags," JC asked as they got out of the vehicle once she'd parked it at her apartment building.

"Um, sure," she said quietly. The each grabbed a several bags, unloading the SUV completely, and headed up to her third floor apartment. When she opened the door, she set her bags just inside the door and turned around. She reached for the bags he held.

"I'm sorry for the kiss," JC apologized as he handed the bags to her and she placed them inside. Just as she was about to speak, he interrupted her. "Actually, ya know what, I'm not sorry for it. I wanted to kiss you. And I thought you wanted me to," he said with both anger and sadness in his voice.

Amanda searched for the words. She liked the kiss. But she was confused. "JC," she started while searching his eyes. God how she loved those eyes. She wanted to kiss him, to feel his soft, tender lips on hers again. To feel the electricity again that had coursed through her body with the first kiss. She lowered her eyes and spoke. "JC, I don't know how to interpret your actions."

"What do you mean," he replied with confusion, trying to probe her eyes for the reason behind her emotions.

"First you give me a very expensive gift," she said as she waved her hand to the 4-Runner below, "and then you kiss me. And I liked the kiss, but then I wonder if you're doing this because you like me or if because I'm just someone who told you 'no' and therefore needs to wooed, taken to bed, then never called again," she said, her voice full of emotions.

"I never meant you any harm," he said as he took a step closer to her. She lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. "I just…," he started then stopped. And before he could think, he leaned down and kissed her gently.

At first she didn't respond. Then he reached behind her, placing one hand on the small of her back and the other behind her head and pulled her closer. She felt herself respond to the heat of his body, wrapping her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Their bodies melded together, their frames perfectly matched for the other. After what seemed like an eternity, he pulled his head away from hers and looked into her eyes to see if everything was ok. She smiled back at him and moved forward to capture his lips with hers. He smiled then pulled away teasingly and then moved back towards her. When she tried to kiss him again, he again pulled away. When a look of concern flashed in her eyes, he quickly moved to cover her lips with his. Her hands wondered down his strong shoulders as he found the clip in her hair. He freed her long hair and ran his fingers through it. He soon broke the kiss again and gently kissed her forehead. He then laid feather-light kisses on each of her eyelids. Amanda responded by holding him closer.

As JC made his way to her neck, leaving a trail of kiss in his wake, Amanda opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. Tears came to her eyes. She quickly moved her hands to his chest and pushed him away. "I'm sorry, I can't do this," she said with tears pouring down her face. She quickly stepped inside her apartment and shut the door before she could look at his face or he could respond.

"Amanda, open up," JC said as he pounded on the door.

"JC, go away," she answered, leaning her forehead against the door.

"But, that kiss…"

"It meant nothing," she lied. "Now, please go away."

"Nothing… but," he said confused as tears formed in his eyes. "I..," he couldn't think straight. He looked at the door and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He kept trying to put a rational sentence together but couldn't. A minute or two later he turned from the door, bewildered, and walked down the steps to his Jeep.

Amanda, still crying, turned her back to the door and sat down and cried. She pulled the keys to her new vehicle out of her pocket and looked at them. She knew she couldn't keep it, but also knew JC would never take the car back. She leaned her head back against the door as she heard JC pull out of the parking lot, tires screaming. She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, but they kept coming. Finally, after several minutes, she pulled herself up; found a Kleenex to wipe her eyes and nose. She placed the keys on the table by the door and quickly picked up the grocery bags and placed them haphazardly in her refrigerator. As she walked to the bedroom, she undid her jeans and stepped out of them. She crawled into bed and pulled the covers up around her chin and tried to forget the kiss she has just shared with JC.

Chapter 5

The envelope came by courier early that same evening. JC signed for the standard sized, plain envelope with his type written address. Curious as to what it was, he opened it before he stepped off his front stoop.

JC, here is a copy of the receipt from the dealership for the return of the vehicle.
Also enclosed is a copy of the receipt from Challenge for the Children where the
money was donated in your name. Have a great break and I look forward to
seeing you back on tour next year.

Cordially,
Amanda

JC sighed in frustration and turned and stepped inside the house, slamming the door in the process. He was just about to crumple the papers when he was interrupted.

"What was that about," Joey asked, standing in the doorway from the kitchen to the foyer.

"Oh, just that a gift I bought a girl has been sold with the money given to charity," JC answered with disdain.

"Who's charity and for how much?"

"Ours and about $45,000.00 in my name," he said with a slight smile as he imagined the accountants face when they saw the check in his name….

Joey was confused. "Ok, now you've got a story to tell," he said as he and JC walked back into the kitchen. They stood around the kitchen island making sandwiches as JC told the story about him and Amanda.

"Well, I can see her side," Joey started.

"Uh, how can you take her side. She totally led me on with that kiss," JC exclaimed practically yelling.

"JC, if she were teasing you, would she have been crying," Joey pointed out.

"Well…," JC said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. Which tells me there's more to the story than you know. Heck, she's probably confused by her actions herself. Give her a couple days then try again. Try to get to know her. Woo her. Don't give into every urge to kiss her, you'll scare her. Let her kiss you the next time. And above all, let her know your intentions are completely honorable, that you're not trying to get her to bed."

"I never was," JC said quietly.

"She doesn't know that," Joey pointed out.

JC thought for a moment as he took a bite of his sandwich. When he cleared his mouth, she spoke, "Hey, when did you get so smart about women?"

"Being married to Kelly as long as I have, I've picked up a few things," Joey answered then quickly grimaced.

JC spewed the sip of soda he had just taken. "Come again," JC said after he recovered from shock. "You and Kelly… married? Since when?!?!?"

"Since we found out about Brianna."

"Joey! That's nearly two years…"

"I know," Joey replied with a blissful smile.

"And when were you going to tell us…"

"When the time was right…"

"And there's never been a right time in the past two years?"

"No, not exactly."

JC sighed. "You know, PR's going to have a hay day when they find out about this."

"I know, they need to earn the money we've been paying them," Joey replied with a devilish grin. JC shook his head as he took another bite of his sandwich.

* * * * *

"Amanda, the office is not the place to receive flowers. Please tell your secret admirer to send them to your residence or we will start throwing them away," her supervisor said as she walked into the front office for her shift several days later. She stopped in her tracks. What appeared to be ten different bouquets of flowers covered every open desk space there was. She took the card from the nearest bouquet and opened it.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," Amanda said as bewilderment then anger flashed through her system. "Carl," she said to the Front Office Manager, "can I use your office to make a personal call about this situation," she said as she waved her hand over the office.

"Yeah, but don't be too long, we're expecting a heavy check-in today," he replied then walked over to the waiting desk agents to brief them on the afternoon's events.

As she walked into her manager's office, she pulled the accident report from her purse and sat down. She punched the numbers on the paper and waited as the phone rang.

"Hello," a familiar voice came over the line.

"Are you trying to get me fired," she spat angrily. She was fighting every urge to strangle him and was glad he wasn't standing in front of her.

"I see you got the flowers. I thought you'd like them," JC responded, his voice tinged with sadness.

"Whether or not I like them is not the point. You don't send ten bouquets of flowers to a person's place of work. It's not professional and reflects poorly on me and I cannot afford to loose this job," she continued.

"I'm sorry if I caused problems with your supervisors. Do I need to come pick them up," he asked. She could hear the hurt in his voice.

She softened. "No, I'll take them home and try and find places for them in my apartment," she said. Just then her supervisor knocked on the window to the office. She motioned she'd be one more minute.

"Speaking of your apartment," JC started without thinking. "I saw how small that was. What if I rented you a much bigger and better place? Like a house or something?"

Anger coursed through her veins again and took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves but it did no good. "JC, I can not believe you can make such a proposition," she yelled into the phone. "I am not a prize that is going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. I refuse to be treated like an object. Go to hell," she finished and slammed down the phone.

She took a deep breath and walked into the main office and immediately saw all eyes were on her. "Sorry," she said quietly.

"What do you want to do with the flowers," Carl asked. He could see she was extremely upset.

"Um, do whatever. Give them to a hospital or the next ten guests that check in. I don't want to see them," she replied walking over to her mailbox.

"And the cards?"

"I guess collect them and put them in my box. I don't care," she answered and took a deep breath. Then turned around with a smile on her face. "Now, let's get to those 1300 guests checked-in, shall we?"

* * * * *

"JC you didn't," Joey said after JC relayed the most recent conversation with Amanda to his friend.

"Yeah, I did," he mumbled. They were sitting at Joey's kitchen table. Joey was bouncing Brianna on his lap. JC was resting his head in his hands, his elbows on the table providing support. "You told me to woo her," JC said as he looked up at his friend.

"What part of 'woo her' entails sending nearly a dozen flower arrangements to her office and then offering to put her in a house," Joey asked, getting frustrated with how dense his friend was being.

"I didn't think, I just acted and spoke."

"Um yeah, I think that's obvious."

"Hey, I don't need grief from you, I got enough of that from her," he said as he placed his head back into his hands.

"OK, in two days, send her a simple bouquet of flowers, to her apartment, with a card that simply says that you're sorry."

JC looked back up at his friend. "Will that work?"

"It's a start. Then move on from there, take her out to dinner some place. But don't overwhelm her!"

"Ok, we'll try that."

Chapter 7

The phone rang at 8am a week later. Amanda groaned. "I know this isn't happening again," she said as she tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes. She picked up on the third ring. "Hello," she answered, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Amanda," the unfamiliar male voice on the other end asked.

"Who's this," she replied, propping herself up on her elbow.

"Joey," the voice came again. Amanda started to recognize the voice.

"Good bye," she said as she removed the phone from her ear. She stopped when she heard Joey pleading for her to listen. "What," she said sternly.

"JC has been miserable this week," Joey started.

"Serves him right," she replied as she turned to lie on her back.

"Amanda, he was drunk."

"The man is nearly twenty-six and is responsible for his own acts. If he gets drunk and decides to screw the next thing that walks through the door, he can't blame the outcome on anyone or anything but himself."

Joey sighed. "All I'm saying is that he is sorry for what he did, he regrets it, and is miserable. Is there any way you can forgive him and give him another chance," he asked.

Amanda laughed hard. "That…," she started to say through the laughter, "…has got to be funniest thing I've heard. What do you take me for, a moron with self-destructive tendencies? Forget it," she said as she hung up the phone.

The phone rang thirty seconds later. She saw on the Caller ID that it was Joey again. "Joey," she answered.

"I've got to know one thing then I'll leave you alone. Were you serious when you said you were going to accept his dinner invitation," he said in one breath.

"Yes, I was," her voice was tinged with sadness.

"Why?"

She sighed as she tried to put her intentions into words. "I just…," she paused. "I don't know, I just felt it was right. Something about what he was doing finally hit home. That his intentions were honorable."

"And how did you feel when you saw him kissing that girl?"

"Sad. Embarrassed. Rage. Jealousy. My heart break."

"And why won't you give him another chance?"

"Because he hurt me. He was coming across with honorable intentions. And then I see him kissing some blonde bimbo and now it just seems like I was another conquest to him. And I cannot be in a relationship where I'm not respected. Plain and simple," she was staring at the ceiling, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"What will he have to do to win your trust again," Joey was sensing a break in her emotions.

She thought for a minute. "He will have to do something completely from his heart, not his wallet."

"Like," he probed.

"That's for him to figure out. If I gave him ideas, it wouldn't be pure."

"Fair enough." Joey took a breath. "Is there anything you need," he asked honestly.

"No, Joey, I'm fine. Just tell your friend about this conversation. He needs to take it from there. Have a good day," she answered.

"Bye," Joey said and then looked at JC who had been on another extension and heard both conversations. There were tears spilling down his face.

* * * * *

There was a knock at her door later that afternoon. She was cleaning house and was a complete mess. As she walked to the door, Amanda took off one of her thick yellow cleaning gloves. She didn't even want to imagine what her hair looked like pulled up and behind a bandanna. She opened the door and was slightly startled to see JC on the other side. She could see the sadness in his face behind the smile he wore. "Uh, hi," she said softly.

"Hi, come with me," he said as he reached for her hand.

"No," she said as she pulled it out of reach.

"Please, I've got something to show you," he pleaded.

She could hear a quiver in his voice and thought that at any minute he'd breakdown crying. "Ok, give me a couple minutes," she said and then closed the door. JC stood in the breezeway waiting for her. Several minutes she stepped back out of her apartment. A baseball cap now hid her hair and she had changed clothes. They walked down the stairs to his Jeep.

"Where are we going," she asked after several minutes of driving.

"Well, that's for me to know and you to find out," he said with a small smile playing on his lips. They sat in silence for several more minutes and then he spoke again. "Now, close your eyes and put on this blind fold," he said as he handed her an opaque-sleeping mask. She didn't argue and pulled the mask over her eyes. Several minutes later the Jeep came to a complete stop and the engine turned off. "Stay there, I don't want you to trip," she heard JC say.

She felt the door next to her opened and a hand reach for her arm. He steadied her as she stepped out of the vehicle. She heard children in the background as well as lawn machinery. He walked behind her and placed both hands on her shoulders and guided her several steps.

"Ok, you can look," he said with excitement as he pulled the mask off. Amanda just stared straight a head, her jaw dropping. "So, what do you think," JC asked as he moved beside her and put his arms around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Um, well, I'm a bit confused," she answered truthfully. They were standing in front of a modest ranch style house.

"It's for you," JC responded.

"JC, I told you I didn't want a house," Amanda said, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. "And did Joey tell you that you're not going to win my heart with your wallet," she asked as she turned to face him.

"See, that's the beauty of it, I didn't buy it for you," he said and then noticed the confusion in Amanda's eyes. "Yes, this is for you, but I didn't buy it for you. This was the house I first bought when *Nsync finally made some money, what little we saw of it. This is where I lived with Riprock and Alex." He then motioned to his left and Amanda looked across the street at another modest home. "And that's where Joey used to live before he built the houses for his family and Kelly. I never understood why I did until now, but I've held onto it for a couple years now. Everyone told me to sell, but I couldn't. I had been considering donating it to charity or something and then you said what you did. And I want to let you live in it, rent free, utility free. That way you don't have to work as much or worry about paying your bills." Amanda could hear the excitement in his voice and see it in his eyes. She sighed. "It's got a pool and everything," JC beamed. "So, when do you want to move in?"

"JC, I don't want to move in. I'm happy where I am," she said honestly.

"But this is like four times the space you have."

"That's not it. Me living here for free is nothing more than another monetary gift from you," she said. He started to object and she held up her hand. "You had a good idea, use this to help out some family in need, someone that's had a run of bad luck because of the economy. And that's a good start," she finished and turned to get back into the Jeep.

JC sighed. He was beginning to realize this was going to be harder than he first thought. He walked back to the vehicle and climbed in. As they drove back to her apartment, they sat in silence. As they approached her neighborhood he finally spoke, "What do you want from me?"

She placed her hand over his which was resting on the gearshift. She loved the feeling of his strong hand beneath hers. "JC that is something you're to figure out on your own." She went back to looking out the window but didn't remove her hand from his.

When they got back to her complex, he walked her to her door. He was fidgety. "JC, what's wrong?"

"Oh, I have to Europe for a couple weeks," he answered. "I had wanted to try and settle things between us before I left."

She smiled. "The time away will let you think. It'll be good for both of us," she said.

"So do you think there is a chance for us," he said with hope in his voice and eyes.

"That all depends on you," she replied with a faint smile. "Have a safe trip." She resisted the urge to kiss him on the cheek.

"Don't work too hard," he responded. He wanted to kiss her but knew that was not what she wanted. She closed the door and he walked to his car.