"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.
