Prologue

There she is again.

Waiting for him. On her birthday.

For the last five years, he'd always come late, today she had been expecting him to arrive early by one hour. He hasn't even taken the time nor effort to have one of his assistants call her. Not that this would change anything, not really…

But she still loves him. So much it hurts. Plus, of course, they have a seven-year old boy and at home they still are a family. She smiles when she remembers how this morning; her baby boy brought her a flower before going to school.

"Happy birthday, Andrea!"

Andy's smile becomes wider. The voice that has greeted her for the last twelve months somehow creates a warm feeling in her belly. The little cupcake that the chef brings with her makes her chuckle. "Hello, chef."

"How is it going?"

"He didn't send any apology. No word, Nada."

"Well, at least you have a cake." The chef waved the cupcake in her direction. "It's chocolate topping. I know how much you love it. Low carbs, of course."

Andy laughs. "Of course it would be low carbs. I'm really starting to believe you think I'm fat."

"You are still hurt, aren't you?" The chef sits down on the nearest chair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was upset because you doubted my skills as a chef and I didn't accept such a thing."

"Yeah, no one messes with the Chef's chicken salad. I don't know how it's still on the main menu. It should be on the salad menu."

"I won't discuss this with you again, Andrea. You should eat the cupcake. Don't make me think I wasted my time and chocolate." The chef pushes the cupcake towards Andy.

"Okay, chef."

Andy's cell phone rings.

"Nate!"

The chef stood up and signals that she is going back to the kitchen. Andy asks her to sit down. She does. Andy answers her cell phone and the chef looks away.

"Oh. Okay. But… You will come home for dinner? Oh… Okay, baby… I love you too…"

Andy closes her eyes and puts her cellphone on the table. A tear threatens to fall, but she wipes her eyes and gives her companion a weak smile.

"He isn't coming."

It's a rhetorical question, but she answers anyway.

"Yes, I mean, no, he is not. I should go."

"I'm sorry." The chef reaches over and places her hand atop of Andy's, squeezing lightly.

"It's not your fault. It's just another meeting, you know. He said he is sending his assistant editor to Paris this year, but he needs to put everything in order first."

"You are not going to Paris?"

"No. I asked him to go to London, for something like a second honeymoon; as my birthday gift."

This time, the chef gives away a weak smile. "Good for you both. You can leave Jake with me, if you want. The girls would love to have him."

"Sure. I guess it's a good idea." Andy bites her lower lip.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I think he is cheating on me. But this would mean he is not at some meeting on behalf of the magazine. And this is not happening, really." She giggles.

The chef smiles too. "You are a good woman, Andrea. He doesn't know how lucky he is."

Andy blushes. "Um. Thank you."

"Well, I should go back to the kitchen." They stand up awkwardly both at the same time as if they can't stand being that close anymore after the chef's comment and Andy's reaction on it. The chef gets closer to Andy and hugs her quickly. "Happy birthday, again."

"Thank you, again."

They give each other air kisses and part ways. The chef goes back to her kitchen and Andy back to her office, back to The Times.

Behind the kitchen counter, the chef watches Andrea leave the restaurant. She wants to kill Nathaniel, but if she does, she will hurt Andrea and end up behind bars. The man just doesn't see the wonderful woman he is married to. She would do anything to have a woman like Andrea.

She repeats her last thought about Andrea and realizes that she is in love with the journalist, who is very married and was crying about her husband five minutes ago, for God's sake!

Well, she can't help it, though.

"Oh well, Miranda. You are in love with your best friend. How cliché," she tells herself. The chef turns around barking some orders before going back to her cookware.

Chapter 1

That night, Andy went home about nine p.m. and Jacob was still up, waiting for her at the stairs.

"Hey baby, why you aren't in bed?"

"I was waiting for you. Where's dad?"

Andy sighed. "He said he was in a meeting, something about Paris, you know."

"Ok." Jacob bit his lip, just like his mother.

"What's the matter Jake?"

"Where am I going to stay? I don't want to stay with Emily or whoever." He hugged his mother. "They just left me alone and I don't want to be alone here." He sniffed.

Andy smiled and pushed his bang from his eyes. "It's okay baby. Miranda said you can stay with her and the girls."

Jacob quickly cheered up. "She said? Really?"

"Yes, she did." Andy got serious. "But, it isn't a vacation. So, I don't want you to stay up after nine-thirty nor help Cass and Caro with the water balloons, ok?"

Jacob went white. "What balloons?"

"Your father told me about the water balloon you threw at the new Emily. Don't do this again, ok?"

"But she said that Emily said she couldn't talk to me because I'm a pain in the ass." He crossed his arms. "And she said some mean things about you and dad."

"Well, throwing water at her wouldn't change what she said about us, would it?"

He bowed his head, ashamed. "No. Sorry, mom."

Andy tugged at his hand. "C'mon, let's go to bed." She kissed his forehead and led the way upstairs.

Andy heard the front door being slammed. She sighed and got out from her son's bed. She tucked his sheet and closed the bedroom door.

When she reached the stairs, Nate was loosening his tie. He looked exhausted, but when he saw Andy, his smile reached her eyes. Andy forgave him instantly and smiled back.

"Hey baby." He put his briefcase on the hallway table and went to the stairs, meeting her in the middle. He threw his arms around her waist and kissed her on the lips. "Happy birthday." Andy hugged him back. Nate rested his head on the junction of her left shoulder and neck. "I'm sorry."

Andy began to make small circles with her hand in his back. "You are here now." They kissed again.

"But, I didn't forget about your gift." He put a hand in his slacks' pocket and pulled out a little box. "I hope you like it."

Andy loosened her grip. "What's it?"

"Open it!"

Andy took the little box and opened. A pair of diamond earrings with a matching golden necklace which too had little diamonds on it. "They are beautiful, Nate!"

"I'm glad you like it." He kissed her neck and Andy shivered. Whispering in her ear, he said. "Let's go upstairs."

"Oh. Okay." Andy whimpered.

But whatever plan Andy had in mind died when Nate left the bathroom. He put his pajamas on and Andy knew he wasn't game on this night. In bed he still was predictable and, when he wanted something, he would come to bed wearing just one of his Calvin Klein boxers or nude, but pajamas meant sleep. Andy didn't know if she should be happy or not for knowing his moods.

She sighed and lay with her back to him. He snuggled in her from behind, but soon she knew he was asleep. Andy tried very hard to not cry.

"You are a good woman, Andrea. He doesn't know how lucky he is."

She didn't know why she remembered Miranda's words. Miranda was a good friend, her best friend, actually. She smiled when she remembered how they met.

Andy, Jacob and Nate had moved from their apartment to a townhouse, in the Upper East Side. That afternoon, they went out to the restaurant next to the new house. It was a relatively known place, and the reviews that Nate had read, were good.

So, they had a table reserved by Emily, one of Nate's assistants, and the waiter led them to it. Andy liked the place as soon as she entered. It was simple, but stylish.

Her good mood lasted until Andy asked for pasta with chicken salad, both in the main menu and the chef refused to prepare both. Andy refused to ask for another salad, just because they both were main meals. The chef stormed out from the kitchen.

"What's wrong with my request?"

"Mrs Finnegan," the chef began, eyeing Nate, before retuning her glare to Andy, "your request consists of two main meals. I just asked for you to change your salad."

"But it's chicken salad. Sa-lad. It's a salad."

"But it has meat."

"But it's a salad."

"Oh, being the smart fat girl, now I understand the need of two main meals."

"What?"

"Hey lady, you are offending my wife." Nate stood up from his chair. "If you can't make our meals, we will just leave, okay?"

"By all means, move at the glacial place."

"No." Andy said.

Nate was helping Jacob to get out from his chair. "No what?"

"No, I'm not leaving. I will stay and wait for my lasagna AND the chicken salad, and I don't care whatever you think about my size, which is four, thank you very much."

The owner, called by one of the waiters, came to the table. "What is happening here?"

"Your chef has refused to prepare my wife's meal and offended her."

"Miranda, is that true?"

Then Andy remembered something that Nate had told her. "The chef is called the devil in aprons; she's used to doing whatever she wants, even when what she wants isn't what the customer asked. But nobody has said a bad word about her food in the last ten years." Andy wanted to laugh and she did the very thing.

"Something's funny?"

"Actually, yes. You." Everybody widened their eyes.

Miranda, the chef, rolled her eyes. "Oh, well. Probably I'm using a red nose and a funny red hair and-"

"Stop!" The owner gave a sorry glance towards Andy and Nate. Then he turned to the chef. "Miranda, just do whatever she asked for and I don't want to hear no more about this, okay?"

Miranda glared at the owner and said "Yes, sir." in her best sarcastic tone.

Andy couldn't understand how they really became friends; she just remembered that she continued to ask for lasagna and chicken salad for lunch. Miranda never was there when she and Nate went for dinner.

Then Nate started again to arrive late or demand one of his assistants, Emily mainly, call her and cancel. The first time he canceled on her, she went home. But the second time, Miranda joined her.

"I'm just in my lunch break, if you want, we can have lunch together." She said, businesslike.

"Oh, okay. Please, sit." Andy said, gesturing to the chair next to hers. "At least we can keep each other's company."

"That's the idea."

"So, how long have you worked here?"

"Fifteen years. My ex-husband and I started this, he is the manager."

"You mean Jonathan?"

"Yes. Before I got pregnant, I worked for fourteen or sixteen hours. But when the girls were born and I returned to work, I cut to ten. Hm, wait." She reached her cell phone, pressed some buttons and then showed it to Andy.

"Oh, they are beautiful. Well, you already know Jacob, my son. How old are they?"

"Nine years old. Jacob?"

"Six. Second year in school and he is driving me crazy. And he is always pranking my husband's assistants." Andy laughed. "The last prank was marbles on the floor."

Miranda laughed too. "My girls prefer water balloons. We live in an apartment, so they went to the porch and threw them at whoever was walking on the street."

Andy smiled sadly when she realized that most of her lunches were with Miranda in the last six months because Nate had canceled theirs.

The last thing she thought before drifting to sleep was Miranda's voice.

"He doesn't know how lucky he is."

The next morning, when Andy woke up, Nate was in the bathroom already. She got out of bed, put her robe on and left the bedroom. She went to Jacob's bedroom and he was still asleep. Andy pulled off the earphones of his iPod.

"Baby, wake up. You need to wake up."

"Nng- no mommy." He shrank and turned his back to her.

"C'mon boy, you need to stand up." Andy shook him by his shoulders. "It's ten past six."

"I don't want to go to school. I want to stay in my bed." He hid himself under the sheets.

Andy sighed. Every morning was the same thing; Jacob refusing to leave the bed. So, she used her last resource. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she started to tickle him.

"It's time to wake up, Jake!"

Jacob squealed. "No mom, stop! Stop! I'm wake! I swear, see!" He left the bed and ran to the bathroom.

"You have ten minutes!"

"Okay, okay!"

Andy went to the kitchen to prepare the breakfast and found Nate, as always, with his cup of coffee and briefcase in hand. "Good morning."

He came closer and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Hey. I left coffee for you too. Where is Jake?"

"He is in the shower. Every day I waste nearly five minutes trying to convince him to get up. I gave up the alarm clock because he sleeps with this thing," she gestured to her ears, "tucked in his ears."

Then footsteps were heard. Jacob came running from the stairs. Andy glared at him and he just shrugged.

"Good morning, dad!"

Nate kissed his forehead. "Jake, what did I say to you about sleeping with your iPod on?"

"Sorry, dad." But the only thing he was paying attention was his bowl of cereal.

"Hurry up, baby. Your daddy is just waiting for you."

Andy looked to them both. Nate was with his hair straight, but little curls were forming in the path next to his neck. Jacob's hair was the same way. In his school, just the school-shirt was obliged to wear as uniform and most of his friends used these horrendous jeans in the middle of their thighs and their shoes were bigger than their feet. Jacob always dressed like his father, slacks, black shoes and a suit. Mostly of Nate's suits had a mini version for Jacob. It was part of their father and son thing.

And she missed something like that with a daughter, but she knew she couldn't have this. Before she and Nate got engaged, she got pregnant, but had a miscarriage. The doctor said she couldn't try again in the natural process. If she wanted a child, she would need a medical treatment. When Nate became the Editor-in-chief of Auto Universe, she left her job in The New York Mirror and dedicated her time to her treatment. After eight months, she finally got pregnant. Jacob was born in the seven months into the pregnancy; he stayed sometime in the hospital, but survived. She tried again, when Jacob was three years old, but had another miscarriage and her doctor discouraged her wish.

"Andy, we're leaving!"

"Bye, mom!"

She said her goodbyes to her husband and son and went upstairs to prepare for her day; for her job, the only place where she wasn't Nathaniel Finnegan's wife.

Andy and Nate came from Ohio. He already worked at Auto Universe when they met. She had graduated in Journalism and knew nothing about New York. She had a job interview in the same building he worked; write for Auto Universe or being an assistant for the Editor-in-chief of Runway. When she arrived, he was waiting for a lift and they rode together.

Nate looked at her. "Hey buddy, what time is?"

Andy didn't look back, she just checked her watch. "Um… Ten past eight. And I'm so late."

"Do you work here?"

"No, a job interview."

He made a funny face. "Uh. I hope you're not going for the "assistant" interview."

"Huh?"

"You know, being the assistant for the sadistic Editor-in-chief of Runway. The woman is crazy, I'm just warning you."

"Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome."

So Andy went to Auto Universe, Nate asked her out, they had a couple of dates and then they were living together. Two years later, Nate got the job of assistant editor and Andy left for the Mirror job. In the next year, after the miscarriage, Nate got his dream job and they got married.

When Jacob arrived, Nate left everything behind to be with his wife and son. He did everything he could to please his family. She and Jacob got better with his love.

However, time passed by and then everything he did was for Auto Universe. Everything to please his damn magazine.

In the shower, Andy let the tears fall.

"How was yesterday?" Miranda asked.

Andy sipped her wine. "I came home late."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"He wasn't home." Andy picked her food, but didn't eat.

"Don't starve yourself. Eat."

Andy took a bite from her lasagna. "He gave me a diamond necklace." Miranda nodded. "But then he went to bed and fell straight to sleep."

Miranda blushed lightly. "Um. Do you… er… miss him…it…in that way?"

"At the beginning, yes."

Miranda put her silverware aside. "How long has it been, since you…had sex?" Andy blushed furiously. "Oh my God, I'm sorry!"

"No, it's ok. Three months and five days."

Miranda suddenly became very interested in her food. "I guess you're counting."

"Most nights he comes home late and by that time, I'm already asleep. When I get up in the morning, he's already left to use the bathroom. I can just feel him slipping from my hands and I don't know what to do, sometimes I wonder if he still loves me."

"Of course he loves you, who wouldn't?"

Andy closed her eyes. "Let's change the subject, please?"

"As you wish." Miranda raised her glass of water.

"Thank you." This time, Andy ate her food with more ease. "I told Jake you could look after him next week."

"Of course. I can pick him, if you want."

"Um, no. It won't be necessary. Emily will probably take him to your apartment."

"The redhead?" Andy nodded. "It seems that girl hasn't eaten for days!"

"Her girlfriend works for Runway."

"Oh, well, that explains. Have you met the Editor-in-chief?"

"No, thank God. The woman is crazy." Andy wiped her mouth. "The Runway staff are always on the edge."

"But she is the best in what she does." Miranda smirked.

"Yes. She is. And guess what? Auto Universe was nearly dying when Nate took the reign. And now, he is the second. I guess is the main reason he hates her. He will never beat her." Andy knew that, but Nate refused to be beaten so easy. So, every year, when the reports came out, he worked harder, to beat Runway. This year wouldn't be any different.

"The CEO of Elias-Clarke should be very happy. Both magazines are the best in their respective branches. Nothing to worry about."

"I hope so." Andy glanced at her watch. "Uh uh, fun-time is over."

"Oh yes. Um." Miranda called the waiter. "Hey, John. Give me that package above the fridge."

"What package?"

Miranda gave him an annoyed look. "Bore someone else with your questions." Then turned again to Andy, who was struggling to not laugh.

"Huh." The waiter left and Andy began to laugh.

"Do you know how mean you are?"

Miranda smirked. "Of course."

Andy laughed hard.

The waiter came back and Miranda give the package to Andy. "There. For your break. And do me a favor, eat."

Andy smelled the package. "Grilled cheese?" She closed her eyes and smiled. "Do you know-"

The chef rolled her eyes and completed. "How much you loved this, yes, yes, I know. So eat."

"Thank you so much. You are really, really great." Andy kissed her on the cheek. "Bye."

"Goodbye, Andrea."

Miranda watched (again) Andrea leaving. She smiled when the journalist nearly fell down, trying to open the car's door.

"You care about her, don't you?"

"Oh my God, Jonathan, I didn't see you." She said, bringing her hand to her chest. "But yes, I do care about Andrea. She is my friend."

"You know what I'm talking about." Jonathan winked.

Miranda glared to him. "No, I don't know what you are talking about." She stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "John, go clean the table. Now."

Jonathan quickened his pace. "You are in love with her."

Miranda froze for a second, but quickly collected herself and put her cool face on again. "She is married."

"And?"

"Oh, do shut up, Jonathan."

He laughed. "Mira, just like you, I've saw how many times he's came late or just didn't show up. And when he shows up, he spends half time his time on his cellphone and ignores her." He pointed to her. "You should do something."

Miranda sighed. She glared at her employees. "Don't you have some potatoes to peel? Some onions to cut? If you want to continue to work here, just stop to wasting my time as I'm constantly telling you what you have to do." She turned to Jonathan again. "I'm trying to help her."

"He doesn't deserve her."

"I know it, I know! What do you want me to do? Kidnap her?"

"Just do something. Mira, I want you to be happy." He hugged her. Miranda didn't return the hug. "You will know what to do, when the time comes." He patted her on the shoulder and left the kitchen.

Miranda adjusted her headband and headed to her kingdom. She would think about Andrea later. Now she had some food to prepare. "Why is it so impossible to put together some ingredients for a decent pasta? Why is no one ready?"

TBC

A/N1: Hey guys, I'm sorry I deleted the previous one. I changed somethings and now here you go. Thanks to Hannah that did a great job as usual. Any mistake left is mine.

A/N2: This is my first attempting into AU, I hope you like it. This story will be longer than my usual, so the updates will be longer too, but I just couldn't wait to share with you :D So comments are very welcome.

A/N3: And my biggest thanks to my friend Obsidiana402. She encouraged me to write again and gave me great advice about this one.