Inspiration is coming thick and fast today so here is another, slightly longer chapter. Once again thank you for all of the kind words and support, it's what keeps me going.
When the girls arrived back home later it was to find their mother and Andrea talking quietly in the den. Miranda had migrated to the sofa beside the younger woman and they had done some of the catching up they had promised each other over half a bottle of scotch.
"Bobbsey's." Miranda called when she heard the front door open and close, smiling at the sound of her girls charging down the corridor, even at fifteen they still moved around the townhouse like fairy elephants,
"Hey mom." Caroline grinned, rounding the door frame, "Hey Andy."
"Did you girls have a good night?" she questioned, making a point to make eye contact with Cassidy, a step to ensure she didn't feel like she didn't care,
"Yeah, the show was good." Caroline nodded, "We think you would have enjoyed it mom."
"Well maybe you can both take me to see it?" Miranda offered, "Cassidy darling did you enjoy it?"
"Yeah I guess. The costumes were really pretty though." While both girls were creative Cassidy was the most like her mother, she had a keen interest in fashion and a good eye for trends and designers where Caroline was more interested in words.
"Good, why don't you two head up to bed and I'll be up in a minute, you both have school tomorrow."
"Oh but mom Andy is here" Caroline complained, turning her pout and puppy dog eyes on her mom,
"I should be heading home honey, it's later than I thought and I have work tomorrow." Andrea supplied not wanting to cause a row, it was late and she did have work the next day so she wasn't lying, "How about we have lunch on Saturday if that's ok with your mom?"
"Of course, I can drop them off on my way to my meeting with Donatella." Miranda nodded, ignoring the pang at the fact that she would not be able to join them, she had truly enjoyed the evening she had spent with the young woman.
"Great, you guys let me know where you want to go and I'll make a reservation ok. Now go on, off to bed with you." After they both gave Andrea hugs they headed upstairs and Andrea turned back to Miranda, "Cassidy's first day back at school tomorrow?"
"Yes. The doctor cleared her at the beginning of the week, I admit to being a little over protective and not wanting her to go back too soon but she's insisted. She's not been enjoying being stuck in the house."
"It's understandable that you'd want to protect her but maybe going back to school, being around her friends will be exactly what she needs and she has Caro to protect her if she needs it."
"Please don't encourage my daughter to get herself a days suspension again." Miranda chuckled, "Do you really need to go?"
"I should." Andrea nodded, "We both have work tomorrow and I imagine yours is an earlier start than mine. That doesn't mean though, that I want to leave."
"Roy should only be round the corner, I asked him to stay close until you were ready to go home." Miranda said pulling out her phone, she felt gratified knowing that the young woman wanted to stay as much as she wanted her to, "would you join me for dinner one night next week?"
"I'd love to" Andrea smiled, pushing herself to her feet and heading to the hall to collect her jacket, "Whenever is good for you."
"I'll check my schedule and get in touch," Miranda said following, "Andrea I. Thank you. You have no idea..."
"Miranda stop." Andrea said gently, interrupting the older woman who was beginning to look uncomfortable with how much of herself she was sharing, "You don't have to thank me, I want to be here." Biting the bullet the brunette grabbed her hand and squeezed gently, pleased when Miranda squeezed in return, "Thank you for trusting me with you, I know it's not easy for you and that's ok, there's no rush."
"Well." Miranda cleared her throat and reclaimed her hand, Andrea could see her retreating behind the editor mask, she'd take what she could get, "I will make sure the girls decide where they would like to eat on Saturday and I will get in touch about dinner?"
"Yes, I'll look forward to the call." Andrea smiled, pulling the door open and stepping out into the night, "And Miranda, if you need to talk just call me ok. You can trust me."
"So are you and mom like friends now?" Cassidy asked over lunch on Saturday. The girls had picked the latest trendy restaurant, not that Andrea was surprised, they were very much like their mother in that if they were going to be seen, they wanted to be seen somewhere popular. She hadn't been surprised by the fact that Miranda had made her swear that she'd make sure the twins at least ate a salad alongside their inevitable burgers.
"I guess so," Andrea shrugged, she hadn't even bothered trying to put a name to what was going on between herself and the older woman because she couldn't be sure if she was dreaming or if she'd end up pushing the editor too far when she stood up to her one of these days. She knew she wanted them to be friends, hell she wanted more than that but she couldn't see Miranda dropping her guard long enough for her to work out if that was even an option never mind long enough to actually accept her feelings, "Is that ok? You know you guys can still talk to me whenever you need to though right and I'm never going to relay anything to your mom that you don't want her to know unless I'm really worried about your safety." Yes she wanted a relationship with Miranda but she didn't want to lose what she had with the girls, she loved that they were comfortable enough with her to ask her for advice about anything and everything as well as asking for help with school work. They had developed a deep bond during the months following the 'Harry Potter incident' and it had remained strong even after she had walked away from Miranda in Paris, she didn't want to mess that up.
"Of course it's ok." Caroline shrugged as she popped a French fry into her mouth,
"Yeah, we've been trying to persuade you to speak to mom for ages remember, we told you she had changed." Cassidy agreed with a grin,
"Question is, what's your angle? Because I know you girls and I know you wouldn't try and bring me and your mom back into the same orbit unless there was something in it for you." Andrea laughed, she knew the girls would have an angle though she wasn't exactly sure what it could be.
"She was really odd after Paris Andy. She wasn't even angry she was just, weird. We were expecting her to go through like a million assistant but she just settled with the first one that Emily interviewed and even we could see she was awful." Caroline began,
"Yeah and we knew it wasn't anything to do with that idiot Stephen, we overheard her talking to her lawyer before fashion week, she was going to give him the divorce papers when she got home, he just beat her to it. then she started coming home early and spending more time with us and she was happy, but her eyes haven't been happy since, not until last week."
"Huh," Andrea said, unable to formulate anything more intelligent to say, she couldn't for one minute believe that Miranda had missed her that much since she left, despite what the girls were saying and that Miranda had said that she had missed her, it seemed too perfect to be true.
"And last Thursday when she went all weird again you came along and you mixed it."
"Your mom just needed to talk about some stuff and I listened honey that's all."
"And just how many ex-assistants do you think mom opens up to?" Caroline laughed, "Adults are so clueless!"
"I'm changing the subject," Andrea jumped in, she didn't want to get into this with the girls, they seemed to think that there was something more than friendship going on and she didn't want to give them anything that might fuel that fire when Andrea herself didn't even know what was going on, "Tell me about school. What are you working on at the moment?"
The rest of the meal went over happily, the girls told Andrea about the projects they were working on and she helped them with some ideas and she told them about some of the freelance work she had coming up. It was nice being able to sit and talk about these things over food instead of just through emails, if she had known Miranda would have been so receptive to her presence she would have pushed for lunch with the girls two years ago.
Roy was waiting at the curb when they finished but Andrea was surprised when Andrea stepped out of the car to meet them, her meeting with Donatella had either gone very, very well or very badly.
"Andrea, I assume you all at least shared a salad yes?" she smirked, ushering the girls into the back of the towncar,
"Of course Miranda, as promised."
"I spoke to my assistant, I'm afraid dinner this week is going to be somewhat impossible unless you are free tomorrow night?"
"I don't have any plans." Andrea grinned, though she would have to find something to wear,
"Good. I'll make reservations, Roy will pick you up at seven. Would you like a lift anywhere?"
"No, thank you for the offer but I have some errands to run before I head home. I look forward to tomorrow."
"Me too," Miranda gave her a nod and a barely there smile before sliding back into the car and closing the door. Andrea gave a slight wave as the town car pulled out into traffic before her mini meltdown began. What on earth did you wear to dinner with Miranda Priestly?
