Miranda was working in her study, going over the various things that she had to do that day. Usually she would call out her assistants' names and they would come running to her with their notebooks and pens ready to jot down any command that she let slip from her lips in that moment.
Especially her Andrea, the woman was always ready and usually ahead of her as she had a magical way to predict what Miranda may want and somehow manage to get it done without it being asked of her. It was refreshing not to have to guide an assistant through every stage of something like she was used to.
Many thought that her streak of assistants was unnecessary and it was because she was a dreadful boss but in reality it was just that so many of the people that applied for the role of her assistant were those who seemed to idolize her and only wanted the job because of that fact. Andrea was different in that fact because the woman genuinely did not idolize her in any way, of course she had heard of her because she did study journalism so it would be ridiculous to think that she didn't. Andrea's passion though lay in more investigative journalism rather than fashion and celebrity journalism which meant that she had not truly taken much notice of who Miranda was. Other than briefly thinking of how hot the woman looked in a shot that was in one of her textbooks whilst she was studying, not that she had ever admitted that to anyone though and Miranda was definitely not aware of the fact.
The Editor-in-Chief picked up her phone and called Emily's work cell phone, before the woman had even managed to say hello or any other form of a greeting, Miranda was already spewing out various commands.
Emily held the phone against her ear with her shoulder and used one hand to hold her notebook whilst the other scribbled down notes as quickly as she possibly could.
Then she froze.
The command came to her with a surprise.
Such a surprise that she forgot one of the many rules that the assistants had created over the years.
Do not ask Miranda questions. Any questions.
"What?" Emily almost screeched down the phone, "Why on earth would we need another second assistant? We have one. Oh please tell me that you're not firing, Andy!"
Ignoring the questioning of her possible decision making, Miranda rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, "No, Emily, I am not firing Andrea," she replied before commenting, "Nor will I ever be firing her."
"Then... why do you need me to look for another second assistant if... oh my god, am I being fired?" Emily asked her with raised eyebrows and widened eyes.
"Will you pull yourself together." The woman demanded, "I am not firing anyone today, I am simply asking that you look for another second assistant on the basis that Andrea may have another job, one of which would be much more beneficial to her and so I would like you to start looking for another assistant on the chance that she accepts the position."
"Phew!" Emily sighed with relief, "Miranda? If... if you don't mind my saying so. I don't think she'll take another job."
"Whyever not?" Miranda questioned with confusion, "It would be much more beneficial to her."
"Well... I don't think she would take any job that would mean that she would no longer be working with you." Emily glanced around the office before continuing, "I know I'm not supposed to tell you this but she is rather fond of you."
"Well, that is a good thing that the job is a nanny position in my home then, isn't it?" Miranda responded with a soft smile at the fact that Andrea was 'fond of her', not that anyone could see the smile of course.
"Oh..." Emily mumbled, "In that case she probably will say yes, she loves the girls."
Following the phone call with Emily, she could not help but smile to herself at the concept of Andrea not only being fond of her but possibly being more than fond of her. As she was of her. Miranda looked over at the photos on her desk, there were a mix of photos of the girls all the way from their first scan photo up until the present day but there were also photos of Andrea dotted in the mix. Not that Andrea was aware of that fact of course. There was a photo of the woman with both of the girls on the beach, one of all three of them on the same beach, then there were photos of a mix of them taken at the park, the museum, and even some random 'selfies' that had been taken using snapchat filters which Andrea seemed fond of using. Miranda, surprisingly, took part in the concept as it seemed to amuse the younger woman, not that Miranda herself understood why putting dog or cat ears on herself was funny but she could see the up side to it. Which was the smile on Andrea's face and she did have to admit that her little girls looked adorable with animal ears.
She looked up at the doorway when she heard a noise and smiled at the sight of the two of her girls barging into the study with huge smiles on their faces and giggling. "Hello Bobseys." Miranda said softly as she stepped out from behind her desk and knelt down on the floor with her arms out in order to encourage them into them. "What on earth have you both been doing to get into such a mess?"
Both were covered in splatters of white flour whilst Cassidy had a smear of tomato puree on her cheek and Caroline had a piece of grated cheese in her hair that Miranda carefully plucked out.
She was holding the piece of cheese in her hand when Andrea came in the door, "Sorry for interrupting, I was going to get them to knock on the door first but they were a bit quicker than I thought they were going to be." Andrea explained with a smile, "We have come up to ask you to come down for dinner, the girls have been making pizza."
"Ahh... pizza," Miranda said with a light chuckle, "I do hope that more of the ingredients are on and in the pizza than my girls are wearing."
"Well, they made the pizzas themselves from scratch." Andrea explained, "I thought it would be best for them to have their baths after dinner so that when they eat they don't get it all over their clean pyjamas."
Miranda nodded, "Acceptable."
"Pizza!" Caroline said with excitement as she bounced in her mother's embrace, "We make pizza!"
Miranda nodded, "Yes, you did and you're wearing some of it." Miranda commented as she brushed some of the flour off of her child with a smile, "Let's go downstairs for dinner then, I believe that I am almost finished, I will just have to take a look at the book later when it arrives."
Andrea nodded, "Okay."
The Editor-in-Chief took hold of one of Caroline's hand and led her out of the study but then she paused in the doorway, in front of Andrea and smiled softly, "It seems that you're wearing it too." She said softly as she reached her spare hand up to brush it off with her thumb, it was a small smear of tomato puree on her cheek bone. Once she had removed it from the woman's face, she slipped her thumb between her own lips and sucked the tomato sauce from her skin. "Much better." She commented before she turned and continued on her way downstairs with Caroline.
Andrea's jaw dropped and she froze in surprise.
"'ome on Andeee, pizza!" Cassidy said as she tried to tug the silent and frozen woman towards the top of the staircase so that they could go down for their dinner.