Title:
Weakness In Me, Ch. 2
Disclaimer:Don't own them, never did.
Just admire from afar, hoping to bring them closer.
Rating:
T
Pairing: Miranda/Andy
Andy jumped out of bed, had a quick shower and put on the clothes she had laid out the previous night. Before she ran out the door she had time for a quick breakfast of toast and coffee that were ready as she had set the timers. Her morning routine took a total of 15 minutes, unless Miranda called early, then she could reduce it to 5 minutes.
'Good morning' Andy breathed out to Nigel and Emily talking at Emily's desk, as she passed by with Miranda's hot latte from Starbucks. There had been delays in the subway and Andy had been forced to get off a stop early and race down the block to ensure she was there before Miranda. Miranda did not take kindly to having to wait for her coffee.
'Maybe it was, but it's not going to stay that way.' Nigel said with a smirk on his face. 'Roy just called and raised the warning that she's in a particularly foul mood today. Such a shame I'm out at the shoot all day and will miss her' the smirk still firmly in place.
At that moment the lift arrived and in walked Miranda.
'Do you not have anything worthwhile to do Nigel, or do you plan to spend your last day gossiping?' Miranda asked, giving Nigel the cutting glare that said she didn't expect or want a response. Nigel knew that tone and knew that if he didn't want it to be his last day he needed to get out of there immediately.
'Just heading out now' Nigel squeaked as he bolted for the lift.
Andy and Emily tried desperately to hide their smiles from Miranda. It didn't really matter though, as Miranda didn't even glance at them after dropping her coat and bag in the general vicinity of Andy. Andy caught them in desperation before they hit the floor. She had heard the horror stories of one of her predecessors who failed to catch them. The poor girl had to face the wrath of Miranda, who had spoken at her, Miranda never yelled, for a full five minutes as she shook in terror. After five minutes the girl had been told she had one minute to leave the building and never come back or else. No-one ever found out what the 'or else' was, as the girl had fled the building never to be seen or heard from again.
Andy returned to her desk and started working on the preparations necessary for Fashion Week season. Admittedly, it was in January but everything had to be perfect and planned to the last minute. Silence reigned for a few hours, only interrupted by the occasional phone call and a couple of people walking through who had been summoned by Miranda.
'Emily' was heard from the interior office shortly after she returned from lunch. Andy sat in anticipation for Emily to return to her desk.
Three minutes later Emily returned to her desk with a glazed look on her face. After five minutes silence Andy cleared her throat hoping to bring Emily back to the present. Inactivity was quickly noted by Miranda who in turn would let her displeasure be known. Emily with a shocked look in her eyes turned to Andy,
'I'm finished, she's sending me to London Runway'. Andy wasn't sure if this was good news or not. She knew Emily missed her family and friends in England and had spoken about them longingly. She also knew that Emily had resented her place as joint first assistant since her return from Paris earlier in the month.
Emily had never quite forgiven Andy for going to Paris or for appearing to have gained Miranda's favour. However their relationship had improved slightly over the last couple of weeks. Andy assumed it was because they had no choice. It was imperative for them both to attend to Miranda's instructions and necessity had made them work together. It would not have done for Miranda's left and right hand not to speak as it would have meant both their jobs. They had fallen into a pattern. Miranda had made it very clear, on their return from Paris, that she expected Andy to accompany her to most of her meetings and that Emily had to do a lot of the follow up and scheduling. One would not work without the other feeding into it.
'I can't believe it' came from across the office focusing Andy again. 'I just can't believe it, I'm going to London'. Emily had begun to smile. Within the Runway network, and beyond, it was understood that if you lasted two years as Miranda's assistant and got a passable reference you could walk into any department you wanted. Even though Emily had made her a target and scapegoat when she first started and had been mean to her when she returned from Paris, Andy recognised that Emily had done her best for Miranda while she worked for her. This allowed Andy to forgive the rest and be pleased for her.
'Andrea'
Andy immediately jumped up and went into Miranda, notebook at the ready.
'Have you found a replacement yet?' Andy just looked at her. She was captured by the eyes looking into her. Her mind went blank all she could do was look into those eyes. Damn why did this keep happening?
'Not yet, I had the CV's sent up to me from HR last week and have short listed them, would you like to see them?' Miranda looked at her without any expression on her face.
'I will meet your final choice tomorrow afternoon, make sure they're not completely incompetent.'
'Yes Miranda', Miranda turned her attention to the paperwork in front of her clearly dismissing Andy.
Andy went back to her desk and read through the CV's one more time. She was having difficulty deciding on someone. She felt torn, she wanted to ensure that everything got done perfectly for Miranda. But at the same time a she was self aware enough to know she did not want someone to come in and take her place. Andy was disconcerted by this feeling.
Why should it matter, was this not what was supposed to happen. She would now employ a second assistant, train them in and this time next year she would be the one changing job. Andy's stomach dropped, as it did every time she thought about this. Why did this matter so much anyway? It was only a job, a stepping stone to her future. So she would be replaced, that was a good thing. By completing her time with Miranda she would achieve something only a limited number of people had. She should be happy at the prospect. Just as Emily was happy. Yes Emily was definitely happy. The shock had worn off and she was positively beaming. Andy bet if she turned off the lights there would be a glow around Emily. She would be happy at the prospect she told herself sternly. Her stomach was slow to respond to her determination.
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The world was filled with incompetent fools. Miranda had started the day delayed as the chauffeur expected to pick up Cassidy and Caroline to bring them to school had the cheek to be five minutes late. The reason, his wife had a baby the previous night. Really, could he not forward plan sufficiently to have a replacement ready so there would be no delay in bringing her children to school. This meant that she was delayed by five minutes as she had promised the children she would stay with them in the mornings until they left for school.
This was all part of her new attempt to be part of their lives since Stephen, the sniveling idiot had said he wanted a divorce. When she had told the children Stephen would no longer be living with them, the only question they had asked was if it meant they would see her more? They had looked so hopeful, their faces alight with the possibility she could not say no. However, it had forced her to acknowledge that Stephen was not the reason she had not seen them. One of the reasons Stephen wanted to divorce was because they never saw each other.
When they had talked in Paris during fashion week, Stephen had challenged her to name the last time they had eaten a meal together. She was startled to find that she could not remember. Stephen just wasn't worth the effort, he was a pleasant enough man if unremarkable. This had lead to some careful consideration. She decided Cassidy and Caroline were definitely worth the effort. Therefore she had sat down with them and they had drawn up a timetable.
She had agreed to be there every morning until they left for school. This was acceptable as she could still be at Runway for 8am. They would be collected after school by Cara and she would make sure she had at least three meals with them during the week. On those evenings she would let them sit with her in her office after dinner as they did their homework and she reviewed e-mails and the book when it arrived. She had also agreed to make time available on every second Sunday, when they were not with their father, to do a family activity. So far this timetable had not greatly inconvenienced her until this idiot showed up five minutes late.
Then Roy, her chauffeur, had got them stuck in traffic. Seriously was he incapable of understanding the traffic reports on the radio and planning a suitable route. When she arrived at Runway Nigel was standing their gossiping with Emily, Andrea had obviously just arrived as she was only approaching her desk.
'Do you not have anything worthwhile to do Nigel, or do you plan to spend your last day gossiping?' seriously he should be setting an example of hard work not standing around, if he was unable to achieve this she would have to make her message very clear.
'Just heading out now' was Nigel's squeaked response as he responded immediately. This was followed by a morning of people coming to present substandard pieces of work for the next edition. Really did they think she didn't have enough to do already that they expected her to do their job too. Idiots, what was she paying them for?
This afternoon it was necessary to speak to Emily to inform her she was going to be moved to London.
Emily had stood there looking like one of those ridiculous bass fish with her mouth hanging open like this was a surprise. Really did she not keep track of dates, it was her start date after all. She stood there apparently frozen to the spot. Miranda did not have time for this.
'Emily!' she said sharply making it quite clear she was to respond immediately.
'Tha … tha… thank you' was the drivel that spew forth.
'That's all', with this Emily thankfully left the office. Miranda fired off a quick e-mail to HR to confirm the details regarding Emily and made some necessary phone calls. Having attended to these matters, she needed to inform Andrea to find a suitable second assistant.
'Andrea' she called and was pleased to see the immediate response and preparedness. 'Have you found a replacement yet?' Oh those eyes really were something. Today they were nicely enhanced by the camel top Andrea was wearing and accented by flattering subtle eye liner.
'Not yet, I had the CV's sent up to me from HR last week and have short listed them, would you like to see them?' brought Miranda's attention back to the matter at hand. Oh my, Andrea had anticipated this event and had already taken the necessary steps.
'I will meet your final choice tomorrow afternoon, make sure they're not completely incompetent.' was the only response she could think to make.
'Yes Miranda', was the expected reply from Andrea. Miranda was very careful not to look into those eyes again she had to remember her resolve of earlier. It took five minutes for her to be able to focus on the paperwork in front of her and make headway into the matters demanding her attention.
This evening she had agreed to be home for dinner with the girls. So at 6pm she walked out of her office to find Andrea waiting with her coat and bag. She had not even made it to the lift before she heard Andrea confirm Roy was waiting for her downstairs. The world was filled with incompetent fools, but there may be an exception yet.
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Three hours after Miranda had walked out of the office Andy was still sitting at her desk waiting for The Book. She had become used to the long hours and had a number of ways to fill them. She followed up with phone calls to her colleagues in Europe. With New York, London, Paris and Milan fashion weeks in the New Year it was necessary to liaise with her counterparts to ensure Miranda's needs would be catered for when they arrived. She put the phone down on Celine in Paris having confirmed seating arrangements.
Paris, it was still so fresh in her mind. Every time she thought about it she wondered what had happened.
She had been there, had been directly involved and yet she still felt like she was missing a crucial part of the puzzle. Paris Fashion Week had been going smoothly enough. Between herself and Emily all bases had been covered. There had been a minor situation with seating arrangements which Andy had managed to divert and an issue with double booked cars which Andy had resolved immediately.
Andy had felt the need to intervene when Miranda had enough of one of the board members of Runway. This had been deduced from her slight adjustment in posture and the very slight raising of her eyebrow. Miranda had been unable to extract herself from the conversation without causing offence, it always amazed Andy that Miranda had a boss she had to play nice with. Andy had noticed as soon as she glanced at her and had informed Miranda there was something that required her immediate attention.
Miranda had followed her from the party immediately with her usual blank expression. When they had exited the room Miranda had turned to her and enquired what the item was that demanded her immediate attention. Andy had not anticipated the question as she had been working on instinct and hesitated before answering.
'I wanted to confirm your meeting with Renée tomorrow at 10am' she mumbled.
'This was so urgent you had to call me away from my conversation with George tonight' Miranda had looked straight at her obviously expecting a response, her eyes guarded. Andy was unable to get any sense of what she was thinking.
'Yeah… I mean yes, it is your first appointment tomorrow' Andy responded and waited for Miranda to berate her. Miranda was silent for so long, just looking at her, that she started to shift uncomfortably. She wanted to get out of there. She stopped looking at Miranda and started thinking how up to date her CV was and how likely she was to get another job before the rent had to be paid. Perhaps Nate would help her out, though her relationship with him was really rocky at the moment. Then suddenly out of nowhere, or so it seemed
'Yes, 10am with Renée, I expect you to be there. That's all.' With that Miranda had turned and left the party.
It was the following day that things had started to get out of hand. That evening she had gone with Christian Thomson and had discovered the whole sorry events. Irv was trying to usurp Miranda as editor of Runway and replace her. How could he do that to her? Andy had left Christian and informed Miranda immediately, only to discover she had already known about it. Then there was the whole announcement and the thwarting of Nigel's plans. How could she do that to him? Andy had felt so disenchanted and disillusioned with Miranda, that she could see no alternative but to leave her. She had left Miranda to face the press and had thrown her phone into the fountain. She had lost perspective completely and to this day she is still unsure why she reacted so strongly. They had not, after all, directly affected her.
She had felt disappointed for Nigel, which did not explain the severity of her emotions. She had felt bad for Miranda, because even though she had come out on top, someone had tried to embarrass her and replace her in the most important thing in her life. Or at least one of the most important things, surely her children were equally important if not more important. And while her relationship with her husband was not going well.
But for Andy it was more than that, it was about what Miranda had done to Nigel and what that meant for other people who worked for her. What it meant for Andy. That was the crux of the matter wasn't it. If Miranda was willing to do that to Nigel who had worked for her for so long, who knew her as well if not better than most people, how expendable was Andy? The thought that Miranda would disappoint, disregard her made Andy ache like nothing had ever done before. The though of it was debilitating, heart wrenching to the point she had lost perspective. That explained why she had reacted the way she did.
Nigel had come to her room the next day. He had just left Miranda's room where they had talked. Or at least he had. She had just listened. Ultimately he had decided to stay at Runway. Nigel went over his brief conversation with Miranda and asked what had happened between her and Miranda. Apparently he had mentioned her name to Miranda and Miranda had winced. Not too obviously but enough for him to notice before returning to her usual inscrutable expression. Andy had given him a brief overview of the happenings and had started to cry. She had spent most of the night crying and didn't know what to do. The thought of never speaking to Miranda again was heart wrenching to her. She kept playing the look on Miranda's face before she had turned around to face the press. She couldn't quite explain it but it had haunted her ever since.
Nigel had given her a strange look after her crying had finally stopped and told her to face Miranda. She wondered if he had lost his mind but eventually decided it was the better than anything she had come up with. With that Nigel had left her to collect herself. She had showered, put on her best outfit and walked to Miranda's room. Slowing down the closer she got. When she got there she knocked on the door and waited anxiously. After what felt like an eternity Miranda opened the door. She had appeared frozen and Andy was shaking all over. Miranda had eventually stepped back and allowed her to enter the room. Which shocked Andy to the extent that she had forgotten to move until Miranda had raised an eyebrow.
Andy had walked into the room and glanced around. Miranda had obviously been sitting at the computer on the table. There was paper surrounding the surfaces nearby. Miranda followed Andy into the room. Andy closed her eyes, drew a deep breath and searched for every bit of resolve she had before looking at Miranda. Miranda was looking at her with a look she had never seen before.
'Sor… Sorry, I don't know what happened to me' was what came out of her mouth. Her rehearsed speech had been more articulate, but standing there looking at Miranda her mind was blank. All she knew was she regretted causing the look on Miranda's face. It haunted her, and the one today wasn't much better, even if she couldn't quite read it.
'Sorry… I …' Miranda continued to look at her. Andy figured all she could do was wait for Miranda to cast judgment, to let her decision be known. There was something she was aware of but couldn't identify. At one stage she raised her head and looked directly into Miranda's eyes letting her see how sorry and confused she was.
It could have been one minute or one hour they stood there in silence. Then Miranda appeared to make a decision, she nodded her head ever so slightly and started listing things Andy had to follow up on that day. It took Andy a moment but then she took her notepad and pen out of her bag and frantically started to take notes.
That was it. Anti-climatic? Somewhat. Confusing? Definitely. It was the least Miranda like response possible. She had not fired her, given her a piece of her mind or ruined her, as she had threatened to do to numerous people. No she had nodded her head slightly and acted as if nothing had happened.
When Andy had left Miranda's room, she had sought Nigel to see if he could enlighten her. When she told him what happened, he looked shocked, then thoughtful. He told her she was the first person to ever walk away from Miranda who was allowed to return. He couldn't believe she hadn't at least been tortured. They had lunch then got ready for the last day of Paris Fashion Week.
The last day had gone according to plan. Andy had picked up as many outfits for Emily as she could and had even managed to get a few for herself. Miranda carried on as if nothing had happened. Andy did catch her giving her the odd look that belied explanation but made her heart ache for some unknown reason. She put it down to her own overactive imagination.
Being dragged back to the present, Barry came into the office carrying The Book. She sighed with relief that the working day was drawing to a close. She got the subway across to Miranda's house and let herself in. She put the laundry in the closet and put the book on the table as was the expectation. All was quiet in the Priestly house and a light was showing from under the office door. Andy let herself out and headed home.
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Miranda heard someone come in the front door. It was obviously Andrea with her dry cleaning and the Book. She had spent the evening with Cassidy and Caroline. They had been delighted she was on time and chattered all the way through dinner. It was uncanny the way they could take over from each other so fluidly. It meant that the chatter never had to stop, what joy. They ate while the other spoke and took up the conversation as if pre-planned.
They hadn't even made any complaints about having to do their homework. She put it down to the novelty of being able to sit in the study with her. When they had agreed the timetable she had ordered two desks to fit next to her desk. They had all settled in and worked in quiet until all homework was done. She checked their homework on request and had given suitable praise and made suggestions where necessary. After they finished they left to watch TV in the sitting room.
The timetable was still very new and she wondered how long the excitement of seeing her would last. She was going to enjoy it for as long as it lasted. She knew that soon enough it would become the norm and they would come to expect it to happen as opposed to expecting it not to happen. She was committed to ensuring they could rely on her to be there for them, she never wanted to let them down.
Sitting there in an armchair listening to soft relaxing music sipping a glass of wine she started reminiscing. She thought about the two years with Stephen, he turned out to be no better than Greg. All she felt was relieved they were over. Sometimes she thought that she should feel more about the ending of her marriage but couldn't bring herself to. The only thing she regretted was the distance she created with the girls. Two failed marriages and she couldn't bring herself to feel anything beyond mild dismay they were finished. She had begun to believe she just didn't have it in her to care deeply about what happened. Paris had changed all that.
Paris Fashion Week had gone more smoothly than any of the previous years. She had attended all the expected shows and had been very impressed by a number of the new designers. To the extent she had even arranged for one of them to do a spread in Runway. This was one of the better aspects of her job, the ability to pluck someone from obscurity and give them a break. It was widely recognised that she was hard, near impossible, to please, and why shouldn't she be. She saw no reason to settle for second best or less than perfect. She expected the best of herself, so why not of everyone else? It did mean that when she said she liked something others listened.
Her reputation was something she had worked hard to build. One did not become the editor of Runway overnight. She had paid her dues. She had started off near the bottom of the pecking order, working long hours and taking thankless assignments. True she was fortunate enough to have a good eye for fashion in addition to having the sense to make the most of all opportunities that presented themselves. While other people were focused on partying at the weekend and spending 'quality' time with their friends and family she was working.
When Runway was in trouble in the late 1980's she had positioned herself so she was noticed. The board had recognised her potential and she was given an opportunity. Turn Runway around in twelve months or get used to being one of the crowd. So she had thrown herself into the task. She made the decisions her predecessors were unable to make. She allowed the cream to rise to the top and replaced those who were not up to the challenge. She placed people she respected and trusted in key roles, such as Nigel. She pushed everyone to achieve their best and accepted nothing less.
The first year had been hard but after twelve months Runway was in the top five fashion magazines. The ratings were climbing and continued to climb. Her hard work had paid off and in the 1990's Runway became the top fashion magazine. Miranda had become identified widely as the reason for its success. She developed powerful networks and wielded power others only dreamed of. She became an entity unto herself, her reputation preceded her, and she became 'Miranda Priestly'. She was loved, she was hated, she was feared, and she was revered. She knew her nicknames, had even started one or two herself to serve her purpose.
Through this she got married to husband number one, Greg. They had a whirlwind relationship before they got married. For her it was a marriage of convenience, having long since given up her belief in the love of the great romances, it was useful to have an available escort for all the events she was expected to attend. She did not let her marriage interfere in important things in life, like work. She thought he felt the same way. It wasn't until they were five years into the marriage she realised he kept expecting her to change. When it became apparent she was not likely to, he couldn't just talk to her, no, he took the cowards route.
He started a barrage of undermining snide remarks, vaguely disguised insults and jokes at her expense. Subtle at first, mostly in private but it became blatantly hostile towards the end of their marriage. The only good thing to come out of her marriage was her girls. When she became pregnant it did not slow her down one iota. No she worked until the last minute and started back to work the following week. The girls added a new dimension to her life. One she was thankful to have, even if it placed additional challenges in front of her.
'Mom' came a sleepy cry from the top of the stairs.
Miranda immediately put down the glass she was holding and made her way to the stairs. There was Caroline in her new pajamas, rubbing her eyes trying her best not to cry.
'What is it?' was her enquiry. Caroline looked like she regretted crawling out of bed.
'Nothing' was the hesitant response. 'I had … had a bad dream … umm … something bad … umm … happened to you…..'
'Well you can see I'm fine, now back to bed with you, school in the morning'.
'Ok' and with that Caroline went back into her room. Miranda returned to the lounge and collected her phone before going up to her own room. Rosita would tidy up tomorrow.
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Andy had fallen into a routine that suited her. Monday to Saturday she got up early to make sure she was in place before Miranda came through the doors of the Elias-Clarke. She ensured Miranda's coffee was sitting on her desk and spent the day following up on the list she was given in the morning. Through the day she attended meetings with Miranda and typed up notes afterwards.
Since Emily's early departure to London, Andy had been busy training in the new second assistant, Jodie. Surprisingly Miranda had few objections to her hire last week. Jodie wasn't quite as intelligent as some of the other candidates but had shown a real desire to please Miranda and an ability to follow clear orders. By right, she should have been picking up the coffee in the morning. However for some reason Andy didn't want to hand that task over. She enjoyed being the one to bring Miranda coffee in the morning. It thrilled her when she got it timed just right and Miranda let a tiny lift of her lip show her pleasure at the hot beverage.
In the evenings when the corridors quieted as people left for the day she sat at her desk awaiting The Book. Initially she had sat there making lists of things to do the following day and following up with her European counterparts. As time wore on she realised she didn't need to put the same amount of effort into anticipating Miranda's needs, it was becoming almost second nature. This had freed up some time to browse the internet. One evening a spark of inspiration struck, she could do research while waiting. This meant she could start writing articles again. Over the last couple of months she had written a number of pieces that were published in obscure magazines or as page fillers in newspapers.
She was enjoying this past-time. Not only could she do the job she enjoyed, it meant that she did not have to give up her dream of being a writer. Sure it wasn't investigative journalism, as she had hoped she would be doing when she deferred her place in Law School, but it was writing and everyone had to start somewhere, didn't they. If nothing it ensured her writing skills didn't become too rusty.
Then every evening Barry or Joe came dashing in with The Book and she transported it. This evening it was Joe.
'Here ye go lass'
'Thanks Joe, how did the birthday party go at the weekend?'
'Not so bad, not so bad. The missus arranged a jumping castle for the yard, the chil'ren had a grand ol' time. There was mill'ons of 'em ever'where. Had a laugh we did.'
'That's great. Tell Sally I say Hi.' With that Andy took The Book and headed out the door. Winter was really grabbing hold of the city. Andy burrowed deeply into her coat and started her journey.
As usual, when Andy entered the hallway of Miranda's house there was silence. She went about her tasks of placing the dry-cleaning and The Book diligently. Ensuring she did nothing to disrupt anything.
'psst…' she heard out of nowhere. When she looked up, at the top of the stairs, two heads were peeking over the banister. Cassidy and Caroline were staring down at her expectantly.
'Do you work for Mom?' one of them asked, Cassidy she thought.
'Yes, I do' was the only response she could think of.
'Where's the other one who used to come? Did you eat her because she was prettier than you? That would explain a lot'
Why the little…
'No she got a new job, so now I deliver the dry-cleaning and The Book', why was she still talking to them?
'Sure' the other one, Caroline she assumed, said. Both of the girls managed to give her an exact replica of the disdainful look Miranda gave her for the first week. It seems the old saying was true 'trot mother, trot foal', or foals as the case may be.
With that Andy turned and headed out the front door, not unaware of the sniggering that followed her. Well she was free for the rest of the night, wonder what is on TV? She thought to herself. I think its Thai food for dinner tonight.
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They were heading full hilt into November. Preparation and decisions for New York Fashion Week in January were heating up and of utmost importance. It was one of the highlights of her annual calendar. Fashion Week in the town where she was queen. Fashion Week in New York had to be the ultimate opening to the four major Fashion Weeks. Indeed her diary would be full, January through to March ensuring she did not miss any crucial happenings in the fashion world for the following winter collection. However, in London, Milan and Paris she was more of a visitor than a host.
Miranda had received a number of invites to various parties throughout the week. She had forwarded them to Andrea trusting her to ensure her schedule would encompass as many as possible. A secret to her success was ensuring a strong network between herself and others in the business. She had learned earlier on that knowing the right people ensured she had all necessary information. Additionally she had given some a start in the business and had garnered some loyalty. Oh she knew that most would stab her in the back at the slightest sign of weakness, all the more reason to never let her guard down.
At least this year she was sure Andrea would have her at the right parties and the most important viewings. It was amazing that Emily, for all her professed love of fashion and the fashion world, had never understood the necessity to ensure Runway, and Miranda, had a pivotal role to play if Runway was to remain at the top. Andrea was a different matter. She ensured regular contact was maintained with the key players and Miranda did not miss any events. For this Miranda was pleased with Andrea.
Andrea. Andrea was an increasing figure in her musings of late. Sure her eyes were captivating but it was more than that. Andrea was growing, no longer that awkward person who stuttered and stumbled through her day. Andrea had become competent. Miranda convinced herself that this was the only reason Andrea was never far from her thoughts. Competence in a world full of incompetence was noteworthy, that was the extent of it.
'Andrea' she called, just loud enough to be heard outside the door to her office. Immediately she felt someone at her door. 'We will be leaving in ten minutes. That's all'.
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Andy had been frantically trying to rectify oversights Emily had made before leaving. Fashion Week season was fast approaching and Emily had failed to ensure the organisers were aware of Miranda's requirements, what had she been doing? Mid-January would see the beginning of the season and Andy was determined to ensure everything went without incident. It had been a pleasant surprise to learn Jodie was fluent in Italian. This allowed her to focus on liaising with the organisers for New York, Paris and London while delegating Milan to Jodie. Jodie was learning satisfactorily and was quick to follow Andy's lead.
'Andrea' came from the inner office. Immediately she saved what she was working on and went to the doorway. 'We will be leaving in ten minutes. That's all'. Andy immediately went frantically through Miranda's diary wondering where they were going. Nothing had been scheduled for this afternoon, Andy rang Roy to ensure he brought the car around.
Exactly on time Miranda walked out of her office across to the lifts. Andy handed her coat and bag and stood aside to wait for the next lift as was the norm. However, it soon became clear Miranda had different plans.
'We don't have all day.' Indicating, with a slight movement of her head, Andy should join her. Andy was shocked, no-one traveled in a lift with Miranda, but thought better of questioning her. As she entered she couldn't help but be captivated by the smell of Miranda's perfume. As the doors opened on the ground floor Nigel was there and looked shocked when she got out of the lift with Miranda. He gave her an inquisitive look which she responded to by a shrug of her shoulders, she really had no clue why the change, and then caught up with Miranda.
They spent the afternoon going in and out of stores. It was only in the second store she realised Miranda was shopping for Christmas presents for Cassidy and Caroline. She wasn't sure of her purpose on this outing with Miranda but decided the most prudent course of action was to follow, take notes on anything that appeared to catch Miranda's eyes and to keep her questions to herself.
That evening when she delivered The Book to Miranda's the girls had again been on top of the stairs. This had become the norm over the last two weeks. She had come to expect the questions regarding her weight and the snide remarks regarding her clothes. She wondered why she responded and didn't just ignore them but something in her understood they were just looking for attention. So she continued to spend a couple of minutes responding to their questions and barbs before heading home for the night.
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