5
Miranda sat at her desk the rest of the day finishing layouts and making decisions for new ads. At five thirty she had Emily call for the car. As she entered the door to the townhouse her ears were bombarded with a choir of three voices belting the words to what must be Andy's popular new song. She sat her Marc Jacobs purse on the table next to the door and walked to the back of the house to the kitchen. Her senses were overwhelmed when she entered. "It smells incredible in here!"
All three turned to see Miranda standing in the doorway to the kitchen and smiled at her. She walked to the center island unbuttoning her Prada suit jacket as she went.
Andy found herself watching the action. Miranda noticed.
"Mom" the girls squealed, snapping Andy out of her daze. When she looked up she found the older woman looking right at her with a questioning eyebrow raised. Andy blushed, a lot.
The girls made their way to their mother and she turned her attention to them giving them both hugs and kisses on the tops of their heads, as was their customary greeting.
"Andy's cooking" Caroline said excitedly.
"She's making Bourbon Steak." Cassidy informed her. "but we can eat it 'cause all the alcohol gets cooked out"
"That sounds very tasty." Miranda looked up at the young woman to see her moving around the kitchen not meeting her eyes. "Can I help with anything?"
"No, I've got it thanks. We've got a few minutes if you want to get out of your clothes, I mean if you want to change and get comfortable."
Miranda saw the colour flush her cheeks again.
"Girls, would you mind setting the table for us." What on earth was she doin`. Deep breath Andy, she told herself.
"Alright" Miranda responded, I'll be back shortly" She disappeared out of the kitchen and Andy heard her heading up the stairs and released the breath she was holding.
'I wonder why the woman suddenly seems so anxious?' Miranda contemplated as she walked to her room to remove the outfit Andy had been so fixated on. It wasn't the kind of nervousness she saw in her employees daily, theirs she knew was fear based. The singer was something else. She could see that the woman was comfortable in her home, with her girls. Maybe it had to do with their earlier conversation regarding the dress designs and knowing it was her that would be designing them. That must be what it was. She would just have to calm Andy's anxieties about the situation. With that decided Miranda changed into a pair of jeans and a white top, clothing she very rarely felt at ease in, but it would seem her comfort in regards to many things was moving in an unknown direction. Miranda actually felt a small tickle in her stomach as she anticipated the younger woman's response to her chosen attire for the evening. An evening she hoped would be as pleasurable as last nights.
Andy moved around the kitchen with fluidness. Miranda was upstairs changing and the girls were setting the table in the dining room. This was coming way too close to Andy's dream life. How in the world after only two days of knowing this woman and her children could this be happening? Her life had been such a chaotic mess for the last several years that this simplicity was almost overwhelming. And Miranda, what about her growing infatuation with the beautiful older woman. Not that their age difference even mattered to Andy, but they were so different. From two completely different worlds, yet it was like they belonged together in some way. They really didn't know each other. "Maybe I should let her in, just a little, see how she reacts." The singer whispered to herself. This new found friendship was definitely worth perusing. It had been a long, long time since Andy had anyone to truly confide in and share things with. If Miranda didn't or couldn't handle the truths from Andy's past, well then, getting more attached to the family was not something she was willing to risk her heart on.
That decided, the singer finished the meal she had prepared for her new friends and hoped that the evening would lend itself to another quiet conversation with the fashionista, no, not the icon. The woman, Miranda.
When Miranda returned to the kitchen Andy was at the sink with her back to her, "So what smells so delicious?"
Andy turned around to tell her but the words got lost somewhere in her throat and her fingers went numb from shock and she dropped the pan she was drying. The clatter snapped back to reality and out of her ogling stare.
"Oh," Miranda thought, "much better response than I was expecting." She grinned at the younger woman.
"Holy cow pies! You look fantastic!" Miranda laughed harder than she had laughed in years. "I wouldn't go that far" she walked over to pick up the fallen pan, feeling Andy's gaze on her the whole way, "but that's sweet" she leaned in and gave Andy a pack on the cheek.
"Are you kiddin me! There's not a cowboy worth his two cents that wouldn't sell his horse for a look at you."
Again Miranda laughed. When was the last time she had laughed so much and meant it.
The girls came in from the other room, "What was all the noise?" Cassidy asked
"Wow Mom," said Caroline "you look hot!"
"That's what I was trying to tell her." Andy looked at them
The twins noticed the pink tint in Andy's and their mother's cheeks and gave each other a knowing look.
"Alright, that's enough flattery for this old woman. What's for supper?"
"Andy grilled the steaks" said Caroline
"Just like they do back home" finish Cassidy
"A couple of little birdies," she smiled broadly at the girls, "told me you loved a good steak, so I made one for you.
"It smells incredible." Miranda walked back around the island to watch Andy put the finishing touches on the meal.
"I would have poured you a glass of wine for you, but I wasn't sure what you would prefer. I suggest a nice Shiraz if you have one, sorry I didn't think to pick one up." The younger woman looked at her sheepishly.
"We're having southern ice tea Mom." Caroline beamed
"Andy brewed it outside on the porch by letting it sit in the sun." Cassidy added
"I believe I will have that as well." Miranda stated firmly
"Please don't on my account Miranda." She looked at her
The older woman met her eyes, "I would prefer to enjoy everything you have made for us today, that's all." She smirked
The singer plated the food and followed the other three into the dining room. They sat down and began to have another meal together.
"Oh my goodness Andy, this is delicious." Miranda almost hummed after her first bite. "This," pointing her fork to the meat, "rivals the best in the city, and trust me, I know."
"I'm glad you like it." Andy's eyes glowed with pride.
"So Andy," ask Caroline "what dresses did you decide on?"
Andy looked at Miranda, then turned to answer the girl, "it seem I'm going to have them designed especially for me."
"That's awesome. By who?" asked Cassidy
Both girls followed Andy's gaze to their mother who just smiled
"NO WAY!" they screeched in unison
"Yes way." Andy laughed
"Mom, you haven't designed anything since before we were born." Cassidy said
"It would seem I just never had a reason to until now." Miranda stretched "Andy this meal was simply divine."
"She must really like you Andy." Caroline said giving her sister a wink.
"Yeah, people have been asking her to design again for years." Cassidy informed her
Caroline finished, "and she always says no."
"Alright girls, Andy doesn't need a history lesson on my career. Let's just take pleasure in the magnificent meal she made for us."
"Yes Mom"
"Okay Mom"
Then both girls looked at each other then to their mother and Andy and back to each other again and smiled their knowing smile.
Once the meal was finished the girls immediately moved into action to clear the table and clean up the kitchen. This time Andy went to retrieve the coffee and Miranda suggested they move to the den and enjoy it.
Both women took the seats they had occupied the previous night and again found themselves getting comfortable with shoes off and legs tucked underneath them.
They sat in silence looking at each other intently, trying to read each others thoughts, only breaking eye contact to take a drink of coffee.
Andy finally broke the silence, "what are we doing Miranda?"
The older woman should have known the singer would be the one to put this attraction out there for them to talk about. "I don't know Andy." She replied softly
Andy decided she wanted to know if this was real or just a strange fascination for them. "I've never felt so comfortable or at peace around anyone like I am with you."
"I feel the same way." Miranda tool a drink "I've never had a friend before. It seems everyone I know wants something from me or they can't see past Miranda Priestly the fashion icon to see just Miranda."
"I see Miranda." Andy said quietly
"I know that."
"We've only known each other for two days and I feel sometimes like I've known you my whole life."
"I know. It's confusing, but I don't think in a bad way." Miranda rose to refill their coffee.
"We are two very different people, we live in two very different worlds. Thank you." Andy said as her cup was refilled. "We really don't know much about each other." She sipped her coffee.
"Maybe we should find out more about each other." Miranda looked at her
"What if you can't handle or don't like what you find out?"
"I have the same fears Andy. I have two decades on you, don't you think I may have some of your same experiences in my background?" Miranda voice was soft and encouraging.
"I really don't want to damage this friendship we are building."
"But if we can't be honest with each other, there isn't any true foundation to build it on, is there?"
Andy looked away for the first time, "I wasn't kidding yesterday when I said I had a lot of secrets and I don't know if I'm ready to share everything with you yet."
"I think that's the most honest thing you have said to me so far Andy."
"Hmm" she smiled, "I guess it is."
"Andy one thing I've learned in my life is that people come in all shapes and sizes with all different kinds of baggage. I'm sure my lack of a close friendship with anyone, including my ex-husbands, hasn't been due to the fact that I'm not willing to accept them and their imperfections, but them willing to accept mine."
Andy thought about this for a minute. "I like you just the way you are Miranda."
"And I like you especially because you are the way you are." Miranda smiled.
They were silent again for a while. Soon they heard the sound of two pairs of feet coming down the hall.
Both women smiled at each other.
The girls came into the room and without a second thought Cassidy climbed into the chair with her mother and Caroline with Andy.
"Homework finished Bobsies?"
"Not yet." Cassidy said
"We wanted to talk to you two first." Caroline said
"About what?" Their mother eyed each girl curiously
"We want to tell you that we like it when we're all together." Cassidy laid her head on her mother's shoulder
Caroline mirrored her sisters actions on Andy's shoulder, "we feel like a family"
Andy couldn't hold back the tears any longer and hugged Caroline to her and kissed the top of her head.
She looked up "don't cry Andy, we didn't want to make you sad."
Cassidy instantly got off her mother's lap and joined her sister hugging Andy. "We wanted you to know to make you happy."
"Oh girls, you have no idea, no idea how happy what you said makes me." She hugged them both tighter.
When she looked up at Miranda she had silent tears streaming down her face. When their eyes met all doubts each woman had melted away.
Andy took a deep breath. "Okay, enough of the mushfest." The girls giggled. "Better get that homework done, don't want you to get into trouble and not be able to go with me on Saturday.
Both girls jumped into action and ran to their study.
"Walk" Miranda smiled wiping the tears from her face. "I want you to know, other than me, no one in their lives has ever produced a response like that from them. They have fallen head over heels for you."
"I have fallen head over heels for them as well Miranda. I'm nuts about them." Andy wiped her face and took another cleansing breath. "I wanted to check with you first. I'd like to surprise them and take them with me to visit Julliard Saturday."
"Andy they would absolutely love that." Miranda was beginning to think it wasn't only her girls that were falling head over heels for this woman.
"Would you mind if we move to the music room for a spell. Music helps me put my thoughts in order and I want to tell you things about my past."
"Sure, as long as you play "my" song for me while you're thinking."
The two women stood and as they were exiting the den, they clasped hands, like it was the most natural thing in the world and they had always done it.
Miranda side tracked to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine and get Andy a glass of ice tea. When she entered the room the younger woman's fingers were already moving effortlessly across the keys. Miranda set her tea on the table next to the piano and curled herself into the chaise lounge. She closed her eyes and just let the music flow over her.
Once the song had ended Andy began a new melody, something that Miranda didn't know. "What is that piece Andy, I don't recognize it."
"You couldn't. It's something I've been working on."
"It's beautiful, just like it's composer."
"M-hmm, flattery will get you any song you want to hear." Andy grinned
Miranda stood and walked over to the baby grand and sat down on the bench next to the singer. She looked at her and took her chin in her hand. "You really have no idea, do you?" she asked
"No idea about what?" Andy had stopped playing at Miranda's touch.
"How breathtakingly beautiful you are, inside and outside." Miranda said.
Andy stopped breathing
Miranda saw the loneliness in Andy's eyes in that one instant. She leaned in and gently kissed the younger woman. Both women closed their eyes and took in feel of each others lips and electricity between them. After a moment they separated. When they opened their eyes they were looking into each others soul.
"Thank you. No one has ever told me that before." Andy said softly
"I'm glad I was the first." Miranda smiled, the stood and walked back over to her chair picked up her wine and sat down.
Andy began to play again. After a while of soft music she spoke. "When I first started tourin it was the happiest time in my life." She paused "After about the seventh month I stopped being happy and started to become scared. I was sixteen years old, travelin all over the country, responsible for the livelihood of several dozen people, tired, homesick and lonely."
Miranda felt a little piece of her heart break. The music Andy was playing now was sad and empty of her passion.
"I don't know my parents. My grandmother raised me and loved me." There was a smile of remembrance on her face. "She always encouraged me to be the best that I thought I could be, not what others thought I should be. She was my whole world, the only person I never doubted loved me for me, not my gifts or my talents my career or my money, just me Andrea Marie Sachs." Andy stopped for a moment then began to play again.
"It was about the eighth month touring when I began to drink before the shows to give me courage to go back onto the stage and perform. I felt like a trained circus monkey, everyone else controlling my life. The music was empty noise. Soon I was drinking after the shows as well, to calm down. Then I always had a reason, a day off, traveling, writing, rehearsing. Mostly I started to enjoy feelin numb, the worst part was," she snorted a little, "that no one noticed or cared. I was a high functioning drunk. The less anyone noticed, the less I cared about anything. I didn't care about anything at all.
By the time I was halfway through my second year of touring and had landed my fifth gold record I was only sober from the time I woke up til the time I could have my first drink in my coffee."
'Plain cup of joe' Miranda thought
"We were in Texas, playing the state fair. The show was over and I had already blacked out on the couch in my tour bus. I didn't hear my phone ringin."
'Oh God' Miranda gasped
"When I woke up the next morning my manager at the time was banging on my door. I finally stumbled up to go open it. She wanted to know if I had listened to my messages yet."
Andy stopped playing and began to play with her bandana and starred out into space.
"They said it was a massive heart attack, she didn't have a chance and was dead before she hit the floor."
Miranda had tears streaming down her face. How could no one see the pain this girl had to have been in.
"We drove all day and into the night to make it back in time. I made it. Then I stood at my grandmother's grave drunk.
Andy was untying the knot on her bandana and while she continued to talk, slowly unwrapped it.
"Here I was, famous, rich, loved by fans all over the country, had everything a seventeen year old ever dreamt of. Yet I was standing at the grave of the only person in my life to ever love me disrespecting and laughing at all she had instilled in me, all she believed about in me."
The bandana was off now and Andy had her hand around her wrist.
"I went back to my bus, locked the door, grabbed a bottle of Jack and a razor blade."
Miranda gasped and put her hand to her mouth
"I didn't deserve what I had. I didn't even want what I had. The only thing I ever wanted was gone and never coming back, so I thought I'd just make it easier on all concerned and not come back either."
Andy had walked over and sat down next Miranda. The older woman pulled her in to let her lay her head on her shoulder and held her. Miranda gently took Andy's uncovered wrist and brought it to her lips tenderly kissing the long jagged scar. She held the younger woman for a while, mindlessly running her fingers through her soft hair.
"Grandmother's eyes were Cerulean Blue. Do you know what cerulean means?"
"No darling, I don't." Miranda's voice was hoarse from tears.
"It means sky or heaven." She said and lay there, still for several moments. "My show manager found me and rushed me to hospital. I was in a coma for two weeks and when I came out of it there was no one there. I decided I was being given a second chance. That grandmother was making sure from heaven that I got a second chance."
Andy sat up and began to rewrap the bandana on her wrist. "I completely dropped out of the business and returned to Julliard. While I was there I found my passion and my love for music again. I made the decision to become the best I thought I could be, just like grandmother always taught me. I graduated and began to put my career back together again."
Her wrist again covered, she looked at Miranda
"And it would seem that it has led me to you." She smiled
Miranda returned her smile, "So it would seem." She took hold of Andy's hand and squeezed it them laid it in her lap, looked at their fingers intertwined then into Andy's, no Andrea's face.
"Andrea" the younger woman's smile broadened at the sound of her name spoken again, "I think you are the most courageous, strong and inspirational person I have ever had the privilege to know. I am deeply honored by your trust."
Andrea's eyes held unshed tears but Miranda saw the happiness in them. She smiled inside and out knowing that smile was for her and her alone and that Andrea's fears of rejection from her had eased.
"Now then" she lifted their hands and clapped her other on top of them. "Shall we freshen up and go check on my little demons and tell them your surprise."
"Sounds like a plan." The younger woman rose pulling Miranda up along with her.
