"Lily." I knew my voice sounded as if someone emptied a bucket of Ice over me, but that was the last thing I thought Miranda would say.
"Yes. Well." Adjusting her sleeves, Miranda squirmed, and that said a lot. She had to be incredibly uncomfortable, but still ready to tell me the truth. Weren't we taking a crash course tonight what happens if you run off with good intent and leave your partner in the dust? I was fully aware that I too would be throwing stones in yet another glasshouse if I got on my high horses. I left those for Miranda to occasionally ride on. She did it so much better.
"And how did that happen?" I asked calmly, taking her hands in mine. I had read somewhere a long time ago, that if you are arguing with a loved one, you should hold hands because it was a lot harder to be horrible to a person you were touching.
"I persuaded Douglas to give me her information when he came with us to Runway." Miranda studied our hands. "I know. It's ridiculously apparent that I didn't recognize how similar we have operated the last thirty-six hours. I still can't believe that I allowed myself to not only overreact but also to blatantly disregard how vulnerable you are still, after everything."
"And since you love me, I somehow managed to overlook that what happens to me, happens to you—and vice versa. Same for Caroline and Cassidy." I raised her right hand and kissed her knuckles. "Now we know."
"We certainly do." Miranda shook her head. "Anyway. I got in touch with Lily's boss at the gallery and discussed a painting that knew that a business acquaintance of mine would appreciate. I didn't say who, but it was no lie. I want to give it to him as a birthday present, and that will also give me the upper hand with the board as he usually has the swing vote when they become polarized between Irving and me."
"How did you know there was a painting for this mystery member of the board?" I pushed Miranda's bangs from her face and tucked a few strands behind her right ear. She was still a bit flushed, but oh so beautiful.
"Their website. Everything's on there these days, you know. Lily's boss didn't need any coaxing. He said he would set up a meeting with me and her, but it was always my intention for you to join me if you wanted to." She paused briefly. "Do you?" She tugged me closer and now the embrace, and the kisses, felt as wonderful and familiar as always.
"I think I must." I ran the tip of my tongue along her lower lip. "I better. One of you might go to jail otherwise. Lily is feisty and opinionated—and I'm sorry, but she hates you."
"No matter." Miranda flicked her fingers in the air, obviously unperturbed. "I couldn't care less. But you deserve an apology at the very least, and preferably one where she's on her knees and kissing your shoes." Her smile became feral as her words made me gasp.
"Miranda! I will settle for a promise of her going out of her way to clear up her story to the influencer, and a promise to never talk to my parents about me ever again." I claimed her lips with mine.
"Andr—mm-hm…" Miranda pulled me with her and I lost track of our discussion as Miranda pushed her hands under my top. Perhaps it was to reestablish our love and trust in each other, more than a true desire to make love in that very instant. I cupped her cheek gently.
I couldn't get my fill of Miranda, visually or physically, and my heart would never stop loving her. Perhaps it was evident on my still-swollen face, or in my eyes because she hugged me against her so fiercely.
"Andrea." Shu nuzzled my neck and seemed to need a few minutes to just be close.
"Have you set up a time yet?" I asked quietly.
Tipping her head back, she nodded slowly. "I have. Tomorrow afternoon at four."
A knock on the door made us both jump. I wiped at my eyes, but my tears had dried. We didn't move apart, but Miranda straightened my top and her blouse before she said, "Come in."
The girls bounded into the room and then came to a fast halt.
"Mom? Why have you and Andy been crying?" Cassidy frowned.
Miranda looked like she was at a loss for words for once, and I pulled the twins down on our laps.
"We had a misunderstanding, but we figured out why, and we're all right again." I smiled and tugged at one of Cassidy's curls. "Your mom and I are still trying to figure out how to live together. You know?"
"But you're both old. I mean, Mom's older, but you're both adults!" Caroline still looked worried.
"Grownups can be insecure and misunderstood too. The important thing is to not give up, but to solve it. Just like you and Cass do when you fight." I knew the girls hated not being in sync, as they moved like a single entity for the most part.
"So, you're okay?" Caroline studied Miranda and then me, intently.
"We are." Miranda had found her voice. "Andrea is teaching me to be less judgmental and not be so ready to jump to conclusions."
"And what is Mom teaching you?" Cassidy asked and turned to me.
"To trust in the love we have for each other. That means the love I have for you and Caroline too, and the way you feel about me."
"We love you a lot," Caroline muttered the words but then raised her chin. "I think we loved you first. Before Mom, even. By a week or so."
I had overheard Miranda tell Nigel, reluctantly, that she'd begun to know she was in trouble emotionally regarding me already in Paris. I met her gaze over the twins' heads. "A whole week. That's rather special, I think."
"You never told me." Miranda caressed Caroline's hair.
"We wanted you to figure it out for yourself, but you took forever. Was it because Andy had that procedure that you finally said something, Mom?" Caroline tipped her head back to look at Miranda.
Put on the spot, Miranda gave me a helpless look. I merely smiled and hid my face against Cassidy, but peered at her through my lashes.
Miranda mouthed, "Oh, you…" and it gave me pleasant shivers.
"I know I did, Bobbsey. I suppose I was uncertain after the divorce, and also, I wanted to focus on the two of you." She closed her eyes briefly, smiling wanly.
Cassidy nodded. "That figures." The girls settled in for about fifteen minutes, while Miranda and I took the chance to find our bearings completely after the emotional turmoil from earlier.
When the twins had decided we were too boring just sitting there, and headed to the TV room, Miranda and I moved down into the kitchen, both of us suddenly famished. We sat side by side at the kitchen island and had some of Elise's frozen dinners. I wasn't sure what I ate, only that it was delicious, and I leaned my head in my hand after I was done, and studied Miranda as she topped up our wine.
"Yes?" she murmured, and turned toward me, our knees bumping together. I shifted and gave her space between my legs, and she tilted her head as she ran her finger along the rim of the crystal glass.
"You're beautiful." I used my index finger to nudge her bangs. "We keep doing this. Restoring each other's hair."
"We both have bangs. Becoming on you. Part of my 'uniform' for me." Miranda shrugged.
"I like your hair," I protested. "Just because it was part of a thing when you decided on your 'iconic hairdo' doesn't mean it's not stunning on you." I gave her a light kiss. "And if you have any idea how many times I have dreamed of mussing your hair when making love…"
Miranda just took a sip and now swallowed hard. "Trying to suffocate me with my wine?" She cleared her throat.
"Sorry." I could see that I grinned too much for her to believe me.
"You're not." Miranda dipped her index finger into the wine and then painted my lips with it. It made my entire body clench, and I just had to catch her finger between my teeth. I kept it there, painlessly, but firmly enough for her to get stuck.
"Andrea…" She narrowed her eyes, but I kept smiling around her finger. "You're being…ridiculous…"
I would have believed her if she hadn't lost her breath halfway through her scathing remark. Letting my tongue caress the caught fingertip twice, I then let go. "I know. You've told me many times."
"Little good that does me. I have to amp up my ammunition." Miranda slipped off the stool. "It's getting close to the girls bedtime. Want to join me to tuck them in?" She stood before me, her face serious. "I think we should wait and talk to them about James until tomorrow if you agree. I don't think you and I are quite in the right frame of mind for it tonight.
"You're right. And yes, I want to help tuck them in." I took both our glasses with me. "I'll put these in the study. Thought we could work together tonight if that's okay?"
Her eyes radiating warmth, Miranda nodded. "It is."
Once I rid myself of the wine glasses, she took me by the hand and then we went to find our girls.
#
Lily's hair was longer, but other than that, she looked the same as the last I saw her, which was more than a year ago, perhaps longer. I thought I must have blocked it out, as all I vaguely remembered was a loud discussion about boundaries and loyalty that was never resolved. I wasn't sure even if it was my lack of loyalty or her lack of boundaries—or perhaps she claimed both were my biggest faults.
Now she stared at Miranda and me as if we had dropped in through the ceiling.
"I thought it was just you, Miranda," Lily said stiffly. "I should've known Andy would take the chance to gang up on me."
"Excuse me?" I stared at her. She didn't look sufficiently cautious yet, which she should have if she had known Miranda even a little bit. Or me, come to think of it. "Is that how you approach all your clients?"
"Please. We all know that Miranda is here to threaten my job or whatever, and it was never about buying a painting. It's a real low blow to go via my boss." Lily grimaced. "Unlike you, Andy, I'm not sleeping with mine."
A soft rumbling growl from Miranda made me realize the dragon was stirring. I had already had enough. I wasn't going to interfere.
"Let's sit down," Miranda said quietly and pointed to one of the inner offices in the back of the gallery. "Contrary to what you think, Lily, I have already put down a hand payment on the painting called 'Beachwood'. I want to talk about that, and then I want to talk about who the hell you think you are."
Lily blinked and then glanced at me. I merely went ahead and took a seat at a round table. Miranda pulled out a chair and sat down next to me, but not too close.
"Let me check on the painting," Lily said and pulled out her phone. She tapped on it, and I saw her go red. "I see I was mistaken. I apologize."
"I want to show it to Andrea before I make a full commitment. We can do that before we leave later. Right now, I want you to explain a few things to us." Miranda dropped her camel-colored gloves on the table and placed her hand, very still, on top of them.
"I can't conduct private conversations at work," Lily snapped.
"If you call your boss, you'll find out that part of the deal to perhaps buy the painting is for you to devote your time to us while we're here. Your boss was very impressed that you had such connections. Isn't that amusing, Andrea?" Miranda's flat, blue-gray eyes locked on me and I merely nodded. I supposed amusing was one way to look at it.
"What can I possibly explain to you?" Lily glared at me before she returned her gaze to Miranda."
"Why did you visit Andrea's parents in Cincinnati to talk about her behind her back? Surely you must have known of their strained relationship. It was nothing new." Miranda sat ramrod straight with her shoulders pushed back, giving Lily her unwavering attention.
Lily leaned back in her chair and I couldn't blame her for wanting to distance herself from my dragon before she started breathing fire.
"I knew they were worried about her." Lily hid her hands under the table. "I knew from, uhm, Nate, that they called him now and then to ask about her. He wanted me to talk to them."
Oh, shit.
Miranda leaned in a few inches. "Let me see if I understand this correctly. You were in contact with Andrea's former boyfriend and her parents. This sounds like a lovely little triangle—and neither of you had Andrea's best at heart. It would be quite impressive if it wasn't so shocking and upsetting for Andrea. Who, during all these conversations, looked out for her? Made sure she was all right?"
"Well, that would be you, wouldn't it? You inserted yourself between Andy and Nate. Before she started at Runway, they were happy. We were happy, all four of us. Once you changed her into a fucking Barbie, we lost her to the things she'd never cared about before—to you."
The only sign that Miranda reacted at all to Lily's outburst, was the faint tremors in her legs.
"You mean you took such issue with Andrea having to work hard at her entry-level job?" Miranda tilted her head, and Lily opened her mouth, but closed it again, when Miranda continued. "Can you give an example of how I 'inserted myself' between Andrea and her friends?"
Lily gave me a murderous look. "It was obvious. You called her day and night. You demanded she do everything for you. Impossible demands that were ridiculous. And she, like a good little Miranda girl, ran all over New York for you. She ignored her friends. Her boyfriend. For you."
I had to say something. A blue item on the desk over by the other wall had caught my interest. "I'm glad you still use the Mark Jacobs bag, Lily. The one Miranda didn't want. Remember that evening? When you guys tossed around my work phone just because you had such disdain for my job?" I turned to Miranda. "I remember it very vividly. It wasn't the first time I was made to feel like an idiot. The only one who apologized was Doug."
"I see." Miranda homed in on Lily again. "What happened then, Lily? Did it nag you that it was the way you and the ex-boyfriend treated Andrea, that killed her love for the boy. Ultimately, you could say that this sent her straight into my arms. Seems like your attitude toward her backfired, didn't it?" she asked silkily. "Was that why you amped it up by adding fuel to the fire at her parents' house? Not to mention going public with an utterly misguided influencer. I mean, you must've had some reason, other than sheer jealousy and childish vengefulness?"
I pressed my jaw shut to keep from gaping. Wow.
"I'm not vengeful. I only told the truth!" Lily raised her voice.
"To whom? All of them? I don't know what you said to Richard and Louise, but I heard every word you said to the influencer. Whon has taken down the interview this morning, just for transparency. She was appalled when I explained how many half-truths and lies you had managed to manufacture in half an hour. "
I knew the interview was coming down after Moira had found the contact information for the influencer. I was fairly sure Miranda only had to mention her name and hint at blacklisting anyone for them to yank the video down.
"I know you had your heart set on it being a collaboration with shared income from it, but that's not going to happen," Miranda hissed and I knew the dragon was unleashed. "And I want you to listen to me now, Lily. You seem like smart girl, at least half the time, and I'm sure you are aware of how far my reach is. Right now, you missed out on a lucrative deal with the influencer, but you still have your job. You will make at least some commission for the sale of the painting if I still decide to buy it. Your boss is eager to hear back from me about how this meeting went. She's not stupid. How often do the buyers ask for unlimited time with you?" Miranda placed both hands on the table and pressed against it as she stood, hovering over Lily. "Listen to me now. If you do anything remotely like this again, if you so much as mention Andrea's name, or mine, or my children's, or contact her parents ever again, I—will—come—for—you."
God. I stared at Lily who looked at Miranda as if she was the devil incarnate. She pushed away from the table and got up so fast, that her chair nearly turned over. "Andy, how the hell do you work for her? How can you be with someone who has no conscience, and who can talk to your friend of ten years like that?" She shrieked the last word.
I spoke in a low voice, to not feed into her tone. "You wouldn't understand, so I'm not going to waste my breath. If you were even half the friend you claim to be, you would ask yourself how you could treat me like you have. You have proved to have a very roomy conscience, and you have surely done enough talking."
"I want to hear your decision, Lily," Miranda said.
Lily's jaws worked as if she were chewing up the words she didn't dare say to Miranda. Her hands balled into fists, she stared at us with burning eyes, but then nodded sharply, twice. "Fine. Fine. I won't talk to anyone."
Miranda stuck her hand in her coat pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "Just so you know, I have taken some lessons from my new first assistant and made sure we all remember exactly how the words fell today."
I thought Lily was about to explode, but all I could think was, 'Oh, my God, Miranda, brilliantly played.'.
#
As we strolled back to the street where Roy was waiting for us, and God almighty, we held hands, I tried to wrap my brain around what had just taken place. "I can't believe that you ended up buying the painting. I mean, it was stunning, but still. She'll make a pretty penny from that."
"And she won't forget whose money she had to accept," Miranda said calmly. "No matter what she does with it, spend it, save it, it will be thanks to me, and she'll hate that."
"Oh, you are lethal." I did gape this time, but then I laughed. "And I love you for it."
Miranda stopped by the car and patted Roy's arm as he held up the door for us, before she motioned for me to slide in across the backseat. "Home, please." She slipped into the car and raised the privacy screen. "Traffic is crawling. I think we can forego the seatbelts. Holding out her arms, she didn't have to wait long before I flung myself against her, hugging her tight.
"Oh, Andrea." She pressed her face into my hair. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. I feel like I lost weight or something." I held her close as Roy pulled out into traffic. "After today, I'm going to be relieved not to have to worry or talk about Lily for a long time, hopefully."
"I'm fairly certain that she is going to keep a low profile and pretend she's never heard about either of us." Miranda hesitated. "That said, I'm still sorry you lost a friend. No matter how we try to be rational about something like that, it's still painful."
"Yeah, I know. And it is. But I have mourned that friendship for more than a year and today I feel like you helped give me closure. I got to say my peace, and you took care of the rest. Thank you." I tipped Miranda's head back and kissed her. "And I can tell you've harnessed the dragon again. Pity."
"What are you talking about?" Miranda blinked.
"Just that your kind of dragon is hot." Another kiss, this time longer, deeper. "Very hot."
I knew I wasn't imagining things when I heard Miranda growl.
Continued in part 38.