Andy walked between the assistants' desks in the reception area of Miranda's office. In one hand she carried a center-of-the-sun hot Starbucks while she used the other to gesture Emily and Bethany to be quiet. Emily glared at her, and Bethany grinned as they watched Andy walk directly to Miranda's desk, and set the steaming coffee down in front of Miranda.
Miranda kept her attention on the task in front of her. "Did I order coffee?" Her voice was amused and her eyes glittered as she looked up at her fiancée.
"Now now, Miranda… Name one time you didn't want coffee." Andy grinned as Miranda rose from her seat and moved for an embrace. Miranda's lips found Andy's ear and whispered.
"I don't believe you want me to do that, Andrea." She inhaled deeply and reveled in the scent of Andy's shampoo. "At least, not with your mother present." With a smirk and a wink, Miranda turned to Dorothy. "Welcome to Runway. Has Andrea given you the tour yet?"
"No, not yet." Dorothy was looking around the huge office. "We came straight here."
Nodding, Miranda turned back to Andy. "I've still got a few things to finish up before I go to lunch. You have time to show her around."
"Okay." Linking arms with her mother, Andy tugged her toward the door. "C'mon, Ma." She smiled at the woman. "I'll introduce you to Nigel and," she paused dramatically, "The Closet."
Miranda chuckled and followed them to the doorway of her office. "While you're there, watch for potential outfits to wear on Friday."
Andy stopped walking. "I thought I was going to wear one of the De La Renta's…"
"If you wish." Miranda smiled, ignoring the gasps from Bethany and Emily. "But if you see something else you'd rather wear, don't hesitate."
"Okay, thank you." Andy laughed as Miranda winked and then returned to her work.
Dorothy asked her daughter. "De La Renta's?"
"Yeah, ummm…the blue dresses in the closet…"
"Oh my gawd. You have the Cerulean Blue collection…" Emily exhaled and swallowed hard but managed to hold her tongue.
"Yeah, she gave them to me for my birthday." Andy's eyes met Emily's for a long moment. "It was a very meaningful gift, to me." She knew Emily had no idea the reason for the dresses but she also knew how busy Miranda was and how much Emily probably had to do with acquiring them. "Thank you." She gave Emily a small smile. "C'mon Ma, let's take that tour."
Emily watched them go, and sighed. It had taken her a long time to find the final piece in that collection. Now she knew why Miranda was so cranky about it and how she knew what size she wanted. Now the red-head looked at the space Andy had occupied. Size Four?? When had that happened… and how? It frustrated Emily to no end that Andy could lose weight seemingly effortlessly. She eats carbs for Christ's sake! Miranda's voice floated out of her office.
"Get me Demarchelier."
Dialing almost automatically, Emily spoke into the phone. "Hold for Miranda." Putting the call on hold, she raised her voice slightly to carry into the main office. "I have Patrick." The hold light on the phone went out almost before she was finished speaking.
--------------------
"Knock knock…" Andy walked into the man's office. "Nigel?"
The balding man looked up at his visitors and smiled. "Six!" He stood and gave Andy a hug. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm good Nigel." She gestured to Dorothy. "I wanted to introduce you to my Ma, Dorothy." She patted Nigel on the arm. "Ma, this is Nigel, my first friend at Runway."
Dorothy nodded and held her hand out to shake. "Andy speaks very highly of you." She remembered phone calls and emails from Andy mentioning the man and how much he'd helped her during her time as Miranda's assistant.
"I was gonna show her the Closet." Andy's eyes twinkled in anticipation. "And Miranda told me to keep an eye out for something to wear on Friday, to the charity thing." Andy smiled. "I have a few pieces at home, but she told me to keep an eye out just in case." She tilted her head at the man. "Got any suggestions?"
"Maybe…" Nigel looked at her critically. "You're still a Four, right? Because in case you've forgotten the Closet is all sample sizes, Twos and Fours."
"I remember, and Oh my god, yes I'm still a Four…well slightly less, but Twos are much too tight on me. I've thought about working on getting down to a Two but," Andy rolled her eyes. "Miranda would be 'very displeased', if I lost any more weight. She freaks even if I go down two pounds."
"Good for her." Dorothy thought Andy could actually stand to gain a few pounds. At least Miranda isn't trying to make Andy look like one of these ultra thin models.
Andy snorted, "But she isn't one to talk," Rolling her eyes, the brunette chuckled. "She's size Zero."
Nigel nodded. "She always has liked things… her way." He grinned at the young brunette. "Which to mortals like us 'her way' translates to 'Perfect'."
Zero? Dorothy's hand automatically went to her large stomach. I knew Miranda looked thin but … Zero?
He moved between the women and looped on arm around Andy's and the other around her mother's. "C'mon Dorothy, Let the wizard show you Oz."
Rolling her eyes, much like Andy had a moment before, Dorothy muttered, "Oh, a Wizard of Oz joke… I've never heard one of those before."
Andy snorted in laughter and Nigel shushed her, "Quiet, Toto…"
The brunette's eyes widened and she pointed to herself. "I'm Toto?!" Andy laughed again and decided to be a bit wicked. "Do I get to tell Miranda you called me a dog?"
Nigel stumbled slightly and swallowed hard. "I… Um… Okay fine… You're Glinda… the beautiful Good Witch of the North… Happy?"
Andy hugged his arm and smiled. "Ecstatic." They had made it to the door of the Closet and the young woman watched her mother in anticipation. "Check this out, Ma. The Closet."
Nigel opened the doors and just as Andy had been the first time she'd visited, Dorothy was overwhelmed. "Wow." As overwhelming as it was, it was also slightly depressing, because she knew not one thing here would ever fit her.
"Isn't it great?" This was actually the first time since she left Runway that she'd been back to the Closet. "They have different sections for everything, purses, shoes, belts… it's all organized…" A sweet dark blue power suit caught her eye. "Oh… that's nice." Andy laughed. "Too bad I don't have a single place to wear it."
Nigel eyed the suit critically. "Eh… you'd look good in it, sure. You would look great in a tux though…" He led them to a different section, "Look at these and see what you think."
Andy held one up to her and looked at her Mom. "Whaddaya think, Ma?"
Dorothy clenched her teeth together and took a deep breath. "It looks…nice." She hesitated. "Don't you think a dress would be more…"
"Girly?" Andy hung the tux back on the rack and nodded. "Yes, you're right."
Blinking, Dorothy's forehead furrowed. "What? About what?"
"A tuxedo, even one made for a woman. Is not the image I want to project." Andy tilted her head toward her Mom. "I'm not 'the man' in the relationship with Miranda."
"I…I didn't mean…" Dorothy looked away, trying not to think about that at all.
Nigel however was fascinated by the subject. "So… if you aren't… then…"
"Nigel…" Andy warned, but then shook her head and leaned slightly toward him, a wicked gleam in her eye, whispering, "We take turns." With a wink she left him standing there, with that statement evoking the devil knows what kind of images in his head. "C'mon, Ma. I'll show you the Beauty department and introduce you to Serena."
------------------------------
Miranda had finished her work and was waiting for Andrea and Dorothy to come back to her office so that they could go to lunch. Since she had time on her hands, Miranda picked up some of the tabloid magazines Emily had collected this morning and began to look through them. She hadn't had a chance yet to see what kind of outrageous stories they had fabricated today.
When mother and daughter made it back to her office, Miranda couldn't decide between amusement and all out laughter. She handed Andrea the paper she was reading. "We've been named." She laughed, loudly, as Andrea read the name printed in the paper.
"Mirandy?" Andy tried to frown over her grin. "Why am I second??"
It only took a heartbeat for Miranda to realize Andrea was teasing. "They save the best for last, Darling."
"Hmmm…" Andy pretended to preen a bit at that answer, then shook her head in amazement. "This is getting crazy, Miranda, now we're a named couple? That is just bizarre."
Miranda showed her all the papers and apparently the name had caught on… they were all using it. "This may last longer than we thought."
Andy sighed. "Well, if it's just like it is, or maybe a little less, I can deal." She moved to hug the Editor. "As long as we're together at the end of the day, I'll be fine."
"Of course we will be." Miranda smiled at the love of her life. "Of course we will." She turned to Dorothy. "Did you have a nice morning?"
The woman almost couldn't drag her eyes away from the happy expression on her daughter's face, but then faced the older woman and nodded. "Yes, I slept for the greater part of it, and Andrea was busy writing for a while, but I chatted with Peggy, and Andy and I got a chance to talk a little." She smiled at her daughter. "So it was good."
Miranda turned to Andy. "And you? Did you get the writing you wanted to finished?"
"Oh yeah, you know, I wrote some… made some phone calls… researched some things… and Ma and I got to chat some… so it was a good morning." Andy's eyes twinkled as she remembered waking up, so early it seemed like it was days ago. "It was a very good morning."
"Well then," Miranda smiled at the women. "Then let us go and celebrate what a productive morning we've all had and hopefully a productive shoot this evening."
"Sounds like a plan," Andy and Dorothy said, simultaneously then laughed.
Miranda chuckled. "Very well," She only raised her voice slightly as they began to walk toward the door. "Purse."
Dorothy didn't understand, but then Bethany met them with Miranda's purse in hand. Miranda never even broke her stride as she took the item. It was odd to her because Miranda didn't even bother to thank the young woman for getting it, but the assistant didn't seem to expect or require thanks. She seemed only relieved that Miranda deemed her fit to do the task. And Dorothy again marveled at Miranda's attitude and the energy the woman radiated. She realized this wasn't an ego trip. There was only one word Dorothy could think of that would even begin to describe the older woman's attitude.
Power.
----------------------------