An Unexpected Request

Chapter 2

"Mom said you were coming!" Caroline hugged one side of Andy's waist.

"We missed you!" Cassidy added and, like her sister, hugged the woman.

"I missed you too! Good to see you girls!" Andy stated excitedly. She turned her face discreetly to see Miranda's reaction to the show of affection between them. The woman had a watchful eye, but her expression was unreadable.

"Don't smother Andrea, dears," the editor gave a sardonic smile, and then she gently placed her right hand on Andy's back. "Let's go," she urged, and broke the gentle touch.

But the young woman was not moving. She was frozen in place.

Aside from the light accidental touches, Miranda had never purposely touched her before. But Andy did, gently on her shoulder, as she bent down to whisper names in the editor's ear during a party. She never forgot how in tune they were, how she seemed to feel what Miranda needed.

"Andrea?" That impatient voice. "Are you going to camp in the hallway? Would you like me to bring a lunch box for your dinner?"

"Uh...? Uh...er..." Andy stuttered, forcing her body to move, something made easier by the twins, who practically dragged her along with them. The sisters talked nonstop about the movie they'd just watched, a title that, not surprisingly, hadn't come out in theaters yet.

Priestly exclusivity! Andy gave a mental sigh. She knew the price of these perks very well. She felt compassion for Miranda's new assistant. Given the situation of the girls, there was certainly a lot to come.

The four went to the kitchen. When only with her daughters, Miranda avoided the formal dining room. Dinners at home were one of the few moments she had with the girls. For this reason, Miranda wanted them to be more comfortable.

Carena, the cook, smiled when she saw Andy. With her frequent visits in Miranda's absence, the young reporter befriended the squat, easy-smiling Latin American lady.

"Buenas noches (good night), Andy!" The cook greeted her in the mix of languages she allowed herself to have with the younger woman.

"Buenas noches, Carena. How are you?"

"Well, well," the lady's smile turned to a puzzled one. She finally realized that Andy was there with Miranda, and that she was the owner of the extra seat at the table.

'Later...' Andy mouthed, at the cook's confusion.

"Carena, you can go," Miranda sat down in her chair, after seeing that the table was set. Andy and the girls also took a seat.

"Thank you, Mrs. Priestly. Good night."

Miranda gave a nod, as Andy and the twins said their warmest goodbyes. After all, Caroline and Cassidy spent much of their time in the kitchen with Carena, who sometimes even tucked them into bed when Miranda was too late.

Andy suddenly felt completely out of place.

She had eaten there animatedly with the twins several times over the past few months, but never with Miranda at home. Andy never had a meal with her that wasn't related to work. It was strange, unnerving.

Cassidy and Caroline's noise with the meal woke her from her stupor. That's when she noticed Miranda watching her...

Again the fucking blush!

"Andy, what did you do while we were traveling?" Caroline asked after swallowing a mouthful of minestrone.

"Um...the usual. I worked, I started reading a book that had been on the shelf for a while, that sort of thing," the reporter tasted the food. It was divine! Carena was really great.