No Matter the Miles(8/?)
Title: No Matter the Miles
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Pairing: Miranda/Andy
Prompt(s):From random_flores..."Love's not a competition (but I'm winning)"
Summary: Five years after Andy leaves Runway, circumstances bring our two favorite characters back together.
Disclaimer: haha...please. If I owned them, they'd so do it every chance they got.
A/N: I had this written and then hated it and tried to fix it, but that didn't work. So it ended up being completely rewritten. My muse is apparently slow when it comes to this fic and she's also unpredictable, but I thank you all for sticking this out with me and continuing to offer words of encouragement. It has helped immensely. This chapter is dedicated specifically to capegrl. It's a present of sorts, for not only threatening me if I even thought about giving this up, but also for being a continued muse in her own way. Thanks! And thanks to my beta that put quite a bit of things on hold when I said please finish this today. I also want to thank la_fono for the awesome icon. Miranda drawing triangles is brilliant. Now onto the fic.
Cassidy quickly took her seat as Andy waited for Mrs. Clint to introduce her. The journalist smiled brightly as she looked up at the handful of journalism students from varying grade levels. Some of the students looked over at Cassidy in surprise. No one, aside from Mrs. Clint knew that her guest speaker would be Andy. She’s reasoned that it was better to build the tension, but in all honesty, as much as she knew her mother was capable of anything, she’d still taken a gamble by choosing Andy. It had seemed fated when her teacher had mentioned having speakers come in. She hadn’t had any luck thinking of a way to get her mother and Andy together again.
As the brunette began talking about her award-winning piece on life after the War in Iraq, Cassidy knew the gamble had paid off in more ways than one. They’d read many articles on that very subject, but they’d focused a lot of attention on Andy’s article specifically. It had sparked many debates amongst her and her classmates and by the end of the first quarter, they’d at least discussed most of Andy’s articles that term.
Andy talked about meeting with families of the soldiers that had not come back from the war. She was frank and honest, but spoke with an amount of emotion that surprised Cassidy. She was actually moved in spite of herself and when Andy caught her eye again, she smiled before she could stop it. What was wrong with her today? Now, Andy probably thought it was some sort of friendly gesture. Not that it wasn’t. She wasn’t sure what it was. In all of her planning and scheming, she’d never given Andy as a person much consideration. Her mother said she hadn’t quite mastered the skill of seeing the larger picture. She tended to focus on the little details and that get in her way. But now that she thought about it, she guessed Andy was nice. Dinner the previous night had been quite a revelation for her. Andy wasn’t afraid to stand up to her mother. She stood up for herself all while staring her right in the eye. And much to Cassidy’s surprise, her mother just seemed mildly annoyed. She didn’t even bother to rip her to shreds and Andy seemed to want Miranda around. Why else would she have asked her to be home the nights she’d be there? So Cassidy supposed she wasn’t that bad. She gave the journalist a once over. Her clothes weren’t nearly as horrible as her mother had mentioned they were five years ago. Okay maybe the bangs were a tad outdated and she could stand to lose a few pounds. But those were just details. They could be fixed if Andy was amenable to the idea.
Not that she had anyway of knowing if she would. Cassidy frowned at that thought. That had been bugging her since she’d had her chat with Caroline. As much as she was loath to admit it, her sister had a point. She had no idea if Andy would go along with any of this beyond the tutoring. Then where would she be? Perhaps striking up a friendship with Andy wasn’t a bad idea. She’d never bothered doing so with her mother’s “acquaintances.” Their interest usually stopped after the first month or so. That was when her mother even bothered to bring them around. This would be different. She’d get more leverage and given the short amount of time she had to work with, she’d need it.
It turned out help came in the form of a little girl with big brown eyes and an easy smile. Cassidy had been expecting awkwardness and maybe even a few tears as they closed the door behind Andy’s annoying friend. But not before assuring her twenty thousand times that yes, she was a fully licensed driver and was trained in CPR. Of course she had both her and Andy’s home, work, and cell phone numbers plus the number to the fire and police departments. Not to mention her mother was most certainly home as promised. And even after all of that, Lily stilled looked reluctant to go and Cassidy had all but lost her patience. So instead of pursing her lips and glaring, she’d smiled sweetly and almost impolitely shut the door in her face.
Chuck seemed completely unfazed. She chattered excitedly as they made their way upstairs to the study she shared with her sister. Caroline was lounging on the sofa talking on her phone. Cassidy wondered if she should even bother making a fuss about it. It didn’t take a genius to see that the only reason their mother insisted Caroline be present was so that she had less time for Dylan, but Cassidy had no clue what to do with her. She supposed it was enough to just have her present in case their mother got suspicious and decided to check up on them. Though she doubted it. The door to her mother’s study had been closed as she’d passed. She’d seemed less than thrilled when Cassidy had greeted her earlier and she’d gone straight into the study and closed the door.
So Cassidy got down to business. Chuck was eager to learn and Cassidy was impressed by how fast she seemed to be picking it up. They worked on letter recognition and aside from problems with lower case b’s and d’s, Chuck sailed right through. They worked a little more on writing the letters and before she knew it, almost two hours had passed.
“Cassidy, I’m hungry.” Chuck’s warm eyes looked up at her cautiously.
A snack! Why hadn’t she thought of that? The kids she tutored always had snack time with her. Chuck was probably starving? “We can have a snack. What would you like?”
“Do you have anymore duck?” She asked, her face hopeful.
“No, I’m sorry.” She could call one of the cooks to have it made, but that didn’t seem right, especially since the cooks were already working on their dinner for that night.
“Peanut butter bread?” Chuck asked after she thought a while longer.
Cassidy smiled. “That I can do. I’ll be right back” She walked to the kitchen quickly. Avoiding getting in the cooks’ way, she grabbed four pieces of bread and slathered a healthy amount of peanut butter onto them. She’d decided to enjoy a snack too, not bothering to ask Caroline because she knew she was on her latest “diet.” She placed plates and two glasses of milk onto a tray and walked carefully back up the stairs.
They ate in companionable silence as Chuck looked around the room. When she finished her first slice of bread, the little girl wandered around. She picked up knickknacks and looked at the books that lined the tall bookshelves. She inspected their desks, starting with Cassidy’s well organized one before moving along to Caroline’s cluttered one. A small, excited gasp escaped from tiny pink lips as she paused in front of it. Dark eyes wide, she turned holding the picture frame out for the twins to see. “You know Zack?!”
Of course, Cassidy thought, rolling her eyes as Caroline grinned. Most of the kids she tutored watched all of the Disney shows and she’d been inundated with her sister’s annoying boyfriend’s face at every turn it seemed. Lunch boxes, book bags, folders…everything anyone could think to make had Dylan and his brother’s faces plastered all over it.
“Kinda,” Caroline answered almost proudly. It was the same look she always got when she ended up in People, Seventeen, or Runway Girl even. “He’s my boyfriend, but his name’s not really Zack. It’s Dylan.”
“Your boyfriend? Gross!” Chuck said as she sat back in her chair. Cassidy smiled knowing she thought the same thing sometimes.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Caroline asked, looking up from her phone. Her tone was bored, but Cassidy could see that her interest was piqued.
Chuck’s nose wrinkled in disgust at the question. “No way! Boys are gross.”
Caroline smirked, meeting Cassidy’s eyes. “She sounds like you.”
“Well some of them are,” Cassidy said defensively. Had Caroline not been paying attention since fifth grade?
Rolling her eyes at her sister, Caroline turned back to the four-year-old. “Oh, come on. They’re not that bad.”
At this, Chuck nodded. “Mhm…one time, Deon Phillips dared Rey Mendoza to eat a capatiller and he did. Like in front of everybody. That’s gross. Even Mummy said so,” she finished as she popped the last piece of bread into her mouth.
At the mention of Andy, Cassidy saw her chance. In her research of the journalist, she’d found out that she wasn’t married, but beyond that there hadn’t been much on her besides information on her works. She’d been so relieved that wasn’t married, it hadn’t occurred to her that that didn’t mean Andy wasn’t seeing someone. So casually she asked, “What about your mom? Does she have a boyfriend?”
Chuck took a long drink of milk before shaking her head. “Nah, she doesn’t want a boyfriend. She said our apartment is girls only. Cept’ Uncle Dougie and Daddy and Patrick. They don’t count.”
Ah, so Chuck’s father was still in the picture. That was definitely inconvenient. Though Andy hadn’t given her any information for a father. So, how involved could he be? “Does your dad come around a lot?” She asked carefully, studying Chuck’s face.
Chuck looked up at Cassidy for a moment, her expression blank. Cassidy wasn’t sure what to make of it, but then the little brunette smiled and the teen released the breath she’d been holding. “No, Daddy lives far away, but sometimes he comes with Abigail and Patrick.”
“Who are Abigail and Patrick?” Cassidy asked as she began to set everything back on the tray.
“Abigail is Daddy’s wife. I got to be flower girl in their wedding. Aunt Lily says Abigail is my evil stepmother just like Cinderella. Isn’t that cool?” She grinned up at Cassidy.
“Way cool,” Cassidy answered with a sincere smile. Chuck was adorable. “Who’s Patrick?”
“Patrick’s my baby brother. Only he’s not really a baby. Not anymore ‘cause he doesn’t wear diapers anymore. He’s almost this many.” She held up her tiny hand, displaying three fingers.
Slipping back into tutoring mode almost out of habit, Cassidy looked at her. “How many fingers is that Chuck?”
Chuck looked at her fingers. “Three.”
“Very good. You said they live far away. Do you know where?”
“Mhm,” Chuck said with another nod. “They live in-”
The doorbell rang, interrupting. “I think your mom is here.” Cassidy stood, walking down two flights of stairs to the front door. She pulled it open and found Andy talking on her cellphone.
“Yes, yes, I can do 2:30 tomorrow.” She smiled over at the teen before holding up her finger, saying she’d be just a moment. “Right…right…great, I will meet you at your house tomorrow at 2:30…wonderful.” She snapped her phone shut and offered Cassidy an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. How did things go today?” She asked as Cassidy stepped aside and let Andy in.
“Great, Chuck’s really smart. So, I think she’ll be ready for the test.” Andy smiled looking a little relieved. Cassidy took in her out of season jeans, dark button down and her dark locks that had been pulled back into a single braid. She had a hard time reconciling it with the image she had of the Andy she and Caroline occasionally pulled pranks on five years ago. They’d done some pretty bad things to her as well as many of the other assistants. She wondered, not for the first time, why Andy had even agreed to help her. She shook her head. Now was not the time to dwell on that. Knowing that it was as good a time as any to start “Operation Friend Andy” she pressed on. “Um…how was your day?” Cassidy asked somewhat awkwardly. The words felt foreign on her tongue and she hadn’t liked how they’d stumbled clumsily out of her mouth. She needed to work on that.
Andy looked almost taken aback by the question. “Oh…um…it was good. Busy as you could see.”
“Right…I guess.” Cassidy replied, wondering what the hell was wrong with her and why she suddenly couldn’t seem to carry on a simple conversation. Thank God Caroline was nowhere in sight. She’d never live it down.
They stood there for an awkward moment or two before Andy looked down at her cellphone. “Is Chuck ready to go? We have to be heading to the subway.”
“Yeah…right…I’ll uh, go get her.” Cassidy walked up the stairs, face burning. She felt like a complete idiot. This would not do. It would not do at all. She walked back into the study and found Chuck standing next to Caroline by her desk. They were looking at something on the computer. Cassidy cleared her throat. “Chuck, your mom’s here.”
“Aww…man,” Chuck said, her face falling in disappointment.
Caroline chuckled. “It’s okay. I’ll show you next time.”
“Okay…”Chuck said in a defeated tone.
Cassidy helped her gather her things before heading back down the stairs with Chuck in tow.
“Hi Mummy!” Chuck said brightly, hopping off the bottom step and running towards Andy. She threw her arms around Andy’s waist and hugged her tightly.
Andy bent forward, kissing the top of her dark locks. “Hey Peanut, did you have a good time?”
“Yes! It was cool. Way better than Aunt Lily’s, ‘cept no BBC America.” Chuck stood patiently while Andy put on her coat and zippered it up.
The older brunette’s lips quirked. “I’m glad you had a good time.” She turned and looked over at Cassidy, who was still hovering nearby. “Well, tell Cassidy thank you for this afternoon and that you’ll see her on Thursday.”
“Thanks Cassidy! See you Thursday!” Chuck said brightly before running over to the stairs. “BYE CAROLINE!”
Cassidy cringed and Andy blushed. The door to her mother’s study opened and Miranda poked her head out, eyes zooming in on the source of disruption. Her eyes closed in annoyance as Caroline yelled back. “SEE YOU LATER, CHUCK!” She turned and glared icily at Andy over her glasses before turning on her heels and shutting the door loudly.
“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Andy said quickly. “Come on, Chuck. Let’s go or we’re going to miss our train.” Chuck hurried over to her mother, taking her hand. “Thanks again, Cassidy. Have a nice night.”
“Uh…yeah…you too,” Cassidy fumbled, wincing as soon as the words left her mouth. Andy smiled at her one last time before she was out of the door. Cassidy shut the door immediately, leaning against it with a sigh. If she hoped to be Andy’s friend, she’d need to do a lot better than that.
That night, Cassidy didn’t have much to say during dinner, which seemed to suit her mother and sister just fine. Neither seemed interested in dinner conversation save for the pleasantries at the beginning of the meal. Caroline was still mad at their mother and Miranda’s mind seemed elsewhere. Cassidy was too busy focusing on how to make Thursday go a lot smoother. She wasn’t, however, too busy to notice the tired and drawn look on her mother’s face or the way she kept massaging her temples.
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Pairing: Miranda/Andy
Prompt(s):From random_flores..."Love's not a competition (but I'm winning)"
Summary: Five years after Andy leaves Runway, circumstances bring our two favorite characters back together.
Disclaimer: haha...please. If I owned them, they'd so do it every chance they got.
A/N: I had this written and then hated it and tried to fix it, but that didn't work. So it ended up being completely rewritten. My muse is apparently slow when it comes to this fic and she's also unpredictable, but I thank you all for sticking this out with me and continuing to offer words of encouragement. It has helped immensely. This chapter is dedicated specifically to capegrl. It's a present of sorts, for not only threatening me if I even thought about giving this up, but also for being a continued muse in her own way. Thanks! And thanks to my beta that put quite a bit of things on hold when I said please finish this today. I also want to thank la_fono for the awesome icon. Miranda drawing triangles is brilliant. Now onto the fic.
Cassidy quickly took her seat as Andy waited for Mrs. Clint to introduce her. The journalist smiled brightly as she looked up at the handful of journalism students from varying grade levels. Some of the students looked over at Cassidy in surprise. No one, aside from Mrs. Clint knew that her guest speaker would be Andy. She’s reasoned that it was better to build the tension, but in all honesty, as much as she knew her mother was capable of anything, she’d still taken a gamble by choosing Andy. It had seemed fated when her teacher had mentioned having speakers come in. She hadn’t had any luck thinking of a way to get her mother and Andy together again.
As the brunette began talking about her award-winning piece on life after the War in Iraq, Cassidy knew the gamble had paid off in more ways than one. They’d read many articles on that very subject, but they’d focused a lot of attention on Andy’s article specifically. It had sparked many debates amongst her and her classmates and by the end of the first quarter, they’d at least discussed most of Andy’s articles that term.
Andy talked about meeting with families of the soldiers that had not come back from the war. She was frank and honest, but spoke with an amount of emotion that surprised Cassidy. She was actually moved in spite of herself and when Andy caught her eye again, she smiled before she could stop it. What was wrong with her today? Now, Andy probably thought it was some sort of friendly gesture. Not that it wasn’t. She wasn’t sure what it was. In all of her planning and scheming, she’d never given Andy as a person much consideration. Her mother said she hadn’t quite mastered the skill of seeing the larger picture. She tended to focus on the little details and that get in her way. But now that she thought about it, she guessed Andy was nice. Dinner the previous night had been quite a revelation for her. Andy wasn’t afraid to stand up to her mother. She stood up for herself all while staring her right in the eye. And much to Cassidy’s surprise, her mother just seemed mildly annoyed. She didn’t even bother to rip her to shreds and Andy seemed to want Miranda around. Why else would she have asked her to be home the nights she’d be there? So Cassidy supposed she wasn’t that bad. She gave the journalist a once over. Her clothes weren’t nearly as horrible as her mother had mentioned they were five years ago. Okay maybe the bangs were a tad outdated and she could stand to lose a few pounds. But those were just details. They could be fixed if Andy was amenable to the idea.
Not that she had anyway of knowing if she would. Cassidy frowned at that thought. That had been bugging her since she’d had her chat with Caroline. As much as she was loath to admit it, her sister had a point. She had no idea if Andy would go along with any of this beyond the tutoring. Then where would she be? Perhaps striking up a friendship with Andy wasn’t a bad idea. She’d never bothered doing so with her mother’s “acquaintances.” Their interest usually stopped after the first month or so. That was when her mother even bothered to bring them around. This would be different. She’d get more leverage and given the short amount of time she had to work with, she’d need it.
It turned out help came in the form of a little girl with big brown eyes and an easy smile. Cassidy had been expecting awkwardness and maybe even a few tears as they closed the door behind Andy’s annoying friend. But not before assuring her twenty thousand times that yes, she was a fully licensed driver and was trained in CPR. Of course she had both her and Andy’s home, work, and cell phone numbers plus the number to the fire and police departments. Not to mention her mother was most certainly home as promised. And even after all of that, Lily stilled looked reluctant to go and Cassidy had all but lost her patience. So instead of pursing her lips and glaring, she’d smiled sweetly and almost impolitely shut the door in her face.
Chuck seemed completely unfazed. She chattered excitedly as they made their way upstairs to the study she shared with her sister. Caroline was lounging on the sofa talking on her phone. Cassidy wondered if she should even bother making a fuss about it. It didn’t take a genius to see that the only reason their mother insisted Caroline be present was so that she had less time for Dylan, but Cassidy had no clue what to do with her. She supposed it was enough to just have her present in case their mother got suspicious and decided to check up on them. Though she doubted it. The door to her mother’s study had been closed as she’d passed. She’d seemed less than thrilled when Cassidy had greeted her earlier and she’d gone straight into the study and closed the door.
So Cassidy got down to business. Chuck was eager to learn and Cassidy was impressed by how fast she seemed to be picking it up. They worked on letter recognition and aside from problems with lower case b’s and d’s, Chuck sailed right through. They worked a little more on writing the letters and before she knew it, almost two hours had passed.
“Cassidy, I’m hungry.” Chuck’s warm eyes looked up at her cautiously.
A snack! Why hadn’t she thought of that? The kids she tutored always had snack time with her. Chuck was probably starving? “We can have a snack. What would you like?”
“Do you have anymore duck?” She asked, her face hopeful.
“No, I’m sorry.” She could call one of the cooks to have it made, but that didn’t seem right, especially since the cooks were already working on their dinner for that night.
“Peanut butter bread?” Chuck asked after she thought a while longer.
Cassidy smiled. “That I can do. I’ll be right back” She walked to the kitchen quickly. Avoiding getting in the cooks’ way, she grabbed four pieces of bread and slathered a healthy amount of peanut butter onto them. She’d decided to enjoy a snack too, not bothering to ask Caroline because she knew she was on her latest “diet.” She placed plates and two glasses of milk onto a tray and walked carefully back up the stairs.
They ate in companionable silence as Chuck looked around the room. When she finished her first slice of bread, the little girl wandered around. She picked up knickknacks and looked at the books that lined the tall bookshelves. She inspected their desks, starting with Cassidy’s well organized one before moving along to Caroline’s cluttered one. A small, excited gasp escaped from tiny pink lips as she paused in front of it. Dark eyes wide, she turned holding the picture frame out for the twins to see. “You know Zack?!”
Of course, Cassidy thought, rolling her eyes as Caroline grinned. Most of the kids she tutored watched all of the Disney shows and she’d been inundated with her sister’s annoying boyfriend’s face at every turn it seemed. Lunch boxes, book bags, folders…everything anyone could think to make had Dylan and his brother’s faces plastered all over it.
“Kinda,” Caroline answered almost proudly. It was the same look she always got when she ended up in People, Seventeen, or Runway Girl even. “He’s my boyfriend, but his name’s not really Zack. It’s Dylan.”
“Your boyfriend? Gross!” Chuck said as she sat back in her chair. Cassidy smiled knowing she thought the same thing sometimes.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Caroline asked, looking up from her phone. Her tone was bored, but Cassidy could see that her interest was piqued.
Chuck’s nose wrinkled in disgust at the question. “No way! Boys are gross.”
Caroline smirked, meeting Cassidy’s eyes. “She sounds like you.”
“Well some of them are,” Cassidy said defensively. Had Caroline not been paying attention since fifth grade?
Rolling her eyes at her sister, Caroline turned back to the four-year-old. “Oh, come on. They’re not that bad.”
At this, Chuck nodded. “Mhm…one time, Deon Phillips dared Rey Mendoza to eat a capatiller and he did. Like in front of everybody. That’s gross. Even Mummy said so,” she finished as she popped the last piece of bread into her mouth.
At the mention of Andy, Cassidy saw her chance. In her research of the journalist, she’d found out that she wasn’t married, but beyond that there hadn’t been much on her besides information on her works. She’d been so relieved that wasn’t married, it hadn’t occurred to her that that didn’t mean Andy wasn’t seeing someone. So casually she asked, “What about your mom? Does she have a boyfriend?”
Chuck took a long drink of milk before shaking her head. “Nah, she doesn’t want a boyfriend. She said our apartment is girls only. Cept’ Uncle Dougie and Daddy and Patrick. They don’t count.”
Ah, so Chuck’s father was still in the picture. That was definitely inconvenient. Though Andy hadn’t given her any information for a father. So, how involved could he be? “Does your dad come around a lot?” She asked carefully, studying Chuck’s face.
Chuck looked up at Cassidy for a moment, her expression blank. Cassidy wasn’t sure what to make of it, but then the little brunette smiled and the teen released the breath she’d been holding. “No, Daddy lives far away, but sometimes he comes with Abigail and Patrick.”
“Who are Abigail and Patrick?” Cassidy asked as she began to set everything back on the tray.
“Abigail is Daddy’s wife. I got to be flower girl in their wedding. Aunt Lily says Abigail is my evil stepmother just like Cinderella. Isn’t that cool?” She grinned up at Cassidy.
“Way cool,” Cassidy answered with a sincere smile. Chuck was adorable. “Who’s Patrick?”
“Patrick’s my baby brother. Only he’s not really a baby. Not anymore ‘cause he doesn’t wear diapers anymore. He’s almost this many.” She held up her tiny hand, displaying three fingers.
Slipping back into tutoring mode almost out of habit, Cassidy looked at her. “How many fingers is that Chuck?”
Chuck looked at her fingers. “Three.”
“Very good. You said they live far away. Do you know where?”
“Mhm,” Chuck said with another nod. “They live in-”
The doorbell rang, interrupting. “I think your mom is here.” Cassidy stood, walking down two flights of stairs to the front door. She pulled it open and found Andy talking on her cellphone.
“Yes, yes, I can do 2:30 tomorrow.” She smiled over at the teen before holding up her finger, saying she’d be just a moment. “Right…right…great, I will meet you at your house tomorrow at 2:30…wonderful.” She snapped her phone shut and offered Cassidy an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. How did things go today?” She asked as Cassidy stepped aside and let Andy in.
“Great, Chuck’s really smart. So, I think she’ll be ready for the test.” Andy smiled looking a little relieved. Cassidy took in her out of season jeans, dark button down and her dark locks that had been pulled back into a single braid. She had a hard time reconciling it with the image she had of the Andy she and Caroline occasionally pulled pranks on five years ago. They’d done some pretty bad things to her as well as many of the other assistants. She wondered, not for the first time, why Andy had even agreed to help her. She shook her head. Now was not the time to dwell on that. Knowing that it was as good a time as any to start “Operation Friend Andy” she pressed on. “Um…how was your day?” Cassidy asked somewhat awkwardly. The words felt foreign on her tongue and she hadn’t liked how they’d stumbled clumsily out of her mouth. She needed to work on that.
Andy looked almost taken aback by the question. “Oh…um…it was good. Busy as you could see.”
“Right…I guess.” Cassidy replied, wondering what the hell was wrong with her and why she suddenly couldn’t seem to carry on a simple conversation. Thank God Caroline was nowhere in sight. She’d never live it down.
They stood there for an awkward moment or two before Andy looked down at her cellphone. “Is Chuck ready to go? We have to be heading to the subway.”
“Yeah…right…I’ll uh, go get her.” Cassidy walked up the stairs, face burning. She felt like a complete idiot. This would not do. It would not do at all. She walked back into the study and found Chuck standing next to Caroline by her desk. They were looking at something on the computer. Cassidy cleared her throat. “Chuck, your mom’s here.”
“Aww…man,” Chuck said, her face falling in disappointment.
Caroline chuckled. “It’s okay. I’ll show you next time.”
“Okay…”Chuck said in a defeated tone.
Cassidy helped her gather her things before heading back down the stairs with Chuck in tow.
“Hi Mummy!” Chuck said brightly, hopping off the bottom step and running towards Andy. She threw her arms around Andy’s waist and hugged her tightly.
Andy bent forward, kissing the top of her dark locks. “Hey Peanut, did you have a good time?”
“Yes! It was cool. Way better than Aunt Lily’s, ‘cept no BBC America.” Chuck stood patiently while Andy put on her coat and zippered it up.
The older brunette’s lips quirked. “I’m glad you had a good time.” She turned and looked over at Cassidy, who was still hovering nearby. “Well, tell Cassidy thank you for this afternoon and that you’ll see her on Thursday.”
“Thanks Cassidy! See you Thursday!” Chuck said brightly before running over to the stairs. “BYE CAROLINE!”
Cassidy cringed and Andy blushed. The door to her mother’s study opened and Miranda poked her head out, eyes zooming in on the source of disruption. Her eyes closed in annoyance as Caroline yelled back. “SEE YOU LATER, CHUCK!” She turned and glared icily at Andy over her glasses before turning on her heels and shutting the door loudly.
“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Andy said quickly. “Come on, Chuck. Let’s go or we’re going to miss our train.” Chuck hurried over to her mother, taking her hand. “Thanks again, Cassidy. Have a nice night.”
“Uh…yeah…you too,” Cassidy fumbled, wincing as soon as the words left her mouth. Andy smiled at her one last time before she was out of the door. Cassidy shut the door immediately, leaning against it with a sigh. If she hoped to be Andy’s friend, she’d need to do a lot better than that.
That night, Cassidy didn’t have much to say during dinner, which seemed to suit her mother and sister just fine. Neither seemed interested in dinner conversation save for the pleasantries at the beginning of the meal. Caroline was still mad at their mother and Miranda’s mind seemed elsewhere. Cassidy was too busy focusing on how to make Thursday go a lot smoother. She wasn’t, however, too busy to notice the tired and drawn look on her mother’s face or the way she kept massaging her temples.