Miranda actually found herself tapping her foot anxiously as she awaited Andrea's arrival. Emily had looked quite relieved when she had returned from their lunch and not bitten her head off, but she had just shrugged that off as she thrust her coat and purse at the new assistant before stalking into her office and starting to take notes on the myriad other things that demanded her attention for the day.

Still, she found her attention divided for the rest of the afternoon, and even when she was critiquing a collection, her heart wasn't really with it. She could tell by the designer's reactions that she had also noticed the gentler words, and Miranda made certain to fix an icy stare on her before standing and heading towards the door. "This was an admirable first effort, but I'm certain that you can do much better for when I come see this again in a week. Emily, make a note."

As she did so, the designer gulped and nodded, suddenly realizing that she hadn't made it through her showing as unscathed as she had thought. A small smirk danced around her lips as she made her way down to the street level. "I'll be working from home for the rest of the day, Emily. While you're waiting for the book tonight, you can do a little more research into Snowflake Designs."

Emily's shoulders slumped as she gave a half-hearted nod. "I don't know exactly what you're expecting me to find with so little data to go on, but I will do my best."

"That's what I expect of you," she replied as she slid her sunglasses onto her face and climbed into her car. Her driver gave her a small nod before pulling into traffic, and Miranda settled back into the seat as they began the slow crawl uptown during rush hour. Pulling out her PDA, she began to look through what was on her agenda for the next day, making small notes as to what she had to start with in the morning, down to what she would have to do before she went home in the evening. It seemed like she'd have a working lunch, as there was a conference call with Carolina Herrera to talk about her fall collection.

Miranda smiled a little as she turned her face to look out the window. Ever since the chance sighting of Andrea, she had found herself watching the streets. A small part of her brain told her that she was trying to keep her finger on the pulse of the city, knowing that street fashion was the end result of what she helped to mold in the offices of Runway. A small voice in the back of her mind told her, though, that she was deluding herself. It was easy to ignore that voice, unless she found herself to be too tired.

When she arrived at her townhouse, she saw that the lights were on in the sitting room, and she knew that the twins were home. Climbing out of the car, she told the driver to pick her up an hour earlier than normal, and he nodded before wishing her a good night.

Heading inside, she slipped off her coat and hung it up in the closet before slipping off her heels and picking them up, carrying everything into the sitting room. Cassidy was curled up in one of the leather back chairs, her nose buried in a book, and Miranda made her way over to her, caressing her hair as she glanced at the book. "Is that for school?"

Cassidy glanced up at her, shaking her head a little before turning her focus back to the book. "Andy made a list of books for me that would enrich my high school education. It's taken my forever to get through them, but each has been really good. Emma might just be my favorite so far."

"I preferred Mansfield Park, but I suppose that I can't expect you to be a perfect little clone of me." Cassidy laughed as she shook her head, turning the page as Miranda sank down onto the sofa and picked up the New York Times. After she had read through the news of the day, she began to do the crossword puzzle, needing something to keep her mind occupied while she waited for Andrea to arrive.

"Are you going to eat with us?" Caroline asked pointedly, and she looked up from her puzzle, giving her other daughter a small nod as she set the paper away and rose to her feet. She once more found her thoughts distracted as she listened to her children go on about their day and everything that had filled it. "Are you coming to our concert tomorrow?"

Miranda frowned a little as she pulled out her PDA, looking at her schedule. There was no mention of a concert on there, and she glanced up at Caroline, trying not to let on that this was a surprise. "What time was it again?"

"Seven. Cassidy has a solo, too."

She tapped away at the keyboard, mentally rearranging her day so that it could fit this into the schedule. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." She smiled at her children before spearing a bite of salad. The rest of the meal passed quickly, and then the twins were heading upstairs to finish their homework while she went up to her personal study and scanned the shelves for something to read.

After choosing a book, she settled down to wait. It was a few hours later when she heard a bit of a commotion in the downstairs hall. Setting the book aside, she stepped out to the staircase and looked down. Emily and Andrea were having a heated discussion, and Miranda knew that she had to defuse things before they got too out of control.

Both heads shot up to look at her, and Andrea blushed guiltily as she smiled. Raising an eyebrow, she cocked one finger at them, summoning them upstairs. Emily was the first to make a move, the book clutched to her chest, and Miranda had to turn her back quickly to cover the roll of her eyes.

"I couldn't find anything else out about Snowflake Designs, Miranda," Emily stammered out as she handed over the book, and took a seat on the edge of the sofa. "Please, tell me that you found something else that could help the search."

Andrea made her way over to the chair that Miranda usually sat in, and as she took a seat, Miranda saw the pleased smile that spread across her lips which let her know that Andrea may have indeed made some progress towards finding the designer. "When I feel comfortable with you switching focus in the search, I will let you know."

As she settled into the chair opposite Andrea, Miranda made it clear that that would be the last thing she said to Emily that evening, and she watched as the young woman soundlessly sighed as she got to her feet and looked between Andrea and Miranda. It was clear that she was biting back something, and Miranda quirked her eyebrow up, daring her to speak. Emily pursed her lips and gave her a tiny nod before spinning on her heel and leaving the room.

"That was awkward."

"She's still trying to impress so desperately. Now, why don't you start sharing what you've managed to uncover." She smiled, finding herself strangely comfortable in the presence of the younger woman.