A Sentimental Heart Ch. 12-13

"Ah... Miss Redmond!" the voice was familiar and Miranda frowned as she tried to place it. "Bob Craine here... I'm afraid I've some rather disappointing news..."

Miranda sat and listened with a heavy heart to the man at the other end of the phone.

"Yes Miss Redmond, I'm very sorry that we are unable to proceed with your application, and appointment. We would like to thank you though for your interest in our organisation and maybe at some future point..."

"Thank you for calling me Mr Craine, I really do appreciate that you took the time and trouble." Miranda replaced the receiver and sat staring at it for a moment.

"Is there a problem Miranda?" Mrs Rogers asked pointedly, as her subordinate didn't seem to want to continue with her work.

Miranda looked across at the older woman. "No Mrs Rogers – nothing that can't be sorted – I'm sure of it."

She bent her attention to her work and allowed her personal problems to be swept aside for the moment. There would be time enough to fret over them all soon enough.

*

Marcus sat in his office and waited smugly for Miranda to come meekly back and withdraw her resignation... to ask to keep her job and to be allowed to stay with him...

He should have known better!

**

Miranda worked through her day, trying to keep her head down and not draw attention to herself.

"I must say," Mrs Roberts spoke out suddenly, "that you have been very quiet this morning Miranda... I hope that you're not sickening for something?" she was almost accusing, and Miranda gave a guilty little blush.

"No... nothing like that Mrs Roberts, but there is something..." she trailed off as she tried to find the best way to break the news to her.

"Oh?" Mrs Roberts' eyebrows rose up sharply.

"Yes... you see... I... I've decided to resign my position here... effective from the end of today!" There she had said it now! It was off her chest and out in the open – and somehow more real for all that.

Mrs Roberts' face had gone slightly red, and she looked like Miranda had just given her the biggest insult of her life.

"Are you okay Mrs Roberts?" Miranda asked anxiously as the older woman just sat there silently.

Mrs Roberts just gave a little sniff and her eyes went back to her computer screen, as though ready to resume her work.

For the rest of the day Miranda was treated to a cold reproachful silence from Mrs Roberts, and it was with a silent sigh of relief that Miranda logged off her computer for the last time, having finished the pile of work that had been on her desk.

She was aware of Mrs Roberts watching her as she slipped into her coat, and it was only once she had everything, and was all ready to leave that she turned to face that lady.

"Well... I just wanted to say that it was a... honour to work with you Mrs Roberts..." she had been going to say 'a pleasure', but decided that she just couldn't stretch the truth that far. "And I'm sure that Mar... Mr Phillips will find a suitable replacement for me soon enough."

"I'm certain that he will too Miranda!" Mrs Roberts snapped back stiffly.

Miranda decided that the other woman was just not going to bend at all, and so she simply gave her an empty smile. "Then I'll say goodbye Mrs Roberts." she turned for the door not really expecting a response.

"What will you do now?" the question was such a surprise that Miranda turned back blankly for a moment.

"I've no idea!" she whispered, before turning and almost running from the room before her tears spilled.

*

Miranda was surprised to find Amanda waiting on her doorstep when she got home.

"Hello Miranda... I was wondering if I could... talk to you." Amanda greeted her a little uncertainly.

Miranda smiled brightly and tried to be reassuring – even though all she really wanted to do was to just curl up and cry her heart out. It didn't seem to matter what she did – or tried to do – fate just kept on smacking her in the face – or so it was beginning to feel like to her!

"Of course – why don't you come inside and I'll put the kettle on for the two of us."

Amanda sat at the kitchen table and watched Miranda as she moved around the room. She placed a steaming mug in front of her guest, and then sat down across from her.

"So what I can I do for you Amanda?" Miranda had been sitting waiting patiently for more than five minutes but it just seemed that Amanda didn't want to speak now that it came to it.

She looked up at Miranda awkwardly. "It's about... Peter..." she began hesitantly.

"Oh?" Miranda kept her tone light and casual despite the fact that she instantly felt uncomfortable with the possible direction of this conversation... she was remembering Peter's comments from the previous evening, and felt sure that there was a connection.

"We've been... seeing each other for a little while now... in the evenings and so on... since he came back from Hong Kong – well before that even!"

"You seem very... fond – of him?" Miranda enquired cautiously.

"I... I love him!" Amanda blurted out heatedly and then blushed in embarrassment.

Miranda smiled reassuringly. "And do you think that Peter feels the same way about you?"

Amanda looked away unhappily. "I'm not sure... I think perhaps... maybe..." she looked across at her hopefully. "Maybe he's talked to you about me?"

Miranda shook her head regretfully. "I'm sorry, but no... but then Peter is very private about his personal life... and I'm not... I don't really think that I'm the logical choice for him to talk to about such things..."

As she said it, she thought about her brother's circle of friends at the moment, Peter had been so busy these last few months, his circle pretty much comprised of; Miranda, Amanda or Marcus... if his problem was Amanda –and he didn't feel comfortable talking to Miranda, then that just left Marcus... who just happened to be Peter's boss – and Amanda's protective big brother!

"Poor Peter!" she murmured with a little smile.

"The thing is..." Amanda continued awkwardly, "I thought that it was time to take our relationship to the next level... and so the other night... I... I tried to... seduce him!"

Miranda picked up on the 'tried' immediately and Amanda looked so embarrassed that she couldn't help but surmise that Amanda's attempts had not met with success.

"I think that he does think a lot of you..." Miranda soothed. "I think that he worries you are still a bit young and... well... innocent maybe..."

They both fell silent for a while, but Miranda did want to help the younger woman – if she was able to.

Amanda looked genuinely upset and embarrassed.

"So what happened... with your attempt?" Miranda prompted softly – since Amanda seemed to need to talk about it.

She laughed bitterly. "He kissed me on the cheek and said that maybe he should take me home now!"

"Where were you?" Miranda had not really thought about the logistics of her brother's assignations with Amanda – but now that she did, she realised that since Amanda obviously still lived at home, and Peter shared this place with her – well then there really weren't too many places that the couple could go to – to be alone.

"We were in his car..." she cast a quick slightly reproachful glance at Miranda. "He's never been comfortable coming here, thought that it would be intruding on you... and we couldn't really go to my home... and not especially since my dad..."

Miranda felt a slight rush of guilt.

"I do understand that it must be difficult for the two of you," she sympathised. "But maybe it's for the best – for the moment... stopping the two of you from rushing into something before you're both ready..."

She didn't add that if her brother Peter had wanted to be somewhere alone with Amanda, then he would have arranged it by now... She was certain that Peter was deliberately keeping the two of them out in public...

"Do you think that you could talk to him?" Amanda suddenly asked, and Miranda gave a startled laugh.

"Oh no!" she spluttered, "I couldn't talk to my brother about something like this... any more than you could talk to your brother about it!"

Amanda shrugged dejectedly. "I suppose not," she muttered.

Miranda reached across to pat her hand sympathetically. "Maybe you just need to be a little bit more patient, but don't let him treat you like a casual friend, make sure that he sees you as a woman who desires him... don't let him off the hook?" It was Miranda's turn to shrug as she smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid I can't really offer anything more..."

'To tell you the truth I've enough problems of my own – with your brother!' she thought silently.

She saw Amanda out a little later, and after doing a spot of housework, she decided to go and take a shower. As she moved around the house that she shared with her brother, she looked over it with fondness. It had been a good home for the two of them when they had needed it... but maybe now it was time for a change.

**

She was in the kitchen peeling potatoes when her brother came home.

"I didn't know if you would be eating here tonight – or not?" she smiled in greeting as he came in and sat down at the kitchen table.

As she looked over at him, she saw the faint lines in his face. 'He looks tired,' she thought to herself, 'he looks... unhappy?'

*

"I've been thinking Peter?" Miranda said as they sat down to eat the casserole that she had made.

"Oh... what about?"

"I think that I'm ready for a change... I'm thinking of moving away – to London maybe!"

He chewed on a mouthful of the food she had cooked, before answering, 'he would miss her cooking' he thought, 'he would miss her common sense, and her soothing presence.'

"Why London?" he asked casually.

She shrugged as she began to eat her own meal.

"I only said maybe London... I shall look for a job out of town first, and wherever I get one, then that's where I'll move to."

Her brother frowned at her in confusion. "I thought... Last night you said that you'd been offered a position at a company here... local to here?"

"It fell through, the owner called me earlier today – he was very nice, very apologetic but it was still a rejection."

"So why don't you stay at 'Philips' then? I'm sure that Marcus would be more than happy to reinstate you..."

Miranda shook her head. "No... I don't think I'll do that Peter... I'd feel like I was messing people about..."

"You seem to have made your mind up, but what about this place... I mean half of it is yours?"

Miranda smiled reassuringly. "Where ever I end up, I'm sure that I'll be able to find a flat or something to keep a roof over my head... it'll just be me – so I won't need anything too big..."

"I suppose that we could put this house up for sale... and split the money – half each, it would be enough for you to find a smaller place and enough for me too... to put towards another place – maybe something a little bigger – large enough for a family... maybe..."

"But don't feel like you need to rush into anything Peter... I'm in no hurry for the money – I promise!" Miranda urged him solemnly.

Peter glance around him, "It's been a good place for us," he mumbled with a hint of nostalgia, "but I guess that everything has its time!"

It was so close to what Miranda had been thinking earlier that she felt the tears flood her eyes, and all she could do was nod in agreement.

**

"I'll ask Marcus about a reference for you," Peter said casually as he slipped into his coat, prior to leaving for work the next morning.

"Oh! No... That's okay peter... don't you worry about it, I... I wasn't really at Phillips for that long... I think that my old reference is more relevant... no don't you trouble him!"

Miranda had had time to think as the hours had ticked by last night, and she had lain in her bed thinking about Marcus, and their time together, and his treatment of her over the last few days; and she had had time to ponder over what might have changed between the job interview on the one day– and the telephone call rejecting her application on the following day.

She had left that other place feeling confident – sure that the position was hers for the taking.

And the only thing that she could come up with; was... Marcus!

He had not been happy at her leaving – had for some reason taken it as a personal slight against him.

She could not understand why he might be so petty and well – mean; but she could see no other reason for that telephone call.

Peter could see the stubborn set to Miranda's shoulders, and he knew his sister well enough to know that arguing with her was pointless; she had been making some decisions lately – and without even consulting him, so he merely gave a little shrug as he headed for the door.

"Well... suite yourself... I'll see you later then... oh, and don't cook anything special for dinner tonight – in fact don't worry about me at all – I'll be eating out tonight!"

"Okay..." Miranda said to the closing door. "See you later..."

She wandered around their house tidying it up, but since it was already fairly tidy, this didn't take long.

The day loomed long and empty in front of her – and then the evening promised to be just as lonely, and Miranda could feel herself sinking into a depression that was not going to help anyone.

"Oh this is just pathetic!" she snapped impatiently as she heard herself giving yet another forlorn sort of sigh.

She grabbed her handbag and slipped into her coat and left the house, with a determined stride.

She would not sit around waiting for another moment!

The house stood silent and empty for a full fifteen minutes – until a car pulled up outside and Marcus strode down their path and knocked on the door forcefully.

He had waited until he knew that Peter would be in the office and had rung him to say that he would be late in this morning, but was available on his mobile should Peter have need of him.

He had decided after a long sleepless night to come here this morning, and make his declaration to Miranda – and not leave until she had agreed to leave with him.

Marcus did not want to spend another single night without Miranda in his arms.

When Miranda failed to come to the door he knocked again – feeling frustrated and impatient.

When it became obvious that she wasn't there, he cursed a couple of times before storming off again.

This was just getting ridiculous! Sneaking around like a couple of teenagers, not being able to find out what was happening with her because he had to be discrete! Well no More!!

He drove into work, working himself up into a fine old temper, and strode into his office where Peter sat working on something or other.

"Where is your sister?" he demanded angrily

Peter blinked up at him in surprise.

"I'm sorry?" he asked confused.

"Don't be sorry – answer the question... where is Miranda?"

Peter shrugged looking very uncomfortable. "I left her at home this morning; she never said that she had any plans... well nothing for today anyway..."

Peter's eyes narrowed with a dawning suspicion, something had changed recently in his sister – and he'd not been able to find out why she had changed – but now looking at his boss and the filthy mood that he was in – which was apparently to do with Miranda...

"She's making some changes in her life," Peter said quietly, "I don't think she wanted me to say anything – but she's making plans to move away."

The colour drained from Marcus's face and his anger went with it.

"What?" he demanded faintly as his plans and his life seemed to be crumbling around him. "What do you mean... where is she going?"

Peter shrugged. "She muttered something about London perhaps... we're going to put the house on the market..."

Marcus dropped down heavily into his chair. "She can't!"

"Marcus... are you...?" Peter began hesitantly, only to trail off as Marcus looked across at him with what could only be described as panic on his face.

"She can't leave... I'm in love with her... I'm in love with Miranda!"