Manhattan was full of little cafes and places to meet, places where the curious might not go looking for certain known faces in the fashion world. It was at one of these that Bethany had decided she was going to talk to her mother, trusting to the public meeting place to keep Miranda from freaking out too much at what she was about to tell her. And it had to be today, Monday, because Beth had a feeling that after tonight, it was going to be virtually impossible to keep Miranda and Jason from crossing paths through her life. A little warning went a long way. So there she was, tucked into a deep sofa just inside a floor length glass window, sipping coffee and waiting patiently for her mother to wander by.
Miranda came breezing into the cafe, looking as put together as she always did, even if it was just to meet her daughter for a casual lunch date. She was excited and overflowing with things she wanted to tell her, mostly about Piper and Desmond's wedding, but about the babies, too, including Gabi's twins. She'd just spent the weekend in Rhy'Din and was simply bubbling over with news. She was dressed in a floral print sundress and sandals, her hair pulled up off her neck, bangle bracelets adorning one arm, a purse hanging off the other. "Bethany!" she exclaimed as she spied her daughter on the sofa, leaning over to kiss both her cheeks merrily. She reached over to fuss with her hair, the way mothers do, clucking her tongue at her daughter's choice of very casual apparel.
Who could miss that entrance" Just as well, really - Beth was half off the sofa to greet her mother by the time Miranda swept down on her, laughing at the affectionate kisses, as well as the fussing with her hair. "Hey, Mom," she chuckled, pushing herself onto her feet to hug her mother warmly. "You look great! Did you have a good weekend?"
"I had a lovely weekend! I have so much to tell you! You should see the twins. They're getting so big. They're just adorable!" She gushed as she returned her daughter's hug, pausing a moment to take a good look at her. "You look tired, Beth. Have you been getting enough rest' Are you working too hard?"
The gushing was always rather adorable, even if it did come with the inevitable comment on her appearance. Beth always looked tired to Miranda, but she didn't mind being told. It was good to know her mom noticed and cared enough to worry. "I'm sure I will see the twins at some point," she laughed at the enthusiasm, thumping down onto the sofa once again. "I ordered you a coffee, hope you don't mind. And I'm fine, Mom, I promise. Two long days at work leaves me a bit frazzled, that's all." A thought occurred to her, and a worried frown crossed her brow. "Why, do I look really tired" I don't feel tired, but I've got a date tonight. I can't really look tired on our third date, it'd look bad."
Miranda dropped her purse on the sofa and took a seat beside her daughter, crossing her legs demurely, a reassuring smile on her face. "You look as lovely as always. I just think you work too hard is all." They'd been over this before - Bethany's desire to work for a living and provide for herself and Miranda's insistence that it really wasn't necessary for her daughter to work so hard. She arched a brow momentarily, a particular word giving her pause. "A date" A third date?" she echoed. "Sounds serious. Who is he" A doctor?" She waved a hand at the wait staff to get their attention so she could place her order.
"No, Mom, he's not a doctor." Bethany paused a moment to let her giggles run their course. She had no idea why her mom was so fixated on her dating a doctor, but it was getting funnier every time Miranda mentioned it. "He's a cop. And yeah, it's a third date. I like him." Her smile faded for a moment, turning small and secretive as she looked down into her coffee, biting her lip. "I like him a lot. I like him so much, I'm cooking tonight."
Miranda blinked, lowering her hand as a particular word caught her attention again. This time the word was "cop". She frowned in concern at her daughter. She had dated at least one cop in her own past, and it had not turned out so well, though it was no fault of his own really. "A cop?" she echoed again. "Is this someone you met at the hospital?" The city was full of policemen; there was no reason to think her daughter was treading the same ground. "Cooking?" Miranda chuckled as this bit of news got juicier and juicier. "Beth, you don't cook."
Beth laughed again, a little indignant at her mother's chuckling reaction to that piece of news. "I can cook! Okay, so I can't cook much, but I can cook," she protested with a grin, waving her hand as she shook her head. "That-that's not the important thing here. You've gotta promise me you're not gonna freak out, okay' Because I really like him." Her expression had turned earnest as she looked into Miranda's eyes, needing her mother to see what she was feeling before she told her who she was feeling it for. "I really do. He's amazing, and-and I think he likes me just as much."
A waiter came by and dropped off two menus, giving the women time to decide, sensing they were in the middle of a conversation that threatened to get serious. Miranda drew a deep sigh as she sensed her daughter's exuberance about this new boyfriend, frowning in concern. "Good grief, Bethany, you're not in love with him already, are you?" she asked, as her daughter gushed over a man who had not yet been given the seal of motherly approval.
Beth snorted with laughter, rolling her eyes as she took the menu from the table. "No, I'm not in love with him." Not yet. But it could happen, pretty soon. "But I could be. He'd be ....he'd be really easy to love. He's a lot like me, we seemed to like a lot of the same things, and he understands that my job isn't a problem or something I do because I have to, without being told." She drew in a deep breath, sitting forward to take her mother's hand, holding Miranda's gaze solemnly. "It's Jason, Mom. I'm seeing Jason Daly."
Miranda softened, recognizing the longing for approval in her daughter's eyes, that and the desire to find and fall in love with Mr. Right, whoever that might be. Her expression softened, brown eyes warm with motherly affection for the one person she loved more than any other in the entire universe. She listened intently and sympathetically, realizing this was far more serious than anticipated. Right up until her daughter mentioned a familiar name, her face turning pale. "You're not. Tell me you're not, Beth."
Miranda came breezing into the cafe, looking as put together as she always did, even if it was just to meet her daughter for a casual lunch date. She was excited and overflowing with things she wanted to tell her, mostly about Piper and Desmond's wedding, but about the babies, too, including Gabi's twins. She'd just spent the weekend in Rhy'Din and was simply bubbling over with news. She was dressed in a floral print sundress and sandals, her hair pulled up off her neck, bangle bracelets adorning one arm, a purse hanging off the other. "Bethany!" she exclaimed as she spied her daughter on the sofa, leaning over to kiss both her cheeks merrily. She reached over to fuss with her hair, the way mothers do, clucking her tongue at her daughter's choice of very casual apparel.
Who could miss that entrance" Just as well, really - Beth was half off the sofa to greet her mother by the time Miranda swept down on her, laughing at the affectionate kisses, as well as the fussing with her hair. "Hey, Mom," she chuckled, pushing herself onto her feet to hug her mother warmly. "You look great! Did you have a good weekend?"
"I had a lovely weekend! I have so much to tell you! You should see the twins. They're getting so big. They're just adorable!" She gushed as she returned her daughter's hug, pausing a moment to take a good look at her. "You look tired, Beth. Have you been getting enough rest' Are you working too hard?"
The gushing was always rather adorable, even if it did come with the inevitable comment on her appearance. Beth always looked tired to Miranda, but she didn't mind being told. It was good to know her mom noticed and cared enough to worry. "I'm sure I will see the twins at some point," she laughed at the enthusiasm, thumping down onto the sofa once again. "I ordered you a coffee, hope you don't mind. And I'm fine, Mom, I promise. Two long days at work leaves me a bit frazzled, that's all." A thought occurred to her, and a worried frown crossed her brow. "Why, do I look really tired" I don't feel tired, but I've got a date tonight. I can't really look tired on our third date, it'd look bad."
Miranda dropped her purse on the sofa and took a seat beside her daughter, crossing her legs demurely, a reassuring smile on her face. "You look as lovely as always. I just think you work too hard is all." They'd been over this before - Bethany's desire to work for a living and provide for herself and Miranda's insistence that it really wasn't necessary for her daughter to work so hard. She arched a brow momentarily, a particular word giving her pause. "A date" A third date?" she echoed. "Sounds serious. Who is he" A doctor?" She waved a hand at the wait staff to get their attention so she could place her order.
"No, Mom, he's not a doctor." Bethany paused a moment to let her giggles run their course. She had no idea why her mom was so fixated on her dating a doctor, but it was getting funnier every time Miranda mentioned it. "He's a cop. And yeah, it's a third date. I like him." Her smile faded for a moment, turning small and secretive as she looked down into her coffee, biting her lip. "I like him a lot. I like him so much, I'm cooking tonight."
Miranda blinked, lowering her hand as a particular word caught her attention again. This time the word was "cop". She frowned in concern at her daughter. She had dated at least one cop in her own past, and it had not turned out so well, though it was no fault of his own really. "A cop?" she echoed again. "Is this someone you met at the hospital?" The city was full of policemen; there was no reason to think her daughter was treading the same ground. "Cooking?" Miranda chuckled as this bit of news got juicier and juicier. "Beth, you don't cook."
Beth laughed again, a little indignant at her mother's chuckling reaction to that piece of news. "I can cook! Okay, so I can't cook much, but I can cook," she protested with a grin, waving her hand as she shook her head. "That-that's not the important thing here. You've gotta promise me you're not gonna freak out, okay' Because I really like him." Her expression had turned earnest as she looked into Miranda's eyes, needing her mother to see what she was feeling before she told her who she was feeling it for. "I really do. He's amazing, and-and I think he likes me just as much."
A waiter came by and dropped off two menus, giving the women time to decide, sensing they were in the middle of a conversation that threatened to get serious. Miranda drew a deep sigh as she sensed her daughter's exuberance about this new boyfriend, frowning in concern. "Good grief, Bethany, you're not in love with him already, are you?" she asked, as her daughter gushed over a man who had not yet been given the seal of motherly approval.
Beth snorted with laughter, rolling her eyes as she took the menu from the table. "No, I'm not in love with him." Not yet. But it could happen, pretty soon. "But I could be. He'd be ....he'd be really easy to love. He's a lot like me, we seemed to like a lot of the same things, and he understands that my job isn't a problem or something I do because I have to, without being told." She drew in a deep breath, sitting forward to take her mother's hand, holding Miranda's gaze solemnly. "It's Jason, Mom. I'm seeing Jason Daly."
Miranda softened, recognizing the longing for approval in her daughter's eyes, that and the desire to find and fall in love with Mr. Right, whoever that might be. Her expression softened, brown eyes warm with motherly affection for the one person she loved more than any other in the entire universe. She listened intently and sympathetically, realizing this was far more serious than anticipated. Right up until her daughter mentioned a familiar name, her face turning pale. "You're not. Tell me you're not, Beth."