That evening Andy, Doug and Lily met for a late-ish supper at a favorite pub. The place was tiny, crowded and served some of the finest British pub grub west of Notting Hill. Andy had a particular letch for their bangers and mash; the sausages were authentic as was the pub’s stout. An order of bangers and mash and a pint and Andy was a happy woman.

The three friends were ensconced in their favorite back booth sipping on their pints as they chatted about the day’s events when Andy’s cell chimed. Assuming that it was the paper as usual, she didn’t check the display before answering.

“Sachs, here.”

“Good evening, Andréa. I understand you ran into the girls in the park this afternoon.” Oh. My. God. Miranda!  To her amazement, Andy discovered her voice was still working although her belly clenched and her palms started to sweat. Some visceral responses to an unexpected call from Miranda took far longer than a few months to fade away.

“Well, actually, if we’re being entirely honest, Miranda, Patricia ran into me in the park this afternoon. But yes, I did chat with the twins a bit.”

“They were babbling about joining some athletic team all through dinner this evening. They said you knew all about it.” Andy could hear excited twin-like voices in the background.

“Actually, I don’t know anything about it. They told me they wanted to try out for the junior lacrosse team at Dalton this spring. I played lacrosse in college and gave them a couple of pointers and told them to get a coach.”

“Lacrosse? Isn’t that played with some kind of stick? You bash the other team about until they drop a ball or something? I don’t like the sound of that at all.” The volume of the twin-like voices rose commensurately with that comment.

Suppressing a hoot of laughter Andy managed to keep her voice steady. “There’s a bit more to it than that, Miranda. If you ‘bash the other team about’ with your stick you’ll likely get bounced from the game. Listen, I gave the girls a good resource: the Manhattan Lacrosse Club. You won’t have any problem finding a coach there. If you do, you can always call St. John’s or Columbia. Both schools have good lacrosse programs and I’m sure there’s someone there who would coach the girls.”

“You misunderstand, Andréa. I haven’t given my permission for them to try out yet. I have concerns for their safety. When can we meet to discuss this?”

“Meet? You want to meet? To discuss this?” Andy was stunned.

“Has your hearing deteriorated since you worked here, Andréa? If so, I’m sure it would be considered a work-related condition that your insurance should cover. Yes, we need to meet and discuss this issue before I give the girls permission.” The twin-like voices in the background began to babble even louder than before.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Andy managed to bring up the calendar function on her Trēo™. “I’m sure your schedule is much tighter than mine, Miranda. When is convenient for you?”

“I can free up a lunch Tuesday. Say, 1:00 pm at Smith & Wollensky? Block out a couple of hours.”

“Okay, I’ve got it. Tuesday, 1:00 o’clock; Smith & Wollensky. I’ll be there, Miranda. And tell the girls to go do their stick drills. An hour a day just like I said.”

Miranda’s voice faded as she turned to the girls and repeated Andy’s order. Andy could hear the sound of their feet pounding up the stairs through Miranda’s phone.

“Tell me, Andréa, will they continue to stampede through the house if I allow them to try out for this team?”

“Very probably, Miranda. Running is an important part of lacrosse.”

“Young ladies do not stampede through the house, Andréa.”

Unable to restrain her laughter any longer, Andy howled, “If they make the lacrosse team ‘young ladies’ may be a moot point, Miranda. The only other college teams that drink as much as a lacrosse team are the rugby players. And they’re just plain crazy. At least lacrosse players wear headgear; fewer concussions. They can remember more racy drinking songs that way.”

“So, let me see if I have the big picture here. You have convinced my daughters that it is desirable to play a sport where serious head injury is likely, vulgarity is prized, dangerous weapons are standard equipment and alcohol poisoning a common side effect?”

“Yep. That’s lacrosse.”

“I see. 1:00 pm, Tuesday, Andréa. Don’t be late.” The phone clicked off.

Lily and Doug had listened to her side of the conversation in stunned disbelief.

“That was her? Really her? Miranda Priestly called you and made a lunch date? To talk about lacrosse?” Lily was beside herself.

“One constant thing about Miranda is her love for the twins. She’s very protective of them. She’ll want to find out as much about lacrosse as she can before allowing the girls to play. And even if I did leave her high and dry in Paris, she knows me and she knows I won’t lie to her. If meeting me for lunch is what it takes to get what she needs, then she’ll meet me for lunch.” Andy let out another hoot of laughter. “If she’s willing to meet as early as Tuesday then the twins must have ganged up on her big time.”

“They were serious about playing?”

“Seemed like it. And if they unloaded on Miranda at dinner then they must be.”

“You just can’t seem to stay away from Miranda Priestly, can you Andy? You’d better watch out, you don’t know how to tell her ‘no’. She’ll lure you back to the dark side if you’re not careful,” chuckled Doug. Then, as their dinners arrived, he did his best Pacino imitation from the third ‘Godfather’ movie.

“Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in!” Andy and Lily threw their napkins at him.

* * * * *

Tuesday morning Andy was at her desk transcribing notes from an interview when the phone rang. The double ring indicated an internal call.

“Metro, Sachs.”

Nancy, the Mirror’s receptionist and operator, was on the line. “Andy? I’ve got a couple of kids who insist on speaking with you. Do you even know any kids?”

“I know who it is, Nancy. Put them through.” Andy waited for the click of connection and then said “Andy Sachs.”

“Andy? It’s Caroline and Cassidy. Are you still going to meet Mom for lunch today?”

“Which one is this? Caroline or Cassidy?”

“This is Caroline, but I’ve got you on speaker so Cass can hear too.”

“Shouldn’t you two be in class now?”

“We’ve got a half-hour study period. So we thought we’d call and tell you that we’ve been doing our drills every night. Just like you told us. And we started running too. And we really, really want you to convince Mom to let us play, so don’t tell her about how you could get hurt or anything, okay?”

“I’m not going to lie to her if she asks, but I promise I’ll downplay the injury part as much as I can. Has she said anything more about it since she called me?”

“Only that she hasn’t made up her mind and won’t until she talks to you about it. Please, please try to talk her into it, Andy. We really want to play. We’ll be careful.”

Remembering a collision with a midfielder that resulted in a dozen stitches and a dislocated finger Andy replied, “You can be as careful as possible and still get injured. But as I said, I’ll downplay that as much as I can. Don’t worry. Have you checked out the web site for the Club? There’s a lot of useful information there.”

“We looked last night after we finished our homework. There wasn’t anything about coaches listed, but there was a contact phone number for questions. And we downloaded the schedule of club games so maybe we can go watch one some weekend.”

“You can learn a lot about strategy watching a good game. Get a feel for where the various positions play and how a good team works the ball for a shot on goal. But if I don’t get off the phone now I’ll be late for that lunch and your mom will never allow you to play.”

“Okay, good luck. We’ll talk to you later on, okay?”

“Maybe. If it’s okay with your mom. ’Bye.”

Apparently, single-minded focus on a goal was hereditary in the Priestly family.

* * * * *

Smith & Wollensky was jammed when Andy came through the door fifteen minutes before the appointed time but the magical mention of Miranda’s name had her seated at a prime table in moments. Three minutes later, the woman herself swept into the room.

Immaculately coiffed and attired as usual, Miranda captured the gaze of everyone in the restaurant. Ignoring the attention her entrance had garnered, she moved effortlessly through the throng to the table and seated herself.

“Hello, Andréa. The newspaper business appears to agree with you.”

“Hello, Miranda. It does, and I have you to thank for that. Your reference got me the job.”

“I merely stated the truth of the matter. I notice you’re getting more pieces in the City Section. That’s a good sign the editorial staff likes your work. You ought to consider submitting an editorial piece.”

“I think it’s still a little early for me to think in terms of my own column, Miranda. I’ve just now gotten out of the bull pen.”

“Nonsense, Andréa. How many times must I tell you? Set your goal and then pursue it. If a problem arises, deal with it and move ahead.”

“Yes, Miranda. Whatever you say.” Andy’s grin couldn’t be concealed. “How’s everyone? Nigel? Emily?”

“Nigel is organizing a summer shoot at Hilton Head and Emily is browbeating the new Emily into acceptable performance. The new girl apparently does not possess your gift for learning rapidly. But I don’t wish to discuss Runway. This meeting is to discuss my girls. Have you ordered?”

A waiter magically appeared and took their lunch orders. Miranda rearranged her flatware for a moment and then looked directly at Andy. “I have concerns. Can you honestly tell me that the girls won’t be injured playing lacrosse?”

“If you’re asking me for a guarantee I can’t give you one. I played competitive lacrosse for seven years and the worst injury I had was a few stitches and a dislocated finger. I can promise you that the girls will be required to wear protective gear if they play and that it’s very effective. Whichever coach you engage for them will be able to explain about it when they fit the girls.”

“That’s another thing we need to discuss. They require a coach?”

“Well, think of it this way: they have a piano teacher outside of Dalton don’t they? If they want to make the junior team they’ll need someone to get their skills honed up. Some of the girls they’ll be going up against have been in peewee leagues since they were six and seven. The twins have some ground to make up. A coach is the easiest means to do that.”

“And you think I should engage some stranger from this Manhattan Lacrosse Club? Or a student from St. John’s or Columbia?”

“Well, I don’t know; how did you find their piano teacher?”

“I called the director of Lincoln Center and he recommended her. She presented me with references from six world-renowned pianists.”

“I see. I’ve never tried to engage a private athletic coach before but, Miranda, you know half of Manhattan. I’m sure someone you know can help you out.”

She should have recognized the glint in Miranda’s eye but she’d grown complacent and unwary after two months of freedom. She never saw the chasm opening beneath her feet until it was too late.

“My thoughts exactly. Good, then it’s settled. You’ll coach the girls. How often do you think you’ll need to work with them? If we need to rearrange their schedules we’ll need a bit of lead time.”

“But…but…I don’t…I didn’t mean…me! I meant somebody else! Miranda, I can’t coach your girls!” Andy sputtered.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Andréa. You’re the perfect choice. You know the game, you’ve played at the top collegiate levels, the girls already like you and I’m familiar with your character. I trust you with my daughters’ well-being.”

“But…but…” Andy’s stumbling reply was interrupted by the waiter and their lunch. She used the arrival of their steaks to make a last-ditch effort to get a grip on the conversation.

“Miranda, I don’t have the time to work with the girls. My job has irregular hours and I don’t have access to anywhere we can practice now. Have you forgotten it’s December and cold outside? The girls need some place inside where they can practice without freezing to death if they’re going to learn the game. I can’t provide them with that.”

“Details, Andréa. Mere details. If you require a warm place to practice then I’ll find one for you to use.”

“But, Miranda…” Andy could feel the ground crumbling away under her even as she made one last try to escape the trap.

Miranda’s cool gaze never wavered. “Yes. Andréa?”

Bizarre as the conversation had become, Andy started to see how it could work. Her job did have irregular hours, but that could work to their benefit as well as not. And once you got the twins away from Miranda they seemed moderately human. Maybe she could give them some much-needed lessons in reality before they became completely unbearable. Granted, it meant that Andy would be back in the sphere of Miranda Priestly’s influence, but at least this time she wouldn’t be in a position that required obeisance. In fact, just the opposite was true. If the girls didn’t work hard or if Miranda tried to interfere, she could leave without consequences. She took a deep breath and returned the cool look.

“All right, Miranda. I’ll do it. But I have a few conditions that will have to be met. First, I’ll expect you to back me up. If the girls don’t like something I tell them, you’re going to agree with me even if you don’t understand why I’m telling them to do it. Second, lacrosse will be just as much a priority in their lives as piano is. And third, I will not accept any payment to coach them. Agreed?”

“Don’t undervalue yourself, Andréa. You have a skill I require. I should compensate you for your expertise. I’ll pay you…”

“No, Miranda. If you pay me then I’m just another employee you can dismiss on a whim. I won’t accept anything for coaching the girls. That way, if the girls aren’t serious about playing I can walk away without any strings. And that’s a deal breaker.”

The two women regarded each other for a long moment. The electricity that sparked between their gazes nearly caused St. Elmo’s fire to flash in the air. Finally, the tiniest hint of a smile turned the corners of Miranda’s lips upward.

“Agreed. Now can we eat our lunch before the steaks congeal?”

As they ate, Miranda asked intelligent questions about nutrition and the possible effects of heavy exercise on growing children. Andy was no expert on either, but told Miranda not to worry. She had no intention of forcing weight training or exhaustive cardio regimens on the girls; that would come later in their careers if they chose to continue playing. Her main goal was to get their endurance up to acceptable levels and teach them how to handle a stick and ball. The rest would take care of itself. Over coffee, they agreed that the girls would meet Andy at the Sports Authority on Sixth Avenue the following Saturday afternoon to be fitted for their gear. Much to Andy’s surprise, Miranda upped the ante.

“If you don’t have plans, perhaps you’d consider joining us for dinner afterwards. That will give you a chance to show the girls how to utilize their equipment and set up a practice schedule. Nothing fancy, I assure you. Saturday night is pizza night.”

“Miranda, it’s the height of the holiday season. Aren’t you going to some swank Christmas party?”

“I promised the girls that Saturday nights are family nights. We eat together and do something as a family. So, no, I’m not attending a party.”

Andy agreed without hesitation. It would be interesting to watch the interactions of the Priestly family up close.