It had been a month since that fateful day when Peri had spilled her lunch over herself and Josh Craig. At work he was all business, they had both decided it was best to keep what happened between them outside work. He was still the arrogant control freak she had always known in the office, but there were subtle changes in his demeanour now, and how he interacted with her. His eyes still followed her every movement, and when he came to see her about a project she was working on, he would lean over her or brush against her, the contact making her dizzy with joy.
Josh was a driven man; you didn't get to be in a position like his at such a young age, without putting in the hours and hard work, to back up his talent. Peri often stayed behind with him at work but found when deadlines approached he was better left to himself. After the first incredible week where they had barely spent a moment apart, she felt lonely on the nights that she came home alone to the house she shared with Andie.
For her part, Andie seemed to have settled down with a mysterious man. She was home some nights and seemed to have become a regular home maker. Peri was startled when she walked in and found the house clean and her mother in the kitchen cooking, when she finally went home for the first time since packing a small bag to keep at Josh's that first week. There had been an uneasy truce between them since that night, but it was better than how it had been.
Peri watched Andie folding some laundry, still not quite sure what to make of the change in her, "You going out tonight Andie?"
"No, not tonight," she answered wistfully.
"I was thinking it was time to update my wardrobe a bit, do you want to come shopping with me, it's Thursday the stores are open late. We could, you know, hang out," Peri thought that if her mother was trying to change she should give her a chance to mend the bridges so to speak.
"Really?" Andie smiled widely, "I'd genuinely like that. Just let me make a call first."
Peri watched as her mother walked into her room opening her mobile and went to brush her hair and slip on a pair of heels. Peri knew the type of things she wanted to try on, and she would need heels to see how it would look. She didn't want to change her look so much as she just wanted to make it less frumpy seeming. Josh liked the understated, quiet librarian, persona she had at work just as much as the sexy girl he took home most nights.
"Let's go kiddo! I haven't been shopping for ages," Andie grinned at her.
Peri found herself enjoying shopping with Andie who seemed strangely restrained in her choices agreeing that Peri's style was all her own and making gentle suggestions rather than forcing her into uncomfortable and revealing outfits that did not suit her short curvy figure. During the shopping trip, Andie brought only one dress and Peri was surprised that it was a sedate style that suited her age as well as flattered her phenomenal figure.
Andie was actually a treasure trove of advice now that Peri was actually listening to her rather than cringing away from the lurid details of Andie's past conquests. She gave advice on inserts for high heel shoes to stop the ache that came after extended wear, the best bras for her larger cup size, and the benefits of natural fibres particularly in lingerie.
The whole night was fun for them both, Peri even allowing Andie to give her make up tips, and they treated themselves to some take home food and red wine from one of their favourite restaurants as the stores were closing. As Andie drove them home Peri's phone rang and she picked it up happily seeing Josh's name on the screen she answered with a smile, "Hi Josh."
That was the last word she got out of her mouth as she listened to his tirade, he had tried to call her several times, he had been to her house to find no one home, he had no idea where she was or whom she was with. He would meet her at her house, and he hung up. Trying to hold it all together not wanting to ruin the first fun night she had enjoyed with her mother for years, she looked at her watch gauging the time.
Andie in a rare show of maternal care reached over and patted her leg, "He was just worried about you baby, and that shows he cares more than he wants to admit." She glanced over and smiled slightly before drawing her eyes back to the road, and Peri burst into tears. "Aw baby, don't cry. Sometimes love happens so fast you don't even notice it until something like this happens. It's a good thing to know he was worried and cares about you so much, right?"
Peri took a deep shuddering breath considering her mother's words. "It's more like he is a control freak and I wasn't where he thought I should be."
Andy laughed, "It didn't sound like that to me, he was shouting loud enough for me to hear the worry in his voice. Whether you two want to admit it or not, it sounds a lot like love to me."
Peri sniffed, "We have only been dating a few weeks. It's fantastic don't get me wrong, I have never been so happy, but love Andie? You of all people aren't going all Mills and Boon on me, are you?"
"It happens to us all sometimes," Andie said wistfully. "Finding that right someone worth settling down for, someone who appreciates all of you not just how you look or whether you give a killer blow job." She grinned and waggled her eyebrows as Peri looked at her opened mouthed.
"There's the Andie I know," Peri couldn't help but join Andie's good mood and wiped her face one last time. They pulled into their driveway and took everything inside the house, Andie was setting the table for two as Peri emerged from her room having put away her shopping bags.
"I am just going to take this," she held up a glass of wine and a small plate of food, "and go and make a few phone calls. Try and remember he was just worried about you." Peri looked at the table, Andie had set out everything so nicely, she just hoped Josh would be in the mood to appreciate it.
Josh arrived minutes later, and she opened the door before he had time to knock, "Where the hell were you?"
"Hello Josh," she said pleasantly, "What a surprise to see you. I thought you were pulling an all nighter."
"Yeah well I didn't," he saw the table set for two and turned on her with blazing eyes. "Interrupting, am I?" Josh sneered.
"Actually yes," she responded a little too quickly, "but luckily Andie doesn't mind, she went to make a few phone calls and left some food for you." Peri flounced over to the table, "Let's not waste the dinner. You can yell at me from over here just as well as there and I am starving."
Josh followed her still seething but feeling a little foolish for the last remark. "I was worried he said plaintively, "You're usually so predictable."
"Oh no," Peri said with a perfectly straight face, "We have been dating for a month and I am already predictable?"
