Late night conversations

Picking up her now empty mug, Megan got up from the table. “Do you need help getting her to bed?” She asked motioning to Bailey who had fallen asleep while sitting up. Amanda ran the brush through Bailey’s hair a few more times before shaking her head. Taking her little sister's mostly empty mug Megan went into the kitchen to put them in the sink. “Wake up pumpkin, come on sweetie we need to get you to bed.” Amanda could see Bailey’s green thick eyelash covered eyes flutter halfway open. “Wha?” She could hear her say sleepily. “Come on, we have to get you to bed and still have to remove your makeup.” She helped Bailey get to her feet and walked her back to her room, looking over her shoulder at Megan. “Try not to disappear on me, I think we should talk.” Amanda watched as her older sister looked at her watch and made a mock yawn before coming into Bailey’s room and helping the still half asleep girl remove her makeup. As she removed the eyeshadow from Bailey’s first eye she heard her mumble something. “What was that sweetheart?” Amanda squatted down to be on the same level to hear what was said. “PIlls, I like need to take my pills.” Putting her hand on Bailey’s cheek she thought it was the cutest thing in the world how Bailey leaned her head into her hand. “I will get them and a glass of water for you, but after we finish. Trust me, you do not want to go to sleep in your makeup.” She watched as Bailey had already closed her eyes again, tring to go back to sleep sitting up, using her hand as a pillow.

After getting Bailey to bed Amanda quietly closed the door and took a deep breath and let it out. “Meg, I have to say I am really worried about Bailey.” Megan had moved over to the much more comfortable couch and patted the cushion next to her. Sitting down Amanda looked at her hands for a moment before looking into her older sister's blue eyes. “I tried to explain it away, that a doctor would know better than me if Bailey was having a problem like suddenly growing breasts, but dammit I know what breasts look like and my Bailey has them! And..” Amanda got up from the couch and started pacing in front of it, while Megan shifted a pillow to get comfortable watching her little sis try to wear out the apartment's carpet. “Today was great, amazing, magical even!” Amanda talked with her hands like many people, but it was normally subtle motions. Now show as making larger gestures as she went on and vented her thoughts. “Bailey has been so terrific, and that is in big thanks to you for helping me. In Bailey’s room an hour ago I was giving her a chance to get out of this, back to normal. You heard her when she asked me if I was enjoying having a daughter?” Amanda hadn’t waited for Megan to respond and kept rambling on. “That broke my heart! Meg, I am… I really am loving having a daughter, and everytime I see her smiling and having fun it makes me feel so content.” Stopping her walking Amanda plopped down on the couch and leaned on her sister. “But it isn’t real, it is all selfish. Bailey my boyfriend… ex-boyfriend for all intents and purposes right now is posing as my daughter. I saw Bailey dancing with August and I didn’t think how much Bailey must be suffering, no instead I thought how cute they were together. Then I start feeling guilty for giving Bailey an out because he turned it down and I realized if that happened it would not just be my career being destroyed, but I would have destroyed April’s too!”

Putting her arm around Amanda, Megan gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I have told you for years that company was horrible. How many times has some man in a suit said he wanted to stick his dick in you one way or another? Or just simply thought he had the right to touch you? No, don’t answer we both know the truth of it. WIth that you worked your ass off to prove yourself, you earned a district manager position a hundred times over. Bailey was willing to sacrifice for you to have it and every time you ask him to stop you are slapping him in the face.” Amanda hadn’t thought of it like that, if she sacrificed her career to put herself in a worse place than before this started everything Bailey had done would have been for nothing, worse it would have been the cause of things being worse. “Yeah, but how much does he have to sacrifice for me? Did you see how skinny Bailey has gotten? And she has breasts!” When Amanda went to get back up and resume pacing, Megan kept her arm around her and with a firm grip kept her in place leaning into her side. “Okay, I’m not supposed to tell you this, but it isn’t all so bad for Bailey.” Narrowing her eyes slightly, Amanda gave a small shake of her head not sure what her sister meant. “Bailey has opened up to me on Sunday, not just talking about helping you, though that was a big part of it. Bailey is enjoying not having to be an adult, the freedom of not having to stress about money or finding a job. Not being expected to go out to a bar that is full of cigarette smoke and not bottle up emotions. Could you imagine Bailey opening up and crying to his friend Charles' shoulder?” Amanda shook her head, knowing that he hardly let her help with his grief. “Exactly, and as your daughter she has little to worry about. Heck can you tell me when the last time the two of you were this close? When you hugged this much?”

Sitting in silence for a moment Amanda thought about that. It felt like it was forever ago that they used to fuck like bunnies, heck it felt odd thinking about Bailey in that context right now and as their sex life died down they got in more fights and were drifting a bit apart, but it was crystal clear how much Bailey loved her. “It has been nice and Bailey really told you she was enjoying this?” Megan nodded, giving a small smile. “Why else would he do things like get his lips plumped up to stay in character. If Bailey wanted this to be over would she be doing things to make it more difficult to look like her old self? Would she have encouraged you to spend time with Derrick? I mean I have heard Bailey call him Daddy a few times and it is cute. Have you considered why Bailey would be trying to build a relationship with Derrick if this was all supped to be over soon?” Amanda opened her mouth to retort and thought about Bailey dancing with him the other night and how she had cried into his chest from the gift. If that was true, why had they gotten into a fight about him wanting this over on Friday night? “Are you saying Bailey likes being a girl and my daughter?” Megan gave a shrug to the question and a lopsided grin. “I can tell you that I agree with you about Bailey’s chest and reading the paperwork for the **** you injected it was supposed to help with her hormones, so the doctor must have known and she didn’t want to say anything.” Megan said, making sure to refer to Bailey as a female this entire time.

Massaging her temples Amanda tried to think, she was exhausted and not thinking clearly. “But how would Bailey have grown breasts?” Amanda could feel her sister drubbing her fingers on her shoulder as she thought. “Power of the mind? I don’t know, but she has them and hasn’t said anything to me or you about them. Let the doctor do his thing and I’m sure Bailey will open up to you soon enough, but I know you are enjoying having a daughter and having Derrick around. Maybe stop beating yourself up constantly, drink coffee from your best Mom mug Bailey got you and hold that sexy man’s hand for as long as you can.” Amanda sat up and pulled away squinting at Megan. “Sexy man huh?” Megan shrugged with a large smile on her face. “I’m not blind and seeing you with him has made me get back into dating.” Amanda moved her hand over her mouth to try and cover her surprise. “I even have a date on Sunday night.” It was a huge surprise to find out her sister was not only jumping back into the dating pool, but she had a date with Charles or Chuck as Bailey called him. It was interesting how the two bonded when he was worried about Bailey being missing and she was doing her best to cover things up. She briefly worried it would put Bailey at risk, but even that apparently wasn’t worth fretting over when Meg had told her Charles had already met Bailey Ann Best and thought she wasn’t anything more than the ditzy blonde she appeared to be. “Well I am happy for you, enjoy yourself, but be careful. From what I understand he isn’t much for keeping secrets when he has had a few drinks, or so I am told.” Megan gave her sister a lopsided grin. “Don’t worry Mom, I will be careful.” Her words dripped with sarcasm and in response Amanda pulled the pillow away that her sister was using to rest on and then tossed it at her face. “A grown woman and still a brat.” Megan said with a serious tone as she stood up, though Amanda could see her playful smile. “Say am also trying to get out more, Jeremy’s Mother Caroline. You know the boy from tonight that gave the girls gift cards to the shoe store?” Megan waited for her sister to nod before seeing if she wanted to join her for the outing. She had taken some classes on her own at the local community college after her divorce, but had mostly been a homebody. “Well she invited me to her book club and doesn’t live far from my place. Would you come with me?” She could see the hesitation in her sister's face. “I do not think I have time to read a book, let alone in two days.” Megan pursed her lips and reached out, taking Amanda’s hand. “You hardly have a life outside of work, you need this as much as me. If you won’t do it for yourself, you should do it because your big sister is asking and saying please.” With a sigh Amanda nodded and gave in to Meg’s wishes. “On the condition I also get a thank you. Oh, and you have to say I am the best sister ever.” Amanda’s words were playful, but she looked at her older sister with a serious expression. “Fine, thank you for being the best bratty sister ever.”

After Megan had left, Amanda locked the apartment door and moved her hand to the light switches. Her fingers lingered over them as she looked at the door to Bailey's room. It was a surprise Bailey would confide in her sister, the two of them had hardly been on friendly terms. Though maybe because she helped so much with all of this they were able to find common ground. She wished Bailey would have talked to her about this, she saw Bailey having fun and with how he was raised he hadn’t had much of a childhood. Bailey had told her how he had to be the one to practically run the family store because his father wanted to be outside. Still this was much more than just pretending to be younger. Maybe she would talk to Bailey more about it in the morning. Setting her resolve to get some more answers Amanda flicked the lights off, leaving just the overhead light for the stove on before going to bed. Slipping under the covers she reached for her phone and sent a text to Derrick.

Amanda: Thank you for everything tonight.

Amanda: How did you even find Cherry? That was incredible.

Laying there in bed her blue eyes stayed on the screen waiting for his reply, hoping he hadn’t gone to bed just yet and thinking how it wasn’t just incredible that he did something like that, but he was incredible for doing it. Just over a minute passed with no reply and she was ready to put her phone on her nightstand when it vibrated.

Derrick: I hardly did anything, you, your sister, April were the ones to do everything. I paid a little money and was mostly just there.

Derrick: Heck April’s younger brother and that boy that can’t take his eyes off Candace did most of the setup and cleanup.

Amanda: His name is Ryan, Ryan Davis. How do you remember everyone's names at the office and cannot remember the name of the boy your daughter introduced you to?

Derrick: Easily I don’t remember, I have an assistant for that! You want to be my assistant for remembering peoples names outside of work? Might mean spending more time with me, you know to help me with names and such.

A smile curled on Amanda’s lip as she looked at her phone, she could imagine him looking at her with his green eyes and having that confident little smirk on his face.

Amanda: You did not answer my question.

Derrick: Candace told me about what happened to Bailey’s father and how he had to sell the filly.

Derrick: I didn’t do anything clever, just searched for stables in the area and asked around.

Amanda: How long did that take you?

Derrick: That isn’t important

Amanda: You doing that, seeing Bailey’s reaction, that is important to me.

Derrick: It was for Bailey, and if I also earned a few points with you, then all the better.

Amanda: You did

Derrick: Does that mean you will accept the position to help me remember names? Or just things in general?

Amanda: What is the pay?

Derrick: Dinners, lunches, but mostly you will be paid in exposure.

Amanda: Exposure? Exposure to what you? I will have to decline the offer.

Derrick: Your words wound me.

Amanda: File a complaint with my regional manager.

Derrick: That is me!

Amanda: Are you sure? I do not think I would have kissed my regional manager. Sounds inappropriate.

Derrick: I could be mistaken, in fact I think we should drop the matter all together.

Amanda: I think I need to sleep.

Derrick: Sweet dreams Mandy

Amanda: Goodnight