Don't Wait Till It's Too Late

Chapter 1

Fran's P.O.V.

At Ma's

"Mr. Sheffield, this situation is not going to work for me anymore. You need to make a decision. You can't keep pulling me along for whenever you want to be in a relationship with me. I just can't take it anymore. It's either now or never."

"That was very good darling. Now back to the mansion and say it to his face. On second thought, no. Don't. He is the best damn thing that ever happened to you and you can't afford to screw us out of this one too! You're over thirty and single! You're going to grow old and die a single, bitter woman!" Sylvia shouted as she waltzed into Fran's old bedroom.

"Ma! I came here to get away from the drama. How about some privacy? Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot it's a foreign concept to you!" Sylvia rolled her eyes as she walked over and sat next to her daughter on the bed. She looked into her eyes and saw hurt, pain, and betrayal. "He doesn't know what he wants Ma. I don't know what to do."

"Sweetheart, I'm sure he knows what he wants. He is just afraid. Isn't it obvious that he loves you? He doesn't need to say it directly to you. He says it by the way he looks at you and talks to you." Fran looked at her mother.

"I don't know Ma. I feel as if he will never be able to express his true feelings to me. I can't stay there forever waiting on him and saying 'Three more years, Mr. Sheffield, three more years!'" Fran did her best imitation of Yetta.

"Just don't rush into anything, darling."

"What rushing, Ma? I have been in idle waiting for who I thought to be the man of my dreams and it got me nowhere. I have to move on!" Fran got up from the bed.

"Don't do anything that you will regret later. Go back to the house. It's O.K. if you don't try and pursue a relationship with that gorgeous millionaire in the mansion." She stuck her arms out and pretended to be dizzy. When she "got her bearings" she continued. "Those children need you. You are the closest thing to a mother they have and they can't bear to lose you."

"You're right. They need me. Even if I don't want to go back, I am going to, for them. But I am moving on, emotionally. Thanks Ma. Love ya." Fran bent down and kissed her mother goodbye.

"Bye, darling. Love you." Fran walked out of the room and Sylvia sighed.

That's my girl. She thought. Besides, they are meant for each other. It's destined to be. She walked from the room to go get a snack.

At the Sheffield Mansion

"Gracie, sweetie, are you ready to go to the park?" Fran asked. When she had arrived back at the mansion earlier, she decided that to get her mind off of things she would take Grace to the park to get her mind off of things.

"Sure Fran. Let me run upstairs and get my purse." She ran upstairs as Niles came out of the kitchen.

"Miss Fine, a gentleman came by for you when you were at your mothers. He said his name was Mason."

"Oh, I remember him" Fran said as Gracie came back down the stairs. "I met him at that night... book reading that featured um…who was it again?"

"Mother Goose."

"Oh, right Mother...Goose" Fran gave Niles the evil eye. Niles shrugged his shoulders and Gracie giggled. "What did he want?"

"Well he wanted to speak to you so he gave me this." Niles handed Fran a scrap of paper with a number on it.

"Thank you Niles. I'll call him later." Fran and Grace walked out the door. In the limo ride, Gracie turned to Fran.

"So, who is this Mason guy?" Gracie may have been young, but Fran caught her up on guy drama almost first. After Niles, of course.

"Just some guy I met…somewhere. It's nothing serious."

"Oh, just wondering."

"Gracie, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I guess. It's just that if you get serious about a guy, you might forget about us."

"Angel, by the looks of my love life right now, that will never eva happen. Besides, I could never forget you kids. I love you guys." Gracie smiled.

"I love you too Fran. Oh look, we're here!" They got out of the limo. Fran took bread out of her purse so that they could feed the pigeons.

"Well hello there Fran." Fran turned around to see a familiar face.

"Mason? What are you doing here?" Fran quickly scanned her surroundings to see if he was with someone. When she saw that he wasn't, she smiled.

"Just taking a walk. I came by your house earlier."

"Yeah, yeah I know. I'm sorry I haven't returned your calls. I just…"

"Hey, hey don't worry about it. Mind if I join you?" Fran smiled and nodded.

"Gracie, here take the bread and go down by the lake. See if the ducks want some." Gracie took the bread and ran down by the lake. Fran and Mason found a nearby bench.

"You're daughter is adorable," Mason said.

"She's not my daughter. I like to think of her as mine though. I'm just the nanny. Her mother died years back in a car accident." Fran sighed. She had known of the accident for many years but it still got her in tears.

"I feel so bad for her." Fran nodded. She knew what he meant. "So…what are you doing tomorrow night? Got any plans?"

"Not yet." Fran smiled. He laughed.

"Great. Well, how about dinner?"

"Sounds good. Where we going?"

"Surprise." He winked at her. Gracie came running back, all out of bread. "Pick you up at six?"

"Sure. Come on Gracie let's go. See you tomorrow, Mason."

"See you, Fran. Bye cutie."

"Mason, stop! Oh you meant her," Fran joked. She walked to the car with Gracie following. She couldn't wait to get home to find what she was going to wear.