The next afternoon, Fran was getting herself ready for her date. Mr. Sheffield hadn't been home all day, so she still had all of the things she wanted to get off her chest built up inside her. Her and Val were chatting as she got ready.

"Fran, you think you and this Andrew guy are gonna have a long relationship? He seems perfect for you."

"Well, maybe only as long as it takes Mr. Sheffield to realize I'm not gonna wait forever." Fran replied, putting on a black dress.

"Oh, I hear ya there Frannie. Lots of guys that I've been with have had that problem too. Val shook her head. "If I had a dime for every guy that I've had to wait for, when we were, you know.." she rolled her eyes.

Fran gave Val one of the many, 'how have you made it to thirty something and are still this dumb?' kind of looks. "You'd still be broke, Val." Fran said. "And NO, I mean if I make Mr. Sheffield jealous, that maybe he'll finally realize he's in love with me too. Who knows if it'll work, but a girl can dream." She put her hands on her hips as she looked at her friend. "And meanwhile, lots of guys, Val? I'm not the only one who's dreaming here."

Val shrugged her shoulders. "So what happens if he doesn't get jealous, and you end up really liking this guy? What are you gonna do then Fran?"

"Oh, I don't know Val. i guess I'm just putting all my eggs in one basket here." She sighed as she sat on her bed.

"Well, you must feel pretty good about this guy if you're gonna give him your eggs." Val added, standing up. Again, Fran gave her best friend a quizzical look. But Val was pretty oblivious, as if that wasn't obvious. "I better get home, you know how my mother get if I'm not home for dinner." She said, standing up from sitting on the bed.

"Uh, sure Val. I'll call ya later. "Fran said bye to her friend as she left the room. She started thinking about whether or not she wanted Mr. Sheffield to know where she was going before she left. What would she say? And would he try to stop her? She realized she'd be crushed if he didn't try, but then again, how does she fix the situation with his work if she didn't go out with this guy? Fran decided to just leave everything the way it was, letting Mr. Sheffield find out about her date when she was already on it, so that even if he did get mad, at least she'd have the possibility of a new business deal to offer up as an apology. When the doorbell rang, Fran timed her arrival at the door perfectly, as always.

"Mr. Johnson is here for you Miss Fine." Niles announced as she came down the stairs in that little black dress only she could make look good, without looking trashy.

"Andrew, it's so good to see you." She bounced over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Where are we going this afternoon?" she asked, trying to sound as bubbly, and flirty as possible. It's never too early to start working that charm, she ways thought.

"I made a late lunch reservation at Chez Marie's" he said, looking all around the mansion's entry. "But first, I'd love a tour of the great Sheffield mansion." He looked at Niles.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. The last tour for the day just finished," Niles said, always willing to help out his friend.

"Ah. Just as well." The critic said. "I can already tell Maxwell doesn't need me telling him what plays to produce, he's made quite a living already, obviously."

"Well actually," Fran said, thinking on her feet. "You know, he's had some bad luck recently, and he's always grateful for that insider advice." She smiled, feeling a little worried by the tone of the date so far.

Andrew wasn't really listening though. "Is that an original Picasso? I heard his latest pieces went for a hundred grand at auction last week." He said, marvelling at the vase sitting on the table in the entry.

"Uhh," Fran stammered a bit. "Would you believe his rich great aunt dropped dead the same week he won the lotto max? I mean really, do you believe that?" she really, really hoped he did.

"You know Fran," Andrew said as he took her arm, and turned towards the door. "I'll admit, I was feeling a little bad for Maxwell when I heard Webber got that deal." Good! Fran thought. I can use this! But before she had the chance to say her two cents, Andrew continued. "But, now seeing this place, with the butler, and the beautiful woman he has raising his children. I can see he certainly doesn't need any help from me."

Fran gave him a nervous smile. Oy. Now what? She thought as they headed out for their afternoon date. And she was coming to the conclusion that it was going to be a long afternoon at that. She knew her mind would be very busy trying to convince Andrew to give Mr. Sheffield a play. He was a last hope, and Fran sure was hoping it worked.

Luckily, Fran was pleasantly surprised by her date after all. After a drink, they ate a delicious meal at one of New York's most sought after restaurants, and then took a peaceful, sunny stroll down towards the river. When it was time to say goodnight, Fran and Andrew shared a nice hug, and Fran gave him another peck on the cheek. I had a very nice time, Andrew. I'd love to do it again sometime." She said as he walked her to the door.

"So did I, Fran." He smiled. "You know, I'm not usually this forward with women, but you're not like most women I meet."

"Awww, that's sweet," she blushed, and he continued to smile while he looked her very squarely in the eyes.

"Fran, I have to go to Greece to review a few plays next week, I don't suppose I could convince you to join me?" he asked, putting his hand on hers