When Fran returned to the mansion later that night, Maxwell was sitting in the living room. "Mr. Sheffield, what are you doing up?"
"Oh...nothing. Couldn't sleep."
Right, thought Fran. You couldn't sleep because you were jealous. Knowing her employer had a history of being bothered by Fran's boyfriends, she decided not to miss an opportunity to have some fun with him. "Oh, I see," she said, trying to appear casual.
"So...how was your evening?" Maxwell asked, also trying to act nonchalant.
"It was completely different than any other date I've ever been on," Fran said with a knowing wink. The description of the evening was completely accurate, but she knew Max would interpret the remark completely the opposite of what she actually meant.
"Is that a good thing?" Maxwell asked, as he suddenly noticed his palms had begun to sweat. He hoped Miss Fine wouldn't notice his nervousness.
"Oh, yes," Fran said, wanting to make him sweat even more. "Lenny is terrific."
"Well, then...I'm very happy for you," Max stammered, swallowing nervously. "I guess I should get to bed, you know, early day tomorrow and all."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Fran said. "I'm beat."
The two went to their respective bedrooms, but neither one slept much. Max was still consumed with jealousy over Fran's new love interest and all the things he'd imagined as he wandered around before coming home. Meanwhile, Fran lay awake wondering why things had gone the way they had with Lenny. In his letters, he had seemed like such a wonderful guy, and he was. But there weren't any sparks between them.