Gracie saw her father first. "Daddy! Daddy! Here we are!" She waved wildly and jumped up and down. Maggie and Brighton's expressions brightened as well. Only Fran was irritated. What was Maxwell doing here? On the one hand, she was happy to see him, but it would be difficult to pretend normality in front of the children. Maxwell was surrounded by his children who were all tugging at him at the same time and asking him questions. Finally he explained, "I didn't feel like working today. When Niles told me where you were, I spontaneously decided to follow you. I hope my appearance won't cause any inconvenience, Miss Fine?!" He winked at her. "Of course not Mr. Sheffield. You know I'm always in favor of you spending time with the children."

So the five of them strolled through the park. There was a lot to see. At some stations clowns, acrobats and other artists showed their tricks. Then there were some merry-go-rounds, booths with games and lots of food. At one booth Gracie called out "Look at the great stuffed animals." They stepped closer, there were cans to throw. Maxwell let Gracie talk him into trying it and Brighton wanted to try it too. After a few misses, Maxwell knocked over the whole tower with one ball. He won a big teddy bear, which he gave to lucky Gracie. Brighton knocked over seven cans and got a little dinosaur. At the next booth, Maxwell shot a marzipan heart for Maggie and a rose for Fran. "For the best nanny in the world!" Fran understood the secret message behind his words. She terribly wanted to hug and kiss him, but she couldn't do that in the presence of the children. So she contented herself with eagerly thanking him.

Meanwhile, at the Sheffield mansion. Niles decided it was a good time to do some investigating. He wanted to start in Fran's room. But he got a bad surprise. Fran had locked her door. This was new and he didn't like it at all. Niles couldn't understand the world anymore. Fran clearly had to have something to hide. He was dying to get into the room, but the spare keys were in Mr. Sheffield's care and he didn't know where. If he forced the door open, Fran would find it out. Then he had to concentrate on secret number two. He went to the office. At first glance, everything looked the same. On the desk were contracts, manuscripts and other papers. Niles checked the memo book. But there was nothing suspicious to be found. There were only his business appointments. Niles knew about those. He rummaged through the basket. He found crumpled paper and some scraps. He painstakingly put the scraps together. Movie tickets! Mr. Sheffield hadn't been to the movies in ages, after all. He deciphered the date. The tickets were from last Wednesday. Mr. Sheffield was supposedly at a business dinner with an old friend. Had he been to the movies with him, too? Or was there a woman behind the date? Niles couldn't believe it. Since the death of Sarah, Maxwell had never been seriously interested in a woman. Was he supposed to be in love? That would explain a lot. His frequent going out, his good mood, and his behavior in the last time. Niles was sure he was on the right track.

At the same time, the children had discovered a chain carousel. Fran and Maxwell didn't want to go on the ride. They stood close together and waved at the three of them. When the carousel was in full swing, Fran whispered to Maxwell. "Why did you really come here?" Stealthily, he reached for her hand. "I wanted to be with the children and especially with you. I miss you every second you are not with me" Fran smiled at him. She would have liked to fall around his neck. "You look pretty in that turtleneck!" "And you know how to make compliments and charm a girl." That's when the kids came back. Together they spent some more time at the circus. Rode the carousels and ate lots of sweets. A little later, Maggie and Brighton were jumping on a trampoline. Fran, Maxwell and Gracie sat on a park bench. Gracie, a little tired, sat on Fran's lap. She was enjoying the day. When they were all together like this, they were like a real family. She wished it could always be like this. Shortly after, they headed home. At the mansion, Gracie had fallen asleep in her father's arms. Fran laid her down in her bed. Maggie wanted to take a bath and Brighton also retired to his room.

Fran went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. "Oh Niles, that was a beautiful day and what did you do to pass the time?" "A butler always has plenty to do! And are you going out again tonight?" "Me, going out? Um no, today I'm staying here!" Niles remarked, Fran was not looking at him. Just then Maxwell came into the kitchen. "Here Niles, these are the things you would need to go shopping for. A light dinner would be best for tonight. Get on your way right away. Miss Fine please come into my office for a moment." Niles scowled as he got ready to go shopping, while Fran hurried to the study. She immediately hopped on her spot. Before she could say anything, Maxwell put a finger to her lips. "Miss Fine, I wanted to talk to you about next Wednesday." Fran stared at him in confusion. That's when he slid her a note. 'Attention. Enemy is listening!' Fran understood. Niles must have been on the intercom again. "Yeah what about next Wednesday?" "CC and I are planning a little reception for the actors in our musical. So it would be good if you could do something out of the house with the kids. I'm sure Niles would appreciate this idea too, he has a lot to do that day. There is a lot of cleaning and cooking to do." They both chuckled at the idea of what face Niles was now pulling. "Of course Mr. Sheffield. I'll think of something great for the kids." They talked about the kids for a while until Maxwell suddenly took her in his arms and kissed her. "He's gone!" he whispered in her ear. "How do you know that?" "Simple. I replaced the intercom here in the office. A little light now shines on when someone from another room is listening in." "You're really smart!" Fran fell into Maxwell's arms. Maxwell pushed the button on the intercom to listen in on the kitchen. That way, they would know when Niles came home. Snuggled close they sat in his chair and exchanged caresses. "Today was wonderful!" purred Fran, "Just..." Fran lowered her head. "What's Fran?" Fran fussed. "It's nothing really. It's just sometimes hard to hide my feelings. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy our relationship as it is, even the sneakiness. But..." Maxwell stroked her cheek. "I understand what you mean. Sometimes I have to pull myself together to not hug and kiss you, too." As if on cue, they kissed each other long and intense. "You know we can always make our love official." "No Max. I don't want to. You know what would happen if we did. Niles and Ma would start planning our wedding right away. Everyone would keep butting in. I want you for myself for a while longer. Please!" "You're right, you're right," he agreed with her. They hugged tightly, exchanging wild kisses, until they heard Niles in the kitchen. Fran quickly scurried out of the office and up the stairs via the living room. Niles was putting away the groceries in the kitchen. Then he went into the office with a tray of tea. Fran was no longer there and his boss was engrossed in some paperwork.

Later at dinner, Fran and Maxwell put on their most neutral expressions. Fran would occasionally run her foot up his leg. Maxwell had trouble concentrating on the children's chatter. After the meal, Maggie and Brighton left. Both had dates. Gracie wanted to watch a movie with Fran. When Gracie fell asleep, Fran went downstairs. She grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and wished Niles a good night. In the living room, she ran into Maxwell. Hastily, he slipped her a letter, which she made disappear in a flash. When Niles joined them, he could only see Fran go up to her room and his boss disappear into the office. He couldn't shake of the feeling that they were hiding something from him. When the house was quiet, he went upstairs. He knocked on the master suite. Maxwell was sitting up in bed, reading. Nothing conspicuous was to be seen. Niles put his warm milk down for him. Then he crept to Fran's room. Quietly, he opened the door. Fran was lying in her bed, unresponsive. Niles cautiously stepped closer. Aha she was obviously listening to music on her Discman. Quietly he left the room. Fran breathed a sigh of relief. She had noticed him very well. But he had not seen through her show. Waiting a few more minutes, she turned the lights back on and began to read Maxwell's letter.