Floodgates

by BinBagBrain

This takes place roughly in Season 3 beginning in Spring Break. Some of the storylines in the show are removed/ignored so there's less animosity between the characters of Fran and Max. Any wordiness is just to help create an image and provide some stage direction for the reader to help them visualize what is happening. Don't forget to read all the chapters! More chapters to come!

6. Chapter 6

When they finished measuring the living room furniture and got a rough size of the living space, Fran was getting excited.

"I can't believe we're doing this! It's nuts!" She exclaimed. Max laughed.

"It is, isn't it? This should be a fun adventure. You ready to go? I just need to run and get my wallet upstairs, and I can call for a cab."

"Oh, yeah, I need my purse! Let's run upstairs! I'm so excited to go!" She ran ahead of Max to the staircase and he jogged up after her. Max retrieved his wallet and used his bedroom phone to call for a cab, then met back up with Fran in the hallway.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Just need to pick a coat. Hey- were you going to wear your bomber jacket?"

"I can wear whatever. Why, did you have your eye on it?"

Fran grinned. "Maybe… it's a nice coat. I was just kind of wondering what it might look like…"

"You're welcome to wear it. You want to try it on?"

"Okay!" Fran pulled him by the hand and they hurried down the stairs. Max's bomber jacket was still hanging over the end of the bannister. She picked it up and tried it on while Max went to the closet to pick out a different coat. Fran went to the hall mirror to have a look at herself and smiled, and hugged herself in the coat. Max shut the closet and put on his mid-length black wool coat and walked over to Fran. He smiled as he watched her enjoying his coat in the mirror. She turned to look at him bashfully.

"You do look cute in that," he said.

"You think so?" She turned back to look in the mirror, and Max came up behind her.

"Mmm hmm. You want to wear it?"

"I'd like to. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course it is. You can wear my things anytime, especially if you look that cute in them!" He tugged at the front of the coat and pulled her to him so he could kiss her.

"Thank you, sweetie. And I like your coat, too. You look good in black. You have that notepad and measuring tape?"

"Yes, all ready to go."

"Okay, let's get out of here so we can meet that cab and go have some fun!"

"Alright, then!" They grabbed each other's hand and ran out the front door, Max locking it behind them. It was just a moment's wait before their cab pulled up and they hopped in, off to their next adventure.

The cab pulled up in front of the long warehouse block, bustling with shoppers. Max got out first and then helped Fran out. He wrapped his arm over her shoulders.

"Ready?" He grinned.

"You bet! Let's go!" She wrapped her arm around his waist and they headed for the main entrance.

When they stepped inside, Fran's jaw dropped. She was sure she had never seen any place like it before in her life. There was a huge expanse before them of living room furniture, with signs in the distance pointing to more areas for bedroom furniture and kitchen furniture, too. And there was even more on the two floors above them.

"Oh my god, Max!" She grabbed his arm. "Are you kidding me? How did I not know about all this?" She was stopped in her tracks, mesmerized.

"Wow!" He agreed. "You could spend days in here and still probably not see everything!" They both let their eyes wander across the huge factory/warehouse space. Max spotted a stand not far from the door with paper booklets with maps of the entire place, including a directory of all the shops. He stepped over to grab one and handed it to Fran.

"Oh! Thank you! We're definitely gonna need this! Where should we start?" She asked.

Max looked around. "Well, do you want to just make a circle around the ground floor, see what we can see? Then work our way upstairs? I guess we can start heading that way, and follow that big walkway around. See on the map? It goes all the way around."

Fran looked at where Max pointed on the map she held in her hands. "Yeah, okay. Let's do that. Oh Max, look! They have a few cafes upstairs, where the smaller shops are! Maybe we can get a bite up there if we get hungry."

Max smiled at her. "Sounds like a plan!" They headed off, hand in hand, and began to wander through the selections of living room furniture.

They made their way through section after section of a multitude of styles of design, with the occasional sales person hovering around them, anxious to snag a commission. They sat on every couch and every side chair, put their feet up on ottomans and footstools, and even tried several recliners. Each new area they went to seemed to have their own catalog of furniture, and Fran swiftly grabbed one out of every stack they passed.

They had nearly come full circle around the big factory space when they came into an area with contemporary furniture. Long sofas and chaise lounges, huge ottomans, end tables, and sofa tables grouped in coordinated spaces, giving the customers ideas of how to put together a space. Fran was impressed.

"Oh Max, I like this stuff! Look at the colors! Oh, wow! Look at that couch over there! Let's go see it!" She hurried with her armful of catalogs to a large L-shaped couch, ran her hand across the back of it, then went around it to try it out. She sat down and felt the fabric some more, then shifted herself back on it and relaxed into it. Max came walking up to her, his hands also full of catalogs. He smiled at her.

"You like it?" He turned around and flopped down next to her.

"Yessss! It's so soft! And this is such a pretty blue, don't you think?"

Max set the catalogs down in his lap and ran his hand over the cushion next to him. "Yes, it's very soft, isn't it? And deep. You could probably sleep several people on this thing! Hey, hang on a sec-" he said, and got up to go sit in the corner section. He looked around to see if any sales people were watching, and when he decided it was safe, he pushed himself back and lifted his legs up onto the couch. "Hey, you. Come here a minute."

Fran had been watching him, curious at what he was up to. She scooted over to him and he put his arm around her and pulled her close. She lifted a foot up and rested it on the edge of the big coffee table that was in front of them. She smiled up at Max, then looked back over the couch.

"This is nice!" She said. Max had to agree.

"It just needs an ottoman or something maybe, instead of that coffee table," he said.

"Ooh, yeah. You're good, you know that? Maybe I should hire you for some interior decorating." They both laughed.

"Well, I've been involved in a lot of set decoration. Maybe some of that stuck."

"Mmm… maybe. But an ottoman, it would have to be a pretty big one to look right with this couch. I could lose myself in this couch."

"Hello!" Their cozy moment was interrupted by a saleswoman in a dark gray pant suit and heels. "Sorry to interrupt you, my name is Monica. Is there anything I can help you with today? Are you looking for a couch, by any chance?"

Max jolted up and moved his legs off the couch, and they both stood up to shake hands with the woman.

"Hi! I'm Fran, and this is Max. We were just enjoying this beautiful couch. It's wonderful!"

"I'm glad you like it! That's a wonderful upholstery on it, don't you think? And it comes with stain protection, too, because that's the kind of couch you may never want to get off of. You could have all your meals there, and sleep there, too!"

Fran laughed and Max smiled. "Oh, no kidding! Max was just saying how you could sleep several people on this. I could see the kids fighting over who got to lay down on it."

"Oh, I'm sure!" Monica smiled. "I see you've got quite a few catalogs there, let me grab you a bag to carry them in. Did you get a copy of our catalog, too?"

"Oh, no, not yet. You have one too?"

"Yes, hold on just one minute, I'll grab you a copy and get you that bag." She headed away from them towards a desk with a computer on it that was against a wall. Several chairs were set up in front of the desk, so Fran assumed that must be where people ordered their furniture from.

"She's good," Fran said, elbowing Max. "She starts off with the obvious, because you expect that, but then gets more conversational- agreeing with what you say. Then she offers a little help. And you don't refuse it, because you could really use it. We do have a ton of catalogs. So now it makes us feel a bit like we need to help her out a little, you know?"

"Well, maybe that's not so bad," Max said, giving Fran a knowing look. Fran was confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… how much do you like this couch? It is pretty nice, isn't it?" Max looked behind them at the couch they just got up from. Fran looked at it, too.

"Max! What are you saying?! Are you saying you want the couch?" Fran was getting excited.

Max grinned. "I'm saying, why don't we stop pretending that we're redecorating? I mean, why not?"

Fran poked him in the stomach, tickling him. "Are you fricking kidding me? I mean, seriously! Don't tease me!"

"I'm not teasing, Fran. I like it, too. Why don't we look into it? You know, check the measurements and all that. See what else they have that might go with it. Would you like to do that?"

"Would I like to? Oh my gosh, Max, you know I would! Do you have that notepad? And the tape measure?" She was so excited, she was tugging at his coat.

"Yes, I do. Here- in this pocket," he lifted the flap up on his outer pocket and she dug in to retrieve the tape measure and the notepad they had written down all the measurements on. Just then the saleswoman hurried back to them with a catalog and a canvas tote in her hand, and handed them to Max, who began filling the bag with their catalogs.

"Thank you so much!" He said.

"Yes, thank you. Oh, Max let me see the one she brought. Is this couch in the catalog?" Fran asked.

"Yes, yes it is, but it's in red instead of this blue. Oh, and in case you might be interested, there is another, slightly smaller couch as well, in the same style and fabric, and you'll see in the catalog photo that it has a large ottoman with it. That ottoman matches this couch, too. The measurements for everything are listed in the catalog. Feel free to wander and measure things- I noticed you brought a tape measure. A lot of folks do that, it's a really good idea. If you don't need me right away, I'll leave you two to have a look around while I run and make some calls about a few deliveries. But please, feel free to come and grab me if you have a question. Oh! And we are running a promotion right now- you can get up to three free throw pillows with the purchase of a couch. All of our pillows are just over there- see the big shelves along that wall? You can pick out three of those for free, and more if you want. So, I'll leave you to it!"

"Okay, thank you very much!" Fran said. She looked at Max and tugged on his arms. "See? She really is good!" They sat back down on the couch and Fran opened the catalog to try to find the couch, and the ottoman the saleswoman mentioned. Max put his arm around her waist and looked through the pages with her until she found what they were looking for.

"Look at the colors they have… there are quite a few of them," Max said, pointing at the page.

"Yeah. I wonder if they might have some swatches we could look at, too. But I still really like that blue. I think it would go good with all the lighter colors in the house. You know? The contrast from light and dark might look really good. Maybe with some lighter colored pillows? Aw, Max, do you have any idea how this is making me feel?" She looked at him and clutched his cheek and kissed him. "You have to know how amazing this is, that you're letting me do something like this. Do you really like this couch? I mean, you aren't just saying that?"

"I'm not just saying it, Fran. I do like it. That's why I pulled you over there with me. I was trying to see what that would be like, to cuddle with you on this. There's so much more room on this than our couch. Do you think we have room for it?"

Fran looked back and forth over the couch. "Well, you know we'd have to take out the side chairs and the tables, too. But we wouldn't lose any seating, for when people come over. This can fit even more people. Here, come here. Let's use the tape measure." They got up and went around to the back side of the large couch and stretched out the tape measure between them.

"You know, Fran, I bet this takes up the same area as the furniture we have, it would just be in a different orientation. And you know, that ottoman can be used for seating, too. We'd have a lot more room for people to sit with this. What size is the ottoman?" He asked.

"Uh… here it is… it's four feet square. Yeah, that's a lot of space. But what about something to set drinks down on? Would we need a sofa table? Or some kind of trays or something?"

"Sure, I suppose."

"But wait, here- come here," she pulled the tape measure back in and waved Max towards her. "If we had a sofa table, it might come out like a foot or so, maybe more, here- about this far- and it might be at least like four feet long, or more. Now imagine you're leaving your office and walking past the couch and sofa table. And, you know, there might be things on the sofa table like sculptures or vases with flowers, so that might divide the space more. Do you think you would want a table there? Or for it to just be the couch? You know, so you could say hi to people without it feeling like a separate room?"

"Oh, good point. Here, let me see…" Max walked back and forth near the couch, then took the notepad from Fran. "Hmm… a sofa table might cut in to the walking path too much. And yes, I think I'd like to be able to say hi to you or the children if you were sitting here. Or, you know, even lean over the back of the couch to give you a kiss…" he smiled at her. "I couldn't do that if a table was in the way. So I guess we might need some kind of tray or two for the ottoman. Something to set drinks and things on. Maybe we can find something like that here."

"Yeah, I bet we could! So, are we agreeing on this blue? And we can go look at the pillows they have. This couch is pretty deep, so we'd need something people can put behind them if they're short like me."

"Aw, Fran, you aren't short. You're perfect." He kissed her lightly on the lips and pulled her to him. "Let's go see those pillows. And we can set them on this couch to see how they look. And we can get more than three if you want. This couch is pretty big, so it may need more than three."

"Okay, let's go see what they have." They headed for the big set of shelves along the wall and started pulling the sideways-tucked pillows out, one by one, to see what they looked like. Max had no idea how to coordinate pillows with a couch, so he let Fran take the lead, and just looked through them in case he saw something he thought looked nice.

After much take-out-and-put-back, Fran finally had an armful of throw pillows to test out, and Max grabbed a couple himself. They carried them all back to the couch and Fran spread hers across it.

"That red one looks nice with the blue, but I don't think we have anything else in the room that is red, do we? Would that stand out too much?" He asked her.

"I like the red, too, but yeah- I think it's too bold. Let me take that one off for a minute," she pulled the red pillow off the couch and they gave the others another look. "What do you think about those round white pillows? Well, I guess they're actually a little off white? Maybe even with a hint of yellow. If we had two or three of those spread out… and I like the size of that one, the bigger rectangle. Maybe two of that size so people could lean back against them. Here, let me see how that feels." She hurried to the couch and sat down, and tucked the pillow behind her. "Yes! That's perfect! And if Yetta needs anything more, one of the round ones should be enough." Fran looked over at Max, who was still holding his pillows. "Hey, put your pillows on here, too. I want to see."

Max looked at the pillows in his hands, almost forgetting he had them. "Oh! Well, this one just felt good. I wondered if it would work in the corner. You know, if we were all cuddled up… maybe with a blanket, too…" he handed Fran a large, firm, but not too firm, slightly oatmeal speckled pillow with a blue stitched trim- a similar blue to the color of the couch. Fran looked it over approvingly and set it in the corner they briefly shared earlier.

"What do you think? I kind of like it. Yeah… I do like it. Hang on a sec…" She sat down in the corner and shifted the pillow around, then rested it down and laid her head on it. "Oh yeah, that's a keeper! What about that other one you have?" She pointed at Max's hands again.

"Oh, well, um… I thought it was kind of cute. And, well, it does have a bit of red, if you still like the idea of red."

Fran reached her hands out and gestured for him to hand her the pillow. He walked over to her and bashfully handed it to her, then sat down next to her in the corner of the couch. Fran turned the pillow around to look at the front of it, and smiled. The print on the front was in a bold typewriter font with the letters "LO" on top and "VE" underneath. Fran looked up into Max's eyes. "That's a keeper, too! And so are you!" She kissed him, then they got up so she could put the pillow on the couch. They stepped back to look at all of them.

"Here, hand me that red pillow and I'll grab two more of the round ones," Max said, then hurried back to the wall of pillows, retrieved what they needed, and brought them back to Fran, who arranged them across the couch. They looked over the couch again, then at each other, and Max nodded. "I like it. Do you?"

"I do!" She leaned against him as he put his arm on her shoulders.

"Then let's do it. Let's redecorate! We can always change our mind if it doesn't work. But I think it will work. I really like it."

"Me too. If you're sure…" she looked at him again and he nodded. "Then let's go talk to her."

Max smiled and they gathered up all of their pillows and their bag of catalogs and headed to the desk where the saleswoman was sitting. She smiled at them as they approached, and shifted a bundle of papers to the side of the desk next to the computer.

"So how is everything? Do you have any questions for me?" She asked as she stood up. Fran looked at Max, who gave her an encouraging look in return.

"Well, you can see we've got a bunch of pillows…"

The saleswoman Monica smiled. "So, does that mean you like that couch?"

"It does. And we checked the measurements and everything, and we think it'll work for us. But we were interested in the ottoman, too- the one in the same style? You don't happen to have one of those here in the showroom, do you?" Fran asked.

"Actually, yes, we do! Here, set those pillows in this basket and follow me over this way. We rearrange things from time to time, and moved all the ottomans and benches down this way so we could show off some new coffee tables."

Fran and Max set the pillows they were carrying into a large metal basket against the back wall, and Max set their bag of catalogs on one of the chairs by the desk, then they both followed her down a path to another section of the store.

"Here it is, right here. This one isn't in that blue, but it comes in all the same fabrics. And you'll see in the catalog that we have two types- the soft fabric that's on the couch over there, and we also have this type here- it's more of a durable canvas-type fabric. This one is meant to hold up to a little more abuse. We recommend it for families with children and pets, in case there's any jumping around, or shoes, or dog feet. That sort of thing. This fabric also has stain guard and is easy to clean."

Max and Fran walked over to the ottoman and Fran sat down on it, then ran her hand over the fabric. "This fabric isn't so bad, either, Max. It's not as soft, but maybe you don't need that for an ottoman, if people put their feet on it or use it like a coffee table. Oh- that reminds me- we wondered about doing that. Do you sell any trays or something like that that you could set on top, so you can set drinks down, or remotes, that sort of thing?" Monica walked over to the side of the ottoman and lifted up a short skirt of upholstery that ran around the ottoman.

"See right here? It comes with two long boards that can be stowed away right inside here. You just give it a little push and it will spring out so you can pull it out." She demonstrated the mechanism and pulled out a board that was about three feet long.

"Oh! That's fantastic! Max! That's such a good idea!" Fran exclaimed.

"Wow, it sure is. Are there two in there?"

"Yes, side by side. If you may need the ottoman for extra seating, you can just use one board, and then people on the couch and the ottoman can use it to set drinks on. And it's very durable, very easy to clean, so you won't have to worry if someone doesn't use a coaster. It will wipe right off."

"Oh, Niles would love that! Plus the stain guard. What do you think, Max?" She asked.

Max took a closer look at the board, then went to try the mechanism. He slid the board back in and pushed it to engage the spring, then lowered the fabric back down.

"I like it. I think having those boards in there like that is a great idea. So what about the fabric? If you did blue in this fabric, wouldn't that clash a little with the softer fabric? They might not be exactly the same."

"Oh, yeah. Miss, do you happen to have any swatches of the fabrics? Maybe if we compare them to the blue on the couch…"

"Yes, absolutely! You two want to follow me back to the desk? I can get out the swatches and show you the other information on those two pieces."

Max reached for Fran's hand and pulled her up, then followed the two women back to the desk. He was beaming, watching Fran so excited about picking out furniture. They both sat down on the chairs and Monica went to a cabinet of drawers behind her desk. She pulled open a drawer and moved a few binders over, then pulled out the one she was looking for.

"Okay, here we go," she sat down in her chair and opened the binder and pushed it towards them. It had all the fabric swatches for the two types of fabric they used on that line of furniture. "If you want to put two swatches next to each other to compare, you can remove them. Just pop open those rings. One thing to consider is with an ottoman, you don't have to use the same color fabric as the couch. You might consider a lighter color, and think about the other colors in the room where you would be putting it. One thing I noticed was the color of the pillows you picked out. Maybe you would want to match the ottoman to the dominant color in those pillows? You can compare the lightest colors there to those pillows and see what you think."

"See, Max? I told you she was good!" Fran said, jumping up from her seat with the binder to compare the lighter fabrics against the pillows. Max laughed.

"Yes, you did say that. Now, might I ask about delivery? How does that work?"

"Yes, delivery. We send trucks out of here almost on a daily basis. We can set up a time to bring everything to you, and we even offer a removal service of your old furniture if you can't find someone to take it or just don't want to be bothered with trying. We partner with a local used furniture company that resells pieces from their warehouse in Queens. They do a lot of charitable work, and can refurbish or just clean the pieces they get in, and sell them to customers in all five boroughs."

"Oh, that's wonderful! I'm not sure we would need that, we might have someone who can take everything. But it's good to know that exists. So when they deliver it, they can set it up for us?"

"Yes, absolutely. And another service this whole factory co-op has is that if you buy or order a lot of other things from the other stores here and don't have a way to get it back home, we can set up a delivery where we bring all of it to you at one scheduled time. So if you continued to shop and maybe found something for the kitchen, or some light fixtures, that sort of thing, we can bring it all at the same time we deliver the couch."

Max was impressed, and Fran looked back at him, wide-eyed. She came back to her chair and sat down to show Max the swatches.

"You know, that's a wonderful idea. A dangerous idea, but really wonderful. If someone was completely redecorating and found everything they wanted right here, that makes it so much easier to just throw it all on one truck and have somebody else bring it over," Fran said.

"It does, it's been a very popular service. All you need to do if you happen to find more large items you want delivered, is if you set up a delivery appointment with me here, then I give you a form with all of that information that you keep with you, and you show that to the sales people at any of the other shops. They can add any new items to the delivery list and it will all be put in the truck at the same time. Oh, one other thing, it isn't a free service, obviously. We have to charge a fee. But it's a flat rate fee per truck. So it actually does benefit you to fill up the truck. But no pressure!"

They all laughed at that comment, then Fran tugged on Max's arm.

"What do you think about these two? This one has a hint of gray in it, which goes well with the blue, but we don't have any gray in the living room, and not in the pillows either. But this one- it's called oat, and see how it sort of has flecks of that tan or brown in it? That goes nice with those wood boards, and the other colors in the room lean more towards that rather than a gray or blue. And if we had a blue ottoman, that might be way too much blue. That would be like a huge blue square in the room. If the ottoman was this color, it would almost disappear and not be so overwhelming."

Monica nodded as she listened to Fran.

"I hadn't thought about that. And this oat color goes well with the pillows?"

"It does."

"Well, then. I guess it's just down to which type of fabric- the soft or the durable canvas. Do you think the children will be rough with it?"

"Um… if Brighton doesn't take his shoes off, then yes. Wait, let me put that one next to our blue and see how they look together…" she removed the durable oat swatch and laid it over the soft blue, then ran her fingers over it. "What do you think? I'm imagining the ottoman with a board on top, sitting in front of this blue. I think that could work."

Max squeezed her shoulder. "I think so, too. So- decision made?"

"Yes! Thank you, sweetie! Oh I can't wait to see it all set up! What do we need to do now?" She asked Monica.

"Well, I need to get the order all written up on the computer, and add these pillows. Would you two like to look around any more while I get this all in the computer and printed out for you? And then we can set up a delivery time."

"Yes! Oh, we forgot to go look at everything else. That couch tripped me up!" Fran said, and Max laughed.

"Yes, we better go look. If we have the possibility of filling a whole truck now, or having to get another one later, we better do it now! We'll be right back!"

Fran set the swatches down on the desk and they got up from their chairs at the same time. Fran pulled Max back down towards the ottoman so she could have another look at it, then they wandered through the rest of the contemporary furniture.

"Oh my gosh, Max! What are we gonna do with all the stuff we have to move out of the way? There's the old couch, the coffee table, the two side chairs… oh, and those other two tables! Oh no, I hadn't even thought about that!"

"It's perfectly alright, Fran. Why don't we ask your mother? And if she doesn't want any of it, we can ask Yetta, or even your sister. Or Val. But I don't know, maybe Val wouldn't be able to…"

"No, Val couldn't take any. Her mother is glued to all of their furniture, she's worse than Ma. But Ma? Maybe. I can call her when we get back. But how would we get the furniture moved over there? We might have to get it all out of the way before they deliver the new stuff."

"Well, that might be a scramble, too. But even if we had to wait a few days for it to be picked up, we'd just have to deal with a little overcrowding for a little while. As long as everything is gone before the children and Niles get back," he said, following her through some more furniture.

"Oh. Okay. Yeah. You know what, in my old neighborhood there's some guys that have a moving business. I can ask Ma about that- if they're any good. It shouldn't be that difficult of a job, they just have to make sure they don't get anything dirty. Yeah, I'll call Ma when we get back and get that all sorted. See what we can find out."

"Great. Oh, speaking of calls, I might need to remember to check the office phone for messages when we get back. You know, see if there are any death threats from C.C. or anything." Fran elbowed him and laughed.

"You know, I almost feel bad that we took off on her like that. But gosh, she's so oblivious! Or delusional. Or both."

"Oh, probably a bit of both." They laughed again.

They continued wandering through the remaining aisles, admiring the furniture.

"Hey, you know what? Depending on when the stuff gets delivered, if we see something we like but we aren't a hundred percent sure if we want to get it, I wonder if it would be in the catalog. And then we could maybe place an order over the phone and give them our delivery info? Maybe they can add it to the list?"

"Yes, I bet they could. Unless they have a time deadline. But we'll ask her when we go back over. So if you see something, we should check the catalogs, alright? Maybe circle it or mark the page so we can try to make up our minds. Hey, are you getting hungry? Why don't we go look for one of the cafes after this and get a bite to eat. Then we'll have the energy to hit all the other stores!"

"Yes! Let's do that!" She clutched his hand in hers and they finished wandering around, then headed back to the desk to finish their purchase. Once the saleswoman had all of the info in the computer and was ready to charge his card, she printed everything out and had them look over it to make sure everything was accurate. Once he was finished reading through it, he signed it and the woman ran his credit card. The purchase was made. Fran hugged his arm, nearly bursting with happiness.

"Well thank you both very much for your purchase today! I will be boxing up these pillows for you and they'll go out with the rest of your delivery. Here is your copy of the order, and if you have any issues with the products themselves, please call this number at the top and we'll get it sorted out. And now, here is your copy of the delivery information. Monday morning at nine. If you purchase anything else today and want it delivered then, use this so the sales person can add the new items you your list."

"Okay, thank you very, very much! You've been very helpful to us," Max said.

"Yes, thank you so much! Oh, I almost forgot! What if we see something in the catalog and decide to buy it, if we happened to order it over the phone, can they put it on our delivery truck?" Fran asked.

"Yes, that shouldn't be an issue as long as you order it within the window. For a monday morning delivery, your window would close by three tomorrow afternoon. So yes, if you see something in the catalogs later today, try to get it ordered before closing tonight or before three tomorrow, and they should be able to add it to your list."

"That's fantastic! Oh, I better grab that bag. I've got some great reading material for later! And thank you so much for the bag, too! It really helps."

"You're very welcome. And thank you so much for stopping by today! Let us know if you have any issues, and I hope you enjoy your new furniture!" She shook both of their hands.

"Oh, we will! I know we will! Thank you!"

"Yes, thank you! Have a wonderful day!" Max said, and took Fran's hand as they got up and headed away from the sales desk.

"Yea! I'm so excited, Max! Thank you so much for doing that! It's such a great couch! I can't wait till they bring it to the house!"

"Oh, neither can I! The children are going to flip out, aren't they?"

"Yes, and Niles, too! Oh, sweetie, we need to have a date night on it and break it in. How about I ask you out this time? Only we stay in- like take out and a movie on the new couch. We can cuddle up and watch something good!"

"That sounds wonderful, darling! Let's do that! Oh, goodness, we've got some work to do before then. Are we forgetting anything? I feel like we're forgetting something…" Max pulled out the paper with all the measurements and information they had written down before they left. "Oh, the rug! and what about the fireplace? That chair we have by the fireplace might not go so well with the couch. Should we get rid of that, too?"

Fran stopped him and looked at him. "Seriously? Are we doing a full makeover? At least in the living room?"

"Well, why not? We're starting pretty big, we may as well take care of all the other details, too, shouldn't we? That rug… it's not very contemporary. Nor is the chair by the fireplace. Why don't we see what else we see and keep that in mind. Maybe a small loveseat or something, and a new rug? A rug that goes with the new couch, and a loveseat so we can snuggle up in front of the fire…" he smiled and wrapped an arm around her, then they began walking again. Fran squeezed him around the waist.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look."

Max laughed. "So much for making sales people cry today, huh?"

Fran laughed.

They made their way upstairs to the second floor and headed for the cluster of small cafes and found one that was to their liking. They both ordered sandwiches and salads, and then brought them over to a table by a window. They settled in and took sips of their iced teas.

"Boy, I know we've been trying out every couch downstairs, but it feels like I've been on my feet for hours!" Fran said.

"Well, in a way, we have. But yes, it's good to sit a while. So, are you having a good time?" He smiled.

"I am having the absolute best time! I'm so glad we decided to do this! And I can't believe we got a new couch, too! Can you believe that?"

"No, not really. This spontaneous kind of thing is actually pretty fun, don't you think?" He tapped her foot with his boot and she patted his hand.

"It is, especially with you, Max. I like hanging out with you."

"I like hanging out with you, too, Fran." They squeezed each other's hand, then went back to their lunches. They ate quickly in relative silence and watched the other shoppers bustling about, all smiles, and arms full of shopping bags.

"Everybody looks so happy!" Fran noticed. "It looks like they all either found what they were looking for, or they found so much more that they got really excited! That's wonderful!"

Max smiled. The other shoppers did look really happy. And he was enjoying himself, too. "You know something? We only have one more day with the old couch, especially if we can get somebody to take it tomorrow. We'll have to spend some time on it tonight. Give it a good send-off."

"Max, you dog! Don't tell my mother!" Fran nudged him.

"Oh, no, no, I didn't mean- I mean, I-"

"I'm teasing, sweetie! But still…"

Max blushed and cleared his throat and looked around, making sure no one heard.

"Oh, Max, you're turning red! I'm sorry!" She leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I'm just flirting, you know I wouldn't push you that way. But if you mean cuddle up on it, then absolutely yes, I'm in!" She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I really am a prude, aren't I?" Max said, with a slightly regretful tone in his voice.

"No, Max. You aren't a prude. You just aren't used to flirting with anyone. But you can flirt with me anytime you want to. I'd like that."

"You would?" He looked into her eyes. "Well, I'll try. But you still make my heart skip a beat and make my stomach do somersaults. That kind of makes it hard to flirt."

"See? That counts as flirting, too. Gives me butterflies when you say things like that…"

Max smiled and stroked her fingers. He pushed his dish back on the table and reached for his tea to finish it off. Fran wiped her hands on her napkin and finished her tea, too.

"Thank you for lunch, Max. That was good. And just the right amount. How was yours?

"It was really good. You feel all fueled up and ready for some power-shopping?" He smiled, and Fran laughed.

"Even if I was running on fumes, I'd be ready for power shopping. But yes, I'm so ready! Help me make sure we grab catalogs. Oh- did you see that some people have those carts? I wonder if we can find one of those, if they're for everybody to use. I mean, if we find stuff we want to get."

"Oh, I'm sure we will. And yes, that sounds like a good idea. You ready? Let me get those things for you," he said, reaching for her lunch garbage and stacking it with his. He got up and took it to the bin. Fran got up and gathered her things, and made sure not to forget the tote bag full of catalogs. Max reached for her hand and they headed away from the cafes to find a cart, which wasn't too far away. Max pulled one out of the rack, took the tote bag from Fran, and hooked it around the handle of the cart. He took her hand again and pulled the two-wheeled cart behind him as they walked. Fran grabbed every catalog they passed and they both found other items they liked, and set them in the cart, gathering them all in a batch to pay for together when they were done shopping.

They entered a new shop, partially enclosed by glass-paned wall panels. The shop was filled with all sorts of hanging lamps of all shapes and colors, sending all sorts of light throughout the place. The brick walls were lined with wood shelves filled with all sorts of art pieces and knick-knacks, and the floor space was filled with assorted end tables and chairs that were clearly made to fill smaller spaces. They were both mesmerized when they walked in, and just stood in place, looking around, and taking things in.

"Ohhhh…..!" Fran gasped. Max turned and noticed the stack of catalogs in a rack near the entrance and grabbed one.

"Darling, do you want me to get an extra catalog for your mother, or Val?" He asked.

"Oh, yes, please! One for each! They would love this stuff! Oh my goodness, I'm in heaven!" Fran slowly began walking forward, not wanting to miss anything. "Oh, Max, Maggie would love all of this! I have to get her to come here. Look at how all the light bounces off of everything! It looks magical in here!"

Max grabbed several extra catalogs and added them to the tote bag, then carefully pulled the cart behind him through the store. He found himself drawn to the shelves of knick-knacks and began looking for things that might make nice gifts, or something he might want to display himself. They were all nice local art pieces- sculptures and castings and hand painted items. He was really enjoying looking at all the pieces. Fran wandered around, looking at the lighting, and trying to remember to look down in front of her. She was smiling from ear to ear and her eyes sparkled from all the different colors of light at every turn.

"Hello! Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you," a young saleswoman said to Fran.

"Oh, hello! Well, I'd take all of it, but I don't have anywhere to put everything! It's all so beautiful!"

"Well, thank you! It's very meticulously curated by our owners. They're constantly out looking for new items, and the customers seem to love it all."

"I can see why! It makes you happy just walking in here!"

Max smiled as he watched their interaction. He had a feeling they were going to leave with their arms full from this shop.

"If you find anything you like, you can bring it up here to the table. If it doesn't come in a box, I can wrap it up for you and make out a purchase list you can take to the main register, that way you won't need to pull everything back out of the cart, they can just shift it to a bag, and you pay and go."

"Oh, yes, thank you! I might have a hard time making up my mind, though!" They both chuckled.

Max heard their conversation and turned to look at the prices for several items he liked. He picked them up in his hands and brought them over to the table where the saleswoman stood. She began a purchase list for them and started wrapping them up. He went back to wandering the store, also getting lost in the mesmerizing lighting.

"Fran, these lights are beautiful! I don't know where we might put one, but I think it might hurt my feelings if we don't take at least one back with us. Or have them put it on the truck. See if you can think of a spot or two in the house where one of these might work. Even in the children's rooms."

"You got it. They are really pretty." Fran made her way towards the shelves Max had been looking through, and Max headed for another space with more furniture and wall art.

"Oh, Fran! You're going to want to see in here!" He called out. Fran turned to look over towards him, then she went to set the items she found down on the table with the things Max had put there, and then she hurried over to Max to see what he was looking at. She stopped in her tracks before she got to him.

"Oh… my… god…" she said, and her jaw dropped. "Is that not the cutest… the funkiest…!" She exclaimed.

Max had his hand on the back of a chair that was part of a set tucked in to a kitschy retro kitchen table. The backs and seats of the chairs were all covered in black and white cow hide. Fran looked at him and grinned, then looked back at the chairs. She came up to them and ran her hand over the short fur.

"Oh, that would be so fantastic, but Niles would hate it. I almost wish Maggie had her own apartment so we could get her some furniture like this. Oh, damn, Max, it's so cute!" She sat down in one of the chairs, and then ran her hands over the table top, which was also black and white except for the turquoise starburst in the center. "It's like art, Max!"

Max grinned. He knew how much she loved it, but also knew it wasn't really practical for their house. "I don't want to disappoint you by not getting it, but I know it might not be the most practical thing. But sweetheart, look over here behind me…" Max stepped to the side to reveal what he was blocking from her view. Fran's jaw dropped again.

"Oh! But we are looking for something like that!" She jumped from the chair and grabbed Max's arm as she passed him, then went to look at the cozy love seats lined up behind him, all done in mid-century styled fabrics and colors, including one in cowhide. "Oh, Max! I'm dying!" She clutched her hands to her chest as she looked at them.

"Well, go ahead, try one out and see how they feel," he said. Fran went to the busiest one, with swirling patterns of color all across it, and sat down. She ran her hands over the fabric and shifted back and forth across the seat, then got up and tried another one.

"Oh, look! They have foot stools, too! Matching footstools! Oh my gosh, Max! Come here- come sit with me and see what you think." Max pulled their cart over to where Fran was, pulled one of the footstools over to her and sat down next to her on the bean-shaped loveseat. He put his arm around her and she cuddled up against him. She lifted her feet onto the stool and tried to imagine sitting in front of the fireplace with Max.

"What do you think? It feels pretty comfy."

"It does. I was trying to imagine what it would be like in front of the fireplace- if it would fit in that space. I like the shape of it, too."

"Yes, I was thinking, if it sat to the side when we're not using it, and then we can move it over so we're facing the fire. And look, this footstool- it'll tuck right under and out of the way. That's nice!"

"Oh, it is, isn't it? I think I do like this, Max. But which one do you like more?"

"Well, I think you're a bit better at color coordination than I am. It'll be pretty close to the new couch, so we probably need to consider that."

"Hmmm…" Fran moved the stool under the loveseat and got up to have a look at the other ones nearby. "You know, I liked that turquoise color on the kitchen table over there- the one with the cow chairs? That wouldn't clash with the blue of the couch. How about this one here? It's turquoise, but has a darker blue, too, in the pattern. Is it too busy of a pattern for you?"

Max got up and joined her to look at the other loveseat. "No, that's not too busy. That looks kind of nice, actually. Wait, let me grab that catalog and have a look at the blue again." Max pulled the furniture catalog out of the bag and flipped to the page that displayed the colors. "I know it's not quite the same as having the actual couch here, but what do you think? Do all of those blues work together?" Max held the blue color sample in the catalog up against the loveseat. Fran cocked her head and looked back and forth, then smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think that's it, Max. But what about the size? Do you think it will work? It's not too big is it?"

"Well, we would just slide it back out of the way when we aren't using it with the fireplace. I think it should fit just fine, and those rounded sides would keep anyone from bumping into a corner of it. Here, let's try it, just to be sure." They both sat down on the turquoise loveseat and Max pulled another footstool over for her to test. Max put his arm around her and they looked each other in the eyes. Fran turned towards him and pulled her legs up to his lap, and he put his arm across them. "Comfy?"

She smiled. "Yeah…"

"Should we add these to the truck?"

"I think I would like that very much, Max." He kissed her on the temple.

"Then why don't I take one of these inventory cards over there and let the woman add it to our list, and see about adding it to the truck. You know, I was thinking about everything else in the living room we might want to change out, aside from the rug, and was wondering if you might want a throw blanket, and maybe we can change that painting over the fireplace? Maybe we can find something large with some of the same colors in it?"

"Really? You'd want to do that?"

"Sure, why not? I have a lot of art- paintings and sculptures and things, but most of it has some age to it. It's no big deal to take that painting down. I can store it in the attic with all the others. I think maybe having something more current might be a nice change. And look here, up on the walls… they have quite a bit. That might be a place to start looking. Can you watch the cart, and I'll go sort the loveseat out. And make sure you look at everything else, too. I might go take a peek at the lights again." He kissed her lightly on the lips and got up, then took the inventory card for the loveseat and footstool and headed over to see the saleswoman.

Fran got up from the loveseat, smiling, and imagining it in the house with the new couch. She still couldn't believe Max was doing all this. Not just for her, but for the family, too. She turned to look up at the framed artwork covering the brick walls.

Max approached the table where the saleswoman was finishing wrapping and boxing the knick knacks they had picked out. She smiled at him as he approached.

"Hello! Well, we've decided on a larger piece, and we need to make sure it can be delivered with the truck we have that's delivering a couch for us on monday morning. Here is the inventory card. It's that turquoise loveseat with the matching footstool. Let me get that delivery paper…" Max reached into his coat pocket to retrieve the paper with the delivery order information.

"Yes, thank you. I can have that set up for you right now, and I can add that loveseat and stool to this list, that way you can pay for everything at once. Let me mark this on inventory in the computer and send it to the delivery guys. Oh, I was going to say that you can put these items in your cart if you like. They should be well protected now for any more shopping you might need to do." She set the wrapped items in one large box and closed it, and slid it over to him.

"Oh, thank you. We're having one last look around, so there might be some other things to add. Oh, there's one thing we were looking for we haven't seen yet. We might want to change out a large rug in our living room, so we have one that looks nice with the new couch we purchased, but I haven't seen anything like that here. Do you know if any of these shops sells something like that? We're looking for something that might be at least fifteen feet or so."

"Oh, well, I don't believe any of the shops here have anything that size. It's a kind of inventory that's difficult to display, and you'd be buying the one you were looking at, so rolling it up and moving it probably wouldn't work well in this building. But there is another showroom I know of that has contemporary and mid-century rugs, if that might be a style you were looking for. Oh- I think you can even see it from here. Let me check from this window." She scurried over to the window on the side of the shop and looked out. "Yes! Right there- see right down this road here. It's the third building down that street, on the left, with the angled black roof? That's a rug outlet, so the prices shouldn't be quite as high as if you found them in another shop. If you take the exit on the back side of this building, it almost lines up with that road, and it's not too far of a walk. I've sent some people there before, and I bought some rugs there for myself, too. They have a lot more pieces that are solid colors and even patterned textures. Some really nice ones."

"Oh, that does sound like a good idea. But gosh, I wish they were connected to you guys here, in case we did find something. Then we could add that to the truck!"

"Oh, I know, right? But they do deliveries as well, seven days a week. If you have a new couch that will go on the rug, you might want to get the rug in first. So maybe they could even get you a delivery tomorrow."

"Oh, that would be fantastic. We'll have to get over there right after we leave here. Here, let me get this out of your way and I'll go put it in the cart, and we'll see how much else we can carry out of here!"

"Alright, sir! I'll get this all sorted for you."

Max picked up the box and went to join Fran, who was looking up at the walls. He set the box carefully down in the cart and looked up to see what she was looking at. She turned to him and smiled.

"See that one up there? With the couple?" She asked, then pointed up to one of the larger framed pieces.

"Yes. Oh. Wow. That's pretty good. That- it looks like-" he turned to Fran. "Is it me, or does that look like us?" She raised her eyebrows and nodded.

"I thought the same thing. It's pretty, isn't it? The two of them in that little row boat. It reminds me of the pond with the rowboats in Central Park."

"It does look like that. That's nice." Max crossed his arms in front of him, looking it over. "And it has the right colors, doesn't it?" Fran stepped over to him and put her arm around his waist.

"It does. Do you think that's an original? Not one of those mass produced things?"

"Hard to tell, but from here it looks real. The price should make it real, I don't think they'd sell a copy for that price."

"Is that too much? I mean, you're spending a lot of money today. We can hold off on some things if you want."

"Hey, sweetheart, don't worry about that. I can afford it, and it's all a worthwhile purchase. It really is. And it's exciting, too, isn't it?"

Fran grinned. "It is! It's not a rush from spending money, or anything like that. All of this, it's all like art, you know? You just want to stare at it and touch it, and to be able to have it at home. It just fills me up, you know?"

"Yes, I do. It's an aesthetic appreciation. Like the way a beautiful song makes you feel, or for me, like an amazing stage production. The way the orchestra and the singing can just build the excitement, it just fills you. Like you might burst, it makes you so happy."

"Yes! Exactly. Oh, Max, today has been so much fun! If I never get to do this again, I'll remember today forever!" She hugged him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Then let's go ask about it. It may be the only one. And I don't think I like the idea of a painting of us hanging in someone else's home, do you?"

"Well, if we don't get it, then my mother might, if that's not a bit creepy to think about!"

They both laughed and headed back over to the table where the woman was busily working. She was going to be getting a hefty commission from their visit, too. They added the painting to their delivery list and took one last look through the knick-knacks and sculptures and display pieces before looking back up at all the lighting. They picked out a light fixture for each of the children, added it to the delivery, and were satisfied that they had gotten everything they wanted from that shop.

Before they left the building, they passed through the last of the shops and found a nice throw blanket and set of handcrafted pottery mugs that they both loved. Then they headed for the extensive sets of registers to pay for everything and make sure everything they wanted delivered was in the computer system. When they finished, they gathered all of their bags and headed out the back exit to walk to the rug outlet and see if they could find a nice rug to finish things off.

After browsing for about fifteen minutes, they found the perfect rug- light in color to match the ottoman and pillows, with a beautiful, subtle textured pattern cutting it's way through it- echoing the pattern of the fabric on the love seat they had picked out. They were both thrilled to have found it. They also found out that the rug outlet would take their old rug and would sell it on consignment, after having it thoroughly cleaned. The delivery and pickup was scheduled for the next afternoon. So now, all they had to do was to get rid of the old furniture.

They stepped outside the rug outlet and Max hailed a cab. They were exhausted and their hands were full of bags from shopping. When a cab stopped for them, they dove into it and flopped down on the seat, then dropped the bags to the floor by their feet. Max gave the driver the address and they were off.

Fran rested her head against his shoulder and took hold of his hand. They intertwined their fingers together and Max rested his head against hers.

"That was fantastic! Exhausting and almost overwhelming, but fantastic!" Max said, smiling.

"It sure was! Thank you for everything, Max. I mean it. Thank you for today. I thought I had a blast at Coney Island with you, but this may have surpassed that!" She patted his arm with her other hand, then held on to his upper arm.

"I wish I could say I knew ahead of time that both places were going to be so much fun, but I had no idea. I really had no idea. We definitely need to do things like this every time we can- these kinds of spontaneous, acting like kids sorts of things. Gosh, I can't wait until they deliver everything and we have a whole new living room!"

"Oh, I know! It'll be like Christmas! I think the kids will really love it, too."

"You do? I hope so. Yes, I'm certain they'll love that couch, too. We'll all be able to enjoy it at the same time. That'll be really nice."

"Yeah." They both got quiet for a moment and watched out the windows at the city flashing by. The traffic had picked up, so it would take a while for them to get home. Fran looked down at all the bags by their feet, then remembered what was in them. Then she remembered how many things would also be delivered with their new couch. She smiled. And then she thought about it. Their couch. Theirs. It wasn't things Max was buying for her, or for himself, he really meant for it to be things they were buying for them, as a couple, and for the family. She was part of that family. She was his girlfriend. She and Max were together. That thought made her so happy inside.

She tilted her head to look up at him. "Max?"

"Yes?" He replied, softly.

"How are we going to tell people about us? And who are we going to tell first? Do we need to wait a while?"

Max looked into her eyes. "I don't think we need to wait. I don't want to wait. I suppose- maybe we just tell people as we encounter them. So we don't feel like we should hide it. Because I don't want to hide it. I want everyone to know. Unless- unless you feel like there's someone who should be the first to find out. Like your mother, or the children."

"Do you think we should tell the children first? I'm sure they'll be happy for us. Maybe they deserve to be the first to know. But if we run in to my mother… that will be hard not to say something."

"True. I think it will be alright if we tell her first. And even Val, if you talk to her. The children won't be back for a week. It might be too hard to keep it in that long." They both grinned at each other.

"What about Ms. Babcock? When will you tell her?"

"She can wait. We'll tell everyone else first. I told her to take the week off, so hopefully she doesn't show up unannounced. Because I want to spend all my time with you, if that's alright."

"Of course it is! We're on vacation. I want to spend all my time with you!"

"Good!" They squeezed each other's hand, then leaned in slowly for a kiss. Fran reached her other hand up to caress his face.

"Mmmm… and I want lots of those, too!" She said.

"Kisses?"

"Mmm hmm!"

Max smiled and kissed her again, lightly, in case the driver was watching. He looked into Fran's eyes, and she looked into his. The sunlight danced across their eyes, making them almost change colors as it flickered across them.

"So, you think about dinner at all? Where you'd like me to take you?"

"Gosh, I hadn't thought that far. I definitely need to rest a bit before we go out. Maybe stretch some. You should probably stretch, too. And we might have some work to do tonight to get ready for tomorrow. But we could go to a regular restaurant not far from the house. Do you mind walking? I know we've been walking an awful lot."

"I don't mind walking. We won't be in a rush. And if we don't get things done tonight, we should still have time in the morning to get ready. If we can get somebody to come move the furniture tomorrow, we should have them do it before the new rug is delivered. That will make it a lot easier to deal with switching the rugs out."

"Yeah. I hope Ma knows the name of those movers. If we can get them tomorrow, then it's gonna be a busy day! But you know what- we won't have to go out for food, because there's all that stuff in the fridge Niles made, plus I got a lot from the deli, too. Pastrami, and barbecue brisket. But if they do come get the furniture, we won't be able to sit in the living room and watch a movie or TV or anything."

"We'll figure something out. It's only temporary."

"Yeah."

She curled back up against him, and the pace of the traffic outside picked up. Soon the cab had them back at the house. It pulled to a stop in front of the mansion and Max paid the cab driver, then got out. Fran handed him all the bags and then got out herself and shut the cab door. Max handed her his keys and she ran to the front door to unlock and open it for him. She held the door open and he hurried inside, and set all the bags down at the bottom of the stairs. They took their coats off and Fran hung them up in the closet.

"You go sit down, Fran, and relax. Let me go get us some drinks and we can look through our bags and try to remember what we bought, and maybe look at some catalogs, too," Max said.

"Oh, yeah! The catalogs! How could I forget that! Okay, thank you, sweetie. I'll bring all this stuff over to the living room."

"Alright, I'll be right back." Max headed down the hallway to the kitchen and Fran filled her arms up with the bags, hanging their handles all the way up her arms and grabbing hold of the rest in her hands. She carried everything over to the couch and lined the bags up across the top of the coffee table. She looked in the bags and separated the ones that she could leave the items in until after the furniture was delivered, like the bag with the throw blanket in it.

Max came back from the kitchen with two glasses of iced tea in his hands, and the cordless phone tucked under his arm. He handed a glass to Fran.

"Do you want to call your mother first? Before we start going through all this? I can go check for messages in the office."

"Yes! Let's get that out of the way first. Oh! Do you have that notepad we were using? So I can write things down?"

"Oh yes, it's still in my coat pocket! Hang on." He set his tea on the table and ran to the closet to retrieve it, then hurried back to Fran. He handed her the notepad and pen, then headed for his office. As she dialed her mother's number, he turned the light on in his office and went to sit at his desk. He checked the phone and had several messages, so he hit the button to play them back. The first message was one he half expected- from C.C., complaining about him not going to the party and wondering what was going on with Nanny Fine. He laughed and shook his head. The next message was from the assistant to the group who had cancelled his meeting. She was already asking if there might be a time to reschedule in a couple weeks. Well, now, he thought. Now I have the upper hand, I'll call them after the things get delivered on monday. Maybe. I'm still on vacation.

The last message began to play, and it was Maggie's voice. Max jumped to attention, worried that something had happened and they weren't home to take the call.

"Hi daddy, and Fran. I guess you guys aren't home. It's just me. I thought I would let you know everything's going great. We went on a historical tour, and tonight we get to go to a planetarium show. But they said there's supposed to be a snowstorm coming in tomorrow night or monday morning, so depending on what that does, they may have to rearrange our schedule. We go look at art tomorrow and might get to do some shopping, and they said if we get snow, they may just give us an activity day and will take us across the street to the athletic center for the university. We can play basketball and whatever there, and they have food and stuff there. But anyway, we're having a good time, so don't worry, but you might want to check the weather and see if you guys are gonna get snow, too, in case it messes up your plans. Oh- you guys have the phone number for the hotel. If you need to call us, Gracie and me are in room 732 and Brighton is in 746. He's right near by. We're getting pizza early before we go to the planetarium if you need to call us. We leave about 6:30 tonight and will come back after that's over. But I gotta go, hope you guys are having fun. Gracie's right here, too." Max could hear Grace in the background yelling hello, and he smiled. "We'll talk to you later! Bye! Love you!"

Max smiled and pushed the phone back, and jotted down the room numbers Maggie had mentioned on a post-it note. He checked his watch. They might be getting their pizza soon so they could go to the planetarium afterwards. He took the note and got up from his chair and headed out of the office, shutting the light off behind him. Fran was still on the phone with her mother, so he went over and sat next to her on the couch.

"I know, Ma. Yeah, after we get everything here and have a chance to sort it all out, you'll get to see it. It's really beautiful. And the loveseat, too. It'll be very different in here the next time you see it. Oh, Ma, you gotta go to that place! It was incredible! Yes, and we picked up a catalog for you, and one for Val, too. Maybe if we can get them to come tomorrow, then I'll send the catalog with the furniture. Okay, Ma. You're very welcome! I'll be sure to tell him. But Ma, I gotta go call these guys before it's too late, okay? If I don't, then you won't get the furniture tomorrow, okay? Okay. I'll call you tomorrow to let you know when they get here, alright? If they can come. Okay, say hi to daddy, love you, talk to you tomorrow. Bye bye!"

Max smiled at her as she pressed the button to hang up.

"Sheesh! It's hard to get off the phone with her! She's so excited, Max! She really is. Be prepared for her to jump on you and hug you the next time she sees you. But we gotta call this number real quick. Ma had a magnet on her fridge for these guys. She said they do stuff seven days a week, but I don't know how busy they are. Here, let me call them and see if I can get the guy that I know, and maybe we can get an 'in' that way."

"Alright. Oh, and after that call, let's call the children. Maggie left a message on the office phone, but I'll tell you about that after."

"Oh, okay. They're okay, right? There are messages on this phone too but I didn't listen to them yet."

"Yes, they're good, but there may be some snow coming, at least for them. We need to check the weather for tomorrow night and monday, though. I don't want it interfering with our delivery."

"Oh, no! Okay, let me call these guys…" Fran dialed the number quickly and asked for the man Joey, who she knew from the neighborhood and who was one of the owners of the moving company. She made her introductions and told him what was going on, and asked if they could move the furniture the next day, which they could. She handed the phone over to Max to have him explain what they needed.

"Yes, hello! So you'd be able to move this furniture tomorrow?" Max asked. "Oh, that's fantastic! Well, we have another truck coming that's changing out our rugs, so if you could come here before that, so we have all this furniture off the rug and out of the way, that would be perfect. Would one o'clock be alright? Or even earlier if that works better for you. And also, we need to make sure there is some protection for this stuff, like clean moving blankets, or plastic or something. The furniture is white, so it would be easy to get marks all over it. And if you've met Sylvia, if anything gets a mark on it, you'd have to answer to her. Yes! Exactly!"

Fran could hear the other guy laughing along with Max. He must have met her mother.

"That would be perfect. Okay, it's one full size couch, two large side chairs, a large coffee table maybe about three and a half feet square? And the top of it has glass. And then also two side tables. Um, I think that's everything. No stairs or anything here, but there are at Sylvia's. Third floor. I'm not sure if the couch would fit in the elevator," Max turned to look at Fran. She looked at the couch then back at him and shook her head. "I guess that will have to go up the stairs. But I think the rest should fit in the elevator. Oh, and one other thing, the furniture she already has, if she may need help moving it out of the way or out of the apartment, would you be able to help with that? Wonderful! Oh that would be very helpful. Yes, she'll tell you exactly how she wants everything. Did Fran give you the address? Yes, that's it. 12:30? Perfect. And I'll have a check for you right then. Yes, that sounds just fine, especially on such short notice. You're doing us a huge favor, you really are. Maybe just a couple of hours, traffic shouldn't be too bad. Park Avenue to her building in Queens. Great. See you tomorrow! And thank you again, thank you very much! Alright. Goodbye."

Max flopped back against the couch and put his hand on his forehead.

"So tomorrow at 12:30? Did I hear that right?" Fran asked.

"Yes! It was perfect! He said they had a cancellation, so we're sort of doing them a favor so they can recoup that money. And they love that it's a relatively short job, too. They'll be here by 12:30 with a contract, and he said they will bring plastic and the moving blankets so everything can be covered. That makes me feel better."

"Oh, it'll make Ma feel better, too. But don't be surprised if she finds new plastic slipcovers to go over this furniture. She's gonna protect it with her life!" They both laughed.

"Oh! I wanted to ask you… Um, Maggie said they were going to a planetarium tonight, and they were getting pizza to have before that. So they should be at the hotel right now. I think she just called to say they were fine and having fun, and that the snowstorm might affect their schedule a little bit. And then to let us know about it in case we get it, too. She left their room numbers in case we need to call them. So I was kind of thinking, because I know it won't take long for this to get out, but maybe we call the children, see if the girls can have Brighton come over, too, and maybe we could share our news with them. So they get to hear it first. Would that be alright with you?"

Fran smiled and threw her arms around his neck. "Yes! I would love to do that! Oh, where's the phone number of the hotel? Oh, I put all that stuff over there, by the stairs, on that table across from the mirror." Max looked over towards the stairs, then got up and rushed over to grab the folder of information about their trip. He brought it back to the couch and opened it. "Here it is! And you have their room numbers? Which one is the girls'?"

"This first one. Do you want to call?"

"Can I?" She clutched his arm.

"Of course. They'll love to hear from you."

Fran smiled and began dialing the hotel's number, and then dialed the room number to be connected to Maggie and Gracie's room. Maggie picked up after a couple of rings.

"Uh, hello?" Maggie said.

"Maggie! It's me, Fran! And your father's here, too. We got your message, are you guys doing good?" Fran had the phone tilted so Max could hear, too.

"Yeah! We're all pigging out on pizza. We have our doors open so the grownups can keep an eye on everybody. Gracie's right here, I think Brighton's in his room."

"Oh, okay. Can one of you go get Brighton? We want to talk to all of you at the same time."

"Oh, okay. Gracie- go run and find Brighton. Tell him Fran and daddy are on the phone, they need to talk to us."

Fran could just hear Gracie in the background.

"Okay, she's going to find him. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, sweetie. Everything's great. We just want to talk to all of you real quick. Have you been having fun?" Fran asked.

"Yes! Thank you for finding this program, Fran. And this hotel is really nice. All of our rooms are in one big group, and there's this big atrium in the center and we can see all the way from the ground floor to the skylights at the top! It's really pretty!"

"Oh, Mags! That sounds great! You have to get pictures!"

"I will. I might have to buy some more film, too. Oh, here they are. Gracie found him. Come here, you guys, they want to talk to all of us at the same time." Fran and Max heard them shuffling around, trying to figure out how to get their ears near the receiver. "Okay, I think we can all listen now. So what's going on?"

"Well, here, your father's right here, I'll let him talk."

"Hello, you all! We miss you. It sounds like you're in good hands out there. Um, well, we got Maggie's message and we just thought we'd try to catch you all before you left for the planetarium. We just have a bit of news we thought we'd share in case we don't talk to you until you get back."

"What is it?" All the children said in unison.

"Well," Max continued, as Fran shared the phone with him. "Well, first, things will be a bit different here when you come back. We're doing quite a bit of redecorating here, in the living room, so hopefully you'll like it. We think you'll like it."

"Ooh! What are you guys doing?" Gracie asked.

"Are you painting? Or moving the furniture?" Brighton asked.

"Hold on, now! You'll have to wait until you come back to see. But it's not just that, there's something else." Max squeezed Fran's knee. "Well, I hope you'll be happy about this one, too. Um, well, tonight I'm taking Fran out on our first date. She's- ah, she's my girlfriend now."

Max and Fran had to move away from the earpiece because of all the screaming on the other end. They looked at each other and laughed. They could hear Brighton yelling "I knew it! I knew it!"

"Are you serious, daddy? Fran is he serious?" Gracie squealed.

"Yeah! Can you believe it? We've been having such a great time so far! We have so much to tell you about, too, but we'll save that for later. But we just thought you guys should hear the news first, before we tell anyone else. So you guys are okay with it? With your father and I seeing each other?"

"Yes!" They squealed.

"Of course, Fran! And Maggie owes me twenty bucks! Had a feeling this was going to happen!" Brighton said.

"What do you mean you had a feeling?" Max asked.

"Come on, dad. We know how you guys feel about each other. I bet Maggie twenty bucks that you'd be together before the summer, but she thought you'd just keep wimping out."

"Children!" Max exclaimed, astonished.

"I didn't bet, daddy. But I'm glad you guys are boyfriend and girlfriend now! I'm really happy!" Grace cut in.

"Aw, Gracie!" Fran said, gushing.

"Thank you, sweetheart. That means a lot to us. It really does. Well, we better let you all get back to your fun. We just thought you should know, so you didn't come back to a lot of changes you weren't expecting."

"Okay, daddy," Maggie said. "And congratulations, both of you. We really are happy for you. We just thought it might never happen, but we're really glad you guys figured it out. We love you guys, we want you to be happy."

"I am happy, Mags. And we love you guys so much! We can't wait until you get back. So be safe and have fun, and make new friends, too, okay?" Fran said.

"Okay," they all said.

"Yes, be safe. I hope that snow doesn't interfere too much. We love you, and we'll see you in a week, alright?" Max said.

"Okay, bye! We love you!" They all yelled into the phone.

"Love you guys! Bye! Be good!" Fran yelled back, then they hung up. She set the phone on the table and looked at Max. He was beaming at her.

"I guess that means they're good with it…" he said. Fran threw her arms around his neck and they kissed.

"Oh, Max! I'm so happy right now!" She kissed him again, and he kissed her back and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I am too, darling! It feels so good knowing how much they love you, too, and that they're happy for us. But I'm not sure what to think about them making bets over us…"

Fran laughed. "Oh, it's okay. I think it's kind of cute." They hugged each other tight for a while, then Max looked into her eyes.

"You want to go out soon? On our date?"

"Yeah… I do. I was thinking… maybe we could try that burger place over on Lexington. You know that one that has the nice mural painted on the wall outside?"

"Oh, yeah, with the mural? I haven't been there before. Sure, we can do that. Are you in the mood for a burger?"

"Maybe. They have other stuff, too. But I went past there the other day and you could smell the grill… it smelled really good!" She grinned.

"Sounds like we've got a date! Should we change clothes, or -"

"No, no. We're good. But let me freshen up a bit first. Oh, Max! We didn't go through all this stuff we bought yet!"

"That's alright, it isn't going anywhere. We can go through it when we come back, and maybe watch some TV or something. Or see what we need to do in here before the movers come tomorrow."

"Oh yeah… but we have all morning to clear stuff out of here, so we can use tonight to continue our date…" she rested her forehead against his and smiled at him.

"Mmm… okay…" he grazed the tip of her nose with his. "You know… we could skip dessert at the restaurant and come back here… then finish off that last apple fritter. Maybe watch the Newlywed Game, or Mary Tyler Moore…"

Fran chuckled. "I like the sound of that… Hey, let me go run upstairs and get ready to go. Meet you back down here?"

"Sure. I'll run up there, too. I might need to shave again, freshen up. All that."

"Okay." They both got up from the couch and Fran took his hand and pulled him towards the stairs. They headed upstairs side-by-side, hand in hand, then split up in the hallway to head for their rooms and get ready.

Max rushed to his bathroom and got out his shaving things, then unbuttoned his shirt and pulled his arms out of it. He left it tucked in and let it hang at his waist. He stood there in his undershirt and lathered up his face and began shaving. When he finished, he washed off the remnants of the shaving cream with a washcloth, then quickly brushed his teeth. He added a little more cologne then pulled his shirt back on and buttoned it up, then ran a comb through his hair. He checked himself from every angle in the mirrors, and when he was satisfied, he headed back downstairs to wait for Fran.

Fran hurried to her room and shut the door behind her. She ran to her full length mirror to check how she looked and see what she needed to fix. Her hair was a little out of sorts from being out in the wind, but it wasn't too bad. She would take it down, run a brush through it, and would put it back up. Her crisp, white shirt was still clean and unwrinkled. She hurried into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then pulled out her hairpins and shook out her hair. She went back into her bedroom and sat at her dressing table, then got her bottle of perfume out and refreshed her pulse points. She used her pick to sort out her hair, then pulled it all back up and pinned it tight and snug again. She pulled out several tendrils on the sides and twisted them in her fingers to get them curled again. She sprayed everything with hairspray, then took out her makeup and touched everything up, then refreshed her lipstick. She checked herself in her makeup mirror, then got up and checked herself in the full length mirror again. She thought she looked pretty good. As she headed out of her room to go meet up with Max downstairs, she wondered if she should wear his bomber jacket again. She really did like it and how it looked on her, but she liked how he looked in it, too. Maybe she should let him wear it again, and she'd wear one of her other coats.

Fran jogged down the stairs and found Max at the closet, removing the paperwork about the furniture and deliveries from the jacket he had worn earlier.

"Hey, you!" She said.

Max turned around to watch her come down the stairs. "Hey, yourself! Do you want the same jacket tonight? The bomber jacket?"

"Funny you mention that, I was just thinking about it. But why don't you wear it this time, if you want. I mean I like it, I really do, but it's your jacket, and I like how it looks on you, too. I've got plenty of other coats."

"I don't mind you wearing it. You look good in it. But whatever you want to do is fine by me." Max took the paperwork in his hand over to the side table below the stairs, and Fran went to the closet to look for a different coat. She pulled out her red mid-length wool coat and turned around as Max came up to her. She was standing on the step of the entry landing, so she stood about as tall as Max and could look him in the eyes. He took her coat from her and helped her put it on, then tugged at the front of it to pull her towards him. She smiled and put her hands on his shoulders.

"You smell really good…" she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, and he let his arms wrap around her waist.

"So do you. And you're awfully cute, too."

"You're awfully cute! I want to kiss you, but then I might have to fix my lipstick again."

"That's alright. We'll have plenty of time for that later. That is, unless, you need to get to bed early or something…"

"I hadn't planned on it." She grinned and played with the curls on the back of his head. It gave him goosebumps.

"Good! Well, I better get my coat so I can take you on this first date of ours!" Fran let go of him so he could go to the closet, and she went to retrieve her purse. She pulled the purse strap over her head and shoulder as Max pulled out the bomber jacket and quickly put it on. He lifted the collar and could smell her perfume. "Mmm! Still smells like you!"

"Good! You can pretend I have my arms around you every time you wear it!"

"Mmm, but I'd rather have your actual arms around me!" Fran jumped up the step and threw her arms around his waist and hugged him, and he hugged her back. "Ready?" He asked.

"Ready!" Max turned on the porch light and turned off the livingroom light, and he followed Fran through the doorway. He pulled the door shut and locked it with his key, then they were off on their walk under the now-darkening skies to the burger restaurant for their first date.