Fran tossed and turned all night. She couldn't get to sleep, and she couldn't stop thinking about Max. She hugged her teddy bear, and even put extra cologne on him, which only made her long for Max even more. She even turned on her bedside light and got up to write in her diary, thinking maybe that would help her get all of the thoughts out of her head. It didn't. It just reminded her of all the wonderful times they were having together. She really missed him. She missed his touch, the feel of him in her arms, and what his kisses did to her. She could hear the sound of his voice in her head. Fran knew she was in love with him, but boy, she had it bad. She finally turned the lights off, imagined that the fur on her teddy bear was actually Max's hair and that she was stroking his head soothingly. She closed her eyes and pressed the bear up against her face and neck and wished that it was Max resting on her chest. She thought about how they slow danced together, and how he held her. She could feel the motion again, she could hear the music. She let that feeling continue, and eventually it carried her off to sleep.
Max got ready for bed, shut off all the lights, and sat down on the side of his bed. He looked back over it, remembering the afternoon with Fran. He tried to picture her body lying across his bed, and how he rested there with her- how they kissed each other. He closed his eyes and imagined how wonderful it felt- how she caressed him, and wrapped herself around him. He opened his eyes and looked back at the bed. The covers were still disheveled a bit, the pillows moved around. He remembered how she rested on one of the pillows, so he reached over and picked up the one he was sure her head was resting against, and lifted it to his face. He could smell her perfume. He hugged the pillow to his chest and took in her scent. Well, he thought, she has that bear, surely it was fine for him to at least have a pillow.
He pulled the covers down and climbed into bed. He buried his face in the pillow and breathed in the soft scent of her perfume. Gosh, he missed her. He was really tempted to go run down the hall to her room, and take her in his arms and kiss her. But he knew he couldn't do that. Things were still new, they still had some work to do. And it really hadn't been that long since their night at Coney Island. They loved each other, and they were in love, and now they just needed more time to get used to that being a real thing, and not something they might need to hide from everyone else. He could shout it from the rooftops if he wanted to. But right now he just needed to keep telling her what she meant to him.
He missed the feel of her in his arms, the sound of her chuckle, the way she ran her fingers through his hair and gave him goosebumps on the back of his neck. He could feel it now. The familiar tingle of goosebumps washed over him and he smiled, then nuzzled the pillow again. He wished she was there with him. His heart positively ached from being away from her. How was he going to handle these nights if they weren't together? Was she feeling the same way, missing him so much that it hurt? He didn't want her to hurt, not at all. Maybe they could figure something out, something that would be agreeable to both of them, but wouldn't cross any lines they may still need to keep in place.
He rolled over back and forth in bed, not able to get comfortable, not able to get Fran off of his mind. Several times he gulped hard, like he was fighting back tears. Was he really that attached to her that being separated was about to bring him to tears? What was he going to do? He had a lot to think about, and some decisions he needed to make.
Fran's alarm clock went off and she reached over to shut it off. It felt like she had just fallen asleep, and she was enjoying a dream about Max. After a moment, she realized that she was awake and that it was time to get up. It was time to get ready to go see Max! That thought perked her up and she pushed off the covers and sat up in the bed. It was grey outside, the light still dim. She yawned and rubbed her arms, then slid her legs off the side of the bed and slowly got up. She was exhausted. How was she going to make it through the day without being sleepy? Maybe… maybe she and Max could have another nap together later. She liked that idea. Did he get any sleep last night? She wondered if he might have had as hard a time as she had trying to fall asleep.
She dragged herself over to her closet and had a look around. What should she wear? They planned to stay home and be lazy that day, so maybe instead of jeans she would wear some nice soft cotton pants. She had some black ones that were made like jeans- with a zipper and pockets. She dug through a stack and found them, and then looked around for a top. She decided on a soft white cotton fitted button-up shirt with a crisp collar. She held it next to the pants and nodded, these should look nice together! She dug out the rest of what she needed from the drawers of her dresser and hurried to the bathroom to get a shower. She was starting to wake up and was getting excited. Anticipating seeing Max again felt like Christmas morning.
Max stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. The hot water helped a bit, but he was still pretty wiped out. He was going to need extra coffee this morning. He remembered how he and Fran had slept on his bed the afternoon before, and he smiled. Maybe- maybe if they were both tired enough later… maybe they could do that again?
He put on his underwear and got his teeth brushed, then put some product in his hair and ran his fingers through it. That made him think about Fran again, and he wondered if she was awake yet. He couldn't wait to see her! He sprayed shaving cream in his hand and spread it over his face, and tried to shave as quickly as he could, being careful not to nick himself. When he finished, he splashed on his aftershave, and then put on a little extra cologne for good measure. He checked himself in the mirror, and then rushed back through his room to the closet to try to find something to wear. His typical go-to would be to put on a pair of slacks and a dress shirt, or even a full suit. But he didn't need to do that. Today was a lazy day with Fran. He was pretty sure they would spend the bulk of it on the new couch. Should he wear jeans? Something soft and easy to lounge in? He looked around at his sweaters and shirts and found a nice long-sleeved grey cotton shirt. He checked the neck to make sure it wasn't a turtleneck, just in case he and Fran got amorous like the day before and she wanted to wander around his neck…
He looked around to try to find a pair of pants that might work with the shirt. He didn't want slacks, because he may need to wear a belt with those. Then he remembered something. It had been a couple of months, and he had been a little embarrassed at the time, and a bit flattered, when Fran had come home from a morning of shopping and handed him a pair of jeans to try out. He didn't quite know what to say to her then, and he was concerned that the jeans might be too- oh, what was the word? Sexy? He worried they might be too much for a man his age- too noticeable. He had thanked her for them and promised to give them a try, but ended up putting them in the closet and forgetting about them. He looked around for them and found them folded up on a shelf in the corner, still with the tags on them. He picked them up and unfolded them, then looked them over. They weren't so bad. What was he worried about? They were slightly faded and had a different cut than his other pairs of jeans. He felt a rush of emotion for Fran and decided to try them on. He put the shirt on with them and went to have a look in the mirror. They fit him perfectly, and they didn't look silly or too youthful, or too "Eurotrash" for him to not feel comfortable in them. He moved around in them and pulled his shirt up to check himself out. Wow, he thought. These really look good!
He grabbed a pair of socks, hurried out of the closet, and put them on with his sneakers, then looked around for something to cut the tags off of the jeans. Once he had done that, he rushed back to the bathroom to dry his hair with the hairdryer. Then he checked himself over again, liked what he saw, and decided he was done. Time to go downstairs and get breakfast going. And see Fran! He gathered the bag of catalogs, shut off the lights, and rushed out of the room. As he hurried through the hallway, he thought he heard Fran's water running. She must be in the shower, he thought. Gotta get breakfast sorted out and coffee started!
He hurried down the back stairs to the kitchen and went first to the coffee maker, then got a large pot of coffee brewing. He decided on making waffles for breakfast, maybe with some bacon, so he got everything he would need out of the fridge and pantry, then got out a skillet and the waffle iron. He hurried around the kitchen, grabbing spoons and forks and knives, getting dishes out, and a bowl for mixing the batter, then got mugs for the coffee. He stopped to listen for Fran and checked his watch. If she just got out of the shower, she was going to be a little while longer. He didn't want to start things too soon and have it get cold before she came down. He got everything ready to start, then decided to go grab the paper out front.
It was cold and grey outside, and smelled like snow. He hoped it would hold off until after the new furniture arrived. He grabbed the paper and hurried back inside and back to the kitchen. He set the paper on the table and went to make himself a cup of coffee, then sat down to read.
Fran dabbed on her perfume and checked her makeup and hair in her dressing table mirror. She decided to wear her hair partially down, with the sides pulled back, and thought it looked nice with her top. She pulled on her sneakers and then went to check herself in her full-length mirror. Nice! She turned back and forth, making sure she didn't miss anything, and when she was satisfied, she turned off her lights and skipped out of her room to head for the kitchen.
Max had started the bacon cooking on the stove and the kitchen was filled with the aroma of it, as well as the pot of coffee. His stomach was growling, and he hoped Fran would be there soon. Just as he thought it, he heard thumping across the floor upstairs, and then down the back stairwell. He jolted up from the table and turned around to see Fran hopping down the stairs. Their eyes met and they burst into smiles. Max ran over to her before she could hop off the bottom step and they rushed into each other's arms and kissed.
"Mmmm!" They both mumbled, and kept kissing. Max's arms were wrapped tightly around her as she stood on the last step, her arms wrapped over his shoulders with a hand stroking the back of his head. Their long kiss dissolved into repeated kisses over each other's lips and cheeks. They leaned against each other's foreheads and sighed.
"I missed you so much Max! I couldn't sleep last night!"
"Neither could I, darling! I almost came to your room, but I thought I better not. Mmmm, I love you so much! And I missed you so much! And good morning, sweetheart!" He squeezed her tightly against him.
"Good morning, baby! I love you!" She kissed him again. "I had a dream about you last night. But we can talk about that later…"
Max grinned. "Okay. I made a big pot of coffee, I thought after a restless night I would need it, but maybe you do, too."
"Yes, I do! What are you making for breakfast?"
"I thought I'd make waffles. And bacon. Does that sound alright?"
"That sounds fantastic! I'm so hungry!"
"Well let me get you some coffee, darling, and I'll get to making the batter. It shouldn't take too long."
"You need me to help with anything?" She caressed his cheek and brushed her fingernails through his hair over his ear. He got goosebumps again.
"Well, we could have some fruit or something with the waffles if you'd like. Niles has some strawberry syrup in there, but would you like fresh strawberries with them too?"
"Ooh! Yummy! Yes, let's do that! I can slice some up and warm them with the syrup. Does that sound good?"
"Yes, it does actually. Okay, I'll get busy, you get on that, and then have a seat at the table when you're done. I got the paper, so if you want to read the funnies or anything."
"Okay, sweetie." She kissed him again and stepped down from the last step. "Oh, you smell so good!" She hugged him around the waist.
"So do you, Fran. That's a different perfume than yesterday, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's one of my favorites. Do you like it?"
"Yes, I do. Very much!" He kissed her again.
"Good!" She looked him over as he stepped back from her. "I like your outfit."
"I like yours, too," they flirted. Max went to the coffee pot to make her a cup of coffee as she headed for the fridge to get the strawberries and syrup. Max stirred her coffee for her as she brought everything over to the counter next to him. She bumped his hip with hers and he laughed. She really liked the jeans he was wearing, and he really liked her snug black pants. He set the mug near her and moved behind her, holding her hips and nuzzling her hair at her neck. She reached a hand up and caressed his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her waist and sighed against her.
"Everything okay, sweetie?"
"It is now. It's so good to see you, and hold you. And kiss you." Fran turned her head to look at him, and let him kiss her softly.
"Yeah, I really missed you. It was hard to be away from you. We'll have to make up for it today."
"That would be nice. Really nice. Oh! I better flip the bacon before I burn it!" He patted her hips and let go of her and rushed over to the stove to tend to the bacon and get the waffle batter mixed up. Fran got a knife out and put some strawberries on the cutting board and began to slice them. She looked over at Max, enjoying the view. She hadn't seen him in those jeans before, but boy did they look nice! They hung in the right places and grabbed in the right other places, and the shirt he wore with them was gorgeous, too. She didn't realize she had stopped slicing as she looked over Max's backside. Max seemed to feel he was being watched, and turned to catch her checking him out.
"Hey, you…" he smiled.
"Oh! Sorry, I was just-" she almost thought she should pretend she wasn't looking at him that way, then remembered that she didn't need to do that anymore. "Okay, I was totally checking you out. You look really gorgeous! Have you worn those jeans before?"
"Unfortunately, no. But I wish I had, if I would have gotten that reaction from you sooner. These are the ones you got me a while ago. Remember?"
"Really? Oh! now I see why I got them! I'm so glad they fit! And fit you so well!"
"Well, thank you, and thank you for the jeans. They're very comfortable."
"Well, you're very welcome. And thank you for wearing them!"
Max glanced back over at her and smiled. He liked flirting with her. He turned back around and flipped the bacon over before pouring the batter in the waffle maker for the first waffle. "Darling, how many waffles would you like? I'm using the Belgian sized waffle iron."
"Oh, do you have enough batter for two? I think I might be that hungry."
"Yes, I made the full recipe, so we'll have some extras. I'll get yours going first so you can have them while they're hot, alright?"
"Okay, sweetie. I'll slice some extra strawberries in case we want them later." Fran finished slicing up the strawberries, put them in a bowl, and poured the strawberry syrup over them, then stirred them around. She grabbed a paper towel and put it over the bowl, then put it in the microwave and set it to warm it up, then went back to the counter to sip her coffee. She watched Max as he tended to the bacon and monitored the waffle iron. She really liked this side of him, she'd never really seen him cook before, other than maybe using the toaster or reheating something in the microwave. She smiled, grabbed some napkins and the silverware, and brought them and her coffee over to the table and set their places. She walked over to Max who was peeking at the first waffle, and put her arm around his waist. Just then the microwave dinged. The syrup was done.
"First one's almost ready. Do you want butter on your waffles?"
"Of course! Do you?"
"Yes, absolutely. Let me get this first one out for you. And how much bacon do you want?"
"Hmmm… let's start with two, and I can always come back for more. Here, let me run and get the butter and get you some paper towels to put that bacon in when it's done."
"Okay, thank you." She patted his side and hurried to the fridge, grabbed the strawberries and syrup from the microwave, rushed them to the table, and grabbed several paper towels for him to put the bacon on. She went back to his side and grabbed a tray and spread the paper towels out over it. He took out the waffle from the waffle iron and poured more batter in, then checked the bacon. It was done.
"Done?" Fran asked.
"Looks like it."
"Here, let me shut that burner off for you." She reached for the knob and turned off the burner, then picked up the tongs and began taking out all of the bacon Max had made, which was a lot. "And I can wait for you to get your waffles, sweetie. I want to eat with you."
"Well, alright. Hopefully it shouldn't take too long."
"Can I refresh your coffee?" She asked, clutching his arm.
"Ah, sure, yes. That would be nice. Thank you, darling." He smiled at her and leaned down for a soft kiss. She patted him again and went to pick up his mug and poured more coffee into it, then cream and sugar. She brought it to the table and Max checked the waffle iron, then pulled out that waffle and added it to Fran's plate. "Fran, do you want to go ahead and get your waffles ready? And grab some bacon, too. We'll have lots of bacon left over in case we want any of it with some of the food Niles made. Like maybe with salads or something."
"Okay, sure. That bacon smells so good, it's making me really hungry!" She traded plates with Max, and set the empty one next to the waffle iron after picking up her plate. She grabbed several slices of bacon and plopped them on her plate, and then brought her plate to the table.
"Hey- we never checked for phone messages, did we?" He turned and asked her.
"No. we should probably do that, shouldn't we?"
"Okay, let me turn it up a little so we can hear." As Fran prepared her waffles and sipped her coffee, Max hit the play button on the answering machine near him on the counter and they listened to several messages. There were a couple of older ones for Niles, just friends asking him to call, then one of C.C. complaining about how Max left her in the lurch friday night and what was going on, and so forth. Max looked over at Fran and they both laughed, then he hit the button to erase the message. The next message was from Val, telling Fran she couldn't get any time off of work for a while because someone quit, and for her to call her when she could.
"You can erase that, I'll call her at some point." Max hit the button and erased the message, then the next one played. It was Sylvia, nearly hysterical. She asked if Fran was seeing Mr. Sheffield and what was going on, and it it wasn't him then who was it, and on and on, then a demand that she call her back and let her know before she had a heart attack or something. Fran laughed out loud. Then Sylvia said that wasn't the kind of thing she should have to find out from one of the movers. "Movers? She asked one of the movers? Oh- I bet he heard me on the phone with her, when I dropped that bomb. I can't believe she would ask the poor guy about that! Sheesh! You can erase that one, too. I'll talk to her at some point."
"Alright." Max hit the button again. Then there was another message from C.C. As Max pulled a waffle from the iron, then poured more batter in, they both listened to C.C. going on and on about who she ran into at the party Friday night, and who they needed to try to get a meeting with, and then she said she ran into someone at Saks.
"Maxwell, she asked if you got the invite to their soirée coming up, and if you were going to RSVP. She really needs a head count so they can prepare. I told her I wasn't sure, that you hadn't mentioned anything. But she needs to know right away, so call her," C.C.'s voice whined through the answering machine. Max let the message finish as he looked over at Fran.
"Oh my gosh! I completely forgot about that! Darling, would you mind watching this waffle for a minute while I run to the office and try to find that invitation?"
"Go right ahead, sweetie, I got it."
Max rushed through the kitchen and squeezed her shoulders as he passed by her. "Be right back!"
Fran got up from her chair and hurried over to the waffle iron and peeked inside. Almost done. She walked back to the table, took a sip of coffee, then went back to the waffle iron. After a moment, she pulled out the waffle and set it on Max's plate, then poured more batter in. The messages on the answering machine were over. She nabbed a piece of bacon from the paper towels and started munching on it as Max came back into the kitchen with a thick white envelope.
"I had this in my desk, I got it a while ago and completely forgot about it."
"Here, sweetie, get your waffles sorted out, and grab some bacon. I just got another one started and there's still batter left."
"Alright. Here, you come over and eat. I'll keep checking the rest of the waffles. And I want to show you this." He waved the envelope and set it down next to her plate. He grabbed a sip of coffee and then traded places with Fran. She came back to the table and sat down, and he went to get his plate and add bacon to it. He peeked at the waffle cooking- it had barely started. He hurried over to join Fran at the table.
Fran picked up the envelope. "You want me to open it?"
"Yes. See what you think. Because if you think it sounds nice, then I'd like to ask you to go with me to it."
Fran grinned at him. "Another date? Wow, we're really rackin' 'em up, aren't we? So what kind of party is this?" She slid the invitation out of the envelope and read through it. "Black tie? So a tux kind of a party. So I would need to wear a gown or something, wouldn't I?"
"Yes, and possibly a different kind of gown than you might wear to a theater event. These people are- well, a little bit different than what you're used to."
Fran set the invitation down and looked over at him. "Different how? I mean, I've met all kinds of people. I'm assuming they all have money?"
"Yes, but I suppose you could say a different kind of money. You see, most of the people who may show up could probably trace their family tree back to all of the big industrial tycoons in America. You know, like Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, those kinds of names. A lot of them still own the family mansions in Newport. You may recognize their surnames from street signs around the city, or names of buildings, parks, that sort of thing. They would have been 'new money' back in the Industrial Revolution."
Fran raised her eyebrows. "Wow. Have I met anybody like that before? Do you know them well?"
"Not really. I see them in the society pages all the time, and they come to the theaters once in a while. We cross paths, but since I'm technically not an old New Yorker, I guess we move in different circles. This is a yearly bash they have, lots of prominent people. I've been invited a couple times before, but I guess I chickened out. And I didn't want to go with C.C., because I just had a feeling that going to the party might be like being in a mansion full of C.C.s."
"Oh god! You sure you want to go?"
"If you went with me, I'd give it a try. I might be being presumptuous at thinking these people will be pretentious, or that it would be really uncomfortable. And who knows, maybe we could meet some nice people, make some good contacts. Or if it's too much, we can go hide in a corner and hold onto each other for comfort…"
Fran laughed. "You know, I never thought of you as the kind of guy to get flustered by society parties. But sure, I'd like to go with you. It'll be an adventure for both of us! Or maybe even for our alter egos, if we need them."
"Oh, true. Only, they'd have to dress like us. Can you imagine if we showed up to the party all punky and artsy? Ha!" Max laughed, and Fran laughed with him.
"Well, if we get nervous or anything, we can just think about that. Pretend we're wearing Doc Martens or leather jackets or something." They laughed again. Max got up and hurried to the waffle iron, removed the one in it and poured more batter in, then came back to the table.
They began eating as Max waited on the latest waffle, and he reached over and put his hand on her knee. She took a bite of food, then reached down and put her hand on his.
"You ready for that new furniture?" He asked, then popped a bite into his mouth.
"I sure am! It feels like Christmas morning, doesn't it? Like we have to wait for Santa to bring the presents."
"It does, doesn't it? Oh, I need to remember to get the step ladder and bring it out there, so we can take down the painting and put the new one up. And if I forget, can you remind me to RSVP for that party? I need to make sure I do that today."
"You got it."
Max took a gulp of coffee, squeezed her hand, and got up to check the waffle. He took it out and poured the last of the batter in the waffle iron, and hurried back to Fran.
"Well, that's the last one. We can save all those and have them for breakfast tomorrow, or as a snack. Maybe we can find another way to have them."
"Hey, we could get some fried chicken and have chicken and waffles! With maple syrup! That would be really good!"
Max smiled. She was already excited about food again. "Yes, we could. You know, all this food we're eating, we may have to get back to our workouts before we turn into blimps."
"Oh no kidding! But it's totally been worth it. And I like having these meals with you, just the two of us."
"So do I, Fran." He reached for her hand again. "Have you thought about what food you want later? What kind of delivery?"
"I was thinking about it a little. I don't think I want the usual, you know, the junky stuff. Like pizza or Chinese take out. Maybe something a little different. And if it's a little healthier, that wouldn't hurt!" She smiled and squeezed his hand.
"True. We can check the phone book if we don't have a menu for a place. Maybe once we have all the furniture and we deal with all of that, then we can just pile up that ottoman with menus and the phone book, and all of those other catalogs, too. We can order food, order more goodies, and then just lounge around the rest of the day. Get the fireplace going, curl up under a blanket… watch a gameshow…" he grinned.
"Or not watch a gameshow…" she elbowed him playfully and they leaned close for a kiss. "But we're supposed to go easy on the messing around, aren't we?" She looked a little sad.
"Just for a little while, darling. Just to make sure we're doing all the other things we should be doing. And talking about things, and just getting used to being close with each other. You know, holding hands, hugging, curling up together on the couch. Because we can still do those things."
"Yeah, I know. It's just not so easy to keep my hands off of you. Yesterday was amazing. And I know how easy it would be to get carried away. I know it's the right thing to do right now, but still."
Max nodded. "I know. I know. But if it's any consolation, I know that at some point we will get carried away with each other. And it will be perfectly fine to let it happen. And it'll be wonderful." He put his arm over her shoulders and she leaned against him.
"Oh, I know it! You should have seen that dream I had about you…"
"Yeah? What kind of dream was it?"
"The best kind!" She grinned.
"Well, maybe that's something we can talk about later." She turned her head to look up at him.
"Maybe. But then again, it could get us into trouble…"
"Hoo ha! Miss Fine!" They both laughed.
"Come on, let's get this breakfast finished so we can get everything ready for when they show up. And we have clean dishes to put away, too. They'll be here fairly soon."
"Yes, let me grab that last waffle and shut the waffle iron off." Max slid his hand across her shoulders as he got up, then hurried to the waffle. Fran chugged the rest of her coffee and picked up a piece of bacon. She leaned back in her chair and watched Max at the stove, then as he came back to sit with her.
"Thank you for breakfast, Max. It was perfect."
"Well, you're welcome. And thank you for helping. The strawberries are delicious."
"Mmm hmm!" She poked a slice covered in strawberry syrup with her fork and fed it to Max, then leaned in for a kiss. She could taste the syrup on his lips. "Mmmm…"
"Mmm hmm!" He agreed. He held her face there to make the kiss last a little longer. Fran sighed.
"I could do that all day!"
"Soon, sweetheart. Very soon! And I will let you do that all day." He looked into her eyes and smiled, then looked at her lips. "I sure love kissing you, Fran."
"I love kissing you, too, baby." She caressed his cheek and they both sighed, then remembered they needed to finish eating and get ready. They turned back to their plates and took another bite.
"Oh! I just realized something! Niles sent my tux out to be repaired. It's getting a new lining in the jacket. I might not get it back in time for that party. I may need to go shopping for something. Should I just get a new tux? Something a little different?" Max asked.
"Well, unless you want to rent something, you may have to. Do you think you might want a newer style? Or you could maybe find something vintage, something really classy and old school." Fran took the last bite of her waffles and picked up the last piece of bacon from her plate.
"Well, I suppose I could see what's out there for new styles. I haven't looked at tuxedoes in ages. But maybe- well, what if we coordinate our outfits? I mean, it might be nice to look like we're on the same page… like we're together…"
Fran smiled. "It would. You wanna go shopping for party clothes?"
"That could be nice. Will you be my stylist?" He put his arm over her shoulders again.
"Your stylist? You know it! Oh boy, how much fun can a girl have?!" She popped the last bit of bacon in her mouth and clapped her hands together happily. Max chuckled.
"So what kind of gown do you think you might wear?"
"Oh my gosh, that'll probably be the hard part. So I shouldn't wear something I might wear to a theater opening? But those are probably the fanciest things I have. Unless I can borrow something from cousin Toddy…"
"Well, I was thinking maybe a subdued color. Aren't most of his things really colorful?"
Fran scrunched her face a little. "Yeah. Subdued color? Well, I might put my foot down about not doing just black and white. But I do look good in a black dress."
"That you do." Max looked over her, then back into her eyes. Fran felt herself blush.
"Maxwell Sheffield!" She elbowed him playfully.
"No, I mean it. You do really look lovely in a black dress. Maybe we could start there. The color could come from something else. Maybe my vest, or handkerchief? Or should I wear a cummerbund?"
Fran looked him over. "Hmmm… That's an idea. A vest instead of a cummerbund? We might have to go to a tuxedo shop and see what they have on the mannequins. If everybody else has a cummerbund, and they look boring, then a vest might be nice. This is gonna be fun! I get to dress you up, and dress myself up, too!"
"Well, good. We might have to do that fairly quickly, especially if anything needs to be altered. Hey- let me get those dishes out of the dishwasher so we can start filling it up again. We need to get out there soon in case they might be a little early."
"Ooh! Yes! Here, let me help you! I'll get those waffles and bacon put way, too."
They got up from the table and brought their dishes to the sink, and got busy sorting out the clean dishes from the dirty, hurrying to get finished before their delivery.
"Do you see any trucks?" Max asked, as Fran rushed back inside after looking down the block.
"No, not yet. But it's freezing out there! I'm gonna put my coat on if the front door's gonna be open for a while."
"That's a good idea. Oh! Let me run and get the step ladder so I can get that painting down and put the new one up."
"Okay, and I'll get your jacket out, too."
"Thank you. Be right back!" Max ran down the hallway back towards the kitchen to look for the step ladder, and Fran got their coats from the closet and put hers on as she looked out the door for the truck to show up. She turned and hurried through the living room, making sure the new rug was just right, and nothing was in the way. The entry table was still moved over against the stairwell, and everything seemed fine. She was so ready for the delivery!
Max came hurrying through the hallway with the step ladder, trying carefully not to bump it into anything. "No one yet?" He asked.
"Nope. Should be any minute now, though! I'm so excited!"
He smiled and hurried over to the fireplace and set down the step ladder. "Should I go ahead and take this one down?"
"Sure, if you want, since they aren't here yet. But where are you going to put it?"
"I suppose I can set it here in this back hallway, at least until we have the new one up. Maybe if the new one is boxed up, we can use that box to keep this one in."
"Good idea! Sure, let's do that."
Max opened the step ladder in front of the fireplace and climbed up, reached for the painting and carefully unhooked it from the wall, and carried it down one step at a time. He set it against the wall on the floor in the hallway by the office, then set the step ladder there with it. He hurried back out to Fran who was watching out the door. He grabbed his coat that Fran had placed on the banister and put it on, then came up behind her and put his hand around her waist. They watched outside for several minutes.
"Did it still smell like snow out there? It did when I went out to get the paper earlier."
"Yeah, I guess it did. Very frosty. You think it will snow?"
"That's what the paper says. But they aren't sure how much. Anywhere from two to maybe six inches. We'll have to see."
"Wow! That much? I wonder if the kids are getting snow. I hope they all have their gloves. I didn't think to check that. You know Brighton's gonna be out there in it making snowballs!" Max laughed. Just then, a long white truck pulled up slowly in front of the house, then stopped, the brakes screeching as it settled. "It's them! It's them! Should we go outside?"
"Sure. In case they need to know what to bring in first or anything. I can't believe they're finally here!"
Fran opened the front door and pulled it wide so the movers could get through, and opened the vestibule door. Max grabbed a doorstop to hold it open. They both hurried out to the sidewalk as the men got out of the truck.
"Hello! Is this the Sheffield residence?" The man from the passenger's side of the truck asked.
"Yes, it is. We've got everything cleared out of the way for you. We might need to open the doors wider, though. Do you know what kind of clearance you need?" Max asked.
"Well, let me take a look real quick before we start bringing anything in. Hey Mickey, go ahead and get things started in back. We'll probably do the boxes first, okay?"
"Gotcha!" The other man said. The first man followed Max to the doorway as Fran stayed on the sidewalk, anxious to see everything in the truck.
"My name's Tito, by the way," the first man offered his hand for Max to shake.
"Maxwell Sheffield. Here we are, two doorways, and a step down inside, then just straight through to the living room there. The couch and ottoman will go right on that rug in front of the television, and there's a smaller loveseat, too. That will go by the fireplace. Oh, and the other things we ordered, I suppose we can just set them over here, around the stairs."
"Fantastic! Should be pretty straightforward. Let me check the width here," he pulled out a tape measure and stretched the tape across each doorway. "Is it a pain to open the other sides of these doors? Because that would make it quite a bit easier to carry the couch in at least, so we don't have to tilt it at all."
"It shouldn't be hard to get them open. They haven't been opened in ages, though. Let's just see if those bolts pull up easily or not." Max and Tito worked on getting the bolts on the side doors to slide, then opened them wide to make more room. Fran watched the other man as he slid a stack of boxes over to the edge of the truck and then pulled out a box cutter to cut the plastic wrap holding them together.
"Ma'am?" Mickey asked.
"Yes?"
"I have the order list here, can I ask you to mark off each item as it comes off the truck? That way we can verify that you got everything you were expecting. All these boxes should say what's in them. Oh, and I believe this big box has all of the pillows in it, so make sure you go through it before we leave in case anything is missing."
"Okay, sure! I can do that." Mickey handed her a clipboard and a pen and she looked through the list, making sure everything they bought was listed.
Max and Tito rejoined them and Tito came over to the truck and picked up several of the boxes.
"Do you have these checked off?" He asked Fran.
"Yes, yes I do! I've got all the boxes checked off the list."
"Can I help bring some of those in?" Max asked.
"Sure!" Tito said, and handed several to Max. "We'll get these out of the way first and then we'll get the furniture inside for you. We got a few snow flakes on the way here, so we want to try to beat that storm if we can."
"Oh, you did? Yes, let's get this stuff inside as quick as we can!" Fran got out of their way as Tito grabbed the large box of pillows and brought them inside. Mickey worked inside the truck to move the loveseat and footstool over to the lift deck, and Fran marked them off of the list, then marked off the new couch which would be last to come inside. "Oh! Let me go check that box of pillows and make sure they're all there!" Fran ran back inside the house as Max and Tito came back out.
"Tito, let's put this up on the dolly. It'll make it easier to get it up that curb and into the house, then we can take it off the dolly and carry it where it needs to go," Mickey said.
"Good idea. Push that dolly onto the lift with it, and we'll set the loveseat on it once it's down here."
"Got it."
Max watched the two men maneuver things onto the lift and then lower the deck down to the street. Fran came back outside to join Max, and reached for his hand.
"Looks like we have everything. I checked the pillows in that box and they're all there."
"Fantastic! You know, once they have the couch inside, we should take out all those pillows and see if they can take that box back with them. That way we won't have to find a place for it. It's awfully big."
"You're right. Hey guys- would you be able to take that big box back with you once we empty it out?"
"Sure, ma'am. That's no problem," Tito said. They got the loveseat onto the dolly cart and got it up onto the sidewalk, then headed for the doors. Max watched them anxiously, making sure they didn't bump anything.
Just then, an older neighbor lady came outside with her small dog on a leash and noticed them, then headed towards Fran and Max. She looked into the back of the truck.
"You all aren't moving, are you?" The woman asked.
"Oh, no!" Fran said. "Just having new furniture delivered. Oh, look at your cute dog! Can I pet him?" Fran crouched down and put her hand out for the dog to sniff. The happy ball of fur jaunted over to Fran and let her pet him.
"Yes, he's pretty friendly. His name is Pepper. I'm just getting him out for a walk before this snow starts. I saw those other trucks out here yesterday and wondered if you all were moving out or something."
"No, no. We just found some nice living room furniture and decided to do some redecorating, so we had to get rid of the old furniture." Fran stood up after petting the dog and reached for Max's hand.
"Oh. May I ask where you went to get the furniture? I've been trying to coax my husband into letting me get some more comfortable chairs, but he's so stubborn. I want to take him somewhere he can try a few out himself and see if he can find one he likes."
"Oh, we went to this fantastic place out in the furniture district! They're in one of those old factory/warehouse kind of buildings, it's really big. Three floors, and they have some cafes there, too. They'll deliver everything, and if you do a lot of other shopping and don't have a way to get everything home, they can bring all of that, too. They had so much wonderful stuff there! Oh, and they're having a big sale this weekend! Oh, Max, let me go grab that map for her! Can you hold this a minute?" She handed the clipboard to Max. He took it from her and watched her bounce into the house and smiled.
"It really is a fantastic place. We found so many things, and for the children, too," Max said.
"Oh yes! You have children, too. I see them sometimes out here. They're so polite. Are they in school now?"
"No, no. They have Spring Break this week. They all went to a camp in Philadelphia, so Fran and I get the whole week to ourselves." He smiled. Fran came back out with the folded map in her hand.
"Here you go, you can have this. It shows all the shops they have and has a map,of everything, too. Oh, and if you have the paper from yesterday, there was a big ad in there about the sale this coming weekend. Maybe your husband will go with you. Just tell him there are plenty of places to sit, and they have food, too. Maybe that will get him to go and help you find some chairs."
"Oh! Thank you! Maybe it will! Thank you so much, dear! I'll definitely look into it. Well, I better get going and get this fellow walked. Hopefully we don't get too much snow out of this thing."
"Oh, I know! I'm ready for Spring!" Fran said. "Nice to see you, and you, too, Pepper!"
"Nice to see you," Max said.
"You, too! And good luck with the new furniture!" The woman waved to them as she escorted the little dog back in the other direction up the street. The two men came back outside with the dolly and parked it on the sidewalk.
"Okay, now, we'll bring the couch in a section at a time. There will be a bit of assembly with that, too, but it shouldn't take too long. And we'll put down a protective cover over your rug while we work on things, too."
"Oh! Thank you, we wondered about that. The rug is new, so yes, that would be very much appreciated," Max said. Tito nodded and the two men jumped on the lift and raised it back up, then went back in the truck to sort out the couch. Max noticed Fran rubbing her arm as if she was cold, and wrapped his arms around her. "Cold, sweetheart?"
"A bit. But I also think I'm wired with excitement. I got a glimpse of the loveseat in there and it looks so good, Max!" She wrapped her arms around his waist.
"You think so? That's wonderful! I can't wait to see all of this finished, and everything put where it needs to be. I can't wait to try it all out!"
"Oh, me either! We're nearly there!" Max rubbed her back and her arms as the two men lifted the shorter end section of the couch slowly onto the lift. It was still wrapped in protective fabric and cardboard, and that made both of them relieved. The men rode down on the lift with it, then carefully lifted it from both ends between two parked cars, onto the sidewalk, and then set it carefully on the dolly. A large, folded canvas tarp sat on top- likely the cover they would be using to protect the rug. Fran and Max moved aside to watch them maneuver it into the front doors, then leave the dolly on the entry step and lift the couch again, carefully carrying it slowly across the room and stopping at the rug. Tito picked up the folded tarp and the two men opened it and spread it over the new rug.
"I'm so glad they did that. I forgot to ask if they were going to wear those booties, but since the house doesn't have carpeting, I guess this way works, too," Max said.
"Yeah. They're doing a pretty good job so far. That couch can't be light. The next part of it will be really heavy. We might have to watch that a bit closer in case they have to move it around a lot out here." They continued to hold on to each other, keeping each other warm, as they watched through the doorway to see them move the section of couch into place.
Just then, several snowflakes came down in front of them.
"Oh! Max! Look!"
Max looked up at the sky and watched more flakes fall. "It's starting!" He smiled. "Well, we thought that might happen. Thankfully, they're almost done."
The two men came back outside and pushed the dolly back across the sidewalk. They jumped back into the truck and got the ottoman next, carefully sliding it to the edge, then the both jumped back out and lifted it up and off the truck, and maneuvered it quickly into the house. They set it inside near the television, then they both hurried back out the doors.
"Oh, sir- I can take that clipboard from you, if you guys have everything checked off. You checked the box of pillows, didn't you?" Tito asked.
"Yes, everything we got was there. So it all looks good," Fran said. Tito walked over to Max and reached for the clipboard.
"Can you initial right down here? Then we'll get this last piece in the house and try to beat the now!" Max reached back for the clipboard and initialed it where Tito pointed, then he handed it back. Tito hurried over to the cab of the truck and set the clipboard inside, then joined Mickey at the back. They jumped on the lift again and rode up, then went inside and began shifting the last, long section of couch toward the lift little by little. They managed to maneuver one end out onto the lift, then Tito came out and jumped down to the street. The section of couch was longer than the lift, so Tito had to lift that end of it as Mickey took the other end, and slowly bring it all the way out and turn it to the side, then set it down on the lift. After a little more maneuvering, they had it sitting evenly on the lift and Mickey began lowering it down to the street.
"Phew! I'm glad I'm not the one who had to do that! I don't know how he lifted it up over his head like that!" Max observed.
"I know, right?" They continued watching as the two men brought the dolly back over to use it to help them get the couch to the curb, and Max looked over at Fran.
"Oh, darling! The snowflakes are sticking to your Hair! Let's get you inside! We can watch from there."
"Aw, it's sticking to you, too! Yeah, let's get inside!" Fran took his hand and led him through the doorways and they stopped at the bottom of the stairs to watch out the door, making sure nothing happened to the couch before it could get inside.
Little by little, the two men got the couch to the sidewalk and safely up onto the dolly again, and carefully pushed it to the doorway. They stopped to take a breather before bringing it the rest of the way in.
"Oh, Max, I'm gonna grab them some water bottles in case they need them. I'll be right back!"
"Good idea, darling!"
Fran ran to the kitchen to retrieve the water for the men and Max watched them try to plan their next move. He felt a little bad that he didn't offer to help, but didn't think he could be much help anyway. They just needed to get it through the doorway and down the step and then it should be much easier to deal with. He watched as they carefully rolled it through the doorways, and then Tito stopped the dolly as the end of the couch reached the entryway step.
"Okay, Mickey! That's it! Right there. You got room?"
"Yeah, just barely. Oh, Mr. Sheffield? Could you by any chance do us a huge favor?"
"Sure, I'll try. What do you need?"
"When we lift this up, can you pull that dolly out from underneath and get it out of the way? That way I can just keep walking straight until I get to the step and don't have to worry about tripping over it."
"Oh, yes, yes! I can definitely do that! Here, let me get around the other side where there's more room to move it. And I'll watch as you come up to the step."
"Okay, thank you! You ready?"
"Yep, let's do it. On three! One, two, three!" The two men heaved and lifted the couch up just enough for Max to slide out the dolly from under it and get out of their way. Fran came hurrying back in with the water bottles and watched them as they slowly stepped and moved it through the doorway.
"Okay, you're coming up on the step! Can you see it from the sides?"
"Uh, yeah… okay, Tito go slow…"
"Now step down… there you go! You got it!" Max exclaimed, feeling extremely helpful for what he had done.
"Okay, man, let's set it down! One more step, okay, now! Careful!" Mickey said, then the two men slowly lowered the couch into the floor and stopped to take a breath.
"Wow, guys! That was awesome! I brought you both water, do you need it now, or you wanna wait?"
"Oh, thank you, ma'am! Actually, yes, that would be wonderful right now."
Fran handed them both a bottle, and Max went to set the dolly in the vestibule. The men quickly opened their bottles and chugged down the water.
"Okay, once we get this over there, we'll get the plastic and everything off, and take all that and the dolly back to the truck and close it up, just so we don't get any snow in there. We still have some other stuff in there we have to deliver. Oh, and ma'am, we can take that box out there too before we close it up."
"Oh, yeah, okay. I suppose I can put these pillows on the loveseat to get them out of ten box."
"Let me help you with that, darling." Max headed over to the large box with Fran as the two men stuck the water bottles in their coat pockets and prepared to heave the couch over to its new home. Once they had set it down on the covered rug, Fran and Max brought their armfuls of pillows over to the loveseat that sat by the fireplace and set them all down on it.
"Do we have the placement right for the couch? Do you want it on the rug or outside the rug?" Tito asked.
"You've got it pretty close. We do want it on the rug, so it's easy to pass by the back of it. And centered in front of the television."
"Alright. We'll get all this off and get all the structural stuff connected, then we can pull this cover out from under it."
"Okay, great!" Max said. Max looked at Fran again, then patted her lower back and went to shut the two doors back to keep out the cold. Fran watched as the men tore off the plastic and gathered the protective cardboard from around the couch and bundled it into piles. There was one cardboard box with the hardware that Tito opened up, and then he pulled out a screwdriver from his pocket, laid down on the floor, and then slid up under the couch to begin attaching things. Mickey handed him a flashlight, and then bundled up all of the wrappings.
"Oh, Mickey, do you want to just stuff all that in the box? Does that make it easier to carry?" Fran asked.
"Oh, yeah, it sure does! Thank you. Let me get all this out of your way and I'll go close up the truck." Max grabbed the now-empty big box and Mickey dropped everything into it and checked around to see if he missed anything. He went out the front door and closed it behind him, then grabbed the dolly and took everything to the truck. Fran and Max looked back and forth at Mickey and at Tito's lower half. They heard the sound of the lift and the rattle of the truck door sliding down, then locking, and again as the lift folded flat against the truck. The snowflakes were getting heavier outside, and Fran's anticipation was about to explode. She wanted everything to hurry up and be done already!
Mickey came back in and and walked over to Tito's feet.
"You about done down there? Snow's coming down harder, we better get moving pretty quick."
"Okay, almost done, hang on."
Mickey pulled out his bottle of water and chugged more of it.
"Thank you again for the water, ma'am," Mickey said.
"Oh, no problem. This couch is huge, I don't know how you guys can lift it!"
"Well, it's a full time job, we can get pretty creative sometimes to ease the burden. We're used to it." Tito slowly wriggled out from under the couch and sat up, stuffed the screwdriver into his pocket and handed the flashlight back to Mickey.
"All done! Everything should be nice and secure now. Let me get this of of your rug and then you can see everything together." He got to his knees and Mickey ran around to the back of the couch and gently lifted it just enough for Tito to pull the cover out from under the couch, and then again to pull it out from the other half. Tito neatly folded the cover back up, and then the two men slid the ottoman into place in front of the couch.
"What do you think?" He asked Max and Fran.
"Oh, it's beautiful! Thank you guys so much! You did a great job getting it all in here!"
"You sure did! Thank you!" Max said.
"Oh, you're welcome! Well, we'll get out of your way and get our other deliveries made. Enjoy your new furniture!" Tito waved to them both, and so did Mickey, and they both headed out the front door and shut it behind them.
Fran and Max looked at each other, then laughed from excitement.
"What do we do first?" Max asked.
"Oh! We should get everything cleaned up first, put where it's supposed to go." They both looked around at the mess.
"The entry table! Let's move that back!" Max said. They both hurried over to the entry table and lifted it, then shuffled over and set it back down in its usual place. "Okay, now what?"
Fran looked around. "The new picture! Can we put that up?"
"Of course! Why don't you grab the box over there, and I'll get the step ladder back out."
Fran grabbed the box with the painting in it while Max ran back to the hallway to get the stepladder. Fran set the box on the new loveseat, peeled back the piece of tape, and opened the end, then carefully slid the framed panting out of the box. Max set the step ladder in front of the fireplace and stepped up, then Fran handed the painting over to him. He reached up and got it on the hook, then gently lowered it and let go. Fran looked up at it and smiled, and Max stepped down from the ladder. He looked at Fran, then at the painting, and smiled.
"What do you think?" He asked her.
"I love it! It's beautiful!" He stepped over to her and put his arm around her and looked back up at the painting.
"You know, it really is, isn't it?" He smiled for a moment and she squeezed his waist.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" She exclaimed, then hurried back over to the piano and picked up two boxes from out of one of the bags. She removed her two stone figurines and carefully placed them on the mantle, then pushed them together so they kissed. She stepped back to Max and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Oh, I love it, Max!"
"So do I," he smiled, then looked at her and leaned over for a kiss. "Here, darling, let me take that box from you and see if I can fit the old painting in it."
"Okay. I'm gonna put some of these other things on the shelves over here and see how they look. Is that okay with you?"
"Of course, darling," Max got the old painting into the box as Fran unboxed some of the other items and looked for places to put them. "Let's put anything that needs to go upstairs on the steps, alright? Then we can take them all up in one go. I'll leave this painting over there and get the stepladder put away."
"Okay. And I'll put the catalogs on the ottoman so we can look at them again, and maybe order some things, too."
"Great! I'll be right back!" Max kissed her again and carried the box with the old painting and the step ladder towards the stairs as Fran went through the bags to see what needed to go upstairs. She pulled out the throw blanket and draped it over the couch, then grabbed the pillows from the loveseat and dropped them onto the couch from behind. She set the bag of catalogs on the couch and then grabbed the remaining bags and hurried over to the stairs to set them down. Then the last things were the larger boxes with the lighting they bought for the children's rooms, so she moved those over to the staircase, too. She headed back to the back of the couch to organize the pillows, and Max came back from putting the step ladder away.
"Hey you!" She grinned. "You want to grab your blazer from last night, and then we can go take all that stuff upstairs and get it out of here. And I was thinking, when we come back down, maybe we can use up the last of the coffee and grab all the take out menus, and maybe the newspaper and the phone book, too. We'll make ourselves a nice little haven in here so we don't have to get up at all, except maybe to get the food when it comes!"
Max smiled. "That sounds wonderful! And we should get the fire going, too. It's cold in here!"
"Yes, it is. Okay, come on, let's get all this stuff up there in one go if we can." Fran hurried over to the stairs and began hanging the bags from her arms and picked up boxes as Max grabbed his blazer from the top of the piano, slung it over his arm, and hurried over to her to help. He picked up the large box for the painting and two of the lighting boxes and they made their way up the stairs.
They stopped by each of the children's rooms to drop of the lights, then Fran went to her room and to Niles' room to drop off the bags and the gifts they bought while Max went to toss his blazer in his room and hurry upstairs to the attic door and put the old painting in storage. Fran touched up her perfume and checked her makeup and hair before heading down the back stairs to the kitchen to make them some coffee and gather the things they would take to the couch.
As Max looked for a spot to lean the painting against the wall, he noticed a pair of Brighton's old Nerf guns sitting on one of the trunks. They were both fully loaded. It gave him an idea, and he almost laughed out loud.
Fran tucked the phonebook, newspaper, and stack of take out menus under one arm and wondered what was keeping Max. She carefully picked up both of their mugs of coffee and headed out of the kitchen, switching the light off with her free elbow. She hurried through the dining room and hallways back out to the entryway, and stopped for a moment to try to figure out how she was going to put everything down. She stopped at the entryway table and set down the mugs of coffee and hurried over to the ottoman and set the stack of things on top. She lifted the flap of upholstery on the ottoman and pushed in one of the boards, and felt the satisfying spring back as it popped into her hand. She pulled it out gently and looked it over, making sure it looked perfect and hadn't been damaged, then set it down across the ottoman where they could reach it. She set the stack of things on top of it, then took out all the catalogs from their bag and set them next to that pile, making sure Max's furniture catalog was on top. She had a look at the pillows and rushed around the ottoman to rearrange them, then hurried back over to the entry table to get their coffee. As she set the mugs down, she heard a familiar loud booming voice.
"Don't you dare sit on that couch yet without me!"
Fran whipped around, scared half to death, and saw Max grinning from ear to ear with a big Nerf gun in each hand. He popped off a shot that flew straight at Fran and she screamed, then started laughing. Max shot at her again, then slapped down one of the guns on the entry table and took off down the hallway.
"You little so-and-so, Max! Don't run away from me! Come back here! I'm so gonna get you!" She laughed and laughed as she ran for the other Nerf gun and grabbed it, then ran down the hall to chase Max. He'd gotten a good head start, so she wasn't sure what direction he headed until she heard the pop of another shot from the gun he had, and a subsequent ding against her butt as the dart hit her. "Hey!" She whipped around to see him take off through the back hall towards his office.
"You'll never catch me! Ha ha!"
Fran was positively giddy at Max's behavior. She'd rarely seen him act like a child like this, much less running around with toys, egging her on. She couldn't stop laughing. She ran back in the opposite direction and ducked behind the side of the couch as Max came bounding back through the doorway, then jumped up and shot her own dart at him, hitting him in the chest.
"Gotcha, stinker!"
"Ha! Hey!" He ran past her towards the stairs and tried to fire off another dart in her direction, but she caught him again as he made it to the bannister and started running up the stairs.
"You can't outsmart me, mister! I'm the Nerf Queen!" Max laughed out loud as he got to the top of the stairs, and Fran ran towards the stairs, then changed tactics as Max disappeared upstairs, and she ran back through the hallways and dining room into the kitchen, then up the back stairs. She was going to stalk him now!
She could hear Max in the distance laughing and trying to catch his breath, and she tiptoed through the hall towards him. He seemed to realize that she didn't come up the stairs behind him, and suddenly didn't know where to hide.
"Oh, crap!" He whispered to himself. "Where'd she go?"
Fran flew out in front of him from the corner she hid behind.
"Here I am! Ha!" And she popped off several shots at him as he stumbled back and tried to shoot at her.
"No fair!" He squealed, and he turned and ran back down the hallway to get to a staircase. She chased after him as they laughed and hooted and hollered through the house. He ran up a staircase and hid behind another corner just as she came up behind him, and he peeked out and shot at her as she ran towards him. She screamed and laughed, and Max turned and ran towards the other staircase to head back down the stairs. He didn't know how many shots he had left, so he knew he needed to make them count.
Fran was laughing so hard she could barely run. She held on to the walls and whipped around a corner, trying to catch up to Max. She heard him laughing and stumbling down the stairs so she followed suit. She ran into the second floor hallway and stopped to listen, trying to figure out where he went. All was quiet. She pressed her back against a wall and waited. He must have hidden somewhere, she thought. So Fran tried to come up with a plan to ambush him, but where could she hide? Could she trick him somehow? Then she remembered something, and quietly tiptoed down the hall.
Max had hidden in one of the guest bedrooms. He tried to make it sound like he ran further down the hallway, then quietly doubled back and into the bedroom. He shut the door behind him and crouched down inside, trying as hard as he could to catch his breath and not make a sound. Where was she? She must be stalking him. He thought for certain that she would come creeping by at any second, and he would jump out and scare her and get off his last rounds. But all was silent. He waited several minutes, then felt his stomach churn. Where was she?
Hey, it's just Nerf darts, it's okay if she beats me and hits me with all of hers, he thought to himself. So why was it making him anxious? Was she getting him back for scaring her? Did she quit? Was she mad at him now and didn't want to play anymore? Now he felt bad, and he wanted to find her. Or, let her find him.
He stood up and quietly opened the bedroom door and peeked out. No one there. He looked both ways and stepped out into the hallway and listened again. Nothing. Where is she? He decided to head down the hall towards the back stairs. He was certain she hadn't come past him, so maybe she was waiting by the other staircase… waiting for him to come back and chase her. Well, he thought, I'll go downstairs and sneak up on her from behind!
Hequietly hurried to the back staircase and tiptoed down, stopping every few steps to listen for her. It was still quiet. He was so nervous! Where could she be? He came down into the kitchen and hurried through, then as quietly as he could, he pushed through the door to the dining room, carefully closing it behind him. He decided to sneak through the back hallway and come out by his office. If she was waiting at the top of the stairs, she might see him before he saw her.
Step by quiet step, he made his way through the long hallway and got to the door of the livingroom. He peeked out and didn't see her, so decided that it was safe to hurry across the livingroom. He stepped through the doorway and had barely taken two steps into the livingroom when POW POW POW POW! He was getting pelted with Nerf darts at close range. He flailed his arms in front of him and tried to see where they were coming from.
"Ahhh! Ahh!" He yelled, and pointed his gun in the direction the darts were coming from, then got off his last few rounds.
"Gotcha, cutie!" Fran laughed. Max opened his eyes and saw Fran sitting in the new loveseat, laughing her head off. She dropped the gun to the floor and clapped her hands in triumph.
"Who's the stinker now?" He yelled at her, and burst out laughing. She held out her arms to him and got up, and he ran to her, lifting her into the air. He dropped his gun on the loveseat and spun her around, then kissed her passionately. "You scared the daylights out of me Fran! I didn't know where you were!"
"That was the point! And anyway, you scared the daylights out of me, too! But that was so much fun, Max! You're such a cutie!"
"It was fun, wasn't it? I found them in the attic. And by the way, how the hell did you get down here anyway? I never heard a thing!"
Fran laughed. "Well, there's only one way to get down here without using the stairs…"
Max looked at her, confused for a moment. Then he realized what she was talking about. "Wait a minute, you don't mean to tell me-"
"The laundry chute! I totally did!"
Max's jaw hung open and he set her down. "You're kidding me!"
Fran shook her head. "Nope! I totally did! I had to sneak around you somehow, and I wasn't sure where you were hiding. So I just thought I'd give it a try. I can't believe you didn't hear me! I could swear I was making so much noise trying to get in there and then slide down."
"I never heard a thing! Probably because all I could hear was my heart pounding in my throat! What a rush!" He wrapped his arms around her middle and lifted her up again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
"Mmmm! Thank you for that, sweetie! That was fun. And you are sooo Brighton's father!" They both laughed.
"Well, you make me feel so young again, Fran. You make me want to do silly things and have fun. Not take things so seriously all the time."
"Well, I'm glad. But of course, now we're both gonna be paranoid that the other one is waiting around the corner with a Nerf gun!" They both laughed.
"Then I guess we can't let each other out of our sight…" he kissed her again.
"Mmm… that's fine by me!" She kissed him again and again. They both sighed and slid their hands over each other.
"So, darling… are you ready?" He asked.
"To try the couch? Yes, sir! Come on! I think I have everything over there, oh! Grab the TV remote over there and let me grab the phone so you can RSVP. I brought that invitation with the newspaper."
"Oh, yes! I almost forgot!" They both hurried to opposite side of the room, grabbed the phone and remote, and hurried to the ottoman. "Wait! Our shoes!" They kicked off their shoes by the ottoman, set their things down, and Fran took Max's hand. She looked up at him and grinned.
"Okay, come on!" She led him by the hand around the ottoman and Max let her sit down first, then she pulled him down next to her. They moved the pillows around and got comfortable, and looked at each other again, giggling. They reached over to pick up their mugs of coffee, and then lifted their feet up onto the ottoman.
"There we go!" Max sighed, leaning back. "I think I can get used to this!" Fran laughed and they took sips of their coffee.
"Ahhh, this is the life!" Fran leaned back and wrapped her arm through Max's and cuddled up against him.
"So what do you think so far?"
"So far, I love it! It's roomy, and soft. And we might have to push this ottoman all the way against the couch later so we can stretch out. Maybe throw the blanket over us…"
"Mmm… that sounds nice… and that reminds me, I didn't get the fire going. Are you cold?"
"After all that running up and down the stairs, I'm not. At least not yet, so don't worry about it for now. And we still have this blanket if we need it."
"True. That might be better than starting the fire, because then I get to snuggle up close to you under it…"
"Mmm hmm!" Fran smiled, and turned her face up towards his for a soft kiss.
"Mmm," Max sighed. "Hey, why don't I RSVP for that party real quick and get that out of the way, then we can get everything sorted out for a nice cuddle. That is, if you still want to go?"
"Yes, I do! Very much. I want to show off my boyfriend. My arm candy!" Max laughed.
"Am I your arm candy?"
"Yes, you are, baby!" She squeezed his bicep and he laughed.
"You're my arm candy, too. I'll enjoy showing you off."
He squeezed her knee and leaned over to the ottoman to get the invitation and the phone, and set down his coffee. He found the phone number he needed and dialed it, then waited to see if someone would answer. He reached for Fran's hand and lace his fingers through hers.
"Yes, hello. This is Maxwell Sheffield calling to RSVP for the party next week. Yes, hello, how are you? I'm well, thank you, and I apologize for not having gotten back to sooner. I put the invitation in my desk drawer so I wouldn't forget about it, then got caught up in work and it completely slipped my mind. Yes, I will be there, there will be two of us. Yes. Wonderful. Yes, C.C. left a message mentioning she had run into you, I'm glad she let me know I had forgotten to call you. Oh, no, taking this week off, the children are out of school. Yes, well, I'd expected to be working this week so we sent the children off on their own adventure, then my work plans changed last minute. Yes, it will be a nice break." He looked over at Fran and squeezed her hand. "Alright then, we look forward to seeing you then. You, too. Alright, goodbye!" He pressed the button to hang up, and looked at Fran again. "We're going to a fancy party, darling!"
"Goodie! It's gonna be so much fun!" She patted his arm.
Max reached over for his coffee again and took a sip. "Do you want to turn on the television and see what's on? Then, I think we need to fill out one of those order slips for all of these catalogs. Maybe when we go out to look at that other furniture workshop, we can swing by and pick up everything we order. Maybe make a day of it?"
"Really? You really want to do that? That would be fun! You need to go through them, too, in case there's something else you want."
"Oh, I intend to. There are several pages I marked, so I'll go back and look at them and make a decision. And I'll take you out to lunch then, too, maybe before we pick everything up, so you can think about where you'd like to go. Maybe we can find a nice restaurant down that way."
"Oh, yea! This is turning out to be such a fun week, Max! Really fun!"
"It sure is!"
Fran grabbed the remote and turned on the television, and Max put the phone down and reached for the furniture catalog, and settled back into the couch to go through it. Fran grabbed several catalogs and got out one of the order slips.
"Hey, sweetie? Can I grab a pen from your office? To write things down on this?"
"Of course you can. There should be some in the middle drawer."
"Okay, be right back!" She patted his knee and jumped up, and ran around the couch to retrieve a pen from the office, then hurried back out to rejoin Max. She noticed that he was looking at his catalog fondly. She reached over for the blanket and opened it up, then spread it over herself. "You want some, sweetie? I'm getting a bit chilly."
"Oh, sure, yes," he pulled the blanket over himself, too.
"So, you pick something out that you like?" She asked.
"Hmm? Oh, well, maybe, yes. Look a this- if I hold this out in front of us, you can almost imagine what that would look like right there where the television is." Fran leaned over to see.
"That's a really nice one, isn't it? Are you thinking you might like a blue one like that, or just regular wood tones?"
"I'm not completely sure, but yes, I might be leaning towards that blue. There's just something about it. But I would really like to see it in person. But I do really like that style. It's a beautiful console table. And I like the idea of it potentially being an heirloom piece. I think the children might like to hold on to something more like this than most of the other furniture, don't you think?"
"Yeah, they probably would. It's very modern, but it's almost timeless looking too."
"Exactly! But you know something else…"
"What?" He held the catalog up again and then took it away and looked at the huge, old television console in front of them, then turned to look at her.
"I think it's going to mean a new television, too."
"Really? Well, you will be the most favorite father on the block if that happens!" They laughed, and Max wrapped his arm over her shoulders.