Friends and Lovers
Chapter Seven
The next morning, Fran pulled up in front of the Sheffield mansion shortly after seven. She knew Niles would at least be up, so she gathered the children and their bags and rang the front bell.
"Good morning, Miss Fine, you're here early."
"Maxwell wanted me here before Denise arrived. She's not here yet, is she?"
"No, Ma'am, she isn't. Actually, Mr. Sheffield hasn't come down stairs yet."
Fran glanced up the stairs and grinned. "Oh, really? Maybe I'll just have to go up and hurry him along. Anthony, take your sister in the living room and watch television. Ree, go with your brother."
Fran watched her son take the toddler by the hand and lead her to the sofa. He turned on the television, and found Sesame Street. Fran smiled. THAT should keep her occupied for a few minutes. She moved the children's backpacks out of the way and hurried up the stairs. She tried the knob on Max's door. Finding it unlocked, she slowly turned the knob and pushed the door slightly open. She could hear the sound of the shower running. She slipped into the room and closed and locked the door behind her, then tiptoed toward the bathroom door. She could hear him singing in the shower. She smiled and sighed. He was practicing their song for the pageant. She stood outside the door and waited for the water to stop, then gently pushed it open. He still hadn't noticed her standing there. The mirror was fogged over, so she took the chance, and slipped behind him, moving her hands around his waist.
"Good morning, Handsome."
Startled, he turned to face her. "Fran!" He moved his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too. You're running late this morning."
"I didn't sleep well, I kept thinking of you and the children so far away from me."
"I was just a few blocks away…and I'm here now." She kissed him softly. The sound of Brighton fighting with Maggie reached them, and they pulled apart. "You'd better hurry and get dressed, I'll see to the kids." She kissed him quickly and hurried into the hallway to pull the children apart.
She helped Grace finish dressing, and moved the three of them downstairs to the dining room. Then she retrieved the other two children from the sofa and sat them at the table.
"No one move. We're going to wait until Daddy gets downstairs to eat. I hope your new nanny gets here on time."
As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Fran could hear Niles busy in the kitchen, so she answered the door.
"Good morning, Denise."
"I'm not late, am I? My car wouldn't start."
"No, you're right on time. Mr. Sheffield hasn't come down yet. Oh, here he is."
He slipped his arm around Fran's waist and kissed her cheek. "Did you get the children settled down?"
She nodded. "They're in the dining room waiting for you."
"Good to see you again, Miss Spencer.
"Good morning, Mr. Sheffield."
Fran smiled and took her elbow. "The children are already in the dining room." She laughed nervously. "Hopefully they haven't destroyed it."
They all walked into the dining room where the five children sat quietly waiting for their parents. Fran put her hands on her hips and looked them over. "All right…Who are you, and what did you do with our children?"
"Wha? You told us not to move."
"And since when do you listen to me?" She looked over at Max and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I shouldn't complain, huh?"
"No, Darling, let's see how long it will last." Max and Fran sat at their usual seats, and Denise took an empty chair next to Grace. "You children remember Denise, don't you? She's going to be your new nanny."
Anthony looked over at his mother, who nodded silently. "But why do Ree and I need a nanny, Ma? You always take care of us."
"I know, Sweetie, but when you are staying here, you'll have Denise to help look after you and the girls."
"But WHY?"
She sighed and looked at Max. "Anthony, there will be times when Max and I want some time to ourselves, to go to dinner, or a show, without the kids."
"So she's like a babysitter."
"Honey, that's what a nanny IS. The difference is that she'll live here."
"So why does some strange nanny get to live here, and you and Anthony and Ree don't?" Brighton had put down his fork and was staring intently at Fran.
"B., don't you start that, too. We have our own house."
"But when you and Dad get married, you'll live here, right?" Fran looked down at her plate and pushed her eggs around with her fork. Brighton looked over at his father. "Right, Dad?"
"Brighton, we're trying not to rush things. Give us a chance, all right, Son?"
"But, DAD…" Brighton stopped as he saw the stern glare his father was throwing his way. Once Maxwell was sure it was safe to move on, he turned to Fran.
"So, Darling, what are your plans today?"
"Well, I have some shopping to do, so I thought I'd take Denise and the girls to the mall. I thought I'd ask C.C. to join us, if you can spare her for a bit."
"Hello, hello! Did I hear my name?" As C.C. strolled into the dining room, Irene bolted from her chair and ran to greet her.
"Aunt C! Shopping!"
C.C. reached down and picked up the toddler. "What, Dear?"
Fran looked up at her friend and smiled. "We're going to the mall to do some shopping." She slightly cocked her head towards Max. C.C. smiled and nodded. "I thought you might want to take a break from all the extra work that Maxwell has heaped on you and join us."
"You're sure you don't mind, Maxwell?"
"No, by all means, go with Fran, have a wonderful time. I'm sure I can handle things for a while. You've been handling a double load for a while, you could use a girls' day out."
Niles leaned over to refill Maxwell's coffee. "Yes, if she was a girl." Max snickered, and then caught the angry look from Fran.
"You know, I could use a girls' day, too." Maggie looked up from her plate and smiled at her father.
"I'm sure you could, Sweetheart, but you have to be in school. Maybe you and Fran can go another day, just the two of you."
"That's actually a great idea. We can go to Elizabeth Arden, get facials, get our hair done, our nails done…Things I can't do with the little ones."
"We can really DO that?"
Fran ignored the frown from Max. "Absolutely, My Darling, you've got a birthday coming up, we'll go all out getting ready for it."
"I guess I'll be too dressed up for Chuck E. Cheese, then, won't I?"
"Maggie, you can do anything for your birthday you want to do. We can do Elizabeth Arden another time, and you can still have your pizza party if you want it." Fran glanced at her watch. "But for now, you three had better finish eating, get upstairs and brush your teeth, and grab your coats. Your limo will be here in about ten minutes."
The boys dug into their plates, as if they were racing. "We're done, may we be excused?" Max nodded, and the boys ran upstairs to finish getting ready for school.
"I'm done, too, Daddy."
"You may be excused, Maggie. Tell the boys not to forget their backpacks."
"Anthony's is next to the staircase, Honey."
"O.K., Fran." She hurried upstairs to boss the boys around before one of the adults showed up to stop her.
Fran stood up and picked up her plate. "Denise, why don't you grab your bags and have Niles carry them up to your room. You can get settled a bit while I get the girls ready to go."
"You don't want me to do that?"
"Not right away, let's ease you into it, so the girls get to know you. Irene's never had a nanny, and Grace isn't real good with strangers, but she'll follow Ree's lead." Fran carried her plate into the kitchen and rinsed it off. "Niles, could you help Denise take her things to her room? I'm taking the girls shopping today for Max's birthday, so we'll all be out of your hair."
"You and Ms. Babcock at the mall. However did you manage that?"
"Gee, Niles, it was really hard. I ASKED her!" We want to do something special for Max's birthday."
"We haven't celebrated his birthday since…"
"Yeah, I know, it's been three years; the last one was when Sarah was alive. Well, if he expects ME to make happy memories for Valentine's Day, then HE can make happy memories for his birthday."
"What do you have in mind?"
"I thought we'd have a small party at my place. Maybe you can come over and cook dinner there; I'll find a reason to stay home that day, so he has to come over."
"How many people are we talking about?"
"Oh, just family, Niles. C.C., you, the children, me, Maxwell. I'm debating about inviting my parents. They've been dying to see more of the kids."
"I think that's perfect. I'll be happy to help any way I can."
She hugged him quickly. "Thanks, Niles. I'll let you know. I'd better go get the girls ready, before they drive C.C. nuts."
"That's more of a short putt, isn't it?"
"Niles. What IS it with you two? You're worse than the kids sometimes." She grinned at him as she headed back into the dining room. "Niles will be out to help you with your luggage in just a second, Denise." She looked down at her daughters. "All right, my darling girls, upstairs to your room. Time to get dressed for shopping!"
"Shopping! YAY!" Grace took Ree by the hand and the two girls headed for the stairs. "C' MON, Mommy!"
"I'm comin', My Darlings."
"We'll be down in just a few minutes, C.C." She ran her hand across Max's back as she followed the girls.
"Do you need any help, Darling?"
"No, I can get them ready. You need to get working, so you can be all done when the girls and I get back. We'll all be ready for a nap by then, I'm sure." She squeezed his shoulder gently before leaving the room.
Max smiled as he watched her leave. "You're sure you don't mind going with them, C.C.?"
"Of course not, Maxwell, why would I mind? Fran's a good friend, and I adore those girls."
He stood up and headed for the hallway to his office. "It's good to see the two of you getting so close."
Niles stuck his head into the dining room and looked at the nanny. "Are you ready to bring your things in?"
"Yes, my car's right across the street."
"I'll meet you at the door." He quickly glanced over at C.C., before lowering his eyes and backing into the kitchen.
C.C. sighed. He DOES appear interested, and he's such a nice man. Not many people put up with my crap. I should really give him a break.
Ninety minutes later, Fran pulled her Range Rover into a parking space at the mall. "All right, ladies, are we ready to show these mortals how to shop?"
"YEAH!" The girls squealed from their car seats. They loved to shop with Fran. C.C. helped the girls out of their seats while Fran pulled the small stroller from the back. Both girls ran and tried to climb into it at once.
"Gracie, honey, you're too big for this stroller, Angel."
"Wanna ride, too."
Fran sighed and looked over at C.C. "Well, I guess we can rent a twin stroller inside." She folded the stroller and shoved it back in the car.
"You can rent them?"
"Sure. They'll just have to walk until we get to the kiosk. Ree, take Aunt C.'s hand." She grasped Grace's hand firmly before heading across the parking lot to the mall entrance. Once inside, the girls broke free and ran to the merry go round in the center of the mall. "I guess they want to ride first." She grinned and reached for her wallet.
"No, let me get this, Fran." She laughed. "It's an auntie's job to spoil her nieces."
"And you do it so very well, Aunt C.! If the crew from your show EVER saw you with these girls, your reputation as the Dragon Lady would be shot to hell."
"So now you have something to hold over my head." C.C. winked at her friend before paying the ride operator. The two women watched the girls on the ponies, as the nanny walked into the shoe store to browse. "God, to be that young again." She closed her eyes, thinking of her unhappy childhood. "So, what are we getting Maxwell for his birthday?"
"I was thinking of a nice watch. He has that Cartier, but that's the only one he ever wears. The kids are getting him a gold signet ring."
"Have you gotten his Valentine's Day present yet?"
"No, but I thought I'd pick THAT up at Victoria's Secret. I TOLD him I didn't want to celebrate…but he's determined to make that OUR special day."
"Oh, that's right, it was your anniversary."
"Yeah, and he wants NO reminders of HIM."
"What about…" She looked over at Irene, who was blowing kisses to her mother.
"Oh, as far as he's concerned, those are HIS kids. He's still so angry at Sarah and Tony; he wants to pretend like they never existed. I don't know what I'm gonna do."
"What about the DNA test?"
"Right now, we're viewing her as OUR child, which, legally, I guess she is. If we do the tests, and it comes back that Max is not her biological father, then he has to accept the fact that Sarah was unfaithful."
"What about you? You'll know the same about Tony."
"I KNEW Tony wasn't faithful. That's why I was in London; we were legally separated, right up to the time of his death. I had the fourth floor; he lived on the third floor. I could've tossed him out, but I only let him stay for Anthony's sake. Then Reenie came along. I could've handled two kids alone. I DID handle two kids alone. I just wish I'd thrown him out, now. Maybe he'd still be alive…maybe Sarah would still be alive."
"And where would that leave you and Maxwell? Still miserable, pining for each other."
"Max wasn't pining; he'd given up on us. He was happy with Sarah and his kids."
"Do you honestly think if you'd thrown Tony out, he wouldn't have gone after Sarah and Grace? If he was as big a schmuck as you say he was, he wouldn't have thought twice about ruining their marriage to get what he wanted."
"You're right. Tony always took what he wanted." C.C. reached out and touched her friend's arm supportively.
"Sorry, maybe we should talk about something else. If I take you home upset, Maxwell will never let me go shopping with you again." She smiled. "Back to the party. It's going to be at your place, right?"
"Right, Niles is going to come over and do the cooking. He'll love that…I think he'd transplant my herb garden and carry it home if I let him. I'll have all the kids with me; I'll get Denise to bring them over, telling Max they have a play date or something."
"Do you want me to come over and help out?"
"C.C., that would be wonderful. He's going to think we're just going out to dinner. So when he comes to pick me up, everyone will be downstairs in the dining room. I'll have to pull a second table out of the basement for the kids."
"So, who all is coming?"
"Let's see, You, Niles, Denise, the kids…and Niles thought it would be nice to invite my parents. I suppose I should tell Denise she's welcome to bring a date."
"We're supposed to bring dates?"
"Well, um, I kinda thought that Niles could be your escort."
"Francine Joy Fine, you are pure evil."
"I learned from the best, Chastity Claire!"
"Shhhhhh!!!! GOD, I hate that name!"
"So why don't you just change it?"
"Because I like C.C.." She folded her arms across her chest and grinned. "We all have double initials, well except for my father and brother. Come to think of it, you'd fit right in!"
"Oh, sure. B.B., C.C., D.D. and F.F."
"Of course, we'd call you, um, Effie!"
"Makes me sound like a poodle or something, I'll stick with Frannie." She shook her head and mumbled, "Effie, geesh!"
The merry go round slowed to a stop, and the women each grabbed a child and hauled them off. "Where'd Denise go?" Fran looked around.
"I think I saw her go into the shoe store."
"Now you're talking! I could use some new boots."
"I thought we were shopping for Maxwell."
"We are. If I get new boots, I'll be in a much better mood, and that'll be good for Maxwell."
"I love the way your mind works, girlfriend!" They entered the shoe store and all tried on several pair of boots. Fran got a pair of over the knee boots, some ankle boots and some knee high boots for herself, and then bought some new boots for each of the girls.
"Where to next?" Fran adjusted her packages and watched the girls running a few feet ahead of them. "Racy Ree…slow down."
C.C. laughed. "Racy Ree? That sounds like you're talking to one child."
"It practically is. One comes, the other follows. Of course, they only answer to that for Max and me. Grace normally insists on people using her real name."
"So where did Racy come from?" Denise looked over at Fran fighting with her packages. "Do you want me to take those out to the car, and I can catch up with you?"
"Denise, that would be a lifesaver! Irene couldn't pronounce Grace at first, and she heard us calling her Gracie, so she started saying Racy, and it just stuck." She handed the bags to the nanny and reached into her purse for the keys. "It's this one. We'll be right over there, in that jewelry store."
"Great, I'll be back in just a few minutes."
C.C. looked over her shoulder at the nanny exiting the mall. "You're not afraid she'll take your car?"
"Maxwell had her thoroughly checked out. If we can trust her alone with our kids, she can have the keys to my car."
"So, the jewelry store, huh? Max doesn't buy you enough?"
"He hasn't bought me anything since…"
"I know everything about London, Fran; you should know me well enough to know that anything you say about that time is safe with me."
"I know it is. You don't know how much I appreciate being able to have someone to talk about it with. Ma wouldn't understand, Val would blab." She laughed. "She wouldn't mean to, but sometimes, she just can't help herself."
"I know what you mean, my sister's like that. So what did Maxwell buy you in London?"
"A gold locket, with our pictures in it. I think it belonged to his grandmother. He also bought me some diamond earrings for Mother's Day. I put it them my personal safe deposit box at the bank when I got home. I couldn't risk Tony finding them. I'd almost forgotten they were there. I think I'll run by the bank this week and get them."
"He'd love that. No one needs to know WHEN he gave them to you." They walked into the jewelry store and Fran sat the girls down on two chairs.
"Do NOT touch a thing, do you both understand?" Both girls nodded and sat back in their chairs. Fran turned to the sales girl, who was busy waving at the girls. "I'd like to see your best watches, please."
"Any particular brand?"
"Do you carry Blancpain?" The sales girl looked at the women as if they were speaking a foreign language, then went and got her manager.
"Can I help you ladies?"
Fran and C.C. exchanged glances. "Unless you have someone else you'd like to go get. I'd like a nice watch, maybe a Blancpain or Patek, preferably the Blancpain."
"We keep those locked up, Ma'am."
Fran sighed deeply and scooped up Irene. "Let's go, C.C., I'll just pick it up at Tiffany, I know they have them there."
The manager went pale. This woman isn't joking. "You'll pay a lot more at Tiffany."
"Well, at Tiffany, they have no problem showing me merchandise. So, you have a choice, you can show me some watches, and quite possibly make a nice commission, or you can keep on the way you're going and watch me walk out of here. You see, I have NO problem paying the extra money at Tiffany!"
C.C. stood grinning at her friend. No wonder they were such good friends. Fran may be this sweet thing on the outside, but she's tough as nails on the inside. "Fran, why don't we go to Tiffany? Maxwell Sheffield doesn't want a watch you bought in a mall."
"Maxwell Sheffield? The producer?"
Fran was plotzing inside. Way to go, C.C.! Make her sweat! "This is C.C. Babcock, his business partner."
"And this is Francine Fine, I'm sure you've seen her in magazines, on billboards…you DO read, don't you?"
"I'm so sorry; I'll get you those watches right away." The clerk stumbled over her assistant as she rushed to the safe to pull out the watches.
"You really aren't going to buy one of those are you? Do you have any idea just how much they COST?"
"Yeah, Tony was always after me to get him one." She laughed. "This way, I can get something nice for Maxwell, and send a huge 'screw you' to Tony at the same time." She put Irene back in the chair as the clerk emerged with the box of watches. Fran looked them over and finally picked one. "I like this one. Can you engrave the back?"
"Uh, yes, Ma'am. If you plan on buying this watch, we'll engrave it at no charge."
"Fine." She reached into her purse and pulled out a platinum American Express. "You DO take American Express, don't you?"
"Uh, yes, we do, but, um, for this amount we'll have to call it in."
"Would it be more convenient if I wrote you a check?"
"Ma'am, this is a twenty thousand dollar watch, I'll have to call in any form of payment."
"Just put in on the card, then." She watched the clerk walk away, and then spoke quietly to her friend. "Why do they stock something they don't plan on selling?"
"Max is going to shoot you."
"Why? It's not HIS money."
"You know how he is. He won't like you spending that much money on him."
"He doesn't like me spending ANY of my money. He doesn't like me being a model. It's not like I was a hooker or anything. Yes, I modeled underwear, but I was ALWAYS covered up."
"Well, I guess now, in light of what Sarah did to him, the idea of men seeing you in your underwear really gets to him."
"I know, we've discussed that. I won't be taking any more underwear or swimsuit assignments. It's not like I have to work. It used to be my refuge, now I can just enjoy staying home with the kids.
"And Maxwell."
She smiled dreamily. "Yeah, and Max. But I can't count on that. He keeps talking about the future, and acting like we'll always be together, but he's never mentioned marriage."
"Give him time, I'm sure he's thinking about it."
"Well, I'm just worried about all the kids. The little ones call us Mommy and Daddy, the boys are getting just as bad, and Maggie and I are getting closer every day. And what about Gracie? If something happens between Max and I, what do we do about her? Right now, we're like this friendly married couple who live in different houses. We shuffle the kids back and forth, put on a united front with them. What happens if we split up again?"
"Why would you split up? Last time it was because of…well, you know why. You don't have to worry about that now. There is nothing to keep you from being together. I know, I can't believe this is coming out of my mouth, either, so stop looking at me like that. You and Maxwell are meant to be together. If the last four years didn't break you up for good, there isn't much that will." She looked up and grew silent as the nanny returned. "Trust me on this, Frannie."
"I hope you're right."
"I can't do squat with my OWN love life, but I can tell other people about theirs."
"Well, that's where I can help YOU, Sweetie."
"Oh, God, you're talking about HIM again, aren't you. You heard him this morning."
"So his jokes are a bit abrasive. I've heard you toss him a more than a couple zingers, too. Maybe a peace offering?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know, we're at the mall, buy him some little gift."
"You are insane. I'm not going to buy him a present."
"Oooookaaay."
"But?"
"No but. However, if you bought him a little gift, I don't know, maybe something for the kitchen, maybe he'd see that you were a lot nicer than you act around him."
"Fran…"
"C.C….."
"I guess I'm buying him a present. We'll stop at the kitchen store, all right? Happy?"
"Happier….I'll be happy when the two of you just admit your feelings for each other."
"Hey, Fran, here come the nice young men in the clean white coats…"
"They're coming for YOU, Ceece."
Denise looked over at them and laughed. "You two sound like sisters or something. It must be nice to have such a good friend. How long have you two known each other?"
The women looked at each other. "Four, five years? But we didn't become good friends until recently. While I'm thinking of Saturday night, I wanted to let you know that you are welcome to bring a date to the party. You'll be needed to help watch the kids, but between the three of us, we should all have time to pay a bit of attention to our dates."
"Thanks, but I'm really not seeing anyone right now. That'll leave me free to take care of the kids so all of you can enjoy yourselves. The party is at your house, Mrs. Sheffield?"
"Denise, it's Fran. I am NOT Mrs. Sheffield."
C.C. smiled. Not YET anyway, my friend!
"What are YOU grinnin' at?"
"Nothing, I just thought of something funny." Thank goodness, here comes that idiot clerk.
"Your card went through with no problem, Mrs. Fine."
"Miss."
"Yes?"
"My name is MISS Fine."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I saw your children, I just assumed…"
"Fine is my professional name." She signed the charge ticket and gave the clerk the instructions for the engraving. "How long will that take?"
"About an hour or so. If you have more shopping to do, you can drop back by and pick it up on your way out."
"Actually, that would be better. That way I don't have to carry it around all day. We'll be back in a couple of hours." She helped the girls off their chairs and headed out the door. "Thank you so much for all your help."
C.C. snickered quietly. "OK, Shopping Queen, where next?"
"How about the kitchen store?"
"How about Elizabeth Arden?"
"You are going to drag these two precious babies into the store and make them sit and watch us buy make up and perfume? Actually, I could use some new stuff. Okay, Elizabeth Arden first, then the kitchen store."
The three women stopped at the Elizabeth Arden counter, and Fran bought new perfume, several new shades of eye shadow, got the nanny a makeover, and bought her a new makeup kit.
"This was so nice of you, Miss, I mean, Fran."
"Don't mention it. I can't have my nanny using the wrong make up colors, now, can I?" She giggled. "They'd throw me out of the models' union."
"Really?"
She laughed again. "No, but you DO look so much better. I bet even Maxwell notices."
"You WANT him noticing women?"
"I don't mean it like THAT. He'll just notice a change, that's all. Now, where were we supposed to go next?"
"Kitchen store!" Grace giggled. "Right, Mommy?"
"Right, Baby. Gee, C.C., I guess you're going shopping for a peacemaking gift."
"Grace, I thought you were my bud, girl!" C.C. smiled and patted the child's head.
"Tired, Mommy." Irene grabbed at Fran's legs and reached up for her. Fran scooped her up and looked down the mall.
"Ah, good, the stroller kiosk. You wanna ride, Angel?" The child nodded and laid her head on Fran's shoulder. When they got to the kiosk, Fran rented a twin stroller and put Grace in the back and Irene in the front. Once seated, Irene fell asleep almost immediately.
"I heard her crying off and on last night. I think she was having more nightmares, but when I'd go to her room, she was back asleep every time."
"Did you tell Maxwell?"
"Are you kidding? She rarely has them when she's over there, I can just hear him now…."It would be better for the children if you moved in"….It might be better for Irene and Grace, but I worry about Brighton and Maggie."
"Brighton wants to see you together; you should hear him and Anthony when you two aren't in the room. I don't see Maggie as a problem, either, she adores you."
"But I'm not married to their father, and he wants me moving in, and NOT into the guest room. I can get by sleeping there once in a while, but on a nightly basis, he wants me with him."
"Can you blame him; the man loves you, Fran."
"C.C., I want to be with him, too, but not if it might hurt the kids."
"You know, you sound just like him, when he wouldn't leave Sarah. He didn't want to hurt the children, so he went to London, and did his research from there."
"Until I stopped him."
"You've got to quit beating yourself up about that. Under the circumstances, you did the right thing."
"Is that what YOU would've done?"
"Me? HELL no, but I'm not as nice as you. I'm a very selfish person, deep down; I never would've put that cheating witch's happiness over mine."
"We didn't know for sure she was cheating then, C.C."
"Maxwell did, deep down, he knew. Why do you think he avoids talking about it now? He feels so damned guilty about how this whole thing hurt you, he's trying to avoid the whole issue."
"Ooh, let's go in here, look at those fur hats!"
"I thought you didn't wear fur."
"These are fake fur, I wear that. Come on, I'll buy you one, too."
They tried on hats for a few min, and finally settled on a leopard print for Fran, and a Zebra print for C.C..
"I never wear this type of thing, are you sure it looks all right?"
"You look GREAT, trust me! Look! They have matching gloves! Fran picked out two pair of black knit gloves, with fur trim that matched their hats. "Too bad they don't have the girls' size. Wouldn't they look adorable?"
"We could try the kids store next to the kitchen place."
"Anything to avoid the kitchen place, huh?"
We'll get there, don't worry. I DID say I wanted to spoil the girls a bit, though."
"Do you want me to wait outside on the bench with the girls while you go into the stores?"
"Thanks, Denise, but I think they might get frightened if they wake up and don't see me. Once they get used to you, it won't be a problem."
"I just feel like I'm getting paid for nothing."
"Just wait, once you start chasing the boys around, you'll definitely earn your paycheck. Enjoy days like this while they last."
"Are you sure? I mean, I feel like I'm stealing from Mr. Sheffield, he's paying me to go shopping."
"When things get busy at the theater, he'll pay you to go to dinner with the kids, PTA meetings, Coney Island, more shopping. If you treat the children right, Maxwell will take good care of you. He tends to treat the nannies like part of the family, until the kids run them off."
"They run them off?"
"Well, until recently, it's just been Max and the kids. He was busy, and turned the children completely over to the nannies. The kids resented it and rebelled. They spent a lot of time at my place in between nannies."
"So you've helped raise all of them?"
I've known them since Brighton and Anthony were three, so let's see; Maggie was six when I met her. Grace was almost 2 years away then. The boys started Pre School together, and have been in the same class for 5 years now. Brighton came over to play a lot, and Anthony went to Brighton's the rest of the time. Those two have been inseparable since they were three years old."
"How did their mother die? Do you know?"
C.C. froze. Fran always had trouble talking about that day. "Maybe we should talk about this later."
"No, I'm all right, C.C.. There was an accident, Superbowl Sunday, 1989. A drunk driver hit a Jeep pulling out of a parking place at the little market on Madison. The Jeep rolled over through the crosswalk, killing several pedestrians. Sarah was one of them."
"So it was the Jeep's fault?"
Anger filled C.C.'s eyes. "No, it was NOT the Jeep's fault. He was in the right, that damned drunk zipped around the corner and hit him before he could do anything." She looked over at Fran, who now had tears in her eyes. "I told you we shouldn't do this, Fran. Denise, the driver of the Jeep was Fran's husband. He was killed, too."
"Oh, God, Fran, I'm so sorry."
"That's all right, how could you know? Just never talk about it in front of Max or any of the kids. And we do NOT watch the Superbowl. If you're a fan, you can have the day off with pay, just go watch it elsewhere."
"Yes, Ma'am. Wait, your husband, wasn't he a photographer? He had a studio on 68th Street?"
"Yes, Tony was a photographer. The studio wasn't his, my house is on 68th, and there are a lot of galleries around it. They let him display his work from time to time."
"I didn't put it together, your last name is different from his, I can't remember it…"
"Bergman. Anthony Michael James Bergman the third."
"And your son, he's the fourth?"
"Yeah, and he is NOT happy about it."
"He sure isn't. Did you know he wants to drop Anthony entirely?"
"Is he still on that kick? He told me he wants to be Michael James. I thought it was just because he's still mad at Tony."
"He's mad, all right. He told Brighton he didn't want anyone to know he was Tony's son. Brighton told him that he could have his last name, so they could be real brothers."
"Great. Max doesn't know, does he?"
"I don't think so; you're not going to tell him?"
"If MAX wants the kids to have the Sheffield name, then it needs to be HIS idea, not the boys, not mine. There is no way I'm even bringing it up."
"Yeah, you've got a point."
"Ah, look where we are, Kitchens Plus!"
"I thought we were going to shop for the girls first."
"Ai, you're such a baby. If I let you spoil my babies first, will you PLEASE go buy a present in the kitchen store?"
"Yes, I'll go buy a present for HIM, after I buy some for THEM." She pointed to the two sleeping girls. "Are they still going to want their naps?"
"Oh, yeah. If Irene goes to sleep, Grace will, too…and Irene ALWAYS takes her nap. That child runs full throttle, and has to sleep to recharge those batteries."
Denise looked down at the sleeping children. "But they've been so good today, are you telling me this isn't normal?"
"Oh, it's normal when we're out somewhere. But at home…at home Irene can be hell on wheels, with Grace right behind her. If you want Grace to do anything, just get Reenie to do it first. If you can't get Reenie to do it, get one of the boys. She loves to imitate her brothers, which isn't always a good thing."
"No, it isn't. That child thinks she's indestructible. You have to watch every second. The last nanny left the front door open as I was answering the phone. Ree was out the door and into the street after a ball in a flash."
Fran shuddered. "If C.C. had slipped on the ice, or Irene had fallen forward, my child wouldn't be here today."
Denise looked at C.C.. "You saved her?"
"I've never moved so fast in my entire life."
"No wonder you and Irene are so close."
"We've been that way since I met her. For some reason, she has always liked me. I wonder if it's the blonde hair. She associates me with Sarah, maybe?" Denise started to wander away, giving Fran and C.C. more time to talk. Fran waited until she was out of earshot to continue the conversation.
"I suppose it's possible, but she was only six months old when Sarah died. But, she's having those nightmares, too."
"Maybe the nightmares are just separation anxiety from Max. She thinks he's her father."
"He IS her father. Don't look at me like that, you know he's not her biological father, but he's the only father she's ever gonna know." She laughed. "She's the baby Max and I talked about having when we were in London."
"You were going to…but Maxwell said you didn't…"
"No, we didn't. But before he found out about Grace, we'd discussed how things would be when we got home. I'd follow through with my divorce; he'd help me get custody of Anthony. He'd get his divorce, securing joint custody of Brighton and Maggie, and we'd have a baby of our own."
"No wonder he was so shaken up when you got pregnant."
"You should've seen his face when Tony told him. He was so hurt; he looked so betrayed, like I'd cheated on him. I knew at that moment, that he only returned to Sarah out of a sense of obligation, that he really DID love me. I knew he loved her, too…but, affair or not, if Sarah hadn't been pregnant, he never would've gone back to her."
"I still can't believe you two were so in love, and you never slept with him."
"C.C., he wasn't mine. The whole relationship was so wonderful, without complicating it with sex. Instead of making love, we talked, cuddled, talked some more. He knows more about me than my own mother does."
"So that's how you two are able to handle the way things are now."
Fran laughed out loud. "It doesn't feel like we're handling it. It's driving us both nuts! The hardest part is when I stay in the guest room, knowing how close the other one is, and not able to do anything about it."
"You two need to be married…Soon."
"We're trying not to rush things."
"Oh, PLEASE! You are so married now, just not legally. You raise your children together, you hire domestics together, and you discuss all aspects of your lives with each other. You are more married than just about anyone I know." And if that partner of mine doesn't get off his ass and propose to her pretty damned quick, he's gonna get a piece of my mind.
"I think it's because we were both so comfortable being married. I didn't like WHO I was married to, but I liked having someone there to talk to, to help with the kids, to cook for."
"Yeah, Maxwell was the same way with Sarah. He'd come home from the theater and she had the household running smoothly, all he had to do was kiss the children good night. You ever see the movie Mary Poppins? The father in the movie that wants everything just so? That was our Maxwell."
"He'd best not try that mishegas with ME. I don't mind being an equal partner, but this subservient wife crap is NOT gonna happen in THIS lifetime."
Fran held up the outfits she'd picked for the girls. "What do ya think of these?"
"Cute! Matching outfits. The boys are gonna want some, too."
"You think these come in their size?" She laughed. They wear matching uniforms to school, I think that's as close to twin clothes as they want to get."
C.C. held up three outfits. "How about these, they have them in both their sizes."
"Oh, those are precious. You know, Max is gonna kill us both."
"Not me, I'll just threaten to quit again."
"Don't you DARE! He'll blame me for corrupting you!" The women paid for their purchases, collected the nanny and headed next door to Kitchens Plus.
"You know what I actually think he'd like, Fran? An herb garden. He totally loves yours, and this would give him a small one of his own."
"Is there room for it?"
"Sure, in the window next to the back door, that shelf would be perfect, take down those stupid decorative oil jars, and you've got tons of room."
"He'd love it!" The nanny pushed the stroller behind the women as they shopped. They found the components for the herb garden, along with a new cookbook, potholders, and some seasonings that Maxwell mentioned liking.
"Perfect!" Fran looked at her watch. "It's about time to pick up Max's watch, so why don't we do that, go eat, and hit Party City on the way home?"
"Sounds good to me! Where are we eating?"
"I don't know, what sounds good to you two? Chinese, Mexican, Deli?"
"What was the name of that deli, the one around the corner from the house that you get those things from? Those cheesy things."
"The blintzes? Oh, Shapiro's? Yeah, we can get that and take it home. We'd better call the guys, if we show up with deli and don't bring for them, I'll never hear the end of it."
"The guys. Listen to you, you sound like Niles and I are a couple or something."
"Did I say that? All I said was that I wanted to call them and see if they wanted us to bring lunch, YOU'RE the one that said couple."
"You are NOT going to let this go, are you?"
"Nope, not till I see that you're at least giving the man a chance."
"Fine!" She pulled her cell phone from her purse and dialed Maxwell's number. "Hi, Niles, it's C.C.. No, everything's fine, Fran and I thought we'd stop by the deli and pick up lunch on the way home, and we wanted to know if you and Maxwell would like something." She covered the microphone and snickered. "He can't even form a sentence, I think I shocked him. Yes, I'm still here, Reenie was running off. Sure, we can do that. We have to pick up one thing, and then make a quick stop at Party City, and then we'll be home with lunch. You're welcome. Bye."
"Now, was that so hard?"
"No, it was easier than I expected. He was totally thrown, he must've said something to Maxwell, because I heard him mumble something to Niles, then give him his food order.
"What do they want?"
"They said to surprise them."
"Oy, can't that man make a decision?"
"Which one?"
"Pick. It must be a British thing."
"No, Sweetie, it's a MAN thing."
"I'm gonna pick up some stuffed derma for them. THAT will teach them."
"You're going to make the man you love eat that?"
"No, Anthony will eat it when he gets home from school, he loves it. I'll pick up some sandwiches for the men, but I'll make him THINK he's eating derma."
"Like I said, pure evil!"
"Takes one to know one."
"You'd better believe it, baby!"
They picked up the watch from the jeweler's and headed for Party City, where Fran went a bit overboard picking up decorations for Max's party. The girls were now wide-awake and cranky from hunger.
"All right, ladies, we're going for lunch right now. Denise, reach in to my bag and grab them a snack, please."
"Is this dried fruit all right?"
"Yeah, that's Ree's favorite." The girls giggled as they were handed the dried apricots.
Fran pulled up in front of the deli and left the Rover running. I'll be right back, I know exactly what to get." She hurried into the deli, and emerged several minutes later with a box of delicious smelling treats. "Ready to go home, girls?"
"Wanna see Daddy."
"Now, why doesn't that surprise me, Ree?" She turned the vehicle around and headed back to the Sheffield mansion.
When they pulled up in front of the house, Fran had Denise take the girls right in. The two children ran through the living room and headed straight for Maxwell's office.
"Hey, you two, where's your mother?"
"I'm right here. Lunch is in the kitchen, Sweetie. Come on, girls, let's go eat, you two need naps."
Max got up from his desk and took Fran into his arms. "So, how was the mall?"
"It was crowded and filled with incompetent sales clerks, but we still managed to find shoes, clothes for the girls, and a perfect birthday present for this incredibly handsome man I know."
"What? No hints? That's not like you."
"No hints, you'll find out what it is at dinner Saturday.
"Where did you say you were taking me?"
She grinned. "Nice try, mista. I DIDN'T say, and I'm not gonna." She kissed him softly. "Now come eat, your stuffed derma is getting cold."
"You got stuffed derma?"
She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. "Sure, you said to surprise you."
"I'm surprised, all right."
"Wha? I thought you liked derma." She turned around so he couldn't see her start to giggle. "Come on, let's go eat, Niles and C.C. should have the table ready by now." She scooped up Irene and took Grace by the hand before heading to the kitchen. She seated the girls and smiled brightly as Max entered the kitchen.
"This doesn't smell like derma."
"Honey, do you really think I'd do that to you? I know how much you hate it."
He playfully patted her backside as he moved to the table to hold the chair for her. "You know, Darling, I'll have to get you back for that."
"I'm looking forward to it."
After lunch, the girls went up stairs for their naps, giving Fran and C.C. time to finalize the plans for the party.
"So, we need to hide our cars, so he doesn't notice them, right?"
"Yeah, you can park around the corner by the medical center; he comes from the other direction."
"Won't he see all of us as soon as he comes in?"
"No, everyone will be on the first floor; the front door is on the second floor."
C. C. laughed. "Let's just hope his plans for the night doesn't include taking you to the third floor before you go to dinner."
Fran giggled softly. "Oh, I hope NOT! The third floor is the kids play rooms. If you're talking about my bedroom, THAT is on the fourth floor."
"I can't WAIT to see this place!
Fran looked at her watch. "We've got some time before the girls wake up and the kids get home from school, let's run over to the house, I'll give you the grand tour, and I can dump the party stuff off before Maxwell gets curious and peeks into my car."
"Good idea." The women grabbed their coats, and Fran popped into the kitchen to let Niles know they were leaving for a few minutes.
"We're gonna run the party stuff over to my place, Niles, just tell Max we left, and said we'd be back soon."
"Well, hurry back, he's been buried in work, and if the girls wake up…"
"If they wake up, I'm leaving the nanny here, tell Max to deal with them. Oy, he's gotta learn I do NOT live here."
"Whatever you say, Miss Fine." Niles grinned as he watched her leave. Like hell she doesn't live here!