Chapter 6
Now I'm just a basket case…
CC glanced up from the files spread across her lap, watching Niles and Maxwell discuss dinner that evening. Of all the stupid, pointless, unprofessional things she'd ever heard, this one really took the cake. It took the cake, the topper, and the platter it stood on. Too bad it couldn't take the caterer who baked it and the butler who served it out with it, far, far away from CC's life.
"Will you be joining us, CC?" Maxwell asked, cutting through CC's reverie—though reverie felt too innocuous a word for the murderous plans circling CC's head.
"For a meet-the-help dinner? I'd rather jump off the roof," CC replied.
"Come on, CC, it'll be fun!" Max urged in the robust, oblivious way he had. CC just stared at him, a little sad. Could she even consider such an obtuse, unaware man her friend? Had she really tried to convince herself that she could ever love him?
"Have you ever actually had fun, Maxwell?" she muttered, but he'd stopped listening, informing Niles that CC would of course be having dinner with them.
"Then I'll have to get a whole other chicken," Niles said to himself. "Or you could just climb in the oven," he mumbled to her as he walked by.
She glared at him and continued glaring as he left the room. She shifted her narrowed eyes to the papers surrounding her but hot anger pumped through her veins and she couldn't focus. Why would Maxwell ever think she wanted to eat at a dinner where Niles was introducing his girlfriend to the family?
She could just leave. A part of her acknowledged that. Self-preservation, at least in the emotional sense, was not one of CC Babcock's greater characteristics so although she knew she could leave, she also knew she wouldn't. In any case, she wanted to see the competition.
No. Not competition. A foolish word to use. Competition implied that CC and Molly might have been vying for the same thing. Competition also implied that, were that the case, Molly would even stand a chance. CC scoffed at the idea.
Setting the pile of papers aside, CC stood and left the office. Her feet started carrying her towards the kitchen before she forcibly stopped herself. Habits die hard. Pivoting on her heel, she walked instead into the living room, finding Fran sitting on the couch.
"Hi, Nanny Fine," CC said, sitting on the opposite end of the couch.
"Hi, Miss Babcock," Fran replied with a sigh.
CC took a closer look at the nanny and saw a frown on her face. "What seems to be the trouble?"
"Oh, it's just Niles."
"Preaching to the choir, sister."
That brought a smile to Fran's face. "He's just so different since he started dating Molly. He won't dish to me about her, I have to meet her at the same time as everyone else, and he was out with her so late last night that he didn't fix my midnight snack!"
"My, aren't you struggling," CC remarked.
"I am!" Fran wailed.
CC almost pointed out that Fran was being quite selfish but stopped herself in time—her issues with Niles were all rather selfish, too. She thought back to a television show she'd watched once and tried to remember how the women interacted with each other. "That's…awful?" she guessed.
"It is!" Fran agreed fervently, sitting up straighter and turning to face CC. "I mean, I'm happy for him. I am. He's finally gettin' lucky." CC winced. "But you're supposed to introduce your girlfriend to your friends! Why wouldn't he want to involve me?"
"Well, that's pretty kinky," CC reasoned. Fran looked at her. "No? Ok…I don't know, Nanny Fine, he should want to include you in his life."
"I know!" Fran bemoaned, scooting closer to CC, who frantically tried to scoot away. "I just feel…I feel like I'm losing one of my best friends."
"Oh," CC said, watching as Fran's face became genuinely sad and feeling rather empathetic towards the nanny. "I'm sorry, Nanny Fine. He shouldn't be ignoring u—you like this."
Fran looked up suddenly, eyeing CC shrewdly. "I'm sorry too, Miss Babcock. This can't be easy for you either."
"What? What do you mean?" CC asked. She never should have sat on this damn couch. Too many things happened on and near this couch.
"Oh, you know, you and Niles have your little thing, and—"
"Little thing?" CC snorted. "Nanny Fine, the only thing between me and the butler is hatred."
"Eh heh," Fran pretended to agree nasally. "Is that what you're wearing to dinner?"
CC looked down at her tailor black skirt suit. "I wasn't planning on going home to change."
"Oh."
"Why?"
"No reason."
"Surely you asked for a reason."
"No, not at all."
"Nanny Fine…"
"Ok, ok, don't get that look in your eye," Fran muttered, scooting back to the other side of the couch. "I'm just saying, if I were meeting the girlfriend of a guy I…" Fran quailed under the look in CC's eyes. "Ya know what, neva mind, forget it. You look great."
"What do you suggest, Nanny Fine? Get something from your closet so I could be covered in feathers?"
"Showing your true colors?" Niles guessed as he walked into the living room, looking surprised to see Fran and CC on the couch together.
Ignoring him, CC turned to Fran. "I should get back to work. See you at dinner, Nanny Fine."
Later that day, Maxwell stood to leave the office as CC leaned against the desk, the phone cradled against her ear.
"I think dinner will be ready soon," Maxwell said to her quietly before he left the office.
CC nodded, her attention on the pad of paper in her hands and the voice in her ear. And she really was in no rush to get to this dinner. But the theater union president ended the call quicker than she'd anticipated, so CC hung up the phone and took a few moments to compose herself.
Despite what Fran clearly thought of her outfit, CC liked it. She was proud of her entire wardrobe—did Nanny Fine have custom-made suits and dresses? Her tailored suit fit her nicely, and she was dressed entirely appropriately. That being said, CC still found herself glad that she'd worn one of her shorter skirt suits today. Nothing like Nanny Fine, of course, but her legs looked good. From the two times she'd seen Niles that day, she knew he thought so, too.
Digging into her purse, she retrieved her lipstick and compact, reapplying the deep red and following her progress in the mirror. Spritzing on a little Chanel from the travel-sized bottle she carried, CC smoothed her hair and readied to leave the office. Before she opened the door, she unbuttoned the cream silk blouse under her jacket once more with a shrug.
She entered the living room while introductions were still in progress in the foyer. Keeping her face impassive, CC rounded the couch and inspected Molly, trying to ignore her and Niles's clasped hands. It bothered her that her immediate thought was not that she and Niles made an unattractive couple. They didn't, she thought with a slight grimace.
If CC had to guess, Molly was probably as tall as Nanny Fine without heels, the sort of height that people regarded as adorable. Her thick brown hair fell in a soft wave to her collarbone and she was—CC could think of no other way to describe it—slight. She had the body type of Fran, too, slim and slender but still a little shapely. If CC didn't know better, she might have had to be jealous of Nanny Fine. Was this Niles's type? Had she been wrong this whole ti—
"Ah, CC, come meet Molly," Maxwell said in that irritating robust voice again.
CC gave a sincerely insincere smile and she was at least gratified to see Niles gulp nervously and drop Molly's hand so that CC could shake it. "Hi, I'm CC."
"Are you Mrs. Sheffield?" she asked in a voice that lilted upwards. It was the voice of a cheerful, optimistic person. This woman was literally the exact opposite of her.
Niles burst into laughter and casually slid his arm around Molly's waist. If CC were a cartoon, she mused, her irises would be flames. "No, no, never. This is CC Babcock, his business partner."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Molly said, her cheeks coloring attractively. Not attractively to CC, of course, but she could see how it charmed Niles and Max.
"No trouble at all, Molly," Maxwell said with a grin. "I wouldn't expect Niles to spend much time telling you about CC!" She looked at him sideways and saw Fran doing the same.
"Will your children be joining us, Mr. Sheffield?" Molly asked as they moved as a group toward the dining room.
"No, they've eaten upstairs in the living room. And please, call me Max," he said, leading the way down the hall.
CC snorted. "Sure, call him Max, but your boyfriend can't," she said under her breath. Molly glanced back, confused, but she saw Niles's neck stiffen and knew that he'd heard her. Good.
Maxwell and Fran took their usual seats, and CC slid into the big one's chair which she usually occupied if said big one was absent. Molly hovered uncertainly near Max's seat.
"Come sit near me, Molly," Fran said kindly, pulling out Grace's seat.
"So how does this work? Will Niles stand in the corner and eat, or…" CC asked with a smirk.
"Of course not, CC, he'll sit with us," Max answered, ignoring or not understanding her sarcasm, as usual.
Still, Niles served the meal to the entire table, and she sensed a little embarrassment from him as he did. She might have felt sympathetic, or as close to sympathetic as she could get for the butler, but she saw Niles place a warm hand on Molly's shoulder as he set her plate down. She felt almost certain that there was no extra salt on that plate. Who knew what was on hers.
He served CC last, plonking down her plate and sending a piece of broccoli rolling off of it.
"Oh, my mistake, Miss Babcock," he said, picking it up with his fingers and tossing it back on the plate.
"I doubt it," she replied, pushing the piece to the side as a reminder not to eat it. He sat down next to her, across from Molly, and CC found herself, for once, wishing that the children were here so she didn't have to sit next to him.
"So, Molly, Niles said you're a caterer?" Fran asked as she cut into her chicken breast.
Molly began explaining her job while CC tuned out, spearing a safe piece of broccoli and eating it.
"That sounds fun. How did you two meet? Niles never told me," Fran said, her smiled fixed to her face even though she somehow managed to glare at Niles all the while.
"Oh, it's kind of a cute story—" Molly began.
"I'll bet it is," CC muttered under her breath.
"You can tell it, Niles," Molly said. Hearing his name from her mouth made CC want to throw the china against the wall just to hear it crash and drown out the noise. She took a considerable sip of her wine, hoping the cool liquid would douse the flames of her sudden anger.
"No, love, you tell them," Niles insisted.
Love?! CC swallowed her wine awkwardly and coughed the way a debutante should, unobtrusively. She saw the nanny glance at her quickly before looking back at Niles. CC knew it was nothing, knew it was a British term of endearment, but…
Oh, this was stupid. She was just bored with this night, with these people, and she never wore her boredom well. This had nothing to do with Niles.
"Yes, but it sounds better in your voice," Molly said coquettishly.
"One of you tell it," CC growled. She thought Fran might have snorted at her comment but the nanny was looking down determinedly at her potatoes.
Molly began telling Fran and Max about how she'd met Niles, and CC had the strangest feeling that Niles was looking at her. Like hell she'd spare a glance for the butler. But just in case he was watching, CC made sure to make a face after she took a bite of her chicken.
The conversation continued fluidly while CC floated on an isolated raft near the edge of it. She thought back to the little voice in her head reminding her that she could have just left instead of staying for dinner and said a very sincere apology to it.
"Miss Babcock?" Fran's voice cut through CC's fog, as only her voice could.
"What?"
"Molly asked you a question," Fran told her. Was that a sympathetic smile on her face? CC didn't know. She turned to look at the butler's girlfriend.
"I asked if it's hard to work in a field dominated by men," Molly repeated.
CC looked at her and then felt the weight of the silence in the room. So she turned and look at Niles, raising her eyebrows. He raised his own at her innocently. "Really? Ok." She turned back to Molly. "It isn't so bad. Theater people aren't very scary."
Again, nothing from the butler who swept the peanut gallery. How disappointing.
"Well, I'm impressed," Molly replied genuinely. "Most of the men I deal with are horrendous." CC hummed an agreement and returned to her wine.
"Are you from New York, then?" Max asked before he, too, took a sip of his wine.
"Upstate," Molly replied. "I came to the city for college and stayed."
How long ago was that, CC wondered? After 25, it became near impossible to tell a woman's age. She turned to Fran. She bet the nanny would be able to guess.
"Columbia?" Max guessed.
"NYU," Molly answered.
"Ah. I'm an Oxford man myself," Max told her.
"You and Niles," Molly said with a smile. CC ground her teeth. "What about you, CC? Are you from the city?"
"My family split its time between Connecticut and Manhattan, so yes and no," CC replied.
"Where did you go to school?"
"Bryn Mawr," CC told her. Who was the one being introduced to the family, CC thought irritably, her or Molly?
"Oh, that's a nice school. It's an all-girl's college, right?" Molly asked.
Until they let you in, CC supplied silently for Niles, who remained quiet. "Yes," was all CC offered.
Molly turned to Fran next for conversation, and CC didn't blame her.
"Niles, this meal is delicious," Molly said after sharing pleasantries with the nanny, beaming at him.
CC didn't know if he returned the smile or not. She didn't feel like looking. "Really? My chicken's dry."
"Ah, CC, mine's perfect," Max cut in before Niles had the chance to reply. But was he going to reply, that was the question. He'd been quieter than Fran's father all evening.
"How about dessert?" Fran asked, eyeing CC a little nervously. CC looked back at her innocently.
"Yes, Alfred, where's the dessert?" CC agreed, turning finally to look at Niles. He stared at a point across the table.
"Alfred?" Molly repeated, her forehead wrinkling. She looked from CC to Niles. "Is that your middle name?"
CC laughed. "No, he's Batman's butler."
"Oh," Molly said. She looked to be on the verge of speaking again when Fran stepped in verbally.
"Which makes Mr. Sheffield Batman!" she announced, deflecting attention. "Niles, how about that dessert?"
"Sounds great, Miss Fine," Niles said, standing and walking into the kitchen.
CC watched him leave, irrationally irritated. Let the manboy make googly-eyes at his little girlfriend all he wanted, but did he have to blatantly ignore her? To ignore the baits she'd laid out was nearly sacrilege to them.
He returned with a strawberry cheesecake, cutting it into equal slices for everyone at the table. Molly, Fran, and Max cooed over the dessert while CC rolled her eyes. In the split second while CC looked away, Niles tilted her plate just enough that the strawberry puree topping slid off of the cake and landed on and—CC squirmed—in her silk blouse.
She screeched in surprise, capturing the attention of the rest of the room, and Niles simply set the plate down and stood back.
"Oh, Miss Babcock, I'm so sorry," he said, his eyes sparkling.
CC blotted the stain with her napkin, catching Fran's eye. The nanny looked worried. She needn't have to. "Oh, it's all right, Niles. Being a butler is so challenging, I know."
He narrowed his eyes at her, looking a little disappointed. It would have been so much more gratifying for him, she knew, if she had exploded, like expected. "Well, you can just lick yourself clean, like you usually do."
There it was. CC sat back, a satisfied smirk on her face. "But aren't you the stain specialist, Mr. Clean?"
"I can't clean tarps like that," he shot back, gesturing to her blouse.
"No? Aren't you used to cleaning your bedspread?"
"At least mine needs cleaning and not dusting on one side."
"Oh I'm sure yours still does," she retorted, her eyes twinkling.
"Spent a lot of time thinking about it, have you?"
"I don't know, Niles, what would you say?" It was low, CC knew, possibly even cruel to toss the words he'd said to her in a state of vulnerability back at him, but she couldn't resist. She didn't have to wait to see the look of comprehension dawn in his eyes; she knew he'd remember the conversation.
And perhaps she wouldn't have gone that far if he'd paid just a little bit more attention to her that evening, or if he hadn't rushed off to meet his girlfriend right after she'd left the hospital last week, or if he had given her some more time to process exactly what he'd been asking her when he'd wanted to know what she would say. But none of those things had happened, and CC Babcock was not a forgiving woman.
She looked down at the stain once more and doubted anything could be done. When she looked up, Niles had rounded the table to stand next to Molly, his hand on her shoulder. She knew that was deliberate. Fran stared at her, a sad expression on her face, and CC almost felt it become difficult to swallow.
"Well, I should see to this," CC said to the silent room, gesturing at her blouse. She exited and heard the silence remain behind her.
