7.
Fran desperately tried to stay awake at the breakfast table. Every so often, her face would droop down as she supported her head up by her arm. This time her head fell down next to her plate and her arm ended up in a big gob of her pancakes—syrup and all. She had already undone her robe earlier and hung it onto the back of her chair, having found out that the dining room was a little hot and stuffy. She sat at the table wearing just a little blue pajama ensemble that was fairly nanny-appropriate, but then again Fran was never really a conservative clothes type of woman.
"Fran!" called out Brighton from across the table, trying to get her attention.
"Whaaaat?" she whined, lifting her head up a little to look at the boy through blurry eyesight.
"You got a little something on your arm…"
She looked at her arm and wiped it off with a napkin, groaning afterwards because her arm still felt sticky. All of the children giggled.
"I see you didn't get much sleep… Miss Fine, are you alright?" asked Niles, concerned.
Before Fran could answer, Maggie did.
"It's okay Niles; she was just out late with Julian! Right Fran?" said Maggie, smiling and winking.
Fran fully sat herself up and blinked a few times to sharpen her vision. "Yeah, Niles, I'm fine."
Fran reached behind her to put her robe back on, because she had suddenly felt a draft come through the room and the coldness was giving her Goosebumps.
Maggie moved around the bacon on her plate and then looked up at Fran. "So… how was it? You had to have been with him most of the night."
"Yeah and it was pretty nice…" responded Fran, still drowsy.
She yawned.
Niles smirked aside to himself. He had practically walked in on Miss Fine and Mr. Sheffield making out against the refrigerator, but he quickly exited without them knowing.
With Julian most of the night, my potholders! thought Niles.
Maggie's talking of Fran's time with Julian made her scan over the events of yesterday. Fran eyes popped wide open in remembrance of what had happened with Mr. Sheffield. She just now recalled exactly what had occurred between them last night. In reaction, Fran quickly moved her attention to the high-back chair at the end of the table.
Empty. Thank God!
"Are you okay Fran?" questioned Gracie, eyeing her oddly.
"Oh yeah, sure I'm… great! Um Niles, where's Mr. Sheffield?"
"In La La Land. Seems he didn't get much sleep either," answered Niles, plopping a buttermilk biscuit on her plate and then winking.
Did Niles know? Was he suggesting something?
"Yeah, he was all mad because I messed up him and Miss Babcock's business deal yesterday. I probably upset him a great deal… they lost half a mil ya know," said Fran, trying to explain why he was still crashing while she crunched on the end of a slice of bacon.
Seems like he took out his frustration well… reflected Niles.
"I'm guessing C.C. was blowing the most fire?" questioned Niles, thinking about C.C. reacting viciously to all of this.
"She was a regular old Puff the Magic Dragon! 'Cept she'd be the evil twin if there was one!" laughed Fran, ironically.
"Sounds like our Ca Ca," said Niles.
Everyone giggled.
"So Fran, you still up for Bloomingdale's?" asked Maggie, eagerly.
"Hmm-huh?" responded Fran, out of it and looking up at Maggie with bleary eyes.
"Remember, you were gonna take me to get a dress for the Spring Fling at school!"
"Dance… dance! Yes, yeah of course! The dress… sure sweetie."
Fran flicked her index finger at Maggie a couple times and nodded, finally understanding what she was talking about. Mr. Sheffield had given her the money for Maggie's gown-shopping the other day and it was just lying on her bureau underneath a can of hairspray, waiting to be spent.
"Will do! Just… just give me about an hour or two to get ready and change out of this," said Fran, indicating her robe. "Then we'll head off to Bloomie's."
"Sure, sure. You take your time Fran, no rush!"
"Thanks," replied Fran, giving a half-hearted smile and exciting the room.
"She didn't eat her pancakes! Shotgun!" yelled Gracie, reaching next to her to grab up Fran's plate and then placing it beside to her own.
Maggie chuckled and Brighton burst out laughing.
"What?" asked Gracie, puzzled at why she was being laughed at.
"Grace, you call that for when you want to ride in the front passenger seat of a car!" explained Maggie, talking slowly so that her sister would comprehend.
"Oh," said Gracie, blushing. "Sorry, I'm trying really hard, but I'm just not up to date with all this teenage slang!"
"You can say that again!" mocked Brighton.
Maggie laughed.
"Hey!" shouted Gracie, throwing a biscuit at her brother and hitting him right on the nose.
Brighton lifted the biscuit from his lap where it had landed. He then clenched his teeth at her and wiped the tiny biscuit crumbs off of his face.
"Good aim Miss Grace," complimented Niles.
"Why thank you Niles!" Gracie turned and smiled at him for his appreciation.
Maggie stirred a piece of pancake around in her favorite Log Cabin brand maple syrup for some time and then finally plopped it into her mouth with her fork. She seemed troubled.
"Do you think Fran's okay? I mean, she barely touched her breakfast. That's like a serious offense for anyone of Fine descent!"
Niles grinned at Margaret's concern and knowledge of her Nanny and then answered her with a hint of sparkle in his eye, "Oh I wouldn't worry too much about her Miss Margaret, I happen to know that last night Miss Fine had a very fulfilling snack!"
A/N: In case you were wondering, there are many more chapters to come and the good thing is, I have already completed most of them so I'll try to get them up as soon as possible. The ending, however, is not yet finished but I am working on it. Thanks for reading!