Fran woke up from a really good dream and as she was about to roll over, she realized something was different. She peeked through her eyelashes and only saw darkness, until she raised her head and saw Max was next to her. She was in his room, on his bed, under a blanket with him. She must have fallen asleep, curled up with him on the bed. Her head had been resting on his shoulder. She grinned and felt a rush of emotion, and then the realization hit her that maybe she shouldn't be sleeping on his bed like this. She looked around the room, then back at Max. She watched his chest rise and fall as he slept peacefully. Did this really just happen? Did they both fall asleep together on his bed? Apparently, he must not have minded, because he stayed there with her, an arm under her shoulders, and the other resting over hers across his middle. She liked it. She didn't want to leave and go back to her own bedroom. She looked back over his features, and down to his chest. He was still wearing his robe, and then she looked at herself and realized she still had hers on, too. So she decided she would stay. She turned away from him and pulled a pillow closer, his arm still stretched across the bed, ready to cradle her. As she laid back down on her other side, Max stirred slightly and rolled over towards her in his sleep. He curled his arm under her pillow, and she rested down on it, then his arm reached around her waist under the blanket. He settled himself close to her back, almost spooning her, so she took his arm around her waist and clutched it tightly to her. It felt so nice! She reached for the blanket and pulled it up over her shoulder, then let herself get comfortable again. Max shifted around again and exhaled, then clutched her tightly to him. Fran loved it. It felt so natural to be with him this way, yet so surreal at the same time. Was she still in a dream? She knew she wasn't, but it felt as good as one of her daydreams. No, actually- it felt better. They were literally sleeping together, on his bed. She wondered what Ms. Babcock would have to say about that, and then chuckled quietly to herself.
Fran tucked his arm tightly to her chest and let herself relax with him, until she fell back to sleep.
In the early hours of the morning, before the sun came up, Max woke up and found himself lying on the bed, curled up closely with Fran. He was confused at first, then remembered back to the night before. They must have moved in their sleep, or maybe Fran woke up? He wasn't sure. She clung to the arm he had draped around her middle. He didn't want to let go of her, but he needed to change positions, so he slowly pulled his other arm out from under her pillow, adjusted his own pillow, then laid down on his stomach, his other arm still around her as she clung to it. He loved the feel of her so close to him, and she seemed to like it too, if she was still holding onto him like that. Unless she did all of that in her sleep? He didn't think so, she must have realized they were sleeping together. But either way, he didn't care. He was happy she was still next to him. With his tired eyes, he looked at her back, and the nape of her neck, and her curls against the light color of the pillow. He couldn't help but give her a little squeeze, then he rested down alongside her and let himself fall back to sleep.
Fran woke up before Max that morning, and came to the slow realization that she was still in his room, on his bed. She was on her stomach, and she could feel his arm across her lower back. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, giving just enough light to the room to help her start waking up. She remembered Maggie's slumber party, and wondered if the girls were awake yet, and what time it was. She lifted her head from the pillow and turned towards Max, who was also sleeping on his stomach, his arm resting over her. She looked at his features as he slept, and smiled. He looked like he was out cold, oblivious to the world, and Fran wondered how he might have looked when he was a little boy. His curls were a little tussled, and his stubble was giving him a faint goatee and mustache. She almost wanted to reach for his chin to feel it, but didn't. Instead, she moved closer to him and rested her arm across his shoulders, and her head back down on the pillow. She smiled and looked at him a little more, then closed her eyes again. She wasn't quite ready to get up yet, so she got comfortable again next to him and waited for him to wake up.
Max began to wake up as he felt Fran move next to him. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled and shifted onto his side. He realized Fran's arm was stretched across him, and his was still on her back, so he opened his eyes. Fran was curled up next to him, her sleepy eyes open just enough to look back at him. He rubbed his face, stretched and yawned, and smiled. He grumbled happily, then cleared his throat.
"Good morning," he said softly to her.
"Morning," she smiled. He looked her over, and reached for her shoulder, then stroked it a few times. He rolled over to his back then turned to look at the clock, then turned back to her.
"Just about eight-thirty," he mumbled. She lifted her head and let him move his arm under her shoulders again, and she rested her head on his chest. He hugged her tightly to him and she wrapped her arm around his waist under the covers. "How'd you sleep?"
"Mmmm… pretty good. How about you?"
"Very good, I'd say." He smiled and closed his eyes, then rubbed them with his hand. He rested his arm down across hers. They rested there for a while, cuddling together, remembering their time together the day before.
"You think the girls are up yet?" She asked.
"Hmmm… they could be. They might just be waking up. I wonder what time Niles got back last night."
"Mmm. I'm glad he got the chance to go out last night. You think he's up yet?"
"Oh, I'm pretty sure he is. Unless he let himself drink a bit. But I'm sure he's up, getting breakfast ready for the girls."
"Mmm, yeah. Probably." She tugged at his side, trying to hold him closer. He pulled her in with his arms, then sighed.
"I don't want to get up yet. This is nice."
"I don't want to get up either," she agreed. "But I didn't mean to fall asleep here last night. I guess you just made a really comfy pillow."
Max chuckled. "Anytime you need a pillow, I'm here." He stroked her arm. "So it was alright that I stayed with you? Here, on the bed?"
"Of course it was. It's your bed. But yeah, I was wondering the same thing when I woke up during the night- if I should go back to my room."
"Why didn't you?" He turned towards her, and she tilted her head to look at him.
"And miss this?" They both laughed. "No, but seriously… I don't know. I realized we both still had our robes on, and you had your arm around me. It was nice. I didn't want to wake you up. And when I rolled over, you kind of rolled over too, and put your other arm around my waist. So I just- I just, took it. And you hugged me close. It felt good."
"Mmm. I didn't want to wake you up, either, when you fell asleep on my shoulder. It made me feel good that you felt safe enough to let yourself fall asleep with me. You were holding the side of my robe- really clenching it in your hand. It was- it felt nice that you were holding me like that. It made me feel- secure."
"It did?"
"Mm hmm."
"Good. Because you were making me feel that way. I knew I was tired, but never thought I would have fallen asleep so fast like that. I guess that's something- that I could relax like that with you. And it was really nice. I had some good dreams, too."
"You did?"
"Yeah."
"I think I did, too, before I woke up and saw you sleeping there, holding my arm around you."
"What was your dream about?" She asked.
"Hmm… I can't really remember. It was more of a feeling, I guess- the feeling it gave me- and I think I woke up still feeling happy like I was in my dream. And if I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure you were in the dream."
"Really? That's good, because I know you were in mine!"
"I was? What kind of dream was it?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Well, it wasn't that kind of dream, if that's what you were wondering. But it was good, I know that. Maybe a bit like this- the way we are now. Lots of cuddling." She gave him a squeeze, and he gave her one back.
"That does sound like a good dream."
"Mmm hmm…" she sighed. They both closed their eyes for a little while and rested, soaking in the closeness with each other. Max nuzzled her hair and she slid her hand from his side up his chest to his shoulder.
"So, are we really doing the first name thing now?" Max smiled, his eyes still closed. She chuckled and turned her head to look at his face.
"We better be! After the day we had yesterday, it would be weird not to. Why, were you thinking of going back?"
"Not at all. Not at all…" he hugged her to him.
"Good." She propped herself up next to him and he opened her eyes to look at him. She couldn't resist the urge to stroke the stubble on his chin and jaw. Max watched her eyes as she watched her thumb gently slide over his jaw.
"Don't worry, I'll shave in a bit," he said.
"Oh, it's not that. I just never really got to look at it up so close. And it's cute how it already almost looks like a goatee. And you have some gray in it, too. It makes me wonder what you would look like with it all grown in." She gently stroked her thumb across his jaw again, and Max liked how it felt.
"You want me to grow it out?"
"Mmm… I don't know. Maybe not yet. You look good without it. But it just makes me wonder."
"Hmm. Okay." He smiled. He looked up above them and back at the curtains in the window and the sunlight shining through. "Maybe we should start getting up, just in case the girls are up. I think I'd like to check on Maggie and see how she's doing."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. And yeah, I want to see Maggie too. And see if she got some sleep last night." Fran looked up at the curtains, too, then rolled over and sat up and got self conscious, and began to run her hand over her hair in case any of it was out of place. Max sat up next to her, then turned and swung his legs off the side of the bed.
"Do you think- if the girls are up- that they'd be using up all the hot water?" Max asked, his head turned towards Fran. Fran moved the blanket off her legs and slid off the other side of the bed.
"Well, if slumber parties are still like they were when I was her age, they'll probably be dragging around a while, especially until they got some food in them. They'll probably get themselves put together after they get breakfast."
"So, maybe we should run and get the hot water before it's all gone."
"Yeah, okay. You wanna meet downstairs after we get showered? Or up here?"
"Oh, ah, well, I suppose we can meet downstairs. Maybe in the kitchen? Would the girls not be comfortable running into me if they're still in pajamas? I can hide out in the kitchen."
"Oh, yeah, some of them might be, especially if they just woke up. Okay- so we'll meet in the kitchen once we're ready. Let me grab the videos so we make sure we get them back on time." Fran walked around to the end of the bed and picked up the movies from the night before. "So, see you in a little while?"
Max smiled. "See you in a little while."
Max came down to the kitchen before Fran, and encountered Niles frantically making breakfast.
"Good morning, sir!" He said.
"God morning, Niles. I take it the girls are up?"
"Most definitely, and hungry. I've already started them on bacon and eggs and toast, then they wanted waffles, so I'm doing that now. I've just started a pot of coffee brewing, if you'd like some. I made the girls some hot tea, and need to get this pot out there in a minute after it's brewed. Is there anything I can get you?"
"Oh, not right now, Niles. I'll wait until Fran gets down here." Niles stopped in his tracks and looked over at him.
"Did you just say what I think you said?"
"What? Oh- you mean, Fran? Yes, I called her 'Fran.'"
"What on earth went on last night that you need to tell me about?" Niles raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"Oh, stop, Niles. We just- we talked a lot last night. We just sort of- decided- that we'd make a change. We'll be using first names now."
"That's wonderful!" Niles was still grinning, and he turned back to tend to the waffles on the waffle iron, then looked back over at Max. "So, you both talked last night?"
"Yes."
"May I ask-"
"No, Niles. I'd prefer you didn't. It was a private conversation. And don't go trying to get her to talk, either. It's really none of your business."
"Aw! You aren't even going to give me a scrap? You know I live for this!"
"I know. You got the first name thing, that's enough."
"Aw!" Niles stuck his bottom lip out and turned back to the waffles, and Max walked around the island to the stools, smiling as he sat down on one of them.
"Oh, Niles- since you've seen the girls already, how do they seem? Does Maggie look like she's doing alright?" Max asked, lowering his voice so the girls in the dining room wouldn't hear.
Niles turned around and approached the counter. "Well, yes sir, I believe she's doing well. They were all laughing and gossiping. She was smiling, so I believe she's alright at the moment."
"Oh, wonderful. That's wonderful. I wasn't sure if I should go in to see her, if the girls would feel awkward."
"Or if you would feel awkward. I understand. They all have robes on, if you were worried about that. I don't know if the other girls would be uncomfortable, but I'm sure Maggie wouldn't mind you saying good morning. I'm sure she knows how much you and Ms. Fine worry about her."
Max nodded, but still wondered how he could walk into a room of teenage girls in their pajamas and it not be weird.
Fran came down the back stairs just then, then smiled from ear to ear when she saw Max sitting at the counter.
"Good morning! So, how are you doing today, Niles? Have a good night out?" She asked, as she walked around to join Max.
"I did have a nice time last night, thank you! And thank you for the night off, Mr. Sheffield. Those girls are giving me a run for my money now," he rolled his eyes and smiled.
"What do you mean?" Fran asked. "You've got a big pile of waffles there, are they clearing out the house of food?"
"Yes, just about. They've already gone though the bacon and eggs, so I hope this fills them up. And if the rest of you want breakfast this week, I'll have to make a run to the market later today and restock. There isn't much left, and that's after they went though all their leftovers last night. I never imagined young girls eating so much. Boys, yes, but not teenage girls. You would think they'd be too controlled by peer pressure to fill themselves up like this."
"Oh, Niles! You're so sweet! That's only for parties, where you're trying to make an impression on the popular kids. This was all about helping a friend and trashing the boy who did her wrong. And then trashing men in general, and then dishing on all the boys at school, then talking about the celebrities they have crushes on. That takes a lot of food!" Max laughed, and Niles cracked a grin.
"Good to know! Now I better get this all out there before they come after me and tear me apart." He picked up the plate he had stacked the fresh waffles on, then grabbed the big pot of tea he was brewing on the counter. "I'll be right back," he said, and pushed through the door to the pack of girls stuffing their faces in the dining room. The girls cheered when he came in with the waffles, and Fran and Max looked at each other and laughed.
"So, Max," Fran said, looking over Max's outfit. "I love what you're wearing! Here, stand up and let me get a look at you!" She took Max's hands and he stood up from the stool. He was wearing a pair of navy blue dress slacks with a crisp, white button-up shirt. Fran really liked what she saw.
"You look awfully pretty yourself, Fran. It's almost as if we meant to coordinate our outfits today." He looked her over, too, and smiled. She looked down at her own outfit, then back at his, and reached for his waist. She was wearing a navy blue, form fitting jumpsuit with soft white flowers on it, and a long sleeved, wide-collared shirt. The sleeves were slightly flowy and she had an extra button left unbuttoned. She wore a pearl choker necklace and matching pearl earrings, and her hair was curled and pinned up the way Max liked it. She had on a pair of white, closed-toed heels, to top off the outfit. She gave Max's waist a clench, and he wrapped his arm around her back.
"You smell really good, too," she smiled and bumped his hip with hers.
"So do you." He couldn't stop looking at her. "So, you heard what Niles said- the girls apparently have eaten all the breakfast food in the house. Would you like to go out somewhere for breakfast? Or brunch? With me?"
Fran beamed. "I sure would! So what are you saying, exactly…?" she hinted.
"I believe I'm asking you out, to brunch…"
"Asking me out… like, a date?" Fran's stomach flipped and flopped.
"Mmm hmm," he nodded. "Will you go out with me, Fran?" He asked, almost bashfully.
"Yes! Absolutely! Especially with you looking like this! I would love to go out with you, Max!" She hugged him around the middle, and he reciprocated. He thought he would be too nervous to ask her, but he wasn't. He really wanted to take her out.
"Really? That's wonderful! We just need to check with Niles, make sure he's okay to hold down the fort for a little while. Are you ready to go right now?"
"I just need my purse, and a coat. Can I go get them right now? You want to go now?"
"Sure. I have my wallet. I can call for the car and get my coat."
"Okay, then! Let me go do that!" She clapped her hands from excitement and ran back up the back stairs just as Niles came back into the kitchen with empty serving dishes.
"Hey, Niles? Would you be able to watch out for the girls for a while? I want to take Fran out for brunch, since you said there wasn't much left in the house. Would you be okay with that?"
Niles set the dishes down in the sink. "You're going out to brunch? Oh! You're going out with Ms. Fine to brunch…" Niles teased. Max let him have his fun.
"Yes, I'm taking her out. Is that alright with you?"
"That's perfectly alright with me! Just make sure you get back here in time so I can make it to the market, then get back here to sort out dinner for everyone. You all are having dinner here tonight, aren't you?"
"Yes, we will. I think that'll be important, to have a family dinner tonight. Oh, where's the phone? I need to call for the car."
Niles reached behind him next to the stove and grabbed the cordless receiver and handed it over to Max. As Max dialed the driver's number to request the car, Niles was beaming. It was finally happening! He smiled from ear to ear as he began filling the dishwasher again. Fran came running down the back stairs, coat and purse in hand, just as Max hung up with the driver.
"Ready?" Max asked. "The driver will be here in a few minutes."
"I'm so ready! Hey, you want to say hi to the girls before we go? See how things are going?"
"Yes, let's do that. I'd feel better going in there with you than by myself," Max said. Fran hurried to him and grabbed his hand, and began to pull him with her to the door.
"Thank you, Niles!" She called back to Niles.
"Not a problem! Have fun, you two!" He called after them, and they pushed through the door to the dining room to say hello to the girls before they left.
"You got enough there?" Max teased, as they set down their plates and Max helped Fran into her seat.
"For this round, yes!" She elbowed him, and he laughed. "Hey, don't be surprised if I go back for another round. I might need to eat some for Maggie and the girls!" Max laughed again and she smiled. She liked making him laugh, and seeing his eyes sparkle when he did. He sat down next to her and they put their napkins in their laps.
"This place is nice! How come we haven't been here before?" She said, looking around the enormous hotel restaurant.
Max looked around. "Oh, I don't know. We don't go out for brunch often. I'm glad you like it."
"I do. Now let's dig in and see if the food matches up to the atmosphere!" They began eating and enjoying their meals, and Max enjoyed watching Fran enjoying her choices of food.
"So, Fran…" Max began.
"Mmm hmm?" She responded, her mouth full of food.
"Since we're on a date now, our first date…" Fran turned to him, wondering what he was going to say. "Normally, when two people go on a first date, they try to get to know each other better. They try to learn more about each other. But I think we already know each other pretty well. Don't you think?"
"We do. But I'm sure we've still got lots to learn."
"Maybe so." He smiled and took a sip of his coffee. "But what should we talk about? I mean, to that aim- of learning more about each other. I was thinking maybe we should leave the subjects of things at home, at home, and find some different things to talk about. Maybe things we don't normally cover?"
Fran thought for a moment, mulling it over. "Sure, we can do that. If we're on a date, we don't need to talk about the kids. That subject will come up the second we get back home. I get it. So what would we talk about? Because talking about work is something at home, too. I mean, you know what's going on with my job. Unless there's something new with yours that you haven't talked about?"
"We don't need to talk about my work. I mean, sure, come tomorrow I'll be back to it, and the children will be off to school again…"
"And I'll be looking for things to pass the time until they come home. Maybe bugging you a few times during the day…" she grinned and Max smiled back.
"I was kind of thinking about that. And you wouldn't be bugging me. But I was trying to think over what work I had going on this week, and it might take up a good bit of my time. Maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself…" Max pushed his food around on his plate as he thought.
"What is it, Max?" Fran asked. She reached over and rubbed his arm.
"Well, I was thinking, if this date went well… that maybe- well, maybe you'd consider going out with me again…" He glanced over at her.
"Would I? Of course I would! You should know I absolutely would, Max!"
"Really? Wonderful! That's wonderful! I'm so glad! But I was kind of thinking, that if you would, then when could we go out again? I still want us to keep an eye on Maggie, you know? So I think family dinners together will be important for a while. And depending on how the amount of work I have played out, I might be working through lunchtime, just to keep from working into dinnertime."
"You really have that much?" Max nodded. "Well, it wouldn't be so horrible to wait until next weekend, would it? I mean, even if we could still squeeze in a date during the week, maybe a lunch date, I'd still like some time with you next weekend, if you're okay with that."
"Of course I'm okay with that. So you'd go out with me next weekend?"
"I would! I will! Are you asking me?"
"Yes! Yes I am! Fran, will you go out with me next weekend?"
"Yes! I sure will!" She clutched his arm and squeezed it and danced in her seat. "But that sounds so far away, doesn't it?"
"It does. If I can free up some time at lunch during the week, could we maybe have lunch together? And I don't really mean at the house, unless that's all I can do. I'd really like to take you somewhere, though."
"Whatever you want, whatever works. I'd love to have lunch with you all the time if we could. So what do you have going on for tomorrow? Is that a big day?"
"Well, it's a paperwork day. C.C. will be in late, she'll be at the lawyer going through contracts there, and then she'll bring all of that back and I've got to go through that, too. But I have several huge stacks of contracts and agreements that have to be read and signed and separated into more stacks according to where they need to be sent next. I have to get going with it right away, and can't wait for C.C. to get back to start sorting it all. And that's the kind of thing I just hate doing, you know? I wish I had a better system to streamline things like that. And I don't think I have enough space in the office to make stacks all over the place, and not get them even more disorganized and confused. Usually with C.C. I just hand it to her after I'm done with it, and she puts it wherever she puts it and somehow it gets to where it needs to go. I never really pay attention to that because I'm so caught up in trying to make sure all of the documents have the right wording and the right information and all of that. There's such a mix of paperwork this time, it's already getting me anxious just thinking about it. Well, now, see? Here I go, going off on a tangent about work. I'm sorry. We should probably find something more interesting to talk about." Max scratched the side of his head, upset with himself that he might be boring Fran, and that wasn't how he wanted the date to go.
"Sweetie, come on now! You're fine. We're just talking. It's no big deal. And I do care, especially if something's weighing on your mind. I'd like to spend time with you during the week, but I don't want that time to end up making things harder for you to get done. And if there's any way I can help you at all, just let me know. I'll do whatever I can. Even tomorrow, if I might be able to help you sort things somehow just to take a little pressure off. I mean, I don't know exactly what you're trying to sort out, but if you can show me some of it, maybe there's something we can both figure out together. I'm willing to help if you need me to." She held onto his forearm, and somehow she had managed to move her chair a little closer to him without his noticing. He looked at her hand, and found himself spacing out a little as he thought about what she said. Might she really be able to help? He snapped out of his trance and took a bite of eggs and French toast as he thought about it.
"You know, Fran, you might be onto something. Maybe I could show you what needs to be done, and if you can help me think of something, that would be fantastic." He set down his fork and put his hand over hers on his forearm and gave it a squeeze. "Even a little bit of help would make me feel a lot better, I'm sure. And maybe it would help free up some time so we'd be able to go have lunch together at some point." He smiled at her.
"Wonderful! I can't promise anything, but I'll do what I can. Once the kids head to school, I'm all yours!" She smiled at him too, and they shared a moment as their eyes locked.
"Hey- maybe when we go back home, maybe I can show you the papers then. If we can figure something out, maybe we can get a plan for the morning."
"You got it!"
Max took a deep breath and exhaled, and chuckled lightly. "I think I'm already feeling much better about that! Thank you. I really wanted to try to find a way to spend time with you this week, when the children weren't home. I wasn't worried so much about the work itself, but I know that there's enough of it there that it was going to take up a lot of my time. But now… now maybe it won't! That's wonderful! That's perfect! And it might just be in the morning, before C.C. gets there, alright? I don't want to monopolize all of your time if you have other things to do."
"Go ahead and monopolize, baby! I'd rather hang out with you anyway, there isn't much else that could be going on that I'd rather do if I could be spending my time with you."
Max felt that familiar rush to his cheeks and knew he had to be blushing. She was really wonderful to him, and he was really humbled that she was willing to help him so much. And it really would be a big relief to him if she could help him figure something out. Sorting stacks of important papers really could get his stomach tied in knots, which was why he always pushed that task on C.C. That way, if anything was screwed up, he could blame it on her.
They went back to their meals, beaming. Fran watched across the room as the jazz trio played and moved side to side in her seat to the beat, and Max leaned back in his seat, watching her, and watching the crowd of people in the huge hotel restaurant. Patrons walked back and forth across the restaurant, filling plates, then refilling them. And pretty soon, Fran wanted to go refill her plate, too.
"You want me to grab you anything, Max?"
"Oh, you don't have to do that, darling. I can go after you get back. But I don't know that I need anything else."
"It's alright, really, I don't mind. I saw you eyeing those pastries they had…" she elbowed him, then he remembered the pastries and cracked a grin.
"Well, maybe, if you have room. Maybe a cinnamon roll would be nice, thank you. Can I get you some more coffee?"
"Oh, absolutely! Thank you! I'll be right back!" Max helped her out of her seat and she hurried back over to the buffet line. As quick as she was gone, a busboy appeared to clear their plates, and then a waiter followed behind him. Max asked for refills on their coffees, and the waiter had that task completed before Fran got back with her second plate.
When Max saw Fran heading back to the table, her hands full, he got up from his chair and helped her set everything down, then he helped her scoot her seat in once she sat down again.
"Here you go, here's your cinnamon roll. And I tried to be good so I got a dish of berries and melon, but I had to get more of those potatoes! They're so good!" She poked a slice of strawberry on her fork and held it out towards Max. "Want some strawberry?" She asked. Max looked at her fork a moment, not sure of what to do, and realized she was aiming to feed it to him, so it seemed. He glanced at her and back at the strawberry.
"Sure," he said, trying to open himself up to her gesture. She did, indeed, reach her fork over to his lips and feed him the strawberry, but it wasn't in any kind of a come-on kind of way. She was his friend, offering him a bite. And he liked accepting her gesture. As she took a bite of strawberry herself, and then went after her potatoes, he cut a bite of his cinnamon roll, poked his fork into it, and then offered it to her. He didn't have to say anything, she met his eyes and saw his raised eyebrows, then gladly accepted the bite he offered.
"Mmm! That's good!" She smiled. So Max cut a bite for himself and tried it, and he thought it was pretty good, too.
"So, Fran… tell me a little bit about yourself…" he grinned. She gave him the side eye and smiled, then leaned back in her seat and looked at him.
"Me? Aw, I'm just a girl from Queens. And a Park Avenue nanny. My kids are the best kids around, and don't let anybody tell you any different!" Max chuckled. "So, do you want to know if I like piano bars and long walks on the beach?" Now Max really laughed.
"Well, if I'm not mistaken, I think you prefer jazz and maybe medium walks on the beach, or no walking at all and just sitting in the shade with a frozen cocktail. Or mocktail." Fran nudged him.
"You're pretty good! So what else do you think I like?"
"Hmmm…" he looked her over, then began cutting another bite of his cinnamon roll. "I'd say fashion, obviously, old movies, romantic comedies, dancing, and maybe a little cuddling? Under the blanket?"
"Hoo ha! You do know me well!" She tugged on his arm and they both laughed. They were having such a good time together. "So, Max, your turn. Tell me about you." Max took a sip of coffee and leaned back.
"Me? Well… I'm English, if you couldn't tell already. I'm lucky enough to own my own business. I have a wonderful family, a nice house in a nice neighborhood. I suppose you could say I don't mind a walk on the beach, and a little jazz, some dancing. I've been a bit of a loner for a while, but then I met this woman. She's taught me how to be a little less stuffy, a little less uptight."
"A woman, huh?" She asked, and Max smiled. "Well, she better be good to you or she's gonna have to deal with me!"
"Oh, she's been good to me, all right. She's been wonderful to me, and to my children. I don't know what I'd do without her." Max reached over for her hand and took it, then brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it. Fran was melting. He rested their clutched hands down on his knee.
"You're really sweet, Max. You really are." She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, then sat back up. They finished their meals and watched the jazz trio play for a little while as they sipped the rest of their coffee. Max caught the attention of their waiter and had him bring over the check, then quickly set his card on the tray and the waiter sped away.
"You about ready to head back? To go home and check on the girls, and let Niles get to the market?" Max asked.
"Yeah, I suppose we better. The girls might have to head home soon, and we need to watch Maggie if she has a hard time when she's alone. And then it won't be too long before Brighton and Gracie come back, too."
"Yes. And while we wait for them, I can show you that work in the office that I have to do, and see what you might be able to help with."
"You got it!"
The waiter brought the check back on the same tray, but this time with mints included. Fran got excited when she saw them.
"Two for you, and two for me!" She squeaked, and unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth. Max signed the receipt and put his copy and his card back in his wallet, then took one of the mints, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. He got up from his chair and helped Fran out of hers, then just as he was about to get her coat, they heard someone nearby call Max's name.
"Maxwell Sheffield! It is you! How are you doing?!" A man's voice bellowed. They both turned around and saw a man and a woman following a maitre d towards their table.
"Oh! Hello, Mick! Fran, this is Mick Jenkins- Mick, this is Fran Fine." Max shook Mick's hand, and then Mick turned to shake Fran's.
"Hello, nice to meet you. This is my wife Laura- Laura, Max Sheffield and Fran Fine."
"Fran, Mick is one of my former investors, we run into each other at the club on occasion."
"Yes, once in a long while, and he never hesitates to remind me that I'm a former investor…" The two men laughed as Max and Fran shook Laura's hand. "I can't really talk at the moment- don't want to keep this young man waiting on us, we're here meeting my in-laws for brunch. But Max, I am glad I ran into you- can I call you sometime this week? I have a property I know you'll be interested in, and I'd like to discuss the details if you have time. We can do it over the phone if that's easiest."
"Oh, sure, this week should be fine- ah, just not tomorrow morning. That might be a bit of a scramble for me. But after that should be fine. You have my numbers, right?"
"Yes, yes I do. Well, you two have a lovely rest of your weekend! Nice to meet you, Fran!" Mick said, glancing over Fran, then back at Max. Max was sure there was some kind of message in the look Mick gave him. He glanced back at Fran and remembered how lovely she was in her outfit, and figured that was why Mick gave him a knowing look.
"Yes, and nice to meet you, too, Laura. Talk to you soon, Mick," Max said.
"Nice to meet you both!" Fran called after them and they all waved to each other as Mick and Laura followed the maitre d to their table. Max picked up Fran's coat, then helped her on with it. "What did he mean by 'property'?" She asked, as Max picked up his own coat and put it on, then followed her closely as they headed out of the large hotel restaurant.
"Well, we call scripts 'properties' sometimes, or if someone bought the rights to a book or story they want to make into a stage production. I'm really hoping he hasn't written a script or something that he wants me to read. That could get really uncomfortable."
"Oh, no kidding!" Fran chuckled, and then took Max's hand as they entered the hotel lobby from the restaurant, then headed for the hotel entrance. Once they got to the doors and stepped out, they were met with a flood of limousines and town cars lined up and waiting for their owners.
"Oh, well, now! What on earth is all this?" Max said, looking over the scene.
"Is there some kind of convention that just let out? Don't tell me all this is for Sunday brunch, is it?"
"I have no idea. I better call the driver and see how far away he is." Max pulled the cell phone out of his inner pocket and dialed the number as Fran pulled her coat tighter around her and lifted the collar. The cold wind was making it into the half-circular drive that tucked just under the overhang of the rest of the building. "How far back are you? Oh, goodness. Well, alright. Let's just watch a few minutes and see if this crowd moves at all. Okay. Thank you," Max said, and put the phone back in his pocket. He noticed how cold Fran looked, so he opened his overcoat and invited her in. She took him up on his offer and wrapped her arms around him inside his coat, and he wrapped the coat around her tightly.
"Mmm! You smell so good! That's my favorite cologne!" She said, and looked up at him.
"Thank you, and you do smell quite lovely yourself!" They hugged tightly, trying to keep warm, and watched over the fleet of limos, two deep, and unmoving. Several of them had drivers standing at the ready outside the vehicles, freezing their tails off. "You know what? If we stand here and wait for them to move, we're going to need to go back inside so we don't freeze. Would you be up for walking down the block, and see if the driver can meet us further away from all this?"
"Sure, we can do that. And walk off a little of that brunch, too. And it's sunny out on the sidewalk, it might not be so cold. Yeah, see if he can come find us."
"Alright." He let go of Fran and took the phone back out, called the driver, and made arrangements for him to drive down the block and look for them. He put the phone away and buttoned up his coat, and wrapped an arm around Fran as they hurried away from the entrance to the sidewalk along the street and started walking down the block. Once they were in the sun, he let go of her shoulders and took her hand, and she clutched it tightly.
"Thank you for brunch, Max. That was really nice. And the food was really good!"
"It was, wasn't it? Maybe some day we can come back."
"Sure! I'd come back. Maybe next time we can bring the kids, and Niles, too. Give him a break from cooking."
"Yes, I'm sure he'd appreciate that." They continued walking, and Max watched their shadows in front of them on the sidewalk. He saw this silhouette of a couple, holding hands, walking together. Then he felt a sort of a realization wash over him. They were the couple. A couple. He and Fran were a couple now. He filled his lungs with the brisk, late morning air, and smiled from ear to ear. The sky was blue overhead, he was wide awake, his belly full, and here he was, walking down the street in New York City with his partner- his girlfriend. Fran. He turned to look at her, and she was smiling, too. She seemed to be watching their shadows in front of them the same way he did, and she had a bit of spring to her step. She felt his eyes on her and she turned to look at him. Their eyes lit up, and their smiles matched, and just then there was a honk beside them from the street- it was their driver trying to get their attention. They were almost sad to have to end their moment, but then realized it would be much warmer inside the car. Max reached for her waist and led her to the car, opened the back door, helped her in, then followed right behind her. He shut the door and the car sped off, headed home.
They sorted themselves in the seat, then buckled in, and Fran reached back for his hand to hold it.
"Thank you for going out with me this morning, Fran. I had a really nice time with you."
"I had a really nice time with you, too, Max. Really nice!" She patted his hand and looked into his eyes. The sun came in through the back window and shined right across his eyes, making the green in his hazel eyes almost glow. It took her breath away.
Max noticed a change in the look on her face. "What is it?" He asked.
"Oh, sorry! I just- your eyes! The sun's lighting up your eyes, they're so pretty!" She reached for his cheek with her gloved hand, without realizing. She saw her hand there, then got self-conscious and dropped it, but she couldn't take her eyes off of his.
"I can see yours, too. It's usually hard to see your pupils in that dark brown of your eyes, but I see them now. They really draw me in." Max had pulled his gloves off, and reached a hand up to stroke her cheek. He ran the side of his thumb across her cheekbone, then caressed her jaw with the backs of his fingers. Fran was lost in him. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, so she closed hers, too. "So, you'll definitely go out with me again next weekend? And this week, if I can get my lunches free?"
"I will! Absolutely." They opened their eyes again, and Max found himself looking over her face once more, then at her lips. He lifted her chin towards him with his fingertips, then paused a moment to make sure it was okay. It was. He kissed her softly on the lips. Not too long, and just firm enough to let her know how much he cared for her. Their lips parted, and Fran's heart began to race. Max wrapped his arm over her shoulders and she cuddled against him, clutching his lapel in her hand. They remained silent the rest of the ride home, taking in everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Neither one of them could believe where they'd ended up. And they didn't want it to end.
After they checked on Maggie and her friends, Max took Fran's hand and led her to the office to show her the stacks of paperwork he had to deal with the next day.
"Alright, let me show you what I've got." He sat down in his chair, pulled open a bottom drawer, and took out a huge stack of papers about six inches high and then dropped them on his desk with a thud.
"Holy crap, Max, that's a lot of papers!" Fran exclaimed, wide eyed.
"Just wait." He got up from the chair, walked around the desk, and opened the door of the cabinet next to the office couch. He reached in for another stack of documents, pulled them out and shut the cabinet, then brought them back to the desk and set them down next to the first stack.
"Double holy crap." Fran just looked at the piles, then looked at Max, who had a downtrodden expression on his face. "Max, does this happen all the time?"
"Well, not all the time. But casting and starting new productions, yes, it can get like this. Most is for the new show, but maybe a third of it is ongoing things from the other show."
"Is it okay if I look at some of it, just to get an idea of what you're supposed to do with it?"
"Sure, come here, sit." He motioned for her to sit in the chair while he stood next to her. He picked up a stapled set of papers off the top of a stack. "Okay, this one here is an actor's contract. It's gone through all the corrections already, and it's been signed by the actor. This came from the lawyer's office. I know everything on here is correct, it's gone through a lot of eyes, and I trust my lawyer's team. But that said, I still give it one last read-through before I sign it. I'm not always paying complete attention, but a lot of these documents are standard so I can kind of pick up where something looks different, so that makes me stop and look it over to see why it might be written differently. Anyway, then I sign it and set it somewhere- you know, make a pile I guess you would say. Or hand it to C.C. Documents like these will go back to the lawyer, then will go to the agent's office to be given to the actor. All of the copies of things like these are kept through the lawyer's office."
"Okay, getting the picture now. Can I ask you something?"
"Of course.
"How come it all gets mixed up with other things? I mean, why aren't all the actor's contracts in one place?"
"Well, they end up in one place. But I know what you mean, this isn't an efficient system, really. Not all of these go through at the same pace. When the lawyer's office has a stack ready to come here, they send it over as soon as they can. And in the meantime, I get other things from the lawyer as well, and from the unions, from the theater owners, all the contractors I use, and so on. So these huge stacks are basically everything that's come in over the last week or two, and mostly just needs to be signed. Some of them have post-it notes on them telling me what they need, and where they get sent next. And what C.C. will be doing in the morning is going over corrections with the lawyer, then I'm sure she'll be bringing back a new bundle of documents to finish up. And after it's all done, I'll have her working on getting a big stack of flyers made that will be mailed out to some arts organizations, letting them know about the new production. She'll pick up the flyers and print out all the letters, which is actually a lot, and will take them over to a local company that handles getting them into envelopes and addressing the envelopes, postage, all of that sort of thing. Then hopefully I'll get a breather after that, and any other paperwork will be minimal for a while."
"Oh! Okay. So a lot of this is more about who they came from, and then get added to the pile, and the piles just build up."
"Unfortunately, yes. But these are the biggest piles I've had so far. There's a lot going on right now." Fran took his hand in hers and rubbed it.
"It's okay, you got this. Now, one thing I was thinking of is how many different places is all this stuff going to?"
"Ah…" he thought and counted on his fingertips. "I think six, but might be seven."
"Okay, now how do you get all this stuff where it needs to go? Does Ms. Babcock do it, or a courier?"
"Um, this batch should be all by courier, then I think she'll take care of the batch she brings in tomorrow."
"Okay, good, now let me think a second…" Fran put her fingers to her lips and looked at the stacks of papers, then at his desk, then the rest of the office, and finally back to his desk. "Um, would you be okay with moving some of these things over- or better yet- off your desk? Like these pictures and these things around here? We can put them back later."
"Um, sure, I suppose that's alright."
"Great, can you get started on that? I have an idea!" She jumped up from the chair and ran around it. "I'll be right back!" She ran from the office and Max looked over his desk. He picked up a few small picture frames and moved them over to the shelves behind the desk, then continued clearing things out of the way. Several minutes later, Fran came running back into the room with her hands full.
"Now what have you got there?" Max asked, intrigued.
"Well, I kinda thought you needed something to stack the papers in- so they don't get mixed up, and I remembered that Niles had lots of these shirt boxes- you know, like when they gift wrap them and put them in these boxes? See, open them up and use both halves, you have two separate things to put the papers in. And now, we just line them up. Here, there's six, and we'll put an extra one here if you need it."
"Oh, so when I sign the papers, I just put them in the box for the destination?"
"Well, you could do that, but then that means you still have to trudge your way through those huge stacks on your desk, and the stacks are kind of in the way of where you need to write. So the next part is- are all of these things going to the same part of the city, with the same courier?"
"Oh, ah, no, actually. Let's see… I guess I could end up using three separate couriers, if I send them out the same day. So- three parts of the city. So we need to separate these into three, right?"
"Yep! You got it! That way, when you finish the papers for one part of the city, you or Ms. Babcock can get them packaged up and call the courier to take them, and they're out of your way."
"Brilliant! Oh, Fran, this might really work! Thank you! Oh, I can make a note on each box so I know what to put in each one. Wonderful! Oh, thank you so much!" He went to her and hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"You're welcome, sweetie. Now, why don't we set to getting them separated into their boxes, and then tomorrow morning, you just take one box and work on that, and put it back when you're done. Then when Ms. Babcock gets here, you can hand it over to her. Sound good?"
"Sounds wonderful! You may have just freed me up for lunch tomorrow!"
"Good! Oh, I hope so!" She patted his back and they walked back around the desk to the chair, and Max pulled out a post-it pad and pen and wrote out the name and address for each box of documents.
"Alright, now, Fran- could you look for all the documents that have an address at the top? Like this one? I think there should be three different ones, and those will go in these boxes- see the addresses?"
"Oh, yeah- I can do that. Okay, and you separate the other ones?"
"Yes, and we'll see how far that gets us. Here, take the chair. Which stack do you want to start with?" He smiled.
"Hey, it's your stuff. You take the big one!"
He laughed. "Alright. But stack the ones without addresses off to the side, then you can hand them to me later, and I'll give you the ones I separate."
"Okie doke! Let's get to it!"
They set about going through the two big stacks of documents, tossing some into its proper box, and setting others to the side. It went much faster than either of them expected. They laughed as they bumped each other as their arms criss-crossed back and forth, dropping papers here and there. When they both had cleared their main stacks, they passed the extras over to each other, then separated those into their proper piles.
"Woo! We did it, Fran! This is fantastic! I think I'm going to borrow this technique for everything else like this. Do you think Niles will mind if I keep these boxes? They're pretty useful."
"They are. I'm sure he's got plenty, but we should still let him know we swiped them. But I'm really glad you like this. I hope it makes things go a lot smoother for you. See, now all you have to do when you come in and sit down in the morning is like- grab that box on the end, take out the papers, and start going through them. Once they're signed and finished, back into the box! Now, there's one other thing you might be able to do now, depending on how you do it."
"What's that?" He asked.
"Well, I've seen you give those big envelopes to couriers before, the big manila ones with all the lines on the outside? If that's how you're gonna send these out, maybe you could get the envelopes out and label them the way you need to, so that's all ready to go."
"Oh, you know, that might help, too. Oh, yes, let me do that real quick." Max went over to his cabinet and sorted through things to find the envelopes he needed. Fran leaned back in the chair and looked over the desk and all the halves of shirt boxes with stacks of paper in them and smiled. Did she really just do that? She really helped him! She managed to figure out something that could really help him with all that work. She was feeling proud of herself.
Fran heard a commotion out by the living room. It was all of the girls- they had just come down the stairs with all of their things and were setting them down by the stairs.
"Hey, Max?" Fran said, getting up from the chair. "The girls all just came down, I think they might be leaving. I'm just gonna go out there and thank them all, and make sure they're getting home a safe way, okay?"
"Oh, yes, sure. You go ahead. I'll finish this up and be right out."
"Okay!" She rushed from the office to join the girls out in the entryway.
"Hey, Fran!" The girls called out when they saw her.
"Hey, guys! Is everybody leaving?" She asked.
"Yeah," Maggie said. "We've all got homework to finish. We're just waiting for their rides."
"So how is everybody getting home? Are there cars coming for you?" Fran asked.
"We're both going together," one girl gestured to another girl. "She lives down the street from me."
"And our parents are picking the rest of us up, they aren't too far away. We were just gonna split a taxi, but they said no."
"Oh, well, that's probably a good thing. Well, I just wanted to thank you guys again for all coming over to hang out with Maggie. Friday night was rough, but it looks like she's already on the mend," Fran smiled at Maggie.
"Yeah, thanks guys, that was really cool of you guys to do. And any time something like this happens to anybody else, we should do this again," Maggie said.
"Yes- and if you don't have room at your houses for a big slumber party, I'm sure it would be fine to have it here again. The most important thing is that you guys watch out for each other and take care of each other. Don't let the boys get away with things like this."
"Oh, we sure won't!" They all chimed in.
"Hey, there's a car out front- who is that for?" Maggie asked.
"Oh! That's us! Come on, grab your stuff!" Two of the girls hugged Maggie and then grabbed their things, and rushed out the door as the rest waved goodbye to them. Soon after, the other girls left one by one, and then Max joined them at the bottom of the stairs.
"So, everyone's off already, darling?" Max asked Maggie.
"Yeah. Thank you for letting everybody come over, daddy. And Fran, thank you for inviting them all. It really did help me a lot." Maggie hugged both of them tightly, then they stood on either side of her, arms still around her.
"Yes, Fran, that was a wonderful idea. I'm so glad it helped you, Maggie. I was really struggling to figure out what might make you feel better. I sure wasn't expecting you to look so together by this time today. So you're certain you're doing alright, then?" Max asked.
"Yeah, I am," Maggie thought about it a moment. "It was weird at first, when Fran said they were all coming over. I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with that. But I did need to talk to all of them. And I really wanted to trash Peter. It's so much better to do that with your friends than by yourself."
"Aw, Mags! I'm glad they helped you. And I know it was a lot better than it would have been if it was just me, or even me and your father. You might not have wanted to talk too much if you were just stuck with us."
"Well, maybe. I probably would have just stayed in my room, alone, feeling sorry for myself. But it's a lot better now. So thank you. But what about you guys? What have you guys been up to all weekend? I mean, I know you were gonna watch movies, and you went out to brunch…" she raised an eyebrow, partially teasing, but also dying to know how much time the spent together.
"Yeah, we watched movies, pigged out at brunch. And we made dinner together last night, that was nice," Fran said, and glanced up at Max. He grinned back at her.
"It was. So, should we tell her?" He asked. Fran's face lit up.
"Yes! But- should we wait for Brighton and Gracie to get back?"
"We could, or we could let Maggie tell them. I mean, she'll need to talk to them about the Peter thing, too, so maybe this will be something that's a little more happy…" They both looked at Maggie.
"Happy? What are you guys talking about? Tell me! I want to know! What is it?!" She squealed.
"Go ahead and tell her, Max. I'm totally good with it!"
"Max?" Maggie asked, and smiled. "And you called her 'Fran,' didn't you?"
Max smiled. "I did."
"Well?! What else?" Maggie was almost jumping up and down.
"Ah," he glanced back at Fran, then looked at Maggie. "When we went out to brunch earlier- that was our first date." Maggie and Fran both squealed and jumped up and down together.
"I knew it! I knew something was going on with you guys! So did you guys talk yesterday?"
"Well, yes. And a lot of that was thanks to you, Maggie," Max said. "You made some valid points to me when we talked, and it really made me think about what's really important to me. Who's important to me. And with everything you were going through- we just started talking, finally. We talked about a lot of things."
"We did," Fran said.
"And first, we talked about the name thing, and I think that was really important. Fran talked to me about things I hadn't considered. And I guess, once it was finally out in the open- it didn't make sense for us to be so formal with each other. So we made that change. I could finally see why it was important that we did. And then, when Niles said that you girls had eaten everything in the house, so there might not be anything left for us for breakfast, I just- I took a chance and asked her to brunch."
"And I made sure he meant a date, and not just going together to get some food somewhere!" Fran added, and they all laughed.
"I'm so happy, daddy! And for you, too, Fran! I know how happy you are. And daddy, it's gonna be just fine. We all love Fran, and we know there was something between you guys, and that it was a good thing between you. You just needed a little kick in the pants to do something about it!" Maggie hugged her father, and then hugged Fran again. "So can I really tell everybody else? I mean, when they get home?"
"Sure, sweetie. But wait until dinner, okay? We'll all be together then, and Niles will be there, too. And maybe that will make it easier to tell them about what happened with Peter."
"It will. Okay, I'll wait. And don't tell anybody before I get to, okay? Even your mother and Val, Fran, okay? I know you're dying to tell your mother."
"Oh. She can wait. I can call her later."
"Good. Okay then! Well, I gotta go clean my room and finish my homework, and call some other friends so I can trash Peter some more. So promise you aren't gonna spill the beans before me!" Maggie said.
"We won't, sweetheart. Go- go ahead and get done what you need to. We'll see you for dinner. And thank you again for giving me a talking-to. It really helped," Max said, squeezing her hand.
"I'm glad it did! And I'm really glad you guys are together now. It was taking forever!" They laughed, and Fran hugged her, and sent her on her way, back upstairs to her bedroom. Fran and Max looked at each other, then he took her in his arms.
"Wow," he said softly.
"I know, right?" She wrapped her arms around his waist. "So, boyfriend, what do you want to do now?" He looked down into her eyes, and slowly over her features.
"I think I'd like some time with my girlfriend, preferably uninterrupted time. It'll be a little while before Brighton and Gracie come back. Would you like to join me in the other room?"
"Living room? Cuddle on the couch or something?" She asked, almost in a whisper.
"Mmm hmm. That would be nice."
"It would."
"You know, when we were at brunch, there was something I almost started talking to you about, but then realized it wasn't a good idea to talk about it there, especially if anyone could overhear."
"Really? What was it? What did you want to talk about?" She asked.
Max took a deep breath. "Last night." He looked into her eyes, and she grabbed him by the hands and led him over to the couch to sit down. They sat next to each other and she curled up against him, clutching his arm and holding onto his hand.
"So… last night. Are you taking about before or after I fell asleep?" She asked him softly.
"Both, I suppose. At least while I was awake." Fran looked at him, intrigued. "Well, you know how I can get my nerves worked up sometimes? I can get nervous, butterflies in my stomach, that sort of thing?"
"Mm hmm."
"Well, it's like when we have one of those moments- or I'm thinking about us having one, or I wonder if I should do something… I can get really nervous and I worry that I'll just screw it all up. But then a lot of the times, especially yesterday, last night… even today… you do something like hold my hand, or put an arm around me. And if I even think about you possibly doing that, I get nervous, but then when you do- something comes over me. It's like, as long as you maintain that sort of contact, an affectionate contact, I settle down. You settle me down. You calm me down, somehow. Just with your touch. And I don't have butterflies anymore. Now, don't get me wrong, the butterflies can be a good thing. But that calm feeling is much better. And maybe it's just something I need to get used to- well, get accustomed to. I need to get accustomed to you touching me like that. And touching you, too. Maybe I need a bit of time just being like this with you, and letting myself reach for your hand, or hold you. Cuddle with you. It just feels really good, and if you can calm me like that, then maybe that will stop the nervousness. I'd like to be able to be that way with you."
"I'd like that, too. And I think I might have been thinking about the same thing. I mean, I don't really get nervous with you, at least not the same way you get nervous with me. But yeah, I can feel something when we touch each other like that. And like last night, holding on to each other. For me I guess it's like a longing- when I see you and maybe you do something that just makes me crush on you even more… It feels like I might burst if I can't run to you and put my arms around you- like someone's holding me back from you. But then when I can- like this weekend- when I can reach for you, or hold on to you… I guess it calms me down, too. Like when I fell asleep in your arms- I was so comfortable! It was so nice. And then I woke up, and you were still holding me… I didn't want to leave. I mean, I did think about it for a second, and I know you did too, that maybe we shouldn't be sleeping on your bed together. But then, it was like I realized that you must have felt okay with it, that you trusted me enough to stay there with me, so you turned off the TV and the light and fell asleep, too. That realization felt good, so good. So it felt okay to just rest back down with you and stay. And it was wonderful. Except for waking up that one time, I don't remember waking up any other time, until the morning. I slept really well. And when I woke up in the morning, to have you there with me… it made me really happy."
Max smiled as he watched her talk. "It made me happy, too. I want more of that. I mean, I know we need to consider the children. But how much do we need to consider them? We're adults, and Maggie said they'd all approve of the two of us."
"What do you mean, how much do we need to consider them? Do you mean like showing each other affection in front of them?"
"Well, that too. But I mean- last night, you stayed in my room with me. Would that have happened if all three of them were here last night? Because I don't want to sneak around with you. I want us to be open about things."
"Oh, you mean, like getting caught that way. Like if they caught me coming out of your room or something, how would we explain it?"
"Yes, I suppose. What do we say to them? Or do we say anything at all?"
"Well, technically it's none of their business. But as far as trying to set a good example for them to follow, then yeah, we should probably talk to them. And we can do that tonight, after Maggie spills the beans. Maybe her telling them about Peter can help us have a bigger conversation about relationships."
Max thought a moment. "Yes, maybe that would be a good idea. Because I want to be able to show you affection, to be affectionate with you, regardless of whoever may be around or not. I mean, I know we don't need to be all over each other in front of people and make them sick," he cracked a smile and Fran laughed. "But I would like to hug you and hold your hand, and cuddle up with you…"
"I want that, too."
"So, maybe we could practice a lot…" He looked into her eyes. Fran smiled up at him.
"I'd like that a lot!" She exclaimed. She lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. He pulled her close and reached for her other hand.
"See? You're settling my worries and nervousness already! We'll talk to them all later, and we'll see where the conversation leads."
"Good! I think that's a good idea." They cuddled close for a while, getting used to the feeling. They looked over each other's hand, traced their fingers over each other's skin. Max still had something on his mind that he wanted to talk about, so he was trying to sort out how to ease his way into it.
"Fran?"
"Mmm hmm?"
"I mentioned to you about how when I was talking to Maggie last night… about the dating thing, the dating scene, and how I wasn't interested in being a part of that, because of all the games and all that nonsense that can happen."
"Mmm hmm…"
"And I said I'd much rather just have a sort of situation I could just step into- you know, that I would know the woman well, and the children would have to like her, and that we were already spending a lot of time together… Then Maggie said how that sounded a lot like what I already have with you…"
Fran tilted her head to get a better look at Max.
"Well, she's right. I don't think I could have found a relationship I wanted if I went about it the typical way, by dating. I had to get to know the woman really well first, and being in close quarters has really done that for us. You're already a part of the family. I really am very fond of you…"
"So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying… I'm asking… I want to ask you how you would feel if I stepped into a situation with you… if we could start a situation together…"
Fran made a small nervous laugh. "Well, I'd say that I think we've already got a situation, but yes- I would really like to add another element to it. To take it to another level. And not just be your girlfriend, but to be a real partner to you, too." She turned her body so she could face him.
"You would? Really?"
"Of course! You and the kids are the best things that ever happened to me. I'd love it to be more official. So yeah, step into the situation with me!" Max chuckled, then hugged her tightly to him.
"That's wonderful, Fran! It really is! I don't want us holding back from each other anymore. So I need to get accustomed to all this- all this good stuff. Because I need it with you. I need this contact."
"I need it too, Max! No more holding back!" They smiled at each other, then kissed firmly on the lips, and when they separated, they both chuckled.
"So, how do we handle the bedroom issue? Because I don't know that I could sleep tonight if you aren't there to fall asleep on my shoulder…" Max had a serious look in his eyes.
"You want me with you? Because I don't have a problem with that. Not at all!"
"Really?"
"Really!"
"We still need to be certain about the children, though. I really want to know for certain that it would be alright if they happened to find out, you know, that we stayed together. And I don't mean - ah, you know, intimately. I mean like last night."
"Yeah, I know. We don't have to rush things. But I am certain I'd like to be able to stay with you every night, if that's what you want."
"I do. I think that would be really nice." He squeezed her close to him and rested his forehead against hers. "So, you want to watch something before the children get home?"
"Yeah… I would." Fran leaned over to grab the remote from the coffee table and turned on the TV, then leaned back against Max again. Max clutched her shoulders, and once she found a program to watch, she took hold of his remaining hand in both of hers and found herself softly stroking the back of it, and along his fingers. He took it all in, feeling the softness of her touch, and the warmth of her against him. It felt perfect, and he knew he couldn't let it end. He stepped into a situation with Fran, and it was all they both wanted.