Lying comfortably on the rattan lounge chair on the patio while reading a romance novel was a leisure she did not often enjoy. With three kids constantly yelling "Nany Fine", often in need of help with something about schoolwork, or in need of an ear to hear out their complaints about their father's rules or their grades or their friends, or even a little friendly chat before going to bed, she didn't often have any spare time to indulge herself on a quiet afternoon. It was one of those rare occasions that Gracie went on a field trip, Brighton went out on a three-day camping trip and Maggie was on a three-day retreat. She had three more hours before Gracie arrived home for dinner.
Fran enjoyed all those moments with her little wards but occasionally she would like an alone time, quietly reading, basking under the sun, while sipping a glass of lemonade. It was a great day to get a healthy tan. Mr. Sheffield and Ms. Babcock were both out with an investor and Niles had gone grocery shopping. It sure was nice having a quiet afternoon, having the house all to herself, wearing nothing but her skimpy shorts and bikini top to work on her tan.
Just when she had reached the juicy part of her novel, she heard the doorbell ring. She ignored it, thinking Niles would get it but on the fourth ring she realized he must still be out at the grocery store. A sense of urgency overcame her as another resounding ring reverberated in the house. Mr. Sheffield and Ms. Babcock might be back from their business meeting. In her rush to get to the door, she had forgotten to cover up with her robe when she opened the door.
A pleasant looking woman in a wool jacket and Sunday dress stood at the door. Fran surmised she must be a few years older than herself.
"Hello!" greeted Fran.
The woman looked somewhat stunned at her scantily clad form opening the door.
"Good day! I'm sorry. I must have rung the wrong address. I'm looking for Niles Frederick Beresford…" the woman was eyeing her quite uncomfortably.
Fran recognized the British accent. Whoever it was, must be from way back home in United Kingdom.
"If you mean, Niles the Butler, yes this is his address," smiled Fran.
"You're not his wife, are you?" asked the woman with a worried tone.
"No, I'm not his wife. We work together. He's the butler and I'm the nanny." said Fran pleasantly.
There was a huge sigh of relief as she flashed Fran a big friendly smile.
"I'm Ada," replied the woman.
She showed slight hesitation before continuing, "I'm Nile's girlfriend. Is he in?"
Fran had the surprise of her lifer. Never had she known that Niles had a girlfriend. They've been working together for two years and have become good friends but not once had he mentioned having a girlfriend. She felt like reprimanding him for keeping it a secret while he knew all about her big crush and longing for Mr. Sheffield. Well, he did tell you about a casual affair with Mr. Sheffield's Nanny introducing him to the ropes of becoming a man when he was fifteen years old.
Fran hoped her surprise did not show in her face as she led the woman inside the foyer.
"Come in, come in, I'm sorry about my outfit. All the kids are in school, so I was just getting a little tan. Niles will be back in… just about now. Have a seat," said Fran in her shrill voice.
Ada admired the enormous house and the tasteful interior décor as she was led by Fran into the living room sofa.
"Let me get you something to drink. I'm sure Niles will be back any minute now," said Fran before disappearing into the kitchen.
She sighed, uncertain if she did the right thing by inviting a stranger into the house. She did say she was Niles' friend… girlfriend she claims but how will Niles react about finding her in the house upon his return. Was he engaged in an online relationship or a long-distance relationship she wondered. Ada looked a bit forlorn when she opened the door but was alleviated the moment she mentioned she was Niles' colleague.
Fran was pouring orange juice into a tall glass for Ada when Niles' deep baritone voice greeted her as he barged into the back door carrying a bag of fresh prawns.
"What a day Ms. Fine. Did you know I had to visit three grocery stores to find the perfect giant prawns for tonight's dinner," he said gayly, pretending to be exasperated from the extra work but the glint in his eyes showed how delighted he was with his find.
He picked out an extra-large 9-inch prawn from the plastic bag to show Fran. It was so big it almost rivaled a lobster. His face showed a clear sign of blissful satisfaction as he bragged about the fresh king prawns, dangling it in front of her face.
Fran momentarily forgot about the unexpected guest in the living room.
She slapped Niles playfully on the arm and scolded him.
"Niles! Ms. Babcock is staying for dinner. You know right well she's allergic to tiger prawns. Are you trying to kill her?" scolded Fran.
He tried to suppress a laugh. "Of course not, I'm going to make her a beautiful Caesar salad."
"Niles!" screamed Fran flabbergasted.
"Alright, I'll make her a Nicoise Salad," said Niles nonchalantly.
"That sounds worse… you like torturing her, don't you. If you really like seafood, why can't you make a vongole or a scampi pasta. At least she's not allergic to shellfish or those tiny shrimps," said Fran matter-of-factly.
Niles gave her a wry smile as he put away the groceries and prepared dinner.
Fran couldn't understand what it was with Ms. Babcock that Niles seemed to breathe and live for torturing her, mocking her or insulting her. She wasn't a pleasant individual yes but to go out of his way every single day to effortlessly insult the girl just what's eating him. He was such a lovable, amiable person, so unlike him to be mean. But Ms. Babcock was no pushover either, she can easily retort back to his wisecracks. Sometimes it's just fun to hear them exchange such insulting but witty banters.
Holding the glass of orange juice, Fran remembered Ada who was waiting in the living room.
"Oh Niles, there's someone here to see you," said Fran with a simple smile before pushing the swinging door, carrying the glass of refreshment.
"Who? I'm not expecting anybody," said Niles with a note of confusion, following Fran to the living room.
As Fran handed the glass to Ada, she turned to carefully watch Niles' reaction, not taking her eyes off the two to see what the real score between them was.
Ada's eyes were glued on Niles so much that she didn't even notice a little drop of orange juice on her dress when Fran handed her the glass quite clumsily as she was too engrossed watching Niles.
Fran could feel the eager anticipation in Ada. Her eyes were almost teary and her voice low and quivering when she spoke like she was uncertain how to begin and a little afraid of how things would turn out.
"Hello, Niles," greeted Ada, putting the glass on the table.
She immediately stood up and walked a few steps forward to meet Niles' approach, extending her arms, eagerly waiting for a warm embrace.
The look on Niles' face was nothing like an ecstatic lover eager to meet his beloved after a long absence. Instead, it was a mixture of uneasiness, dread, uncertainty and joy.
His smile was genuine as he greeted her back but it lacked a lover's passion.
"Hello, Ada. So good to see you. What brings you to the United States?" he asked in a friendly manner but there was not a hint of lover's passion in his eyes, his tone, nor his touch as he gave her a friendly hug with a little pat on the back.
Fran wondered if it was a one-sided love affair. Did Ada mistakenly think that Niles was in love with her? Niles wasn't a very affectionate person. In fact, he was bit detached, too professional perhaps brought about by his profession as a butler, but she had witnessed his warmth and caring nature as her friend, but whatever it was he felt about her, it didn't look like he was in love.
Without waiting for Ada's response, he turned to Fran, his friendly manner not wavering.
"Ms. Fine, this is my friend Ada. We used to date when we were in college… but that was quite a long time ago," he said matter-of-factly.
Oh, so they did go out together. It sure looks over for Niles, but it sure doesn't look over for Ada.
The way he stared at Niles and the way she held on to him tight sure was making him quite uncomfortable.
"Niles, I'm staying at the Howard Johnson. Do you think you could meet me for dinner so we could have a little talk," said Ada.
Fran wanted to dispel the discomfort brewing in the air.
"Oh, goody, they have a great breakfast in there. I just love the bagels," blurted Fran.
Niles shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I still have a supper to prepare for the family."
"Tomorrow then?" asked Ada eagerly.
A sudden quietness filled the room that Fran didn't know how to dispel but thank heavens for Gracie who just rang the doorbell and barged through the door all excited to talk about her field trip.
"Hi Niles! Hi Fran! I had a wonderful time at the Capitol. We also got to see the Lincoln Memorial, the New York City Library and the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. We almost got left behind when we went to use the bathroom at the museum. My friends and I were scaring each other… oh hello there!"
Gracie suddenly noticed the visitor and greeted her in the middle of her story.
She handed her backpack to Fran and her uniform hat.
"Uhm… this is Niles' friend, honey," said Fran.
Gracie gave her another polite greeting before turning to Fran.
"I'm thirsty can I have a glass of lemonade while I take a shower. I know there's still two hours before dinner. Can you stay with me, Nanny Fine?"
Fran gave her frozen smile. "I'll be right behind you, sweetie. Let me get that lemonade first."
Fran's nosy self was getting the better of her. She didn't want to move from her place. She wanted to hear what Niles had to say. There was still that question hanging in the air but to her dismay both Niles and Ada stared at her as though waiting for her to exit the living room.
"Oh, it would take her sometime to finish her shower," said Fran with a smile.
She saw Niles gave him the eye, telling her to get out of the room.
She sighed before heading toward the kitchen to get the lemonade.