Niles was nervous. How could he not be when he was meeting Mel's son, of all people? From what she had told him, she and her son were very close, and it would be important that Niles make a good impression on him. Niles still wasn't sure on Mel's exact age, but she had to be older them, and her son was about 22 years old.
"Stop fidgeting," Mel snapped.
"I'm sorry. I'm just nervous." They were at a nice bistro, waiting for Mel's son to arrive. "What does he do again?"
"I told you, he's in law school."
"Right."
He was supposed to meet them at noon, and when Niles looked at his watch it was 11:59. Right at 12, a young man came through the doors and sat down across from Niles and Mel. Punctual, just like his mother.
"Mark," Mel said with a smile. She leaned over the table to kiss her son's cheek. "Looking as handsome as always."
"Nice to see you, Mother. Ah, this must be Niles Crane?"
Niles smiled, extending his hand to shake Mark's hand. "Hello. Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine. Mother, I am pleased to tell you that my grades are topnotch."
Mel grinned. "I'm very glad to hear that. You will make a damn fine lawyer, Mark."
Mark shrugged, as if he was being modest, but then he smiled and said, "I know."
Like mother like son, Niles thought. He studied Mark. He was a tall young man, with high cheekbones- Niles wasn't sure if they were natural or if Mel had given him something for it-, and black hair the same color as his mother. The only thing that he lacked was Mel's brown eyes. His eyes were blue.
"Blue eyes," Niles commented, but he instantly regretted it when Mel shot a glare at him.
"Yes, he has blue eyes," she sighed. "Thanks to that bastard father of his."
"Mother," Mark said. "Father is not as bad as you may think."
"Oh, isn't he? Let's see… he cheated on me with his secretary. I think that's reason enough not to like him."
Ah, well, that explained why Mel was so touchy about the Maris situation last Christmas.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up," Niles said. "Mark, Mel has already ordered for you. She said you are fond of the lobster bisque."
"Yes, I am," Mark replied. "Thank you."
When the food arrived, they ate in silence, only to break it when Mark asked about Niles's life. He told him about that he was recently divorced, had a brother and father living in the city, and that he was a psychiatrists who specialized in the teachings of Jung. He purposely left out Daphne by name- only calling her his father's physical therapist- because he Mark was trained to see the truth in one's eyes. He was afraid his eyes might betray his feelings for Daphne, which were pretty much nonexistent by this point in time, or so Niles liked to tell himself.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Niles glanced up. It was Daphne and Roz!
"Dr. Crane!" Daphne grinned.
"Hello, Daphne."
Roz said nothing as she pushed a table against theirs and sat down, as if she owned the restaurant. When she gave a cold look to the waiters, who were going to tell she couldn't do that, all they did in the end was give her a menu.
"Thank you," she said. "Daphne, sit down."
"Oh, okay."
Daphne sat, and her seat just happened to be next to Mark's. Niles couldn't help but notice that Mark seemed completely enamored by her. He couldn't blame him, but he also couldn't help but feel jealous.
"Daphne, Roz, this is Mel's son, Mark. Mark, this is Daphne Moon, and Roz Doyle. Daphne is my father's physical therapist."
Mark shook Roz's hand first, and then lingered on Daphne, a wisp of a smile on his face. "You must work very hard, then."
"Yeah," Daphne said. "Of course, it's a bloody pain when Mr. Crane fails to corporate. What do you do, Mark?"
He let go of her hand. "I'm in law school."
"Oh, law school," Roz commented. "Handsome and smart. Good for you, Mel."
"Yes, yes," Mel shrugged it off, obviously irritated by Daphne's and Roz's intrusion.
Niles kept watching Mark, who kept watching Daphne.
"Hey, Niles," Roz was saying.
"Not now."
Roz crossed her arms and pouted. "Fine, then. I was going to say my friend got tickets to that hoity toity symphony, and she can't use them. So, I might as well just dump them."
That caught his attention. "Hoity toity symphony, you say? When is this?"
Roz took the tickets out of her purse and waved them around. "If you apologize for being a jerkwad, I'll tell you."
Niles's watch the tickets like it was a hypnotizing watch. "I'm sorry for being a jerkward, Roz, now tell me."
She studied the tickets. "Saturday night."
His face fell. "Mel and I are going to a charity event that night. Can't we transfer the tickets?"
"Nope. Non transferable."
"Mel….?" He asked in a pleading voice.
"No," she said at once. "I'm sorry, Niles, but this charity event is important. We're getting new equipment for the hospital. As a member, we have to go."
"Well, I don't have to, but…" When she glared at him again, he said, "No, I have to go."
Roz continued to wave the tickets. "I don't want them, though. Hey, Mark, you want these?" She handed him the tickets.
"You got tickets to this? Totally! But… I don't have a date…" He turned to Daphne, and Niles's felt his heart constrict in jealousy. "Miss Moon, would you accompany me?"
"Daphne is engaged," Niles said immediately. He realized how loud he had spoken, so he lowered his voice, "You'll have to find someone else."
"Actually…" Daphne started. She lifted her left hand to show that her engagement ring was no longer there. Niles was going to question it, but she answered for him, "We broke it off last week. It's nothing serious, though. Our chemistry's not what it was, so…"
The urge to break it off with Mel right here and then was strong. If he did it, he could confess his love for Daphne and be with her forever. But, he stayed still.
"She's free then." Mark smiled.
"No," Mel said. "Mark, you're 22 years old. Do you really think I'm going to let you do this?"
"So, you're allowed to date a younger man, but she's not?"
"Younger?" Roz laughed.
"She's not as young as you think," Mark told Roz, and Roz only laughed harder.
Mel flushed. "I will not be spoken to like that, young man. You're not going, and that's final."
Mark laughed cynically. "Well, it's a damn shame I'm not 17, because I can do what I want. What do you say, Daphne?"
Daphne bit her lip, looking from Roz to Niles to Mel and finally, to Mark, who had such hope in his eyes. He was a handsome fellow, and though it felt strange, a lot of women were dating younger men. Besides, he wasn't that young. Daphne herself was 38. Okay, maybe that was too old, but he was very nice, unlike his mother. "One date."