"Goodbye, Daphne. Have a safe trip back to Seattle," Guy said, shaking her hand. Even though he wasn't attracted to her, he still felt bad for the misunderstanding. This whole weekend had been one of the strangest of his life, and he had a feeling the others thought the same.
"So long, Guy," Daphne replied, blushing a bit. "So, you really aren't interested in women, then? No chance you might change your mind?" She couldn't help getting a bit nervous around Guy, with him being so handsome.
"I am sorry, but I think not. I have been this way for many years. But I'm sure someday, you'll find a man who appreciates you, no?"
"Well, I sure hope so," Daphne said. "I thought maybe coming up here this weekend would help. I mean, when I saw you..."
"Yes, I know how that feels," Guy said, turning to where Niles was talking to his brother. That was yet another relationship that wasn't meant to be. But then he remembered last night, how everyone ended up in the wrong room. If Niles hadn't been trying to get into his room, that must mean he was interested in someone else...He turned to Daphne once more. "I do not like to get involved in other people's business. But I do think there was a man here this weekend who was interested in you." He nodded in Niles' direction.
Daphne couldn't believe what she was seeing and hearing. Was Guy really saying that Dr. Crane was attracted to her? "Are you sure? I mean, after last night, I wouldn't want to misinterpret something again."
"Well, I cannot say for certain, but I do think there may be something going on there." Once again, he looked in Niles' direction. "I know how he feels. It is painful to be in love with someone, and not be able to tell them."
As Daphne followed Guy's gaze to the Crane brothers once more, the younger Dr. Crane caught her eye. He smiled for a moment, before deliberately looking away. "I think I see now what you meant, Guy," Daphne said, almost to herself.
Guy put a hand on her shoulder. "Even a bit of embarrassment or heartbreak is still better than not knowing, no? Talk with him."
"Thank you," Daphne said, shaking Guy's hand. "I hope you find someone who makes you happy."
"The same to you," Guy replied, nodding at her. Guy grabbed his luggage and made his way out of the cabin.
Now it was just the three of them, Daphne and the two brothers. Nervously, she approached them. "Dr. Crane, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Niles could hardly believe it. Daphne was looking at him, not Frasier. "Yes. Is something wrong?"
"No," Daphne said. "But it's rather personal. You don't mind, do you, Dr. Crane?" This time she looked at her boss.
"No. I'll just start putting the bags in the car," Frasier said. "I'm sure Dad's anxious to leave!" He took the luggage with him, hoping they would get the hint that he, too, wanted to get back to Seattle quickly.
Niles waited until his brother was safely out of earshot. "Well, Daphne, what was on your mind?"
"I was just saying goodbye to Guy. He was very sweet. He apologized about the whole mix-up. But he said he thought maybe there was a man here who was interested in me. Is that true?"
It was all Niles could do to not hyperventilate. Daphne was asking him flat-out how he felt. He saw no reason to lie, especially since not telling the truth would only lead to a horrific nosebleed. "Well, if you must know, yes. I thought I might have a chance up here, surrounded by these mountains. But of course things got out of hand, and I ended up making a fool of myself."
"You didn't," Daphne said, coming closer to him. "We all were a little crazy this weekend. I would rather just forget any of this ever happened."
"Yes, I would like to do that, too," Niles replied, painfully aware of how close Daphne was. He could nearly feel the warmth from her body.
"Dr. Crane, you seem nervous. Did I do something this weekend to make you feel uncomfortable? I hope I didn't. You're such a good friend." Daphne smiled at him, hoping to put him at ease.
"Thank you, Daphne. Of course not. If anything, I love you even more after seeing you away from your normal routine. It was nice to do something fun for a change. That's something I haven't had much of lately."
Daphne knew he was referring to his divorce. "I know. I'm very sorry about that. That was why I wanted Annie to stay away from you. I know how she is with men."
Niles smiled nervously. "Yes, Annie did come on a bit strongly. I prefer to take things more slowly, get to know someone..."
"Yes, I feel the same way," Daphne said. "Once you're sure you can trust a person, it makes things so much easier. I know I can trust you, of course. You've always been so kind." Suddenly, she stepped even closer to him. She could tell he was even more nervous. He couldn't take his eyes off her. "I can see you're still a bit anxious. I'm not going to hurt you, Dr. Crane. But would it be all right if I kissed you? On the cheek maybe? Or perhaps...something else?"
Daphne wants to kiss me?! Niles was having heart palpitations. It was probably a sign of an imminent heart attack, but he didn't care. All he could do was lean forward, and then... the feeling of her lips on his was even more wonderful than he'd imagined. The kiss ended when Niles needed to breathe. "Wow!"
Daphne smiled. "Yes. I never thought about kissing you like that before. But now that I have, I can't believe I waited so long. How did I never notice how sweet and handsome you are?"
"You think I'm handsome?" Niles asked, astonished.
"Yes, of course I do!" Daphne laughed. "I've always thought so, but I never considered...being with you before. I work for your brother. It would just have been so awkward."
"Oh, I see," Niles said, backing away. Being rejected hurt enough, but to be rejected after a kiss like that made his heart shatter.
"No," Daphne said. "I meant it would have been awkward before. But now that I think about it, it isn't really that awkward. We are friends, aren't we?"
"Yes, of course," Niles replied immediately. "Could you...would you be interested in being more?"
Daphne looked at him again. She suddenly thought of Guy. He was certainly a good-looking man. There was no denying that. But even if he had been interested in her, she had a feeling it wouldn't have gone anywhere. They had only just met. But she had known Dr. Crane for years. "Yes. I think we could."
Niles felt as if he could fly, or ski down the most difficult trail here. Hearing that one sentence from her gave him the strength of ten men. He kissed her again, more passionately. He could stay here, doing this, for the rest of his life. It would be nothing short of heaven.
A car horn honked several times. "NILES!" Frasier called impatiently.
"Well, I guess that's your brother. We shouldn't keep him waiting," Daphne said. "Come on, let's go." She slipped her hand into his, walking him toward the door.
Niles followed Daphne in a trance. He couldn't believe that she was holding his hand. He was only dimly aware as they got into the back seat of Frasier's car. He looked over at her and smiled, delighted when she smiled back. This ski weekend had gone much better than he'd anticipated.
The End