Niles' heart ached as he walked Daphne into the building. Their perfect, magical evening had ended. When they'd reached the front door, Daphne turned to him. "Thank you for a lovely evening." She kissed his cheek.
"It was my pleasure, Daphne." Feeling somewhat bold, he reached out to caress her soft cheek. "I want you to know, whatever happens between us, I'll always remember tonight."
"So will I," Daphne said. She could tell her words from earlier had hurt him. Part of her wanted to return his feelings. But, if she did that, it could cause an awkward situation. If things went badly, she would still have to see him every day. It was best to proceed carefully. "Goodnight, Dr. Crane. I had a wonderful time."
"I'm glad," Niles said. He could tell that Daphne wasn't going to invite him in. The ache in his chest only seemed to grow as he turned around and got onto the elevator.
Daphne turned and went into the apartment. She could still hear the music at the ball. This whole night had been such a departure from her routine. Now she knew how Cinderella must have felt. And, just like Cinderella, she'd caught the attention of a handsome prince. But her situation was far more complicated than any fairytale. "It's best just to sleep on it," she whispered to herself. No harm in thinking things over before making a decision.
She was grateful for the quiet in the apartment. Most likely Mr. Crane had insisted that he and his elder son give her some privacy. Though the old man could be frustrating at times, he was also very sweet when he wanted to be. Daphne made her way back to her bedroom and got changed. She'd loved wearing the expensive gown, but it felt good to slip on comfortable pajamas.
For a moment, Daphne picked up her romance novel to read a bit before bed. But she soon found that her mind was still on the night's events. Did Dr. Crane really mean what he'd said, about her being a goddess and a vision? It seemed impossible. After all, she was hardly a goddess. And yet, Dr. Crane said it was all true.
No man had ever said those things to her before. Sure, men had told her they loved her. That was always nice to hear. But this was different somehow. She felt sure that Dr. Crane wouldn't have said those things about anyone else. It was so difficult to understand her feelings. Dr. Crane was very sweet. There was no doubting that. But could she really get involved him? What if her boss didn't approve? Would he want her working for him, if she was also dating his brother? And what would Mr. Crane think? She was here to look after him, not find a potential mate for herself. The questions repeated themselves over and over in her mind. The one thing she kept coming back to was the way he'd looked at her all night.
When she realized she'd been sitting there on her bed for over an hour, and was no closer to either a decision, or sleep, she realized this was useless. She simply wouldn't be able to relax until she talked to him again. It was the middle of the night, but she quickly threw on the sweater and jeans she'd been wearing earlier. Very quietly, she crept out of the apartment.