Sub Rosa 6
She never found out exactly what had happened with Niles and Gunnar, but he had apparently won the fight, and managed to keep all his teeth. Either Mrs. Crane hadn't really cheated, or they worked it out, because he remained married and out of reach.
Daphne wasn't sure when he had become so important to her. At first, it had only been flattering that such an elegant, cultured man had a crush on her, but once she'd seen him in that light, she couldn't stop. The habits that had seemed pretentious and silly had somehow become very dear, and even his obsession with dusting every chair before he sat down made her smile.
Worse, it didn't stop there. He was sweet, he was funny, he was always kind-but it was really unfair that he was also so handsome. His strong chin, his dark blue eyes, those quick and clever hands at the piano, his slim shoulders covered in a perfectly tailored suit.
He still seemed to be interested in her, or at least attracted; she still caught him looking. It took tremendous effort to keep pretending not to notice. He wasn't exactly subtle. It was frankly a little insulting that everyone assumed she was so oblivious; she'd caught the looks his father and brother gave him too when they noticed his behavior. They disapproved, obviously. As they should. He was, as she often reminded herself, taken.
Although it was also possible that Doctor Crane disapproved specifically because it was her. A working class girl, an employee. The help. She only thought that sometimes, though; he could be pompous but for the most part he treated her as one of the family. And of course Mr. Crane had welcomed her as an equal from the start.
Daphne pushed the thoughts away again; something she was becoming quite practiced at. She wiped down the table and watched the Crane brothers play their wine tasting game on the couch. Doctor Crane was blindfolded while Niles held out a little silver cup and waited for him to spit the wine into it. It baffled her, really. Perfectly good wine, and all they wanted to do was swish it about and then spit it in a cup.
"How is it those same taste buds can't tell the difference between me pot roast and me flank steak," she asked with some asperity after Doctor Crane had correctly identified a bottle of wine.
"Considering you learned to cook in England, it's a wonder I can tell your flank steak from a braised tennis ball," Doctor Crane retorted.
She glared at him, and Niles stepped in. "Now, now," he said. "Let's move on to the number seven." He handed his brother another glass of wine.
Daphne sighed and kept wiping the table. It had been done quite some time ago but it gave her an excuse to watch them. It was more interesting when Niles did the tasting. She could hear the way he appreciated the wine in his voice, the way he focused on it, a rare moment of giving himself over to his senses instead of being so cerebral all the time.
She wondered if he'd turn that same attention to detail to other physical pursuits, and then she decided it would be better to stop that train of thought right there.
The next thing she knew, Niles and Doctor Crane were carrying their father's recliner out of the room, in preparation for their wine party. She wasn't exactly surprised when it ended up slipping from their grasp and gouging the floor. Fond as she was of them, they were no athletes.
Niles, of course, was determined to make it better. He brought over a construction worker the next morning, a rather handsome bloke named Joe. Daphne noticed him immediately. He was very different from Niles, rough instead of polished, easygoing instead of reserved, and he didn't seem at all shy about flirting with her in front of everyone.
Daphne could see Niles getting jealous and all right, it was a little petty, but it was nice to have the attention of a man who actually expressed his interest openly. So she flirted right back. Doctor Crane and his father loved the show, but Niles made every effort to shoo Joe out of the apartment.
To be honest, it was annoying. He wouldn't say anything about his feelings, but he didn't want her with anyone else either? That was hardly fair. She hadn't had a boyfriend in months, and he still had his wife, although that was admittedly not the coziest relationship in the world. Daphne decided she would keep on flirting, and if something came of it, well, good. Better than sitting around pining for someone she'd never have.
Later that day, when she heard Niles come back, she brought a glass of iced tea out to Joe. "I, ah, noticed how your shirt was clinging to your back," she said to him, "and I thought a glass of iced tea might hit the spot."
"Well, thanks Daph," he said, and as he took the glass their fingers brushed and made a spark. She laughed. She could feel Niles watching them both.
"I got a spark," she said.
"Me too," Joe replied, smiling at her.
"That's just static electricity from the carpet," Niles said quickly. "It can happen to anyone. I'll show you, watch." He scuffed his feet on the carpet and then poked his brother several times, until Doctor Crane yelled at him to stop.
Daphne watched, trying not to laugh. She wanted to still be mad at him; he had no right to be jealous and certainly no right to try and chase Joe off. But the anger had already drained away, and there was only a kind of wistful ache in its place.
TBC