A week after their express wedding in Reno, Daphne and Niles have arranged lunch and supper for their family and friends at the Montana. They've hired a renowned chef from Seattle, Cornell Evans, together with two members of his usual staff, a pair of kitchen helpers. This way, the hosts don't have to worry about the preparation of the meals and appetizers, and their only tasks consist in making sure that the drinks are served and keeping the guests entertained.
When she and Niles returned from Reno and broke the news, Martin and Frasier were quite shocked. They congratulated and hugged the newlyweds, but then it became evident that they felt hurt at being left out of the ceremony, especially Frasier.
I'm very happy for the both of you. It was time, Martin had said, still cordially enough. I'm very glad to call you daughter now, Daph, he'd added.
Yeah, Dad is right. It was due time that you took the next step in your relationship. I'm very happy too. But I would have liked so much to be present at your wedding. I was already looking forward to being your best man, Niles. But I guess that it won't happen now, Frasier had said in a not so veiled and reproachful tone, and Niles had visibly flinched by her side. She'd kept hold of his hand reassuringly.
C'mon, Fras, let them be. Their wedding, their rules. This way they've skipped the nightmare of organizing a traditional wedding. I would have liked to be there, watching at least one of my sons marrying at last a woman I approve of and love, but well, it isn't my place to judge. You're both adults and free to choose wathever suits you.
Martin's attempt at a diplomatic approach hadn't made her feel better than Frasier's remarks, and she could sense that Niles felt the same.
Daphne wasn't going to let anything ruin hers and her husband's happiness. She understood that her father-in-law and brother-in-law were upset for their elopement and rushed wedding because they hadn't been invited to take part in it, but they had no right to control their lives. However, Daphne didn't want to start a family fight, so she tried to appease the mood. We're going to celebrate the wedding at the Montana. Family and friends, food, drinks, good company, entertainment. It'll be fun.
Yes, Niles had interspersed eagerly. A private reception at our home just for our closest relatives and friends, that is, both of you Dad and Frasier, Roz, Alice, Mrs. Woodson and her husband, as well as Daphne's other best friends, Holly and Beth. And of course, Eddie, he'd added as an afterthought, and just to assuage his father. Daphne knew that Niles didn't feel very pleased about the presence of the dog in their house. He'd grown fond of the animal and had got used to his quirks along the years, but the idea of him messing with everything around the place wasn't precisely appealing to such a stickler for neatness as Niles is.
At the mention of Holly, Frasier had perked up, suddenly more enthusiastic about the topic. Daphne had noticed him shooting interested glances at her friend on one occasion, weeks ago, when Holly had dropped by to pick Daphne up to spend some time together. It had been one of those Thursday evenings on weekdays in which Niles attended some event or social gathering with Frasier, and Daphne took the chance to arrange meetings with her friends. Sometimes it was Roz, other times it was Holly or Beth or both, and once, around a month ago, Roz had joined and the four of them had spent a great time together.
The evening that Holly had made an appearance at Frasier's condo, he immediately set eyes on her. Holly is a very beautiful and attractive thirty-something woman and, like Frasier, she hasn't been very lucky in her love life. Her long-term boyfriend and eventual fiancé (they'd started dating in their first year at university) had jilted her at the altar because he'd met another woman and had been cheating on Holly for months. He'd been too coward to tell the truth and call off the wedding, running away with his lover without a word. He'd only called the day after the wedding fiasco, and by then Holly had been hospitalized with a nervous breakdown. The poor girl had been delivered one of the worst blows of her life. She hadn't seen it coming, or had been to blind to see the signs, as the woman in love she was.
Holly had told Daphne that story shortly after meeting each other for the first time, and Daphne had thought about herself abandoning Clive from one day to the next, without prior notice. She hadn't been braver in that regard than Holly's former fiancé, in the sense that she, like him, had fled from a relationship she didn't want to be in anymore. She hadn't been a cheater or a liar, but she should have confronted Clive and break up with him face to face.
Everyone has their regrets in life, and that was one of Daphne's. Not the fact of putting an end to an unfulfilling relationship, not at all, but the way she did it.
Well, nothing of that can be fixed now.
Holly has avoided serious relationships after her terrible disappointment, only hooking up with guys for fun, and Daphne isn't sure that her friend is suitable for Frasier's expectations. He's also had his share of terrible disappointments, Louise being the latest, but well, that happened almost two months and a half ago, and who knows, maybe Frasier and Holly might end up surprising each other. Christmas is coming soon and it's a good time of year to hope.
As for Roz, when Daphne had called her to convey the news about the wedding, they had shrieked at the same time, loud enough to make the window panes shake, and Niles, who was nearby, had joked about their effusive chat looking like a dolphin emergency. Daphne had swatted him with a wide smile while prattling excitedly on the phone about the elopement and the weekend she and Niles had spent in Reno. Roz, as opposed to Martin and Frasier, had approved fully of the whole adventure, asserting that it was the most romantic thing she'd ever heard. She'd said that if she got married one day, she'd like it to be that way, just her, her true love and a tawdry chapel with an equally tacky officiator. Yes, put that way, that's the pure definition of romanticism, Daphne had quipped, and they'd guffawed in amusement. Niles must have confirmed to himself that all the dolphins in the planet must be in a global emergency at that rate, and that ridiculous thought had made Daphne laugh even more.
All in all, the announcement of the informal reception at the Montana seemed to please everyone, and even Frasier stopped complaining so much.
Everything is ready for the guests, who will start arriving any moment now, and Niles is in the kitchen monitoring the meal preparations while Daphne's putting the final touches in the living room.