"You look fine," he said as they headed out of his room. Then, thinking better of it, he amended it, "you look beautiful."

Then trooped down the stairs, Danny immediately looking hangdog when he spied his mother in their impressive kitchen. "Heh," he said, the corner of his mouth lifting into what attempted to be a smile, but filed. "Uhm...I'm really sorry, Mum. Rachel needed someone to talk to."