Chapter 4: Unwanted Advances

Ana had a great time last night sitting and talking with the whole Grey family. She had already gotten the impression that they were all lovely and kind people, but after really getting to know them last night, Ana's opinion about all of them was only confirmed. She learned quite a bit about each member of the group: Grace was a pediatrician and Carrick was a lawyer, and both Ana found were loving and sweet parents, as were Odette and Mitchell Trevelyan. The latter two were actually retired musicians who had played for the Seattle Symphony, Ana was very interested to learn. Elliot was an architect and very goofy in nature, enjoying making all the others laugh with his funny antics. Mia, as well, was very exuberant and likable, making sure everybody was included in the conversation. Eliza and Justin were a very sweet couple, and Ana learned both of them really loved hiking and the outdoors - Sean, too, apparently had an affinity for the outdoors since he enjoyed hunting during deer season. The only person in the group that Ana found she couldn't really endear herself to was Mia's friend Lily, who didn't say much at all throughout the evening. The few times she did speak were directly to Mia or Sean, and the others didn't really bother including her in their conversations.

Pretty much everyone in the group had asked Ana about her life in Boulder - what her job was and what it was like living with her college roommate. While Ana generally didn't enjoy talking about herself to other people, the Grey's had all made her feel very welcome, and she was grateful for that. She actually had had a good time getting to know all these people a bit better.

Throughout the evening, Ana couldn't help but notice Christian kept looking at her. It might have been her imagination, but every time she glanced over in his direction, she saw that he was staring right at her, his gray eyes seeming to bore into her with a certain expression she couldn't quite place. She felt herself blush a bit every time she caught him looking at her like that, and every time he addressed her with a question or a comment, Ana felt her heart beat just a little bit faster.

The evening finally ended around midnight, where everybody dispersed to their own rooms, saying goodnight to each other as they went. Christian said goodnight to Ana, causing her to blush before stammering out her goodnight to him.

God, what was it about him that made her so flustered all the time? She would have to watch herself when she was around him.

The morning of the second day, Ana once again went downstairs bright and early to get breakfast started before the others woke up. She had assumed she was going to be the only one up at this time, but when she went downstairs, she was pleased to see Christian already sitting in the living room, reading the newspaper while sipping a cup of coffee.

Ana's heart beat a bit faster when she saw him, and she couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of being alone with him again.

"Good morning Christian," Ana said to him. Christian looked up and smiled brightly when he saw her, causing her heart to flutter once again.

"Good morning Ana," he said, holding up his mug of coffee. "I hope you don't mind, I already made a pot of coffee."

"It's fine. I'll let it slide this time," Ana joked, and Christian chuckled. "Would you like me to get started on breakfast right now?"

Before Christian could answer, however, they both heard someone coming down the stairs. The next moment Lily had appeared in the doorway, wearing a white tank top and pink shorts as pajamas. Her blonde hair was down and slightly wavy around her shoulders, framing her pretty face like she was a model at a photoshoot. It was a good look, but the below-freezing temperatures outside made her choice of sleepwear a bit ridiculous, and Ana couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at her.

"Good morning Christian," Lily smiled, striding past Ana and walking over to Christian in the living room. She let out a wide yawn and stretched her arms up over her head, thrusting her perky breasts out slightly. "Oh, excuse me," she apologized, bringing a hand down to cover her mouth. "I can see you're up early today."

"So are you," Christian answered in a light voice, turning back to his newspaper, and Lily giggled flirtatiously.

"So I am."

Ana, realizing she wasn't going to be a part of this conversation, silently turned around and headed into the kitchen, figuring she could get started on breakfast. In the other room, she could hear bits and pieces of Christian and Lily's conversation - it seemed as if Lily was recounting something funny that had happened with her and Christian at the ski slopes yesterday. It was definitely the most Ana had heard that girl speak the entire time she had been here, and Ana couldn't really say she enjoyed listening to her voice.

"…Oh my God, you were such a jerk!" Lily giggled in a way that grated on Ana's nerves. "I'd already told you I was afraid of heights - why did you have to joke about pushing me off the ski lift?"

"People with a genuine fear of heights probably wouldn't choose skiing as their sport of choice, yet you kept insisting that it was your favorite. I was just trying to point out that you were a hypocrite."

Lily giggled again, clearly not picking up on Christian's insult. "You are so mean, Christian! I seriously don't know how Mia can put up with you."

"Well, if I can put up with her friends, the least she could do if put up with me," Christian replied, and Ana had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud.

"Oh stop. But speaking of Mia…" Lily began, and Ana could hear her voice was getting a bit softer. Ana couldn't help but feel supremely uncomfortable listening to this. "She's probably not going to be up for a few hours. Did you want to go do something before she wakes up, just you and me?"

"Like what exactly?"

Ana couldn't help but roll her eyes as she pulled out pots and pans to start breakfast with. She set them down on the stove with a louder clang than she probably intended.

"Oh, I don't know…" Lily said thoughtfully, though her tone suggested she knew exactly what she would like to do with Christian. "Perhaps we could go for a walk? The nature around here is absolutely gorgeous this time of year."

"I know - that's why I bought the place," Christian said. "But I didn't realize you enjoyed the outdoors so much, Lily."

"Oh there's a lot you don't know about me, Christian," Lily giggled, and Ana had to fight the bile rising in her throat. "So what do you say?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. The others are going to be up soon, and Ana's making breakfast right now for all of us - I don't think it would be very polite for us to leave without telling anybody."

Lily huffed, clearly annoyed by his answer. "Who cares what the others think? And that Ana girl can just put some breakfast aside for us for later. Isn't that what she's here for?"

Ana clenched her jaw as she cracked a few eggs into a bowl for omelets - she knew she should have prepared herself for someone thinking so little of her, but it was still very rude of Lily to talk about her like that. Christian seemed to think so too, so much so that Ana could hear the displeasure in his voice:

"Don't you think that's a bit rude? Ana has put her holiday plans on hold so she could stay here and help us at the last minute. And she's been doing an excellent job so far, so why do you have to be so mean?"

Ana bit back a smile as she whisked the eggs in her bowl. She heard the floorboards creak behind her, and she turned to see Lester trotting down the stairs and into the living room where Lily and Christian were.

"I'm not saying it to be mean," Lily was saying defensively to Christian. "I just meant that it's her job to - OH MY GOD!"

Lester suddenly let out a bark, and Lily screeched. Ana dropped her fork before rushing into the living room to see Lester perched on the couch cushion Lily had previously occupied, panting happily. Lily now stood several feet away, cowering from Lester as if he were a rabid beast.

"He jumped on me!" Lily yelled, glaring over at Ana as if it were her fault. Ana had to stifle her laughter.

"Don't be so dramatic - Lester here is harmless," Christian said, reaching over to scratch Lester behind his ear. The puppy leaned into Christian's hand, letting out a happy whine. "Who's a good boy?"

"Are you serious?!" Lily snapped angrily. "Why is that thing even here? I thought you were only paying for her to stick around for the week!"

She didn't so much as look at Ana, who felt her heart drop to her stomach. Lily was clearly angry, but Ana couldn't help but take her words to heart - it was hurtful, and it was worse knowing Ana wasn't in a place to disagree with her.

Ana looked down at the floor as Christian got to his feet, glaring angrily at Lily. "That was completely uncalled for, Lily - Ana has as much right as you to feel at home here, and neither she nor her dog have done anything wrong. Apologize to her right now!"

Lily stared at Christian incredulously, as if she couldn't believe he was asking her to apologize. When Christian didn't back down, Lily huffed, throwing Ana a dirty look.

"I'm sorry," she said to Ana, not sounding sorry at all. She then stomped her way toward the stairs, not bothering to look back. "Just keep that dog away from me!"

Ana and Christian listened to her go upstairs, most likely to her and Mia's bedroom - Ana silently turned and beckoned Lester come over to her. He obediently trotted over, and Ana picked him up in her arms before walking over to the patio door. She opened the door and set Lester outside on the patio before closing the door behind him and walking back toward the kitchen.

"Ana - wait," Christian said imploringly, and Ana stopped in her tracks before turning to look at him. "I'm really sorry about what Lily said to you. It was completely inappropriate, and I can assure you the rest of us here don't think that way about you."

He sounded truly apologetic, and Ana knew he was telling the truth. It didn't make Lily's attitude any less hurtful, however. "I know," Ana said sincerely. "It's okay, Christian - I'm not going to take what Lily said to heart. I know she was just upset about Lester jumping on her like that."

A bark came from outside, and Ana and Christian both turned to look out the window to see Lester frolicking about in the snow, running around in circles as he tried to catch his own tail.

"He is very formidable," Christian conceded with a straight face, and Ana couldn't help but laugh, feeling a bit better. Christian cracked a smile too before looking back over at Ana.

"I meant what I said, Ana," Christian said seriously, and Ana looked over at him. "I realize we're paying you to be here for us this week, but that's not the only reason we want you here. All of us very much enjoy your company - honestly, we do."

His words were sincere, and Ana couldn't help but wonder if he was speaking for himself as much as for everyone else in the house. She stared into his eyes for a moment or two before giving him a small, genuine smile.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "I appreciate that. And if I'm completely honest, I enjoy all of your company too." She hesitated a moment before nodding toward the staircase. "Well, most of your company."

Christian smiled back at her. "Just ignore Lily - it's what the rest of us do. "

Ana chuckled. "Noted."

Ana wanted to ask Christian about Lily flirting with him earlier, but couldn't really think of a way to bring up the topic without sounding like she was sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Besides, Ana wasn't sure a woman hitting on Christian was something she wanted to spend too much time thinking about.

God, why is this guy affecting me so much?

"You're alright then?" Christian asked, taking a tentative step toward her. He was looking at her with that same expression he was gazing at her with last night, and it made Ana's heart flutter.

She blinked before giving him a smile. "I am - I was just thinking about breakfast. Do you like omelets?"

Christian grinned widely, his smile lighting up the whole room. "I love them."

Pretty soon, everyone else had woken up and had come downstairs for breakfast - everyone except Lily, that is, who Mia said was sulking in their shared bedroom. Nobody else seemed to care all that much, and breakfast commenced with lots of eating, conversation and laughter. Apparently, everyone was going to head into town today to do a bit of shopping, leaving Ana and Lester alone at the house once again. She figured she could use the time to tidy all the rooms, clean out the bathrooms, and maybe plan what to make for dinner once everyone came back from shopping.

Everybody was out the door by ten o'clock, and once again Ana was left alone at the house. She took the time to go into each room and clean up a bit, making sure not to go through people's personal possessions as she did so. She then cleaned each of the bathrooms - luckily, there were only three bathrooms in the house, and they weren't as dirty as Ana had initially feared. Once done with that, Ana decided to fix herself a small lunch and settle into the couch in the living room with a book she had brought along with her. Lester lay down next to her, resting his head on her lap as the two of them sat cuddled up on the couch together.

At around three o'clock, Ana still hadn't moved from her position on the couch, and she suddenly heard the sounds of several cars pulling into the driveway. She closed her book and set it aside just as the front door opened and a flood of people entered the house.

"Whew, I'm beat," Elliot proclaimed as he entered the living room, carrying several boxes and shopping bags in his arms. "Hey Ana."

"Hi," Ana said, sitting up straighter. "How was shopping?"

"Oh my God, it was awesome!" Mia gushed, practically skipping into the house with more shopping bags than probably anyone else in the group. "The boutiques here are to die for! Seriously, if I could have bought out all the stores, I would've. Sean, can you help me put all my stuff away upstairs?"

"Sure Mia," Sean grimaced, accepting a few bags from her before they made their way upstairs together. Lily trailed up after them carrying all of her own purchases in her hands.

"Oh my goodness - I'm not sure how Mia was able to shop for this long," Odette said wearily as she entered the house, setting down the significantly fewer bags in her hands. "I realize I'm not as young as I used to be, but I don't remember having gone on 5-hour long shopping sprees even at her age."

"That's Mia for you," Grace said, sounding just as weary as she moved to sit down on the couch next to Ana. "When it comes to shopping, Mia's energy knows no limits."

Everyone looked rather tired from their shopping trip, so Ana decided to offer her services - she got to her feet. "Can I get anybody anything? Something to drink, or maybe some snacks?"

"Some food sounds awesome right now," Elliot said emphatically, plopping down in a nearby armchair. Many of the others all chorused their agreement.

"Snacks it is, then," Ana nodded with a smile.

"I can help you out in the kitchen, Ana," Eliza said kindly, moving toward her with her son in her arms. His head rested on his mom's shoulder, fast asleep. "Let me just put Bradley to bed really quick."

Ana, feeling like it would be rude to refuse her help, simply smiled and nodded. "Okay - thanks Eliza."

Ana glanced around at the others in the room, trying to assess how many people she was going to have to feed, and quickly realized Christian was nowhere in sight. Trying to quell her disappointment, she decided snacks for about eight people would be sufficient, and she went into the kitchen, thinking she would whip up some finger sandwiches, a veggie platter and some dip.

A few minutes later, Eliza entered the kitchen. "Oh, sandwiches - great idea!" she smiled when she saw what Ana was making. "I know some of us wouldn't say no to some PB&J."

Ana giggled, and the two women spent a few minutes chatting amicably with each other as they prepared the sandwiches. Ana found Eliza to be very friendly and likable, especially when she once again offered her assistance to help Ana with dinner later that evening. Ana agreed, happy to have the help.

"…I didn't see Christian come back with you guys," Ana mentioned casually after a couple minutes of conversation. "Is he still out shopping?"

"Oh no - he came back with all of us," Eliza said, arranging a few of the sandwiches on a plate. "He's probably just checking all our car tires right now. I don't know if you heard, but Mitchell's suburban got a flat tire on our way down to Aspen because of the cold weather and the higher altitude. Luckily, Justin and I had a tire pump with us, so everything worked out fine, but I think Christian became concerned that it would happen again with one of the other cars. He's just being extra cautious right now."

Ana smiled, unable to fight the swell of admiration she felt for Christian growing in her chest. "Wow. That's very thoughtful of him."

"I agree," Eliza said, giving Ana a small side glance. "Christian's a good man, you know."

Ana glanced up at her. "I know," she said, almost hesitantly.

"It's just that I know he thinks very highly of you," Eliza went on, turning back to the food. "He doesn't say it out loud, but I can tell. Christian is generally a pretty private person, and when he really trusts someone, it's a pretty big deal for him. I know that he's been through a lot in his life, and trusting people doesn't come very easily to him."

Ana was very curious about what she meant by Christian having been through a lot in his life, but didn't want to approach the subject in case it wasn't appropriate. "I'm glad that he thinks so highly of me, but how could he trust me if he's only known me for a couple days?"

Eliza didn't answer with words, but she shrugged slightly before giving Ana a mysterious little smile. Ana wasn't quite sure how to interpret that, so she finished up her plate of finger sandwiches and brought it out to the living room without another word.

Everyone was still there, including Christian who had finally come back from checking the tires on the cars. He was still wearing his winter coat, hat and gloves, and his face was a bit redfrom the cold. He was currently brushing snow off of his sleeves, and he looked up in time to see Ana approach him. He smiled.

"Hi," he said, gazing into her eyes before glancing down at the plate of sandwiches in her hands. "That looks good."

"Would you like one?" Ana asked, holding the plate up, and Christian took his gloves off before picking up one of the sandwiches. "I heard your grandpa's car got a flat tire when he was driving into the city. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, his car's fine - he didn't crash into anything thankfully. But the lower temperatures and the higher altitude here makes air pressure in tires drop much faster than I though. I just wanted to take a few minutes to make sure all our other cars had enough air in their tires. I checked your car, too, so I hope you don't mind," he added, a bit hesitantly. Ana smiled, however.

"That was very nice of you Christian, but you didn't have to do that for me. I'm used to driving around in this climate, so I get my car checked regularly."

Christian smiled. "That's very responsible, Ms. Steele," he said, and Ana wasn't sure if he was teasing her. "I like that."

Ana couldn't help but blush and smile slightly. "Thank you, Mr. Grey."

Throughout their conversation, Ana and Christian only had eyes for each other, and neither of them noticed the others around them watching their exchange. Eliza and Justin shared the same knowing smiles, while Elliot, Grace and Carrick all chuckled at the two of them, shaking their heads. They all knew what was going on between Christian and Ana, even if neither of them knew it yet.

A/N: I would like to give a special shoutout to stargazer93 for being an amazing author and an overall wonderful human being :) Thank you for your awesome support, Lovely Lady!

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Next chapter - more bonding time with CG and Ana ;)