Chapter 4

Ana

"Hello? Anybody home?"

I bolt upright in bed, throwing off the luxurious sheets and blinking a few times in confusion. I am in my – Cam's – house in Seattle. Predictably, Cam is not here. Why is Kate screaming?

I reach over and pluck my phone off the nightstand and check the time. It's nearly noon. Jeez. My midnight ruminations must have taken it out of me. I clear my throat and I'm just about to yell back when she bursts through the door. "Well, hello Sleeping Beauty. I'm just here to perform a wellness check. You haven't answered any of my calls today!"

"Well." I gesture at my freshly awake self as an explanation. "How did you even get in here?"

"Cam gave me the code. Why is he at work on a Saturday?"

"Because he likes it."

She appears unimpressed with that answer. "He doesn't want a weekend with his hot fiancée?"

"He's just really into work. I swear, he got rich because he just can't stop tinkering, not because he was trying to." I don't mention that there used to be much better work-life balance back when we lived in Boston. Back when we were normal people. Or how I used to ask the moon and the stars what I could have possibly done in this life to deserve a man who loves me so completely, or how now I ask them to tell me how someone who says they love me can't tell that I'm getting tired of not being chosen. I don't really want to talk about that.

The topic is unfortunately not diverted. "Has it sunk in that you're going to be a billionaire's wife?"

I slide off the bed and amble to the bathroom, rubbing my eyes. "I think he's technically a several hundred millionaire."

"Ana," she calls. "What's wrong?" She shows up in the doorway as I'm splashing water on my face. "You seem like you're in such a funk. What happened to my Boston boss babe?"

She took a leap of faith and moved to Seattle to support her new fiancé's dreams, even though that meant leaving the things that she had built behind, and she's starting to wonder if she betrayed herself by doing that. "I'm just still waking up, Kate."

"I just mean in general. You were never the kind of girl to sleep until noon. And I see all these photos of you online and you look like your smile is painted on like Barbie. Is it…" She pauses, seeming to weigh her options. "I mean, it's not him, is it?"

I never thought I'd say this, but I wish my problems were as simple as Christian Grey. "No. What does he have to do with anything?"

"Nothing. I just mean… a guy you have to flee to the other side of the country to get away from is bound to leave a mark, and now you guys might be running in the same circles. You know this is me you're talking to. You don't have to pretend if you're just trying to be strong. Have you seen him?"

I rinse the face wash off and pat myself dry with a towel, reaching for the eye cream. "Yeah. We saw him last night."

"And… how was that?"

I shrug. "Fine. A little weird. But fine." Big weird. Sleepless night material. But I'm still here.

"Did he try to talk to you?"

"We talked, all three of us."

"Oh. He met Cam?"

"Yep."

"And…?"

"And they met. Cam was friendly, Grey was his usual antisocial. We talked for maybe two minutes, then Cam and I went to the dining room and he left."

"How did this conversation start? He came up to you and Cam? That's not his usual style. He really only speaks when spoken to in my experience."

"I was waiting for Cam to come out and he picked something up that I dropped."

She rolls her eyes. "How romantic."

"Did you want to watch me pee or do you want to go grab a table lamp to shine in my face while I do that?" I ask innocently.

"Oh, pardon me for just trying to make sure you're okay after the harrowing experience of having to be near Christian Grey. Trust me, I avoid it when possible. You pee, I'll meet you in the kitchen." I give her a little salute and close the door to her indulgent smile.

When I'm freshened up, I come downstairs to her taking a mug of tea out of the microwave. "Here you are, milady," she says gallantly. "Bagel or toast?"

I hop onto one of the bar stools at the island. "Bagel."

"Butter or cream cheese?"

"Cream cheese."

"Anything else?"

"Strawberries would be nice."

"Your wish is my command."

I chuckle. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your toasting skills this morning?"

She sticks her head in the fridge and pops back out with a container of strawberries. "Well, you weren't answering your phone and I wanted to see if you could come to my little brunch soiree tomorrow."

"Is it going to be anything like this?" I say with amusement as I watch her manhandle a poor bagel.

"Ha, ha. I can toast, but cooking? No, we have a caterer. By the way, where is everyone?"

I take the tea bag out and toss it into the nearby sink. "Everyone who?"

"Your staff." She says this like it's obvious.

"We don't have anyone."

"What? No security? Chef? Housekeeper? God, Ana, you really need to learn how the other half lives. Don't mention that to anyone tomorrow. There will be whispers."

"Sounds like a great party," I mutter. "What do we need staff for? Cam is never here, and I'm always here. I know how to cook and clean up after myself. And no one has tried to murder me in the living room yet."

"Whatever. Here's your food, smartass." She pushes the finished plate towards me. "The party will be the usual, probably a little insufferable. It was just my turn to host. But it will be a million times better if you're there. Those hens are all dying to meet you. It's like you're Jackie Kennedy all of a sudden."

If I'm Jackie, then I guess the office is Marilyn. "And what if I didn't sign up to be a first lady?"

She leans forward, propping herself up with her elbows, eying me speculatively. "It seems like this has all been really hard for you. The attention."

I chew and swallow a big bite of bagel, suddenly realizing how hungry I am. "Well, everyone keeps telling me that's just how it goes and I'll get used to it."

Her expression softens. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just excited to have a real friend in this. Of course you don't have to come. You don't have to do any of this. If you want to just be a recluse that hides in your mansion, I'm cool with that. I know the code."

She winks and I giggle. "I guess it might be good to get out of the house."

She smiles widely and stands up straight, clapping like a little girl. "Yay! Finish up and we'll go look at your closet. Did you have a personal shopper pick some of the basic things up?" I stare at her and tilt my head, inviting her to answer her own question. She sighs. "Got it. Okay, I guess we're going shopping today."

It will be more fun with you, she said. You need to learn how the other half lives, she said. I grip my mimosa glass like I'm holding on for dear life, wishing it was something stronger. Maybe a hallucinogen.

I have always been the kind of girl who could be perfectly content curled up at home with a good book. Parties are not what I would call my thing. So I certainly never imagined that life would lead me to this role I'm playing as I field questions about my hair routine, what I look for in a personal trainer, where my favorite spot for oysters is, or what private school I expect my future children to attend from the Seattle society scene. Every time I think maybe one of these ladies will just ask me about something normal like what my favorite color is, they each turn out to be more vapid than the last. I don't understand how these women aren't driven to committing felonies from the pure shallowness of the things they think about.

And God, all the questions about wedding plans. I can't recall how many times I've repeated the same answer. We're still figuring out our options. AKA, we relocated and blew up our lives as we knew them about five minutes after getting engaged and my fiancé hasn't been in a room long enough with me to talk about much of anything of substance, let alone marrying me.

I try not to think about how the bursting heart I felt upon getting engaged to this man I could have seen myself living happily ever after with has faded to a quiet, weak pulse.

Finally, I found a moment in between busybodies, and I've been creeping around Kate's garden. I could cry with relief when I find a relatively secluded bench behind her rhododendron bushes. I take a large gulp of the mimosa and close my eyes, trying to tune out the distant party noise.

"Hey, you stole my hiding spot."

I startle at the sound of the teasing voice. A woman with a curly blonde bob is smirking at me, holding her mimosa glass to her lips with her arms crossed. "Oh, I'm sorry."

She smiles warmly. "I'm just teasing. Can I join you though?" I hesitate, wondering what sort of third degree this will entail, and she laughs as if she can hear my inner debate. "Don't worry, I'm not here to ask you what font you use on your stationary, as if anyone fucking has that anymore."

I literally sag with relief and scoot over on the bench. "Then yes, please."

She sits next to me and holds a hand out. "I'm Mia."

"I'm—"

"Anastasia. I know. Soon to be Westerley."

And with that, I drain the rest of my drink. "Yes."

"That has a nice ring to it. Anastasia Westerley. It sounds like you have land and a title."

"Yes, it's… so many syllables. Uh, but it's just Ana. Honestly, no one calls me Anastasia except my mother when she's mad at me."

She laughs heartily again. I find her energy very easy to be around. "I feel you. My government name is actually Amelia, but I have no idea the last time anyone called me that. They all know better." She sips her mimosa and eyes me curiously. "You know, you look so familiar. Have we met?"

"I'm not sure. But I thought the same about you." I'm having some déjà vu that I just can't put my finger on.

"How do you know Kate?"

"We've been best friends since college. Former roommates. You?"

"She's my sister-in-law."

And the association aggressively clicks in my head. I feel myself start to sweat. "Mia… Grey?"

"Yes." She pauses for a split second, and then her eyes widen. "Wait a minute. Holy shit. You're Ana. You knew my brother!"

"I… technically know both your brothers."

"But you! We had dinner together! I can't believe I didn't see it at first. Christian brought you home, and then what felt like two seconds later, he completely clammed up. We couldn't get a thing out of him. I remember I liked you so much. He's never done that again, you know?" She's talking excitedly and looking at me like I'm the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Now I almost wish she was asking me about my wedding plans. "Hmm." I don't know what to say.

She looks at me earnestly. "If you don't mind my asking… what happened? He's never talked about it… except, I found him drunk as a skunk at Kate and Elliot's wedding reception and he told me that what happened with you was the biggest mistake of his life. And that's big oversharing for him."

My heart drops into my stomach. I think I always assumed he would see me as a mistake, but thinking it and hearing it confirmed are two very different things. "There's nothing really to say about it. It was so long ago, and we barely knew each other. It just obviously wasn't right. I wish him all the best, though."

She smiles halfheartedly. "It's a shame. You two had such an energy about you. I thought we might be seeing more of you." She's silent for a moment, staring off towards the collection of roses nearby. "Well, I guess we will now. I hope I see you around at more of these things. I could use another ally who isn't a Stepford wife."

I feel some trepidation at the idea of making her acquaintance. I'm not sure how much proximity to this family is really healthy for me. But I do like her, so I settle for noncommittal. "Yes, maybe. I'm still figuring out my place in this city."

She smiles kindly, and it seems genuine. "How did you and Cameron meet?"

This question is a new direction. Most everyone seems to already know my biography, or would much prefer to hustle me for a wedding invitation. "I moved to Boston. He was finishing up at Harvard."

"Oh, a Harvard man. And was it love at first sight?"

I smile wistfully. "It was… intrigue, for sure. He was so nerdy, but in an adorable way. I had gone out for drinks with some of my new work colleagues and he struck up a conversation with me. I remember he talked a lot about this one robotics project of his, and I didn't understand a thing, but he was just so passionate. It made me smile."

"That's sweet. How long have you guys been together now?"

I twist the ring around my finger. "About six years."

"Damn! So, you're not super new to society then?"

I snort. "No, I am. This is not what we did. We were just normal people with normal jobs until he had this idea that took off like this. Then he proposed, then all of a sudden he wanted to set up his headquarters here, and now… this is it."

"What's your field?"

I shift a bit in my seat. "I worked in publishing."

"What sort of work was that?"

"I worked at a few different places and I found that I was just dissatisfied with how things were run, lack of efficiency, things like that, so I founded my own publishing company in Boston a few years ago."

She smiles widely. "A fellow female entrepreneur! I own a restaurant in town." I smile back. Her warmth is infectious. "So, are you running it remotely now?"

I shake my head. "I sold it. Cam wanted to move, and this change was so big for him… I guess I wanted to be present. And I thought I'd figure it out when we got here."

"You thought?"

"I just… haven't yet." I wish I had another drink.

She nods sympathetically. "Would this have anything to do with the fact that my brother owns the largest publishing company in Seattle?"

I laugh despite myself. "I sort of forgot about that." It might have if I'd remembered.

"Don't pay attention to it. He owns everything. A little competition won't kill him." She finishes the rest of her drink and sets the glass gently in the grass. "Ana… I hope this isn't too weird, but I was wondering if you and Cameron might consider attending a dinner at my parents' house? It's kind of a routine thing with Kate and Elliot. I just know my dad is interested in what your man has been working on and I'm sure he'd love to nerd out about it, and my mom was talking about how she's curious how his work could impact medicine. I'm just thinking it might be good networking? And… it might help you to feel more at home in this city if you have some friends?"

She looks at me kindly, openly. There's no reason this should make me uncomfortable, but it just does. "I'll… run it by him. I'll get back to you."

"Yes, of course, just let me know. You're always welcome. And, uh… he never comes. Just so you know. If you're feeling some type of way about seeing him."

I feel my heartrate rise. I'm not sure what she's insinuating. Is she just seeing this as the regular awkwardness between exes, or does she think something deeper is going on? I feel the need to defend myself. "It's okay. We actually saw each other yesterday at an event. We chatted. No bad blood."

"Oh, cool. Well, that's great then. But still, he's not much of a family guy. He's kind of always in his own world. And all of that aside, I would like to get to know you more. I don't know, I just like your vibe."

Despite the complications, I find that I like hers too. "I would like that."

"Ana!" I hear a familiar voice whisper-yelling. "Hello? Did someone steal you?"

"Actually, I found her," Mia calls. "And finders keepers!"

Kate pops her head around the bush. "Oh, lord, there you are. I should have known you two would be getting into trouble. Ana, have you met Mia before?"

I bite my lip to keep my laugh at bay. "I think this party of two is much better than whatever's going on over there."

"Yes, I can't believe you've been gatekeeping her. She seems to fit right into this weird little family," Mia says, throwing an arm around my shoulder. I feel a pang of melancholy, because in another life, I could see how I'd be eager to form a friendship with Mia.

"I should have known you two would hit it off." Kate rolls her eyes, but smiles down at us with sincerity. "Anyway, get your asses back in there. The food is out."

"Alcohol?" I say, holding up my empty glass.

Kate snorts. "How else would we survive?" And we all laugh a little too hard, probably thanks to that. To my own surprise, it sort of does feel like the start of a sisterhood.

A/N: Thanks so much for your reads and reviews! Feel free to message me with any story specific questions you have (like HEA or not)!