fifty-shades-of-grey

“Tell me about Elliot the over-user,” I ask when I’ve stopped giggling. Oh, I can feelmyself relaxing for the first time since I was in line at the bar… before the phone call thatstarted all this – when I was admiring Mr. Grey from afar. Happy uncomplicated days.Kate blushes. Oh my… Katherine Agnes Kavanagh goes all Anastasia Rose Steele onme. She gives me a dewy-eyed look. I’ve never seen her react this way to a man before.My jaw drops to the floor. Where’s Kate, what have you done with her?“Oh, Ana,” she gushes. “He’s just so… Everything. And when we… oh… reallygood.” She can hardly string a sentence together she’s got it so bad.“I think you’re trying to tell me that you like him.”She nods, grinning like a lunatic.“And I’m seeing him on Saturday. He’s going to help us move.” She clasps her handstogether, leaps up off the couch, and pirouettes to the window. Moving. Crap – I’d forgottenall about that, even with the packing cases surrounding us.“That’s helpful of him,” I say appreciatively. I can get to know him too. Perhaps hecan give me more insight into his strange, disturbing brother.“So what did you do last night?” I ask. She cocks her head at me and raises her eyebrowsin a what-do-think-stupid-look.“Pretty much what you did, though we had dinner first.” She grins at me. “Are youokay really? You look kind of overwhelmed.”“I feel overwhelmed. Christian is very intense.”“Yeah, I could see how he could be. But he was good to you?”“Yes,” I reassure her. “I’m really hungry, shall I cook?”She nods and picks up two more books to pack.“What do you want to do with the fourteen thousand dollar books?” she asks.“I’m going to return them to him.”“Really?”“It’s a completely over-the-top gift. I can’t accept it, especially now.” I grin at Kate,and she nods.“I understand. A couple of letters came for you, and José has been calling every houron the hour. He sounded desperate.”“I’ll call him,” I mutter evasively. If I tell Kate about José, she’ll have him for breakfast.I collect the letters from the dining table and open them.“Hey, I have interviews! The week after next, in Seattle, for intern placements!”“For which publishing house?”“For both of them!”“I told you your GPA would open doors, Ana.”Kate, of course, already has an internship set up at the Seattle Times. Her father knowssomeone, who knows someone.“How does Elliot feel about you going away?” I ask.Kate wanders into the kitchen, and for the first time this evening, she’s disconsolate.“He’s understanding. Part of me doesn’t want to go, but it’s tempting to lie in the sunfor a couple of weeks. Besides, Mom is hanging in there, thinking this will be our last realfamily holiday before Ethan and I head off into the world of paid employment.”