Chapter 1

The Junior League Charity Ball

Sixteen year old Ted Grey blanched as he watched his father sweep his mother off the dance floor with a flourish and lead her out the side door of the club's ballroom into the darkened garden. From the moment Ted had first noticed that girls were interesting, he had also noticed that they seemed to expect him to live up to that – sweeping and gallant and romantic. He could see a small group of girls from his class gazing after his parents with that sickening enraptured look that he had seen so often and hated so much. He was no longer embarrassed by the whole lovey-dovey thing that they always had going on – it had been hideous when he was 13 – but he still always felt that he was being held up to the example of Christian Grey, Master of the Universe, and found to be horribly lacking. He could relate more easily to his Uncle Elliott, who was mostly a big goof, and was currently engaging in a game of quarters with Duncan Shaw's dad in the bar, out of sight of his mother, Ted's GG, Grandma Grace. Uncle Elliott's wife, Aunt Kate, was dancing with Grandpa Cary, and pointedly ignoring her "juvenile ass" of a husband, as she had earlier accused him. Ted wasn't worried; Aunt Kate had used that slur for as long as he could remember but she never managed to stay mad for very long.

Ted shook his head to clear the foibles of his relatives from it and got back to work. The Junior League Charity Ball happened every year and the Young People's Society, which included pretty much every kid that Ted knew, did all of the service for the event. Ted had been carrying plated dinners since he was 11 but this year he had moved up to Guest Services, a group of about 15 young men, ages 16 to 19, whose job it was to ensure there were no wallflowers. Any sitting female was to be asked to dance. At 16, Ted was basically stand-by as the Seniors would make the first pass through the room, followed by the Juniors so by the time Ted and the other Sophomore boys would take their turn, most of the women who wanted to dance were already on the floor. Most of Guest Services never danced at all in their first year. That would have suited Ted just fine, but so far he had danced three times. The night was nearing its end and he thought he was probably in the clear for this year when he noticed a blonde woman sitting alone at a small table near the wall. He had not noticed her earlier but since there were no other young men standing in her area, he made his way back to her table. She was watching the dancers intently, twisting a watered down drink before her. She looked up with a start as Ted spoke the recommended speech.

"Ma'am…may I have this dance?"

The woman looked up at him and to Ted's surprise, she gasped and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Ma'am, are you alright?"

The woman glanced about her with a look that reminded him of when Phoebe used to snitch cookies from the kitchen. It seemed to him that she looked directly at his dancing grandfather, at the door where his parents had recently exited and at the table where GG was regally holding court before she looked up at him again.

"I'm fine, you startled me that's all. You favor your father so."

Ted looked at her quizzically. "You know my father?"

"Yes, Ted, I know your father. You and I have actually met before also, when I used to live here in Seattle but I think that you were about 4 when I saw you last so I'm not surprised that you don't remember me."

Ted blanched again. "Four? That's probably embarrassing."

The blonde woman smiled. "Not at all. You were very cute. It was an Easter Egg Hunt. You brought me a pink egg; you thought it matched my hat."

"Wait, I do remember that." Ted pulled a chair out and sat. "Do you mind? I do remember that."

"No, not at all, please sit. You remember?"

"I was hunting on my own that year. Aunt Mia was supposed to be taking both of us around but Phoebe was just tiny and it was her first hunt and I was the "big kid", you know? I remember sitting on a swing counting my eggs and a lady in a big pink hat came up and sat on the swing next to me. She was pretty and I had a pink egg and I thought the egg would look good on that hat. Was that you?"

"It was. I can't believe you remember. What else do you remember?"

"You took the hat off and I tried to make the egg stay on but it fell off and cracked, and, ugh, then I cried. I knew this was going to be embarrassing."

"You were sweet –"

"That's what's embarrassing."

The woman laughed gently. "Everyone starts out little and cute. You've grown up since then, very nicely, I must say. As I said, you favor your father very much; that's certainly a good thing."

Ted blushed. "He is generally the center of attention. Something else embarrassing." He stood suddenly. "We really aren't supposed to be sitting out here. If you don't wish to dance, I have to keep checking around."

"I would very much like to dance. Thank you Ted."

"I am at a disadvantage here. I can't really call you pretty pink hat lady."

"You actually could but you don't need to. My name is Elena."