Ollie Granger was an old-fashioned sort of gentleman. At least, that's how it appeared to Piper, who had been left almost speechless by the courtesy of a hand-written note couriered to her door. It had held an invitation to do Ollie the honour of 'taking tea with him' at his loft-apartment that afternoon. Naturally, she had consented without a second thought, sending her reply back with the courier; she'd come to the easy conclusion that she did very much like the mysterious Oliver Hudson Granger the Third, and would definitely like to see more of him. Soon.

After an anxious morning spent trying various outfits in a vain attempt to hide the little bump now beginning to make itself known at her formally trim waistline, Piper made her way to the riverside apartment block at the hour appointed. With a last minute check of her sable-dark hair, she knocked, nervously excited at the prospect of seeing her fiance again.

The door was opened, not by Ollie, but by his live-in cousin, Kaylee, who offered over a kilowatt grin at the sight of the nervous Piper on the doorstep. "You came!" she exclaimed happily, reaching out to grasp Piper's wrist and all but drag her in through the door. "Guess I'm more arty than I thought!"

Confused, Piper still couldn't help smiling along with the younger girl as she was brought inside. "Kaylee, yes?" she ventured, hoping she'd got the name right. "Correy's sister?"

"That's me," Kaylee beamed merrily, nodding like a doggy on a dashboard. "And you're Piper. Make yourself comfortable, Ollie's not in."

Now that Piper had a chance to look around the apartment, she found it quite charming in its way. Whe she could see of it was neat, clean, and tidy, except the area by the large windows to the north. That space was quite clearly set aside for Ollie's artistic endeavours - it was set with easels, canvasses, paints of various types, and a multitude of sketchbooks and pencils littered the surfaces.

There was also a blonde woman sitting on the couch that backed onto this space, watching Piper and Kaylee with quiet interest from behind the rim of a glass of water.

It took a moment for Kaylee's last statement to sink in. "Not in?" Piper repeated, her confusion intensifying with each moment that passed. "Did I get the time wrong" I wouldn't want to interrupt you in anything."

Kaylee gave her a patient look. "No, you're not interrupting anything," she shook her head confidently. "Come and sit down, take a load off. Don't mind Gabi; she's a cousin."

Gabrielle - Gabi - who had watched all of this in silent surprise, seemed to jolt back to herself on hearing her name. She lowered her glass, flicking blonde hair out of her face, and raised a shy smile for Piper. "Nice to meet you."

"And you, it's a pleasure," Piper answered the shy greeting with a smile of her own, but her attention returned quickly to Kaylee. "I'm sorry, I really don't understand," she apologised awkwardly. "I was sent an invitation; Ollie sent me an invitation to come over, and now you say he's not here?"

"Oh, no, Ollie didn't send the invite," Kaylee assured her with a cheeky grin. "I did."

"Ambushed!" As everyone's eyes turned to her, Gabi seemed to realise that she had actually spoken aloud. She clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a deeply embarrassed giggle as the blush spread upward from her neck to pinken even the tips of her ears.

Caroline laughed softly, casting a fond look to the blushing blonde. "You're right there, Gabi," she agreed, lowering down to perch on the arm of a chair. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to, Piper," she went on, directing her words to the confused woman next to her cousin. "We won't hold it against you. But Kaylee's right, sort of. Between us, me, Gabi, and Kaylee are the least judgemental of the Granger women available. Lola'll give you a fair hearing, and Elena, Helena, and Robyn should, as well. The others are a little more ....forthright ....in their opinions."

"What about the men?" Piper heard herself ask curiously, filing this information away and making a note to remember the names. She needed to get faces to go with those names as soon as she could.

"The guys" Well, Gabi can tell you best about Frank and Cian - they're her brothers," Caroline smiled, nodding to Gabi. "I don't think the guys will have much of an opinion either way. They're not so hot on the gossip as we are."

"And you're a great source of gossip," Kaylee added from the kitchen.

"Tea!" Caroline yelled back at the girl.

A laugh reverberated around the apartment from the kitchen, followed by the sound of water boiling. "I'm getting there!"

"So you'd like the gossip straight from the source?" Piper queried thoughtfully. "Why not simply ask Ollie?"

Gabi answered that one from behind her fingers. "Because he wouldn't tell us the whole truth of what?s happening and why," she said very quietly. "He's so honourable, he'd keep things to himself to protect your reputation and paint himself dreadfully in the process."

Piper frowned faintly. She couldn't let Ollie do something like that. It didn't matter about the truth of the arrangement so much; yes, it was a little humiliating to admit to her foolishness, but humiliation would not last long. And she needed these people to at least accept her, even if they didn't like her. She could understand Kaylee's subterfuge, even if she didn't agree with it, and was inwardly relieved that it had come to pass. Ollie had nothing but good things to say about Caroline, and though he hadn't mentioned Gabi, she had a feeling that the blonde Granger wouldn't be there unless she could be trusted.

She nodded slowly, glancing up as Kaylee came carefully into view, balancing a loaded tea tray on one palm. "Alright," Piper said calmly, feeling a faint smile make itself known on her lips. "What would you like to know?"