Page 121 of Authentically, Izzy
Also, how’d the kid make out? Sounds like a booger of a time.
Safe travels,
Luke
PS: No babies yet, but I don’t think Patrick’s podiatry experiences sufficiently prepared him for Josephine giving birth.
From: Penelope Edgewood
To: Izzy Edgewood, Luke Edgewood
Date: June30
Subject: Re: Babies on the way!!!
IZZY!!!!!!
Luke just told me to check my email (I was messaging my internship coordinator about flight details for Skymar!Squee!). Anyway, how could you lead me on like that? A job offer is NOT the same as a proposal! Though I’m beyond happy for you to find something bookish. You’re so much better with stories and spines than, you know, other things. And to get to travel? Experience the world? Oh my goodness, I’m thrilled for you, except I’m not, because then I’ll miss you terribly! Who will go Christmas shopping with me for all those hard-to-choose gifts, like... for Uncle Lawrence? Izzy, you have to promise to visit once a year, if for no other reason than to help me with Christmas shopping.
Luke is no help at all in the hospital. He just sits there like a stump watching me pace back and forth and occasionally humming the Wicked Witch of the West’s theme in time with the clip of my heels. He really is the most annoying brother! But he did show up with iced tea and muffins from Loralee’s, so at least he’s good for something besides exasperated-glare practice. And he’s a good hugger.
Patrick is a dream! He’s only raised his voice once and that was to call a nurse to stop his nosebleed. Evidently, Josephine, in her current mental distress, hit him in the nose. He’s still smiling, though. I overheard him encouraging one of the nurses to offer something to calm Josephine down and the nurse responded with a chuckle, adding something about nitrous. Maybe the nitrous is for him? I feel like I’ve heard the word before, but Luke is laughing so hard he won’t explain it to me.
He really is the sweetest sort of man, though. Not Luke. Patrick. I think Patrick is one of those quiet, gentle types that emotional women need to survive. I just hope that he doesn’t have aswollen purple nose in their first family photos. Though purple would likely brighten those hazel eyes of his.
Luke is still laughing, BTW. I hate him. Okay, I don’t hate him, but, well, you know...
I can’t wait to see you! I’m so excited for you to share all you’ve seen and learned in Skymar so I’ll be armed for the internship! They really aren’t giving us very much information to go on.
I’ve attached a list of very happily married couples I know who met online and married (not online) within a year. Luke told me to delete five of them because of several unmentionable details about their current not-so-happily-ever-afters, but I left the rest, even though the last couple no longer live in the same state as each other. Evidently long-distance works for their marriage too.
Love,
Penelope
PS: I really can’t imagine a Mathlink cube fitting inside of any child’s nose. I think you’re making that up, Izzy.
PPS: Floo powder? Commuting? Luke is such a dork!
***
Now Izzy knew what a tug-of-war rope felt like.
As she sat around the table with the Sutherlands, and Ellen shared funny stories about Brodie, Izzy wrapped the sound of Brodie’s laugh around her. He had an arm draped casually over the back of her chair, giving full access to his scent of spice and pine. They’d discussed her new position over the first part of lunch, each additional idea sprinkling excitement like fairy dust over the future. Brynna had joined them. Though her marketing skills weren’t stellar, her artistic abilities proved fantastic, and with only a few conversations over the past several days, she’d succeeded in creating an updated logo for the bookshop. Simple. Classic. And perfect for the new look Izzy and Brynna had discussed creating for their brand.
“Their” brand! As if Izzy was a part of the family. In all honesty, apart from Anders, she’d been encapsulated into their world as if she’d always belonged, andthistime she recognized the acceptance a lot better than her twelve-year-old self had.
Brodie’s fingers slipped into her hair as he rested his arm behind her, and she nestled a little closer into this family moment. Maybe fitting into this world wouldn't be so painful. It definitely had its Brodie-size perks, as well as a few Sutherland’s book-type ones too. They’d never replace her beloved cousins, but wasn’t growing up and flying all about finding whereyoubelonged?
“The turnaround for the Skern shop has been remarkable.” Ellen took her fork and brought a fry to her mouth. Izzy was still trying to sort out eating fries with one’s fork. Brodie seemed to read her mind because he reached onto her plate and snatched one of her fries with his fingers, then popped it into his mouth, adding a wink for good measure.
“And you haven’t even put any of your ideas to work in the other shops, Isabelle-dear.”
“Now, now, we always have a good turn during the festival, you know.” Anders poked at his fish with his fork, before raising his gaze to Izzy. His eyes were more of a gray-green beneath a set of rather impressive sandy brows. “Time will be the real test for whether Isabelle’s creative ideas are making improvements.”
“Codswallop, Anders.” Ellen’s exclamation drew all eyes. “Have you ever known Sutherland’s, in all the years you’ve worked with it, to have a weekend like we’ve just experienced? The numbers were outrageous and the only difference we can account for is Isabelle.”
He made a grumbly sound and poked his fish with renewed zeal.
