Page 103 of Authentically, Izzy
Silence paused the conversation, but there was comfort in it. Understanding. And... joy? Bittersweet relief? She swiped a hand over her misty eyes.
“That would explain why you always had the jerk boyfriends.”
She almost choked on the sip of tea she’d just taken. “What do you mean?”
“Well, if you didn’t feel like we loved you enough to belong, why would you ever believe you were good enough for the right guy? I mean, it took being tricked into meeting Brodie for you to really act like you do with me. And heseesyou. The simple fact he was able to get this conversation out of you says something.”
She nearly buckled over from the impact of his words. Tears clogged her throat, stealing her response.
“So I guess that’s something to thank meddling Josephine about after all, huh?” He groaned. “But let’s just keep that between the two of us. The last thing Josephine needs is reinforcement that she’s a matchmaker.”
“Luke,” his name scraped over her burning throat. She still had so much to sort through, but at least now she’d begun to understand. To see.
“Yeah, Izzy?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too... sis.”
Chapter21
“Where did she go?”
Brodie looked up from his computer at the bookshop’s counter to find his mother standing nearby with an armful of Agatha Christies.
“She took a walk, Mum.”
“For two hours? When she’s come to seeyou?”
The edge in his mother’s voice didn’t help the twinge in his chest or his forehead. Yes, it had been two hours, and he’d considered going in search of her at least a dozen times, but something stopped him. The sudden realization on her face? The hurt? Wounds he couldn't touch no matter how long he held her. And from his brief acquaintance with Isabelle, she struck him as the sort who needed space to sort through her feelings, much like his elder sister. But if he didn’t hear from her soon, he would take to a full-on woman hunt.
Or at least text first. Then commence the hunt, if necessary.
“She uncovered some news she needed to sort through.” He turned back to his laptop, unseeing. Perhaps heshouldgo in search of her now.
“Well, I hope she’s not lost, dear boy.”
“It’s Skern, Mum.” He shot her a weak grin. “Not Inswythe or Port Quinnick.”
She rolled her eyes for his benefit and placed the books down on the counter, her gaze searching the nearest window. “Yes, well. She liked the shop. I could see it in her eyes.”
“Yes she did.” He drew in a breath and turned completely toward her. “But she also sees more.”
“More?”
“All those ideas in her head, ways to improve what we have. Shehas that vision, that information, that she’s studied for years, waiting to use it.”
“Yes, well, we shall see.”
He groaned. “Mum, you remember the Book Parade? And the website ideas she sent to Brynna? And the marketing suggestions? Not only is she a wonderful person from head to toe, but she also carries a magic about bookish things.”
She looked away, her gaze roaming over the room. “Your father loved this place.”
“And so do I.” He stood, bringing her attention back to him. “But Father also had to make adjustments from Grandfather’s plan so that Sutherland’s could grow and change with the world.”
Mother gave her head a small shake. “Brodie, there’s so much of him here.” The unvoiced plea in her voice nearly wilted him to the chair. “If we change things...”
“Mum, he will always be a part of this place.” He took her hands in his. “And Isabelle isn’t going to turn the shop on its head, but I can assure you, her ideas will help. If I can convince her to share them.”
