Page 87 of Authentically, Izzy
Air left her lungs in a burst, as she replayed the previous conversation and her subsequent reaction.Brodie!
Without another word she rushed to the door and out onto the sidewalk. Both directions gave no clue of his whereabouts, until she caught sight of him crossing onto Main Street, his stride long and fast.
She planted her foot to run, but as she tried to raise it, her foot caught. She looked down and lost her balance. The heel of her shoe wedged into the sidewalk crack. With a twist of her body and a hand to her skirt to keep it from flaring high enough to scar young children for years to come, something cracked and she hit the grass to the left of the sidewalk.
With a moan, she pushed up from the ground to find her heel broken from her shoe and a nice little slash down her right leg, as well as a throb in her ankle. Not exactly the classy, rom-com chase she’d been concocting as she shoved open the library doors in search of Brodie, but it seemed fairly appropriate for her real life. She gathered what was left of her shoe and her pride, and hobbled off on a painful run down the street.
What did he think? That she hadn’t cared about him as much as the books? Her stomach tensed. Or that she was dating Eli while also stringing Brodie along?
Dear Lord, help me. My life has become a Bridget Jones rerun.
She increased her pace.
“Brodie!”
Her voice barely made a dent in the space between them, but she tried again. He didn’t so much as turn around, but a few curious onlookers stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. She smiled but knew her behavior only confirmed the thoughts half the town had about her already... book spouting, exuberant storytelling, odd hats, and all.
She ran harder. He’d just crossed the street near the bank.
“Brodie,” she called again, and this time his feet faltered. “Brodie, please.”
At this, he stopped completely and made a slow turn in her direction. His expression slowed Izzy’s approach and almost brought her to tears. Gone was his welcome smile and the ready glint in his eyes. The tender expression she’d grown to expect when he looked at her. Instead, a wariness pulled his lips into a frown and dulled his gaze. Oh, what had she done!
“I’m... I’m sorry,” she rasped out as she attempted to catch her breath.
His attention dropped to her uneven steps and he rushed forward. “What happened to you? Are you all right?”
The tears won, then. Blurring his face from her view. “I... I fell trying to catch you.” She waved toward her foot. “Broke my heel... I’m not sure what else.” She reached for his arms, holding him in place. “There’s nothing between Eli and me. Nothing.”
He shrugged off her hold and stepped back, remaining quiet.
“You have to believe me. We barely even dated at all. And I ended everything once I realized how much... how much it meant for me to meet you.” Oh, none of this was coming out the right way. “I was his rebound girl, I think. He’d convinced himself he cared about me more than I ever cared about him.”
“I know the feeling.”
The low response stole Izzy’s breath and she whimpered, catching his arm as he turned to resume his walk. “No, Brodie, please. Eli maythinkhe wants to be with me, but I’ve made it clear we are only friends. That’s it!”
“Then what is this Eli said about knowing how much you love romance and are creative with him and—”
“I’m his editor.”
“What?”
“In fact, the only reason I think Eli ever started dating me in the first place was because he knew I’d help him with his books. The veritable story of my dating life! Pretend romance for services rendered.”She drew in another breath, trying to ease the thrumming of her pulse in her ears. “He never really cared romantically about me and I never cared about him anywhere close to the way I—” Her breath caught.
He raised his brow as if challenging her to finish, but the words wouldn't come. What if she spoke them to him? What if she gave her heart and then... then everything fell apart? Dating was one thing, but expressing her heart? Being brave behind a screen and face-to-face weren’t the same.
“What do you want, Isabelle?”
It was such a simple sentence offered from his soft, smooth, baritone voice, and the answer emerged so quickly in her mind, it shocked her.You.Could it really be that simple?
“What doyouwant?”Perfect, Izzy. Very brave of you!She inwardly groaned.
He studied her for a long moment, as if garnering his own courage or reading her mind. Maybe. In that case she wouldn’t have to voice her thoughts after all.
“I want to be with you. That’s what I want.”
The declaration reverberated through her, shaking free a few tears. So simple. No games.
