Monroes’where she could sit and watch whatever Kaitlin Burke movie was on ABC Family in peace. But now it was the opposite. She dreaded coming home and finding
him
there.
Hayden looked at them strangely. “Aren’t you guys coming? I thought you wanted something to eat.”
“I’m not hungry,” Izzie said quickly.
“I had a big lunch,” Mira seconded.
“In the car, you both said you skipped lunch.” Hayden sounded suspicious. He pointed to Izzie. “You said you had a meeting with Mrs. Fitz.”
Mira forgot for a moment about needing a cover. “You had a private meeting with Mrs. Fitz? Why? What are you talking about? Tell me,” she said excitedly.
“Nothing.” Izzie looked at her feet. “I just had a few questions about the club.”
“Like what?” Mira wasn’t getting Izzie’s hint to drop the topic. “I gave you a Social Butterflies’ orientation kit, right?” Her face crumpled. “You’re not quitting, are you?”
“No,” Izzie said. “I like it.” As much as it killed her to admit it, the stuffy, prestigious Emerald Prep Social Butterflies club she had joined by default was growing on her. Some of the girls may have been in the group for the status, but there was no denying the group’s commitment to charity work. That’s why she had stopped in to see Mrs. Fitz. Izzie had half a dozen ideas for events clogging her brain, and she wanted to run them by their club director in private. Shewasn’t ready to share them in front of the group yet. “I wanted to know what the final number was that we raised for the community center,” she lied. It wasn’t really a lie. That topic did come up. “We raised close to nine thousand dollars.”
“That’s amazing,” Mira said. “The center must be thrilled.”
Izzie could still feel Hayden’s eyes on them. “I thought you were going to the kitchen for a snack.”
Hayden loosened his tie that had the EP insignia on it and shook his head. “You guys can’t avoid him forever, you know.”
Yes, I can
, Izzie wanted to say. But she didn’t. Instead she watched as Hayden swung open the door between the dining room and the kitchen. She could just make out Bill’s navy pin-striped suit as the door swung closed.
“This isn’t fair!” Mira complained when Hayden was out of earshot. “I’ve been dreaming of that chocolate cream pie in the fridge since third period.”
“Since when do you eat pie?” Izzie was even surprised by its number of calories.
Mira shrugged. “Since I have no one to look good for.”
“Please,” Izzie said, not playing into her pity act. “Look good for yourself.”
“Mira? Izzie?” Aunt Maureen called out. “Are you two home?”
Aunt Maureen knew they were, but this was her polite way of getting them to show their faces rather than run upstairs.
“We might as well face the fire and get a cookie out of it,” Izzie said.
Seeing her uncle/dad/liar didn’t get any easier. No matter how big he smiled, or how nicely he asked about her day, Izzie still couldn’t stop thinking about how he had let her down. He had given her a roof over her head and new clothes to call her own, but he hadn’t given her what she’d needed the most: a sense of family. Aunt Maureen had done that, which was why even though she had been in the know, Izzie couldn’t be mad at her.
“Hi, girls,” Bill said cheerfully. He took off his reading glasses, the ones Izzie always thought made him look intimidating, which was probably why he never wore them on television or for photos. “Did you have a good day?”
Mira was too busy staring at the chocolate cream pie on the kitchen counter to bother looking their dad’s way. There was only one slice left. Izzie took an M&M cookie. She did not want to face Mira’s wrath over that piece of pie.
“Mom, did the mail come yet?” Mira asked.
“Not yet,” Callista told her. “We’ve been waiting for it ourselves.
O
is supposed to send us an advance copy of the article they did
him
there.
Hayden looked at them strangely. “Aren’t you guys coming? I thought you wanted something to eat.”
“I’m not hungry,” Izzie said quickly.
“I had a big lunch,” Mira seconded.
“In the car, you both said you skipped lunch.” Hayden sounded suspicious. He pointed to Izzie. “You said you had a meeting with Mrs. Fitz.”
Mira forgot for a moment about needing a cover. “You had a private meeting with Mrs. Fitz? Why? What are you talking about? Tell me,” she said excitedly.
“Nothing.” Izzie looked at her feet. “I just had a few questions about the club.”
“Like what?” Mira wasn’t getting Izzie’s hint to drop the topic. “I gave you a Social Butterflies’ orientation kit, right?” Her face crumpled. “You’re not quitting, are you?”
“No,” Izzie said. “I like it.” As much as it killed her to admit it, the stuffy, prestigious Emerald Prep Social Butterflies club she had joined by default was growing on her. Some of the girls may have been in the group for the status, but there was no denying the group’s commitment to charity work. That’s why she had stopped in to see Mrs. Fitz. Izzie had half a dozen ideas for events clogging her brain, and she wanted to run them by their club director in private. Shewasn’t ready to share them in front of the group yet. “I wanted to know what the final number was that we raised for the community center,” she lied. It wasn’t really a lie. That topic did come up. “We raised close to nine thousand dollars.”
“That’s amazing,” Mira said. “The center must be thrilled.”
Izzie could still feel Hayden’s eyes on them. “I thought you were going to the kitchen for a snack.”
Hayden loosened his tie that had the EP insignia on it and shook his head. “You guys can’t avoid him forever, you know.”
Yes, I can
, Izzie wanted to say. But she didn’t. Instead she watched as Hayden swung open the door between the dining room and the kitchen. She could just make out Bill’s navy pin-striped suit as the door swung closed.
“This isn’t fair!” Mira complained when Hayden was out of earshot. “I’ve been dreaming of that chocolate cream pie in the fridge since third period.”
“Since when do you eat pie?” Izzie was even surprised by its number of calories.
Mira shrugged. “Since I have no one to look good for.”
“Please,” Izzie said, not playing into her pity act. “Look good for yourself.”
“Mira? Izzie?” Aunt Maureen called out. “Are you two home?”
Aunt Maureen knew they were, but this was her polite way of getting them to show their faces rather than run upstairs.
“We might as well face the fire and get a cookie out of it,” Izzie said.
Seeing her uncle/dad/liar didn’t get any easier. No matter how big he smiled, or how nicely he asked about her day, Izzie still couldn’t stop thinking about how he had let her down. He had given her a roof over her head and new clothes to call her own, but he hadn’t given her what she’d needed the most: a sense of family. Aunt Maureen had done that, which was why even though she had been in the know, Izzie couldn’t be mad at her.
“Hi, girls,” Bill said cheerfully. He took off his reading glasses, the ones Izzie always thought made him look intimidating, which was probably why he never wore them on television or for photos. “Did you have a good day?”
Mira was too busy staring at the chocolate cream pie on the kitchen counter to bother looking their dad’s way. There was only one slice left. Izzie took an M&M cookie. She did not want to face Mira’s wrath over that piece of pie.
“Mom, did the mail come yet?” Mira asked.
“Not yet,” Callista told her. “We’ve been waiting for it ourselves.
O
is supposed to send us an advance copy of the article they did
Similar Books
