Page 39 of Night and Day
Chapter 16
Izzy parked outsidehis brother’s townhouse block and hurried around the car to hold the door for Mia. It had become a game he played, to see how long it would take before she accepted his help and stopped expelling herself out of the car seat like a jack in a box. This time, he caught her stepping onto the kerb, and offered his arm for balance. She eyed it with curiosity but grabbed the car door instead.
“Is it this house?” She asked, looking at the small block of new townhouses that housed Izzy’s entire family – his brother and his fiancée, mum and dad, and their friends he knew by name. He’d prepared Mia for each of them, warmed by her interest and endless questions.
“Yep. We’re going to Mac and Shasa’s, but all the units have a similar layout. Shasa and her friend Marnie built it together and my parents jumped onboard. They used to live in that old brick house next door. That’s where I grew up.” Izzy pointed at the old house, which had undergone some work since he’d last seen it, no doubt to bring it up-to-date for the tenants. The white picket fence shone from a recent coat of paint and the windows looked different. Izzy stepped closer, blinking in disbelief. They’d all suffered the state of that house for decades, and now it had new windows?
“This looks like a lovely neighbourhood.” Mia spun on her heels, taking in the street view. Her white dress glowed and she squinted in the midday sun. She’d done something to her hair, making it puff up in volume and lined her eyes with black, adding a touch of drama that made Izzy’s heart squeeze.
“Are you ready?” He gestured at the townhouse block.
Mia lifted her new backpack onto her shoulder and turned to face the right building. Their eyes met and nervous excitement fizzed in the air as if someone had just uncorked a bottle of champagne.
Mia’s reassuring smile transformed into a silly grin. “Wait, I need to load the fake girlfriend experience! Let me just find the right disc.” She fiddled with the back of her head, beaming like a broken toy.
Izzy laughed, a sense of lightness washing over him. He knew she was goofing around to ease his anxiety. He tightened his hands into fists, crushing the overwhelming desire to kiss her. “Great! Make sure you load the ‘head over heels’ upgrade. I want them to see you’re serious about me, not just kicking tyres.” He’d done so well last night, keeping his distance when they weren’t around other people. This was his reward. He could walk in with this incredible creature on his arm and introduce her as his. So what if it wasn’t real? What really was?
Mia locked eyes with him. “Challenge accepted!”
He led her to Mac’s door and knocked, listening to the lively chatter on the other side. Shasa opened the door in a mustard yellow dress. “Hey! Welcome! I’m so glad you made it. You must be Mia.” She reached her hand past Izzy to Mia, who introduced herself.
Lilla, her 5-year-old daughter, appeared behind her. As Izzy stepped across the threshold, she retreated in terror, staring at his face. Izzy flinched, smoothing down his beard. He’d only met his brother’s step daughter twice before, and both times, she’d seemed reserved, which Mac had assured him wasn’t like her at all.
“Lilla, come say hi. Lilla? Come on!” Shasa chased after her, but gave up as she ran upstairs. She turned to Izzy and Mia. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why she’s acting like that.”
Izzy grimaced. “I think it’s me. She’s been a bit scared of me since day one. I’m not sure why.”
“Could be the beard?” Mia suggested, swirling her index finger around her own face, a cheeky smile twitching her mouth.
Shasa’s eyes lit with agreement. “You might be right! She’s not a fan of Santa, either.”
“What’s wrong with beards?” Izzy asked, his brow buckling.
The women exchanged a glance.
“Nothing,” Mia said. “Maybe it just needs a trim, so it looks like there’s a shape of a human under there?” Her smile turned into a chuckle.
Shasa joined in. “Oh, my God! If you can get him to do something about it, you’ll get into the family hall of fame!”
Mia raised an eyebrow.
“A wall in mum and dad’s house where they put everyone’s achievements,” Izzy explained.
“You mean like degrees and awards or something?”
Shasa giggled. “No, more like participation trophies, winning play-dough sculptures from the nineties, gold stars from teachers...”
“A 15-year-old sticky note that says ‘well done’,” Izzy added, shaking his head. “Mum and dad believe in celebrating success, big or small.”
Mia clasped her hands in delight. “I love it! I definitely want on that wall!” She narrowed her eyes at Izzy, whispering with pure glee. “I’ll shave you one night when you’re asleep.”
Izzy laughed along but felt a tug in his gut. What if she actually did? He’d forgotten what his chin looked like.
