39
Izzy waves to me from her car as I pull into the space beside her. As she organizes her stuff, I walk around and lean through the open window.
"Hi," I say. She looks up at me, sunshine in her eyes and smile.
"Hey!" she says cheerily. I falter and take a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, I'm going to have to cancel."
Her face falls.
"Is everything okay?" she asks.
"Izzy, are we going to see the deer now? You said when Edward got here," Jimmy calls from the backseat.
"I'm sorry," I say, my voice low and sincere.
"Soon, sweetheart, I'm talking, give me a minute," she calls back with fake cheer, as he groans impatiently.
"I can't…" I sigh in frustration, trying to find the right words. "Kate's not happy."
"She put a stop on you bringing Sasha," she says, staring straight forward through the windshield, all traces of cheeriness, phony or otherwise, gone.
"No," I say sharply, then immediately regretting the tone it slipped out in. "She wouldn't do that, but she doesn't like the idea."
We're both silent for a moment.
"I guess I understand," she says.
"I've been going back and forth over it all week. I was going to come anyway, but this morning I decided it's probably best if we don't. I owe it to Sash to keep things on good terms with her mom."
Izzy nods and drops her head.
"Are you okay?" I ask, feeling bad for being the cause of her change of mood.
"I'm fine," she says, lifting her head and raising her chin resiliently. She looks me in the eye, but despite her words, the light that shone so brightly before, has dimmed.
"I really am sorry."
She nods.
"I don't have her tonight," I say on a whim, my guilt propelling me forward. "You could come round and we could watch a movie or something." I cringe as I realize it sounds like I'm trying to make a date.
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, you know?" she says.
I think I know, but as much as I'd like to ask her to spell her thoughts out, I'm not about to.
So instead I say, "Yeah, you're right."
I stand up straight.
"Have a good day," I tell her, raising my hand in a small wave as I step away.
"Edward!" she says. I turn. She's leaning out of the window with a small smile for me. "Call me?"
I smile back, the guilt washing away a little.
"I will," I tell her.
~S~