Finding Izzy

by Nanette Fox

  “Let’s go outside and ‘yabba’ as Paul says.”

  Dave looked at his younger brother and was greeted with a steady open look; there was no anger, no challenge. “Yeah… I think we’ve interrupted ‘lady’s day’ anyway.”

  Tim and Dave wandered outside to the patio with their beers. Ruth hissed at Izzy, “What are you doing Izzy, he wants to be with you?”

  “Giving us some space for a tick Ruth, back to our discussion from earlier, I’ll have to do that family thing as soon as possible, Monday,” she said in a quiet voice. She added, “He does want to be with me, but he wants to spend some time with Dave.”

  “I am being a bit prissy too, I need to get a bit tidied, I have got some clean clothes in my duffle, gym clothes really but certainly cleaner than this lot.”

  “Story is you haven’t got the right flour for the scones, or dates,” said Izzy. “Can I use my old room, the guest room, thanks Ruth?” Ruth was left looking after her as she rushed through to the front and to find her bag, so she turned and stood looking out to the patio. Her sons looked happy together for the first time in ages.

  Dave was asking Tim about the Perth work. Tim told him he had made some good contacts and would be going over occasionally for work. He wanted to be in Melbourne for his project with Russell and Margaret. His brother lifted his beer to his lips and before taking a swig, “So not for Izzy then.”

  “Yes of course for Izzy but not solely.” Dave had lifted his brow and looked aside to his brother.

  “Look mate, with Izzy, it’s just starting out and I am confident, but we’ll see.”

  “So how are things with you and Ronnie?” David put his beer on the table and fiddled with the label.

  “It is really good and we’re moving in together.”

  Tim smirked, “Big bro, big step.”

  The door opened, and a much tidier Izzy emerged. Tight crop bra and leggings worn with a sleeveless sports jacket. The outfit was finished with the moon boot, and a flip flop. Her hair was a bit tidier. She’d washed her face and hands. Tim just grinned, “I’d believe you had managed a quick gym session while baking scones, but the moon boot is a bit of a giveaway.”

  David was just laughing when she said, “Sorry no scones cos Mum Ruth didn’t have the right flour or dates,” I apologize. She shook her finger, “Stop making fun of me, I was so dirty I couldn’t even sit on the furniture, this was all I had in my bag.” Tim was nursing his beer and just plainly smiling up at her.

  “Come here,” and Tim pulled her down into his lap. He looked at his brother and said, “Excuse me.” Pulling the front of Izzy’s crop top out, he looked down. He pressed his lips together and winked at her. She went bright red, embarrassed in front of David. Tim pulled her head towards him and kissed her briefly on her cheek. David reclined in his seat looking across at Tim and Izzy, his expression inscrutable.

  Before he took off, he wanted to ask Izzy something. “Hey why have you been shutting Julia and me down?” Tim looked at Izzy with a frown wondering what it was about.

  “Sorry I have to get up for a minute.” She sat herself down on one of the other chairs.

  “Tim, she wants to hold a meeting in that get-up.” Tim was holding his beer to the side of his head smiling widely. They looked at each smiling. Izzy, irritated they weren’t taking her seriously, demanded, “Concentrate you two fools.”

  “While I have got you both here, can you please make yourselves available for a couple of hours on Monday either in the afternoon or evening, I will confirm the time after I have spoken to Julia.”

  “I am going to ask her the same thing.” She had their full attention. “It’s just for the three of you and your mum; a sort of meeting with me.”

  “Izzy?” said David. “Have either of you had any contact with Elizabeth Grant?”

  “Lizzie, why?” said Tim.

  “I went through most of Dad’s architecture files and papers. I finished up some projects he was working on.”

  Izzy went on to tell them, “Elizabeth was always a good friend to me; a contact for me to reach your dad; she had a letter for me and I want, I need to share the contents.”

  “I should probably tell you both, I was at your dad’s funeral, I was sitting with Elizabeth. I flew from the UK and went back again a couple of days later.” David moved forward in his chair looking at her.

  Tim too was no longer relaxed and looking intently at Izzy, a sense of worry creeping in. Mum Ruth and I have had quite a good chat today, she has something to tell you all too. “I am serious I don’t want to tell any of the details until I have the three of you together,” said Izzy.

  “So, no pillow talk, Tim, okay,” interjected his brother.

  “David you assume a lot, watch what you say,” warned Izzy. David leaned back to one side, putting his hand up in answer as if to say ‘okay I know, stop’. “To change the subject Elizabeth is going home, back to her family in the UK. She has bought herself a cottage in Cornwall, so I will see her again soon.” Tim’s antennas were up.

  David said, “Izzy you have some properties in Cornwall, don’t you?”

  “Yes, and that brings me to something else. I had such a bad day about a week ago. I saw my banker and the stockbroker.”

  “Candlestick maker,” blurted Tim. Izzy and David glared at him.

  “By yourself, Izzy?” said David.

  “Yes, by myself, I was trying to be independent of you, but really I needed you there.”

  “Okay I am on it,” said David. Just in case Tim got the wrong end of things, David said quickly, “It is Izzy’s investment and share portfolio, I obviously need to check on a couple of things.”

  Ruth came out on the patio, Tim stood up, giving his mum a hug, “I am glad to be home.” David watching him thought it was good to see him a bit more open to others. He’d been a bit testy once or twice but nothing to be concerned about. What was obvious to all was that he had declared his intentions to be with Izzy, and she was clear about how she was going to be around David. What David also noted was that Izzy had changed quickly and quite a lot, she was determined to give things a go. For so long, Izzy had appeared to have a mist of sadness and insecurity, it was beginning to clear.

  “Mum Ruth can I get you a wine?” said Izzy.

  “That’d be lovely.”

  Tim looked at his mum and said, “No, it is ‘that’d be brill’.”

  “Son you are an echo of your father when you say that.” He smiled the widest smile, his brown eyes crinkled at the corners. David caught the look of love on her face as Izzy watched Tim with his mother.

  David left, rushing to get home and get changed. Tim went after him to get his bags. He hugged his brother and thanked him for picking him up. “Guess we will see each other tomorrow for Bec and Paul’s thing.”

  “Yeah mate, all good.” Izzy came up behind him as he saw the car up the drive. She cheekily ran her hand very softly and gently up his bottom and up his back, coming around in front of him, she nuzzled into his chest.

  “I am so pleased you are home.” She looked up at him and said, “I have to go across to Julia’s now and see her because I have to organize the Monday thing. Does Bec know about tomorrow? If not, we need to tell Julia about it.”

  “You said a ‘we’ then in all of that,” said Tim, “I like that.”

  “Izzy, I have often thought about this, but your car, I am going to struggle to get in with my height and build.”

  She stepped back bending her arms and clasping her fingers together at chest level, “It is a pretty jaw-dropping build for a lady to look at.”

  “Silly Tim can you see my car here, I came by taxi here because I can’t drive with this moon boot.”

  “I think maybe we borrow your mum’s car.”

  Tim suddenly smiled, “Nope beautiful lady, not Mum’s Land Rover, Dad’s Porsche is still in the garage.”

  Izzy looked horrified, Tim was quickly onto the problem, “No Mum’s Land Rover will be fine.” He hea
rd Izzy actually breathe the sigh of relief. “I’ll run in and get the keys, take these bags up to my room, do you need anything from inside.”

  “Just my handbag from the kitchen and I can say goodbye to your mum. Oh, there are my dirty clothes from the guest room.”

  “I’ll get them, so let Mum know we are taking her car and I’ll come back later. She won’t drive Dad’s.”

  He collected Izzy’s pile of clothes from the Guest room, one sneaker and sock, pair of jeans and the cotton kaftan but what really aroused him was the little pile of lacy underwear and the suspicion she was naked under the gym stuff. He hoped they weren’t at Jules’s for long and that Bec and Paul were long gone when they got to Izzy’s. They met down at the Land Rover, “So Mum’s happy.” Izzy was being so provocative it was driving him crazy. She ran a finger up his trouser leg in the car. He looked at her and said, “You are driving me crazy; I can barely hold it together can you just stop until after Julia’s,” he leaned over and kissed her. “Please and are you naked under that gym stuff?” She nodded. “Izzy…” he sighed.

  They arrived at Julia’s. Standing at the door, they could hear the raised voices. Izzy and Tim looked at each other. Tim reached up and rang the bell. Julia flung the door open. She looked grumbly and anxious. “When did you come back from Perth?”

  “This afternoon, I came across with Paul.”

  Julia called out, “Antonio, it is Tim and Isabella.” Julia and Antonio looked agitated and separate. Tim immediately spoke Italian wanting to know what the problem was and started an in-depth conversation with Antonio. Julia was eyeing Isabella up and down.

  “So, are you going to talk to me?”

  “Julia,” started Izzy, “you know Elizabeth Grant, your dad’s PA; well she contacted me and gave me a letter. I need to share the contents with the three of you. Your mum will be there too.”

  “I want to talk to you all together and I have been trying to avoid being with any of you separately in case I let something slip.”

  “Julia, I am sorry, it is really important.”

  “So, is Monday afternoon or evening best?”

  “Afternoon,” said Julia.

  “Good I can confirm that now to your mum and David.”

  Julia pointed to Izzy’s gym clothes, “Why are you wearing that stuff, surely you haven’t been to the gym.”

  “No, it was all I had in my duffle; I was gardening with your mum and got really dirty, so I had to change into something to go inside and sit on the furniture.”

  Julia whispered, “Are you naked under that stuff?” Izzy nodded.

  “Way to go Izzy, drive him mad.” Izzy looked at her confused. “Izzy apart from the moon boot you look as sexy as.” Izzy blushed.

  So tomorrow, I am not sure of the time, but there is a little celebration at Lucy and Michael’s. Paul has flown across on a mission ‘to put a ring on it’ so I am guessing Bec will do a little phone around and tell everyone and tell us the time for tomorrow. Just thought you’d need the heads up so you guys didn’t go off exploring somewhere. Julia looked downcast, “Antonio is going back on Tuesday, earlier than planned. We weren’t going to do anything special tomorrow, just lunch.”

  Izzy held out her hand to her friend, “Is everything okay?”

  Julia just shook her head. “I might go for a walk later and ring you, if you don’t mind?”

  “No, I don’t mind.”

  “Izzy,” she whispered, “I think I might be pregnant.” Izzy blinked at her in surprise. “Izzy I just need to talk to you a bit later.”

  Izzy turned to look across at Tim and called out, “Let’s go, we will see these guys tomorrow.”

  Antonio looked across at Izzy and loosely translated, said in Italian to Tim, ‘your woman is very sexy’ and whistled. Tim was quick to tell him in Italian what he said wasn’t appropriate and that both Izzy and Julia spoke Italian. The girls laughed and waved, and Tim got away with the rebuke. Tim came over and gave his sister a big cuddle and whispered to her to be careful. Out in the car, he glared across at Izzy and said, “He’s such a bloody sleaze. Apparently, they went clubbing last night and he tried to pick up.” Izzy explained that Julia seemed upset about something, but it wasn’t to do with the clubbing. They’d talk later and then she’d tell Tim what the problem truly was. “Hey Iz, don’t run around on the streets in your gym stuff again, just for the gym okay.”

  “I am not sure I like you telling me what I should wear,” she said nervously.

  “Izzy you are so blatantly sexy in that get up I’d like to race you off right now, but I am going to drive back to your house first.”

  They were barely inside the door before he had picked her up and holding her bottom as she wrapped her legs around him, they kissed passionately her hands on his face. Tim pulled away for a minute and said breathlessly, “Where is your room?”

  “Upstairs, it is the first room.” He let her go so she slid down his body and he picked her up again and tossed her over his left shoulder, she was giggling and gently banging on his back ‘to put her down’ as he made his way up the stairs. Putting her down inside her room, he slid her out of the jacket; she undid his shirt sliding it off his shoulders and unbuckled his belt. She put her arms up so he could pull the crop top off. He bent his head down and kissed her nipples whilst he kicked his shoes off.

  “Izzy, I want you so much.” He kissed her again. She ran her fingers delicately over his upper body and then down to the waist of his trousers, she undid the zip then working down his body with her gentle touch slid his jeans off.

  She held his hand and moved towards the bed. She whispered there was no sexy way to take the moon boot off. Whilst she undid the clips, he knelt on the bed behind her running his hands over her upper body, nibbling her ears. It was off, and she slid out of it and her leggings. She turned to face him on the bed putting her legs over his and wrapped them around his hips. They continued to kiss passionately as he unfolded himself and lay down allowing her to be on top. They were both so aroused she allowed his manhood to enter her and tenderly started moving around on top of him. He rolled her over and starting gently thrusting. They were nibbling each other with little bitey kisses and smiling at each other they climaxed together. They lay together for a little bit, just smiling at each other and then rolling on to their sides lay in each other’s arms. Tim just couldn’t stop smiling, looking at her, he gently stroked her face. “I absolutely adore you.”

  She chewed her bottom lip and twisted her mouth slightly then whispered ever so softly so he almost didn’t hear, “I love you Tim.”

  He said, “I just want to lie here for a while, just like this in each other’s arms.” She nodded.

  Tim fell asleep, a quite deep sleep. Izzy lay looking at him. She loved him with all her heart. She was angry with herself for the directions her thoughts were taking her. She was contented to have him with her, but she had already started to worry what the revelations of ‘the Elizabeth envelope’ would bring. She had assumed Tim would be very upset at his father’s lapses of moral judgement, but she was beginning to think that he had been much more aware of what his father had been up to than Ruth, David and certainly Julia. She was learning Julia wasn’t observant and didn’t take in details. She was thinking over the afternoon and even to the time with David on the patio when they had been organizing the family meeting. Tim had said ‘Lizzie’ and with some fondness. Why? David and Julia had both known her as Elizabeth and expressed some surprise that she’d be making contact. Surely, Tim hadn’t known Lizzie was his father’s mistress?

  She was beginning to wonder about Marco’s Estate and who was responsible for that. Maybe Ruth had it in hand, but she doubted it. She was surprised there wasn’t talk of it. She was surprised to think Marco’s Porsche was still parked in the garage and hadn’t been sold or transferred to one of them. She heard Tim say something about Marco’s office files and finishing projects. Because of the twisted web that Isaac had left and finding out from Elizabeth
, Isaac and Marco had a lot of connected business interests she was beginning to be very uneasy. The solicitor she had talked to on that ‘ghastly’ day a week ago had been quizzing her about business connections with Marco Martinelli. She was asking a lot of questions in her mind. It was a big puzzle and there were pieces missing, and she had begun to think that either David or Tim knew much more than they were divulging. She looked at the handsome man sleeping next to her and prayed he wasn’t going to disappoint her. She very carefully and quietly got up to go and have a shower, picking up her moon boot and hobbling carefully amongst the cast-off clothes.

  Under the shower, she was still pondering everything. The one thing she had determined was that as a woman of 33, she would no longer rely on David to ‘fix’ her financial matters. Yes, it was a good idea to have such a well-reputed firm looking after the administration. But she had determined she needed to know a whole lot more, and Rebecca would be a good person to help her understand.

  Her mind switched to Rebecca and wondered how soon it would be before she and Paul were married. She knew of the three, Julia, herself and Bec, it was Rebecca who was most keen to settle and have a family. Julia liked the idea of the romance and the big wedding but hadn’t thought of the bigger picture of life together. If Julia was pregnant, things were going to change for her. Isabella herself had never entertained the idea of falling in love again; she hadn’t sought out another relationship preferring the flings with David to fill her sexual needs. She was so nervous about what she had got into with Tim and was worrying constantly about the future. She hadn’t ever wanted to be with a man long enough again that the man could get into her psyche and damage her soul. She was terrified, and it hurt.

  Wrapping herself in her cuddly bathrobe, she put the moon boot back on and shuffled as quietly as she could over to her chest of drawers. She brushed her wet hair, and then slid out the drawers to find some underwear and one of her t-shirt dresses. Her expressions of worry and anxiety were being watched. Her eyes were brimming with tears and the trouble of it all; she brushed them away with the sleeve of her bathrobe. Getting dressed, she decided not to worry with the bra, just the knickers and the t-shirt dress. She needed to get out of the room. Tim wasn’t sure what he should do: whether to feign sleep or hop up and try and comfort her. His chance was missed as she let herself out of the room quietly and made her way downstairs. Sitting up, he sat pondering what was causing her upset. He sincerely hoped it was just Izzy worrying unnecessarily.