Chapter 35
Finally, Friday afternoon arrived and I said goodbye to my work colleagues and wished them a good weekend and then drove to the airport to collect Izzy. I was going to make this weekend something special for her, she sounded like she needed some cheering up and a bit of fun after her break up with Tom, the cheating bastard.
It seemed like years rather than weeks since I’d last seen Izzy. So much had happened since I’d arrived in LA; it was hard to imagine that just a few months ago I was a singleton who had given up on love! Now I was in a relationship with a wonderful man I’d met and married on a whim in Las Vegas. Life had thrown me a few surprises in these past few months.
“Izzy” I called and waved when I saw her pulling her wheeled case behind her through the throngs of passengers at the busy airport.
“Steph!” she squealed excitedly and we hugged each other, not caring whether we were causing an obstruction.
“Welcome to LA” I grinned “we are going to have so much fun”
“Can’t wait” she beamed
“By the time you go home, Tom will be just a distant memory!” I promised her, hoping I could make good on that promise.
“Wow Steph, you really are in love with AJ aren’t you? You have that look about you”
“What kind of look?” I asked curiously
“The kind of look that says you’re getting lots of fantastic sex, you lucky cow” she teased
I blushed slightly, but couldn’t deny it. Sex with AJ was fantastic. AJ was fantastic. Yeah, I was loved up alright!
We left the airport and walked to where my car was parked. It was another gloriously sunny day here in Los Angeles with just the slightest warm breeze.
“Nice car” Izzy said once we’d loaded her things into the boot and were inside the car “wouldn’t get much use out of it back home though, most of the time you’d have to keep the roof on”
“I know” I replied
True, we had more than our share of rainy days back home, but I still missed the place. Los Angeles just didn’t seem real to me, I still couldn’t picture myself living here forever.
We drove along the Pacific Coast Highway, our hair blowing out all around us in the breeze, talking and catching up on each other’s lives. It was so good to see Izzy again.
“So, where’s the hubby today?” she turned to me
“He’s working, they’re still working on their new CD” I giggled a little as I remembered what AJ and I had got up to in that recording studio. I thanked god he’d managed to get hold of that tape from the security office before anyone had had a chance to see it. We’d run out of there like a couple of teenagers, giggling and holding hands, tape in hand.
“Oh yeah, what’s so funny?” Izzy questioned
“Nothing, just thinking about Alex” I smiled
“You really do love him don’t you? Have you told him you love him yet? Has he said it to you?” she questioned whilst I drove
“Yes, yes and yes” I answered “we love each other”
“Sweet” she smiled “so what’s happening with the divorce?”
“Hmm” I said “that I don’t know for sure. I suppose we’ll just have to see how things go”
“I can’t see it happening” she told me “I said back in Las Vegas that there was something there between you, the way you were together just seemed so…right”
“Well, we’ll see. Anyway, I thought we were going to have today as a ‘no man day’ and that means no talking about any of them, even AJ” I said
“You’re right” she agreed “so, what are the shops like here?”
“That’s more like it. You’re going to love them” I promised her.
We arrived at my house and Izzy immediately loved it and made herself right at home in the guest bedroom, spreading her clothes and belongings out like they’d always been there.
“Lovely place Steph, wow, and look at that view!” she said and spun around to face me “you are so lucky”
“Well, as nice as it is, I miss home” I admitted
“What? When you’ve got this? Are you mad?” she teased “but I suppose it takes some getting used to, living in another country”
“Yeah” I agreed “it does”
It was late in the afternoon and I knew Izzy wouldn’t feel like doing a lot after her long journey, so we sat outside with the view of the ocean before us and just talked for a while.
“Who is he?” Izzy peered over her sunglasses at my neighbour Lucas as he got out of his car.
“My neighbour Lucas North, he’s a writer, and he’s married” I informed her
“Shame” she muttered and I laughed. She’d only been here a couple of hours and was already eyeing up the men!
“I thought you were off men” I teased her
“No harm in looking though” she replied as she eyed him up and down
“Hey Steph” Lucas called out
“Hi Lucas” I replied
“Hi” Izzy called out and gave him her flirtiest look.
“You must be Izzy, hi I’m Lucas” he replied “nice to meet you”
“Likewise” Izzy replied “we’re having a little party here tomorrow night, you are more than welcome to come”
“Great, what time?” he asked
Izzy looked at me quickly and then turned back to Lucas “eight o’clock”
“I’ll be there, unfortunately Catherine is away working at the moment, so it’ll just be me” he said and Izzy muttered ‘perfect’ just loud enough for me to hear.
“That’s a shame, where is she this time?” I asked. Catherine was an actor but I’d never seen any of her films nor heard of them, but at least she was getting work, unlike a lot of actors in this city.
“She’s in France” he replied “she’ll be back in a couple of weeks”
“Nice” Izzy said “I mean, France is nice”
We chatted for a couple more minutes but then Lucas’s phone started to ring and he had to go, waving goodbye to us as he walked into his house.
“Fuck me Steph, he’s friggin gorgeous” she said “and he’s got a sexy as hell voice…I bet everything about him is hot”
“Izzy” I chastised her
“Well…he is. No harm in looking and admiring the man” she retorted
“No, you’re right. No harm in admiring the man” I agreed, although I wondered if admiring him was all she wanted to do. “So, I guess we’re having a party then”
“Sorry, do you mind?” she asked rather sheepishly
“No I don’t mind at all, in fact I think it’s a great idea. Come on let’s order a takeaway and talk about what we need to buy for this party tomorrow” I said and we walked into the house to start planning.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry for the delay, I've been away for a week and didn't have my laptop with me.
Chapter End Notes:
Please let me know what you think! I know not a lot happens in this chapter, but sometimes you have to have a bit of a filler chapter.
