a woman have the job again.”
“You weren’t very nice to him,” I reminded her.
“That’s because he’s a jerk, and not really worth my time or energy,” she explained, but I noted a slight catch in her voice and the way her body stiffened when she first saw him.
“Issy!” Her father said as he approached her with his arms spread wide. He was a mass of a man, well over six feet and relatively built for someone his age. Issy was a good foot shorter than him and seemed to get swallowed up in his huge hug.
“Hi Daddy,” I heard her say in a muffled voice.
“You look beautiful as always, and I love the pink much better than the blue from this summer.” He was touching her hair as he said that, and I almost lost my composure. I guess Issy’s look didn’t have quite the effect she wanted. His attention was suddenly diverted to me, and his massive presence was such that I pulled my sweater tighter around me hoping to find some comfort. “You must be Avery.”
“Yes sir, thanks for having me.”
“Of course! Any friend of Issy’s is always welcome here. Shall we go see Anna?” He wrapped his arm affectionately around Issy and led us though the enormous foyer. I glanced up at the set of stairs that each curved up to the second story like mirror images of themselves. My eyes squinted as I thought I caught a glimpse of someone peaking through the rails, but he disappeared so quickly, I was sure it was an illusion. I turned back to follow Issy’s father, not wanting to lose them in the vastness of the house.
The décor of his home was drastically different from Diana’s. Everything here was rich and ornate with lots of gold and wood tones. There wasn’t a piece of furniture that didn’t look like it was taken from a mid-century European castle. I felt uncomfortable in the space, like I was a tourist who shouldn’t touch anything.
We finally made it to the living room, which was no different from the rest of the house. The floors were gold marble and the walls and ceilings were lined with intricately carved walnut paneling and gold leaf. The furniture was a royal purple with gold trim and looked horribly uncomfortable.
Anna was moving around a vase of flowers as we walked in and practically squealed with delight when she saw Issy. Her mannerisms were eccentric and borderline obnoxious as she grabbed Issy in a bear hug.
“We are so glad you are here! It’s been way too long!” Her voice sounded odd as if it had been trained to hide the southern accent that was all too apparent. She had bleached blond hair and her dress was so incredibly short and tight that I could see her string underwear beneath it.
I was sure I stood there with my mouth wide open as I took in the sight of it all because I didn’t even notice the assistant walk up behind me until I heard him say, “Don’t worry, it’s a lot to take in all at once.” I turned to look and he winked at me before fixing the vase that Anna had just left dangling too close to the edge of the table.
Issy finally detangled herself from the clutches of her overzealous stepmom and came to stand beside me. I took one look at her and almost couldn’t control the giggles.
Her face was red with fury and the likeness to her hair was quite a sight. Tears threatened my eyes as I tried my best to maintain my composure. When Issy saw me, she started laughing so hard that I had no more resolve, and the room came to a halt as everyone watched us succumb to gut-wrenching fits of laughter. I looked up, and Anna seemed annoyed, making it even harder to stop. The only one who didn’t seem taken aback by our outburst was the assistant who watched with a sparkle in his eye. I was sure I was making a horrible first impression, but it didn’t matter at the moment.
We finally got ourselves under control and wiped the tears out of our eyes. The room was silent for only a moment and then Issy’s dad clapped his hands and said, “Let’s eat!” as if nothing had just transpired. Issy grabbed my hand and bounced into the dining room, starting to look a little like her old self. We sat opposite of Anna and her son,