It was seven fifty-eight when Izzy hurried out of the house. She’d done the best she could to make herself presentable, but her hair was an ugly brown mess, frizzy and not even clean. And none of her clothes looked good on her now that she’d grown so thin.
At least she’d managed to put on some deodorant and change into a clean jumper and a plain white dress. Over that, she wore a denim jacket with a furry lining, and she was glad of its warmth.
Shivering, she gripped the handle of her canvas tote bag. Inside, she had two bottles of Chardonnay and a birthday card for Louise. Her shoulder bag contained her copy of A Study in Scarlet and Elaine’s diary.
Her first ever book club meeting.
Izzy didn’t feel ready for it. What would she say? She’d only read a few chapters of the book. Sure, it had been fun to see how Dr. Watson met Sherlock Holmes. They were two of the most famous characters in literature. But she had nothing smart to say about the book. She’d never been academically gifted, and she felt sure the others would think she was an idiot.
As she approached the footpath on the other side of the road, a large man walked past. Seeing the big belly and scraggly beard, Izzy recognised Louise’s husband, Robert. Absorbed in lighting a cigarette, he didn’t notice her as he headed in the opposite direction.
Behind her she heard the roar of an engine and saw a van coming down the street. A white van.
Adam?
Izzy felt a stab of terror.
She stepped up onto the footpath behind Robert and made her way through the open gate of his house.
The van probably wasn’t Adam, right? She shouldn’t get paranoid. Still, her stomach churned as she climbed the steps. She felt like she was running again. The van had stopped up the street. Adam could be sitting in it, waiting for her.
Izzy saw a shadowy form moving along the footpath.
Her heart nearly stopped.
She waited, terrified, until the figure stepped under a streetlight and Izzy saw that it was a woman. Maybe she was coming here, to the meeting?
There was no backing out now. Izzy pressed the doorbell, heard it ring.
The other woman turned in at Louise’s gate, climbed the steps, two at a time. The light from the sconce lit up her face as she got to the top. Her face and her thick-framed half-circle glasses, were familiar.
It was Dee, the librarian. She wore a long, padded coat that covered her whole body. It was like she was wrapped in a duvet.
Dee smiled. “Hello again.”
Izzy remembered running out of the library, after realising her passport was still at Adam’s place.
“Sorry about earlier. You must think I’m a lunatic.”
The librarian shook her head. “I just hoped you were okay. What happened?”
“I’m fine.” Izzy returned the other woman’s smile. “It was nothing.”
The door opened and Louise appeared in the doorway. Louise had changed into another stylish outfit since Izzy had seen her earlier. A long, colourful top over another pair of pale trousers. As before, her face was beautifully made up, and innumerable pieces of jewellery sparkled in the light.
I’m so not ready for this, Izzy thought.
Louise’s face lit up when she saw them.
“Come in. Tess and Melanie are here. We’re only waiting on Kate.”