on your father.”
“Haven’t they heard of e-mail? It’s quicker,” Izzie said without thinking. Bill chuckled. Izzie didn’t look at him.
“They said something about not wanting the layout to be misconstrued.” Callista leaned her long arms on the counter.She had a yellow legal pad in front of her, and it looked like she had been taking notes. “How was school?”
“Super as always,” Hayden smirked. “Well, unless you’re Mira or Izzie.”
Callista’s face clouded over. “Are you still having a hard time? God, I hate high school! What do you two have to do with any of these politics?”
“Mira’s former best friend is Holden Ingram’s daughter,” Bill explained.
Callista groaned. “No wonder school is miserable. If that girl is anywhere near the snake her father is…” Callista glanced down at her dessert plate, embarrassed. “That was wrong. Sorry. I just get so mad sometimes!” She looked at Bill. “The Ingrams are trying to ruin a super candidate like your dad by backing that one-trick pony Steven Fray. It makes me sick to think about the money they’re throwing at him.”
“Holden Ingram has come out publicly to support your father’s new opponent for the ticket,” Aunt Maureen explained, her face grim. “He’s a rookie district attorney who is riding the family-values wave. As if marrying the secretary you got pregnant is family values!” Aunt Maureen’s voice had a hard edge Izzie hadn’t heard before. She seemed so stressed these days. “The Ingrams are determined to get Fray the nomination instead of your father.” She looked at Izzie worriedly. “Fray also supports Holden Ingrams’s coastal revitalizationproject and wants to start by tearing down half of Harborside Pier, including the community center.”
Izzie felt like she had just been sucker punched. Her former community center was always in jeopardy of not having enough funding, but it hadn’t occurred to her that someone would try to take a wrecking ball to it.
“I don’t want you to worry, Isabelle,” Bill told her. She knew he had withdrawn his support of Holden’s project. “I’m going to do all I can to make sure no one touches the community center unless they’re renovating it.”
“Thanks, Unc—” Izzie paused. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to call you anymore, and I can’t keep pretending not to call you anything or say ‘hey, you.’ ”
He took a sip of coffee. “What do you want to call me?”
“
Dad
feels weird,” Izzie said quickly, and felt her cheeks burn. That sounded mean. “
Uncle
doesn’t work, either, though, right? Since that’s clearly a lie?” She had noticed sometimes it was harder being angry at Bill then just letting things go.
“If calling me Uncle makes you comfortable, then do that,” he said thoughtfully. “Or just call me Bill.”
“But not in public,” Callista said hastily, and everyone looked at her. “It’s just so forward—well, for down here. I don’t know how that would go over in the polls.”
“I’m more worried about what Izzie wants,” Bill said, looking directly at her. “If you want to call me Bill, call me Bill.”
Izzie thought for a moment. Did she really want to get used to calling him something else when she was just getting used to
Uncle
? “I think I’ll stick with
Uncle Bill
for now.” He nodded.
The rest of the room was so quiet, Izzie could hear the sound of the dishwasher running in the background. Mira broke the ice with a strange new topic.
“So, Callista, I was wondering…” Mira twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. “Any chance
Teen Vogue
might want to interview me and Izzie?”
“Why would we want to do that?” Izzie looked ready to have a heart attack.
Callista munched on an M&M cookie. “I think that’s a super idea! I’m sure they’d love to have you. I’ll make some calls. I know the editor at
Justine
personally.”
Mira squealed, and now everyone was looking at her. “What? I
“Haven’t they heard of e-mail? It’s quicker,” Izzie said without thinking. Bill chuckled. Izzie didn’t look at him.
“They said something about not wanting the layout to be misconstrued.” Callista leaned her long arms on the counter.She had a yellow legal pad in front of her, and it looked like she had been taking notes. “How was school?”
“Super as always,” Hayden smirked. “Well, unless you’re Mira or Izzie.”
Callista’s face clouded over. “Are you still having a hard time? God, I hate high school! What do you two have to do with any of these politics?”
“Mira’s former best friend is Holden Ingram’s daughter,” Bill explained.
Callista groaned. “No wonder school is miserable. If that girl is anywhere near the snake her father is…” Callista glanced down at her dessert plate, embarrassed. “That was wrong. Sorry. I just get so mad sometimes!” She looked at Bill. “The Ingrams are trying to ruin a super candidate like your dad by backing that one-trick pony Steven Fray. It makes me sick to think about the money they’re throwing at him.”
“Holden Ingram has come out publicly to support your father’s new opponent for the ticket,” Aunt Maureen explained, her face grim. “He’s a rookie district attorney who is riding the family-values wave. As if marrying the secretary you got pregnant is family values!” Aunt Maureen’s voice had a hard edge Izzie hadn’t heard before. She seemed so stressed these days. “The Ingrams are determined to get Fray the nomination instead of your father.” She looked at Izzie worriedly. “Fray also supports Holden Ingrams’s coastal revitalizationproject and wants to start by tearing down half of Harborside Pier, including the community center.”
Izzie felt like she had just been sucker punched. Her former community center was always in jeopardy of not having enough funding, but it hadn’t occurred to her that someone would try to take a wrecking ball to it.
“I don’t want you to worry, Isabelle,” Bill told her. She knew he had withdrawn his support of Holden’s project. “I’m going to do all I can to make sure no one touches the community center unless they’re renovating it.”
“Thanks, Unc—” Izzie paused. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to call you anymore, and I can’t keep pretending not to call you anything or say ‘hey, you.’ ”
He took a sip of coffee. “What do you want to call me?”
“
Dad
feels weird,” Izzie said quickly, and felt her cheeks burn. That sounded mean. “
Uncle
doesn’t work, either, though, right? Since that’s clearly a lie?” She had noticed sometimes it was harder being angry at Bill then just letting things go.
“If calling me Uncle makes you comfortable, then do that,” he said thoughtfully. “Or just call me Bill.”
“But not in public,” Callista said hastily, and everyone looked at her. “It’s just so forward—well, for down here. I don’t know how that would go over in the polls.”
“I’m more worried about what Izzie wants,” Bill said, looking directly at her. “If you want to call me Bill, call me Bill.”
Izzie thought for a moment. Did she really want to get used to calling him something else when she was just getting used to
Uncle
? “I think I’ll stick with
Uncle Bill
for now.” He nodded.
The rest of the room was so quiet, Izzie could hear the sound of the dishwasher running in the background. Mira broke the ice with a strange new topic.
“So, Callista, I was wondering…” Mira twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. “Any chance
Teen Vogue
might want to interview me and Izzie?”
“Why would we want to do that?” Izzie looked ready to have a heart attack.
Callista munched on an M&M cookie. “I think that’s a super idea! I’m sure they’d love to have you. I’ll make some calls. I know the editor at
Justine
personally.”
Mira squealed, and now everyone was looking at her. “What? I
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