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“No, definitely not.”
Brooke studied her. “Okay, if you say so. But if you need a friend, I’m here. And I know that sounds a bit crazy because we only met yesterday, but this whole situation is strange, and I think our friendship might have an accelerated timeline. And that’s understandable. We’re bonded by adversity. Not that Mabel’s gorgeous house exactly feels like adversity. Either way, we’re going to be friends for life, I can feel it. And you’ve already listened to me stressing about my parents. Thank you for that, by the way. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything. Family can be complicated. I know that.”
“Are yours?”
“Oh, yes. Well—we don’t really see each other, so it’s not stressful in that sense.” She was relieved the subject had moved away from Jason. “If I’m honest, not seeing them is a lot less traumatic than seeing them.”
“But that must come with its own stresses.” Brooke gave her a long look. “Were you supposed to be spending Christmas with them?”
“No.”
“On your own, then?”
“Yes.” For some reason she couldn’t fathom, it was impossible to lie to Brooke. Maybe it was the directness of her gaze, or maybe it was because kindness pulsed out of her. Either way, she knew she had to be careful what she said. She didn’t want to say too much. “Just me. But don’t feel sad for me. I’m used to it. It’s okay.”
“That explains why you were the only one of us who looked happy when Mabel announced that we were going to be stranded here over Christmas.”
Izzy shrugged. “I couldn’t think of anything better than spending Christmas with your beautiful family and M.M. Kingston. Actual M.M. Kingston. I still haven’t really digested that.” She was a little embarrassed by how dizzy it made her feel. She relaxed a little. This felt like a safer topic than her Christmas plans. “When I was little I slept with her book under my pillow. I felt that as long as I had it with me, I could handle anything. Those books were like a manual for life. All I had to do was be like the Careless Witch. She taught me that no matter how much I messed up, there was always a way forward. She taught me that when you tripped over an obstacle you picked yourself up and kept going, no matter what.”
“I know. I was the same.” Brooke put the glass down and leaned against the countertop. “And those books cross generations. My children love the stories as much as I did, which is a testament to the brilliance of her writing.”
Izzy nodded. “I suppose it never dates because it’s about emotions, really. Coping with everyday situations and feelings. Those don’t change, whatever decade you’re living in or whatever is going on in the world around you.”
“True.” Brooke smiled. “It’s funny when you think about it—you were dreading Christmas alone, and I was dreading Christmas with my parents, so in a way maybe this accident was our little Christmas gift.” She glanced out the window at the snow. “And when you’re given a gift, it’s important to make the most of it.”
“I agree. That’s what I’m doing.”
“Is it?” Brooke turned to her. “You’re excited to spend Christmas with us, and with Mabel—what about Jason?”
Izzy felt the colour whoosh into her cheeks. “What about Jason?”
“Being snowed in presents the perfect opportunity.”
“Opportunity for what? We’re just colleagues.”
Brooke’s smile widened. “If that really is true then my next question is why?”
“Why?”
“Yes, why are you just colleagues when the chemistry between you is like a living thing? I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I’ve seen the way you look at him. I swear that if we have another power cut, all we need to do is find a way to tap into the electricity you two are producing. When you walked through that door yesterday, you said that you and Jason weren’t together. We’re not together, together, you said. Why not? And what happened in the summer?”
“The summer?”
“I saw his expression, and I saw your expression. Something happened in the summer.”
Izzy sighed. “It’s complicated.”
Brooke shrugged. “So? Show me a relationship that isn’t complicated.”
“You and Matt?”
“Oh, believe me, we have our moments. Like now, for example. We’re here because I insisted on travelling on to my parents’ house even though all the warnings were not to travel. He’s frustrated with me, and I feel guilty and torn. I behaved like a witch in the car, and not a cute witch like Tripalot. But we’ll figure it out, because that’s what we do. Even when things are a bit messy, we find a way through.” She gave a faint smile. “More Careless Witch psychology. So why haven’t you and Jason done something about these feelings you both have?”
“Well, we don’t really— We don’t have—” She stammered herself to a halt and caught Brooke’s eye.
“You’ll have to try harder,” she said kindly. “You’re not convincing me.”
