“It’s so good to see you, too,” Izzy said. “I feel like it’s been forever.”
She popped the trunk of the car and reached for Priya’s suitcase.
“I can’t believe you packed everything for the wedding in this suitcase.”
Priya laughed. “I didn’t. This is only like half of it. My mom has the rest.” She held up a hand. “Wait: Where did this car come from? When you said you’d pick me up at the airport, I thought you meant you’d just take an Uber or something and meet me here.”
“Oh.” Izzy must not have told her this part. “This is Beau’s car.”
Priya’s eyes widened. “This is HIS car? Okay, yet ANOTHER thing we’re going to have to talk about.”
Izzy rolled her eyes and went around to the driver side. “Oh, stop that. It’s no big deal.”
Izzy pulled Priya in for another hug as soon as they were both in the car. “I can’t believe you’re here. I’ve missed you so much!”
Priya nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’ve missed you, too, etc., but you haven’t told me yet if you’re taking me to the HOUSE or not, and if I’m going to get to meet HIM. I’m dying here.”
Izzy started the car. She was still nervous about this.
“Yes, I’m taking you to THE HOUSE,” she said. “Beau said it was fine, but I don’t know if you’ll get to meet him; he may not be around.” That was one way of saying that Izzy hadn’t told Beau that Priya wanted to meet him. He’d seemed weird enough about the idea of Priya coming over. Izzy was pretty sure she’d been one of the only people, other than Michaela, who Beau had really interacted with in the past year—Priya might be too much for him. He’d probably be hiding away in one of the off-limits rooms while she gave Priya her tour. Her very brief tour.
Priya shrugged. “Oh well, I can’t have everything. Though I can’t believe he doesn’t want to meet me.”
Izzy laughed. “While you’re obviously the center of the universe, Beau and I don’t actually talk about you. We mostly talk about his memoir, since that’s what I’m here for, remember?”
“Mmm, sure, his memoir. Oooh, look at the beach!” Priya stared out the passenger-side window, at the ocean right there along the side of the freeway. Izzy remembered when she’d driven this stretch of freeway on the way from LA to Beau’s house, and how amazed she’d been at the ocean, and how nervous she’d been about her destination. It felt like a lifetime ago.
Only about fifteen minutes later, they drove up to the house, and Izzy pulled the car into the long driveway.
“We don’t have a ton of time,” she said, “because I managed to get us dinner reservations at a great place downtown, but we have to be there in less than an hour, and it’ll take some time to find parking and stuff.” She’d gotten the early reservation exactly so they wouldn’t have a ton of time at the house. Not that she’d ever tell Priya that.
“I’m just excited to really be here,” Priya said. “Oh wow, a real, actual palm tree, right in the front yard!”
Izzy laughed. “There are more in the backyard, too. You’ll see.” She lowered her voice. “I can’t take you in all the rooms, though, okay? I’m just staying here, remember?”
Priya nodded, her eyes moving back and forth as she and Izzy walked up the path to the front door.
“Sure, whatever, but I’d better get to see the pool. Wow, look at that cactus; it’s enormous!”
Izzy unlocked the front door and ushered Priya inside. They both slipped their shoes off by the door and started down the hall.
“Wowwww, that staircase! You didn’t tell me about that!” Priya said.
Izzy laughed. “Isn’t it great? I go up and down it multiple times a day—I always sort of want to slide down that banister, but the tile floor would hurt too much if I fell. My room’s upstairs, let’s go there now.”
When Izzy opened the door to her room, Priya’s mouth dropped open.
“Okay, the pictures you sent did not show how huge this bedroom is! This is, like, bigger than most New York City apartments! And you have your own bathroom?” She burst through the bathroom doors and turned in a circle. “This is, like, a five-star-hotel kind of bathroom! And it’s the famous bathtub! Does Marta know you’re living in luxury?”
Izzy shook her head. “Absolutely not, and I will murder you if you even so much as hint it to her. As far as Marta knows, Beau lives in some boring suburb, and I’m in the servants’ quarters. I’d like to keep it that way, please.”