"I'm sorry that I surprised you with Lou," said Janet, picking at her hair in the bathroom mirror.

The flecks of gold in her hair and the way she flipped it over her shoulder reminded Izzy of Gloria. But that was where the comparison ended. Janet was prim and proper, a real lady by every definition. In all the years Izzy had known her, she'd never uttered a swear word, or even raised her voice, for that matter. She was the perfect picture of composure, never wavering her careful balance.

"It's not your fault," Izzy said. "Anyway, Lou's a nice guy. And so is Fred. You're really lucky to have found someone like him, he adores you."

For the last hour, Izzy felt almost like her old self again. It was, quite honestly, the first time since she returned home that she'd been able to truly relax and enjoy life. Lou wasn't as forward as she'd first made him out to be. He seemed content with small talk and made no moves to woo her, which put her at ease.

"Have you decided when your wedding will be?" she asked.

"This spring. Probably the end of April," said Janet with a delighted smile. "My mother and Fred's mother are so excited. They meet at least once every single week to work on the preparations. I just need to finish my dress. And, I want you to be a bridesmaid. That's part of the reason I was trying to get a hold of you."

"I'd love to," said Izzy, blocking out the sharp pain in her chest.

The last time she'd been out with Janet, she'd planned on asking her the same thing. She'd been elated that night when Donny had promised to marry her. But, it was all a lie. That day she called him when he didn't show up to the house flashed through her mind, tormenting her. Peering at Janet's radiant smile in the mirror, she realized a bridesmaid might be as close as she would come to getting married.

Janet caught her expression. "The perfect guy is out there waiting for you too, Izzy. I hope I can be your bridesmaid when it happens." She giggled. "Especially if it's Wes Rizzo."

"I'd bet on Lou before Wes Rizzo," Izzy said.

Janet cast her a sideways glance through the mirror. "Do you like him? I mean, it would be perfect. And he is pretty dreamy. Of course, not as dreamy as Fred."

Izzy frowned. "Don't get your hopes up. I'm not looking. Not for—quite awhile."

Over the speakers in the ceiling of the pink and green tiled powder room, Doris Day's voice rang out in a ballad. Janet's lips formed to say something, but she thought better of it. Instead, she stuffed her makeup, spread out on the counter, back into her clutch.

The two men were waiting for them, grasping their coats in outstretched arms.

Fred nudged Lou, a grin spreading on his face. "What did I tell you? A girl's bathroom break is no shorter than ten minutes. When two or more women go to the bathroom, men should be scared. Because we know they're talking about us."

"Only good things," said Janet, pecking him on the cheek.

Lou held Izzy's coat while she put it on. She tried not to think about how many times Donny had done the same thing, only he always followed it with a brush of his lips on the back of her neck. She shivered at the thought. His lips had felt so warm and tender at the time, she'd misinterpreted it as an act of love.

"There's a real blizzard out there," Lou said, breaking her thoughts. "Good thing we don't have far to go. We'll drop you off right at home this time."

As she stepped outside, the artic air hit her, momentarily taking Izzy's breath away. In front of her, Janet's foot slipped on a patch of ice that had formed on the sidewalk. Her arms swung as she stumbled backwards. Fred caught her before she could fall. Her wrapped her in his arms, laughing. "Be careful sweetheart, you don't want to break anything before the wedding."

Beside her, Lou groaned. "Kinda sickening, don't you think?"

Izzy laughed. "I think it's adorable, really. I'm happy for her."

"If you knew Fred before he met Janet, you'd understand," said Lou. "The guy didn't have a single emotional bone in his body. Now all of the sudden he's Casinova."

"I guess that's what love does," said Izzy.

She cringed at her own words. Who was she to talk about love? Clearly, she didn't know anything about love—especially how to tell if it was real.

The car was covered under a few inches of thick snow. While the men worked on wiping it off the windshield, Izzy and Janet sat in the car, their teeth chattering.

Once the snow was cleared, the men hopped in, their breath billowing out like cigarette smoke.

"Gosh, it's cold," said Fred. "Ugh, my fingers are throbbing."

"For a while there we didn't think we were going to make it," joked Lou. "But the thought of you two lovely women alone in this cold car freezing to death kept us going."

Izzy laughed. "We could fend for ourselves. My father taught me how to drive."

Janet giggled beside her. They all sighed with relief when the engine finally turned over after the third crank.

Fred's car slip-slided home through the sparkling winter wonderland. Izzy's house was the first stop. The snow crunched as they skidded to a stop, nearly running over the curb. Lou hopped out and jotted around to open her door.

It was starkly quiet, the snow insulating the earth. The creak of the car door hinges and the sound of Lou's boots on the ground seemed to radiate throughout the entire neighborhood as she stepped out. With a wave goodbye, she thanked Fred and Janet.

"I had a great time, thank you," she said, turning to Lou.

To her surprise, Lou didn't get back into the car. She realized with a ping of anxiety that he was intent on walking her to her front door. No.That wouldn't do. She'd told her parents she was going out with Janet, not on a double date with two men she'd never met before.

The stairs leading to the house hadn't been shoveled. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed her arm. Even in the freezing cold, Izzy's cheeks smoldered. She resisted the urge to pull away from him, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

At the top of the stairs, she caught her breath when she spotted the silhouette of her parents at the window through the porch light. Her stomach plunging, she pulled her arm away from Lou.

"Thanks again. It was nice meeting you," she said quickly.

They stood on the walkway, just at the bottom of the porch stairs. "Is it alright if I get your number from Janet?" Lou asked, catching her off guard.

"I—," Izzy shifted, her eyes on the front door. To her horror, it opened and her father stepped out.

His face was shadowed so she couldn't capture his expression.

"Daddy, this is Lou," she said hurriedly, tripping over her words. "Janet's fiancé Fred's friend. He was just helping me up the stairs to make sure I didn't fall."

She sounded absurd, like a schoolgirl who'd been caught sneaking in past her curfew, not like the eighteen year old grown woman she was.

"Lou, yes! I thought I recognized you from somewhere," her father said, reaching out his hand. "You're Ben Pischner's son aren't you?"

Lou relaxed, giving her father's hand a firm shake. Izzy looked on in wonder.

"Yes sir. Yes I am. A pleasure meeting you, sir."

"A fine man, your father," said her father. "I don't see him as often anymore since he left the bank. But, I hear he's doing very well managing that new furniture company."

"Well, yes he is," said Lou. "Very well. I'll tell him you said hello."

"And you? What are you up to?" her father pressed.

Izzy shifted anxiously beside poor Lou, but he didn't seem to mind her father's prodding questions.

"I'm in college for engineering," he said, brushing the snow from the shoulders of his wool coat. "And of course I work for my father on the side."

Her father smiled approvingly, making Izzy feel even more uncomfortable and increasingly confused.

"That's good. Very good. You have a lot going for you, Lou. Be sure to send your regards to your father and your mother—Sara is it?"

"Yes, Sara. I will. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Twiss." Lou turned to Izzy. "Goodbye Izzy."

"Goodbye," she said, trying desperately to smile instead of frown.

Why was her father so interested in Lou? After all, he was practically a stranger, she'd only just met him that night. She waved to the three of them as the car pulled away, then followed him into the house.

Her mother was standing just inside the doorway, her hands crossed over the small bulge on her stomach. Izzy always avoided looking at her mother's pregnant belly, for fear the deep agonizing pain she locked away would stir once again. But, this time she was more focused on her father's queer reaction to Lou.

"I didn't even know that Janet was bringing Fred and Lou when she asked me to go out with her," she started off.

"Don't worry Izzy, your mother and I aren't angry with you. We're happy that you're meeting new people. The only thing I worried about was you getting back in this blizzard," her father said. "Lou is a very fine, decent young man. I'm glad the two of you met tonight."

Izzy's brow wrinkled. "It wasn't a date, Daddy. He just happened to tag along with Janet and Fred. I'll probably never see him again."

Her mother pressed her lips together as her eyes met Izzy's. "Izzy, I wouldn't be so quick to toss this opportunity aside. A nice young man like that might not come around every day."

Izzy knew that her mother meant it would be hard for her to find a man who would take her as she was. Damaged goods. She shouldn't be selective—only grateful for a decent man's advances.

"Did you have a good time, sweetheart?" her father asked, drawing her from her thoughts.

"Yes. Yes, I did," she said, wanting to end the conversation as soon as possible.

"Good, good," said her father, patting the small of her back.

"Well, I'm pretty tired," said Izzy. "If it's alright, I'm going to my room."

Her mother and father exchanged glances. "Of course," said her mother. "Have a good night's sleep."

"I thought you said you weren't going on a date," Maria whispered, sticking her head out of her room the minute she made it upstairs.

The little girl looked genuinely offended. Izzy had to smile. Nothing escaped Maria in the Twiss household. One could always count on her to eavesdrop on a conversation.

"It wasn't a date," she said. "There just happened to be boys."

"You're lied to me," Maria's voice rose as she followed her to her room. "Izzy, I'm a teenager now. You can talk to me about these things."

"Shush your mouth, Maria. I didn't lie. I didn't think anyone but Janet would be there. It was a surprise."

Maria followed her into her room and closed the door behind them. "Okay, well—was he dreamy?"

Izzy sat down on the bed, letting out an exasperated sigh. "I'm sure you got a good look while you were spying out of the window."

Maria huffed as she plopped next to her on the bed. "The snow was in the way."

"He's pretty handsome," said Izzy, indulging her. "And very much a gentleman."

Maria leaned forward. "What color are his eyes?"

"I don't know. Hazel, I guess. Why?"

"Hmmm—not what I was expecting. With a name like Lou I was thinking blue. Dreamboat blue."

Izzy groaned. "Oh Maria, stop."

"How about his hair? Is he tall?"

"Blonde, and yes, he's tall."

"What did you do?"

"What do you mean? We went bowling."

"That's all?"

"Yes Maria. That's all. Nothing else."

Maria rolled her eyes. "Well, that's incredibly boring."

Izzy grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "Exactly how I like it. Now let me go to sleep, I'm tired."