{Chapter 8}
Once everyone had washed up they all sat down at the table to eat.
“Are you two over the whole chubby thing or do I have to worry about you making piggy noises while I eat,” Kennedy asked.
“Ken,” Cindy said in mock hurt. “Would I do such a horrible thing to you?”
“No, but she might,” Kennedy replied pointing to Isabella.
“I am seriously wounded, Ken,” Isabella said. “We’re here to have this lovely dinner as a family.” Kennedy smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of making piggy noises. Honestly.”
“All right,” Kennedy said. “I get the message, Izzy. You’re gonna be a handful aren’t you?”
Isabella just smirked and inhaled the heavenly scent of the meal on the table. “Everything looks and smells delicious,” she said to Cindy.
“Thank you,” Cindy said smiling as she passed the bowl of mixed vegetables to Kennedy. “Oh, I forgot the dinner rolls.” With that she stood and rushed into the kitchen.
“So, how did you and Cindy meet,” Isabella asked as she took some slices of pot roast and passed the plate to him.
“Uh uh,” Kennedy replied as Cindy came back with the basket of dinner rolls and placed them on the table. “You tell me how you met your scumbag ex first.”
Isabella sighed. “Not much to talk about,” she replied shrugging.
“Don’t give me that,” Kennedy said. “You were married to the guy for two years.”
“How exactly do you know so much about my life,” Isabella demanded.
“Well…I needed to find you,” Kennedy sputtered. “So, I…hired a private investigator.”
“I thought it was suspicious when Jeff mentioned something about photos,” Isabella said with a frown. “I’m not sure I like you snooping around in my life.”
“I wasn’t snooping,” Kennedy said defensively. “I just needed to find you.”
“Whatever,” Isabella said with a wave of her hand. “I met Jakob when I was nineteen,” she said. “He was playing in a local band and I had a huge crush on him. I got the chance to meet him one night after a gig and from there we seemed to just click. We started dating and before I knew it…Jakob proposed.”
“Is this before or after he started getting violent,” Kennedy asked.
“Way before,” Isabella replied. She hated dredging up the memories.
“Did your mom approve of Jakob,” Cindy asked.
“Not at all,” Isabella replied. “She saw something in him that I was totally blind to. She actually told me that if I went ahead and married him I would no longer be welcome in her home.”
“And yet you went ahead and married him anyway,” Kennedy said shaking his head.
“I was in love,” Isabella replied defensively. “Yes, I went ahead and married Jakob. We eloped. It wasn’t long after that when he started verbally abusing me. Things weren’t going well for his band and he lashed out at me. Then he started drinking and getting high.”
“Why didn’t you get out then,” Kennedy asked, unable to understand why she would stay with someone like that.
“I was afraid of him,” she replied forcing back the tears. “I tried to leave him once. I packed my bags and everything. He..he threatened to kill me if I left.”
“When did he start hitting you,” Cindy asked gently.
“A little over a year into our marriage I found out that I was pregnant,” she said softly. “When Jakob found out he was livid.”
Kennedy groaned inwardly. Though he had a feeling he knew what happened he asked anyway. “What happened to the baby?”
“Jakob beat me so bad that night,” she said a couple of tears slipping down her cheeks. “I lost it.” She wiped the tears away. “Mom came to the hospital and took me home. After that she helped me get away from Jakob. She’s the one who gave me the strength to file for divorce.”
“You poor thing,” Cindy said getting up and hugging Isabella.
“Thank you for the lovely dinner, Cindy,” she said sniffling. “If it’s all right with you guys I’d like to just go to bed. It’s been a long day.”
“Of course,” Kennedy said. He watched Isabella head upstairs, a frown on his face. “Jesus, Randy Orton is a fucking saint compared to her ex.”
“Maybe you should just trust that she knows what she’s doing, Ken,” Cindy said clearing Isabella’s plate. “She is a big girl. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. She’ll see through Orton’s shit soon enough.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Kennedy murmured.
~*~
The next morning Isabella was awakened by someone signing…badly…and off key. With a groan she sat up in bed, hoping and praying it wasn’t Kennedy. She threw on a robe and headed downstairs.
“Hey, Izzy,” Jeff happily greeted before going back to singing as he flipped pancakes.
“Are you always this cheerful in the morning,” she asked, going to the coffeepot and pouring herself a cup. She took a sip and cringed, adding sugar and milk to it.
“He’s this cheerful no matter what time of day it is,” came a voice from behind her. She turned to face the speaker. “Matt Hardy, that screwball’s older brother,” the man said smiling. He was slightly taller than Jeff and had long, dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes.
“Isabella,” she replied. “But you can call me Izzy. Where’s Ken and Cindy?”
“We’re here,” Cindy called coming into the kitchen with Kennedy’s arm around her waist. “I see you’ve met Matt.” All four of them cringed when Jeff began to sing louder.
“Jeff! Can it,” Kennedy called. “Is breakfast ready yet?”
“Almost,” Jeff said flipping the last pancake onto a plate. “Just need to check on the eggs.” He set the plate on the table. “You guys can dig in. I’ll join you in a little while.”
“Whose idea was it for Rainbow to cook breakfast,” Isabella asked eyeing the pancakes suspiciously.
“It’s tradition,” Jeff said setting a platter of scrambled eggs on the table.
“Matt and Jeff stop over for breakfast at least once a week,” Kennedy explained. “It’s how they keep in touch with their cousin. Family means a lot to the boys.”
Matt nodded. “Go on,” he said taking a bite of egg. “Jeff might look like a freak, but he cooks a mean breakfast.”
With a shrug Isabella grabbed a couple of pancakes and some eggs and dug in. Taking a bite of the pancakes she was surprised to find that they were chocolate chip. Her favorite. “This is delicious,” she said smiling at Jeff.
“Thank you,” Jeff chirped. “So, what are your plans for today?”
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Kennedy said setting his fork down. “Izzy, I made an appointment to have the testing done. It’s for this afternoon.”
“All right,” she replied.
“Then you have the morning free,” Jeff asked. Isabella nodded, though she kind of feared what he had in mind.
“Great,” Jeff said excitedly. “We can head to the mall and get you a make over.”
“What’s wrong with the way I look,” Isabella demanded.
“Nothing,” Matt replied. “Jeff just likes to give people make overs.”
“Great,” Isabella sighed, knowing it would be no use arguing with Jeff.
~*~
“Come on, Izzy,” Jeff called banging on the changing room door. “You’ve been in there a long time.”
“I’m not coming out,” Isabella replied. “It was one thing when you had them lop off all my hair.” She looked at her hair in the mirror and frowned. Her once long, dark brown tresses were now styled in a short, angular cut with streaks of neon pink and turquoise in it. “I am not coming out in this ridiculous outfit.”
She had humored Jeff when he had picked out the miniskirt and belly shirt combo, but now that she had it on…it just wasn’t her. She shook her head looking at the outfit and quickly changed back into her jeans and baggy shirt. Jeff groaned when she came out of the changing room.
“I think you’re missing the point of a make over,” he said.
“Fine, you want me to try on an outfit?” He nodded his head emphatically. “Let me pick out the clothes.” She surveyed the racks and picked out some pieces before heading into the changing room.
When she emerged she was wearing a pair of hip hugging black jeans and an electric blue tank top. “Happy now,” she asked turning around so that Jeff could see the crystal butterflies on the back pockets of the jeans.
“Yes,” he replied. “Now we can go.” He snatched the tags off the new clothes and brought them to the cashier, paying before Isabella could protest. “Come on. We have about twenty minutes to meet Ken at the lab.”
~*~
“Izzy,” Ken asked when Jeff walked in with her. “Is that you?”
“Jeff’s idea,” she said running her fingers through her hair. “Do you like?”
“You look…beautiful,” he replied. He meant it too. The change was a good one, though he could do without the streaks of color in her hair.
“Let’s get this test done,” she muttered. Kennedy nodded and followed her to the reception desk.
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