Grace Under Fire (Buchanan-Renard 14)

NINETEEN

Morning didn’t bring any regrets. Okay, maybe there were a few, but they came much later.

Isabel slept until after eight, and when she opened her eyes, she was alone in bed. She heard movement in the other room and surmised that Michael was an early riser, just another trait she was discovering about him. Last night had proven he was indeed a man of surprises. Groaning, she slowly stretched, then went into the bathroom to get ready for the day. When she moved, she was astonished at how tender she was, but then she had used just about every muscle in her body. How many times had they reached for each other? How many times had she reached for him? She was pretty sure she even nudged him awake once or twice. She had been that ravenous. But then, so had he.

A shower helped revive her. By the time she dressed, she was wide awake. And starving.

While she was drying her hair, she noticed Michael’s shaving kit wasn’t in the bathroom, and when she walked out through the bedroom she realized Michael wasn’t in the suite. She thought he might have gone downstairs for something until she noticed his gym bag was gone. He had packed up and taken off.

“That was rude,” she whispered. “Damn rude.” She thought of quite a few expletives she could shout just to vent her frustration, but then she came to her senses and realized how futile they would be.

Then she spotted the envelope with her name on it on the desk. She dreaded opening it. If he said, Thank you for last night, she might just let some of those expletives fly. Did he sneak away? No, of course not. Michael wasn’t the sneak-away kind of man. Still, he was gone. Didn’t he want to face her in the morning light? Why didn’t he wake her and tell her where he was going?

Isabel held the envelope in her hand for a good five minutes before she finally opened it. The note was short. Michael had a long drive to get to a meeting he couldn’t miss, and he wouldn’t be back until early evening. Regan was in the city and would drive Isabel back to Nathan’s Bay. Michael’s last line was anything but affectionate. See you at the party.

Couldn’t be more lovey-dovey than that, now, could he? What had she expected? She knew what she was doing last night. She had all but begged him to make love to her, and she wasn’t at all sorry about it. She just wanted to be with him for one beautiful night. No strings attached. She knew he didn’t love her, and she had to remind herself to be okay with that.

Having reasoned it out, she could move forward. She ordered breakfast and opened her laptop to read her emails. One email was from Damon, and what he wrote lightened her mood. He’d run into Mia at Starbucks, took her out to dinner, and found himself apologizing. He still didn’t know what their argument was about, but Mia decided to forgive him. He didn’t think it would be a good idea to ask her specifically what he had done. He ended the email with a disclaimer: he wasn’t in love with her. Isabel interpreted his denial to mean just the opposite. Another email was from Lexi, who suggested that Isabel check out several celebrity sites. According to her, at the moment Isabel was the It girl.

Isabel bounced from one gossip site to another and was shocked. Overnight, rumors had started flying. Her face was everywhere, and the reports about her were outrageous. Two different sites wrote that she was engaged to Xavier; another suggested they were already married. There was also a story that she had signed with one of the top recording labels for millions of dollars. How could they make up such blatant lies and print them? She knew there were people who believed whatever they read. She couldn’t stop them, so she decided the only thing she could do about all the misinformation floating around out there was to ignore it.

There was a knock on her door, and Isabel rushed to answer it. Maybe Michael’s meeting had been canceled or rescheduled and he’d come back. When Regan walked in, Isabel turned away so her friend wouldn’t see how disappointed she was.

Isabel was disgusted with herself. She was not going to let herself turn into a lovesick, needy woman. The possibility of that ever happening turned her stomach.

Forcing a cheerful voice, she said, “Thank you again for letting me stay in this beautiful suite. I’ll hurry and pack—”

Regan interrupted. “No, the suite is yours until you leave on Monday.”

Although grateful for Regan’s generosity, Isabel refused to take advantage. “That’s too much,” she said. “I’ll move my things—”

“The suite is yours until you leave for the airport Monday,” Regan repeated. “I’ve already done the paperwork.” She added with a smile, “Besides, this particular suite is scheduled for a complete makeover, and it won’t be booked again until it’s finished. If you don’t use it, it will just sit empty until the middle of next week. That’s when the crew will start the remodel.”

“Regan, I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but I want to be responsible for the room charges. I gave my credit card to the front desk.”

“There won’t be any charges,” Regan insisted. “This is your graduation present from Alec and me. We want you to pamper yourself. Order whatever you want and take advantage of the spa.”

“I was planning to stay on Nathan’s Bay tonight,” Isabel said. “But coming back here is very tempting.”

“Just leave your things here until you’re back... whenever that is.”

Room service arrived, interrupting the discussion. The waiter wheeled in a table laden with enough food to feed a large family. Lifting the silver domes he revealed fresh fruit, yogurt, bagels, cream cheese, and an assortment of Danish and toasts with jam. Crystal pitchers were filled with two kinds of juice, and a sterling pot of water was steaming hot for the variety of teas next to it.

“Oh my,” Isabel said when she saw the feast. “Have you had breakfast, Regan? Will you stay and eat with me?”

“As a matter of fact, I left Nathan’s Bay early, and I was going to order something when I got here. This is perfect.” As she poured orange juice into a glass, she asked, “Are you in a hurry to get back to the island today?”

“Not at all, but I’ll leave whenever you’re ready.”

“I’d like to get some work done, and it’s going to take time. Kate called and told me it’s a madhouse on the island. The men went sailing to get out of the way while the catering companies get the place ready for the party. They’re expecting around a hundred people, and there’s even going to be a dance floor and music. I think we should also stay out of everyone’s way. Don’t you?”

Isabel laughed. “I’m all for that.”

“I brought my dress with me for tonight. I’ll come get you around five.”

“What time does the party start?”

“Six,” she said.