Grace Under Fire (Buchanan-Renard 14) - Page 85

The elevator doors opened, and there stood Alec. When he saw his wife, his eyes lit up. “Wow, babe, you look incredible.” He then pulled her to him and gave her a long kiss.

Isabel didn’t want to stand there and watch the two lovebirds, so she moved out of the way and let one of the guards open the back door of the car for her.

When the kiss ended, Regan, looking a bit dazed, was led around the car by her husband, who tucked her into the passenger seat. He then leaned down at the open back door and said, “Hi, Isabel. What are you doing there? You’re supposed to get in the trunk.” Getting the startled reaction he was seeking, he laughed as he shut the door and went around the car to get behind the wheel.

“Your husband has a warped sense of humor,” Isabel told Regan.

“Yes, he does,” she replied cheerfully. “Doesn’t he look handsome tonight?”

Alec did look good, Isabel thought, even as she watched him tug on his tie. He wore a conservative navy blue suit with a white dress shirt and a blue-and-white-striped tie. He still looked a bit scruffy for his next undercover case, but there was no denying he was a Buchanan male, which meant he was an extremely handsome devil.

“Yes, he does,” she agreed. “Alec, is it really crowded outside the hotel?”

“It’s not bad. Just look straight ahead. We’ll be out of here in no time.”

This was just plain crazy, she thought. Surely the crowd outside thought XO was at the hotel. They wouldn’t be waiting for her, would they? How long had she been onstage last night? Ten, fifteen minutes at the most. Her face was plastered on the gossip sites along with Xavier’s, and now bedlam? She was certain this would all die down soon enough, and the notoriety would fade. Once she was on her way to Scotland, she could escape this madness.

They drove out onto the street and were immediately surrounded by screaming fans. Most were chanting Xavier’s name, “XO, XO, XO,” over and over again. But there were a few yelling her name, too. She noticed that some of the more frantic fans were shouting at every car that pulled out.

Alec, every bit as skilled as a Grand Prix driver, quickly and effortlessly got them on their way. Traffic was congested as usual, yet once they reached the highway, Isabel began to relax. A half hour later they were on the bridge to Nathan’s Bay. No one would bother her there.

Isabel, who used to have a carefree attitude, had become quite the worrier.

No matter what, she was going to concentrate on the positives. It was going to be a beautiful night. Nathan’s Bay was ready for a party. Every light in the house was on, and when darkness fell, it would become a beacon for everyone on the island. A huge square-shaped dance floor had been laid near the center of the manicured lawn. There were posts at least twelve feet high at each of the four corners. A net of tiny white lights attached to the top of the posts became a sparkling ceiling. It looked like a thousand twinkling stars.

The valets were setting up to park cars. Alec waved them off and drove around to the back of the house, next to the garages.

“Who organized this celebration?” Isabel asked. She took Alec’s hand and let him help her out of the backseat. Before he could answer, she guessed, “Never mind. It was Jordan, Kate, and Regan. Right? I’m right, aren’t I?”

Alec laughed. “I was going to try to convince you that my brothers and I planned the party, but you’d never buy it, so, yes, our wives did all the work.”

All three of them came to a quick stop as soon as they entered the kitchen. The catering company had taken over the space, and their staff, dressed in white shirts, black pants, and black loafers, were rushing back and forth with silver trays laden with delicious-looking canapés. The aroma was heavenly. Alec popped a couple of shrimp into his mouth on his way through.

Isabel maneuvered through the pandemonium and hurried up to the third floor. Michael’s bedroom door was open and his gym bag was on a chair near the window, which meant that he was back. He must have changed and gone outside to join the party. She could go looking for him but decided not to. Just in case she returned to the hotel tonight, she’d changed the sheets on the bed and made sure the room was ready for other guests. The thought of sleeping in Michael’s bed tonight crossed her mind, but she quickly rejected it. The way he left without saying good-bye and without trying to contact her all day after what she thought was a mind-blowing night together made her feel like a piece of meat, or in this case, a piece of ass. Is that what she was, a one-night hookup? She thought about calling Damon and asking him what the proper term would be.

Why would she want to be with a man like that, anyway? A man who had the sensitivity of a hedgehog. Isabel realized she was getting worked up without knowing the facts. There might have been a good reason he didn’t wake her up to say good-bye or call her all the damn day long.

Guess she would find out soon enough. It was time to say hello to Michael and hopefully get an explanation she could believe.

When she returned to the first floor, the party was in full swing. Judge Buchanan and his wife were in the living room greeting old friends, so Isabel went to them and once again thanked them for their hospitality. She was in the middle of answering a question the judge had asked when they were interrupted. A woman took hold of the judge’s arm, kissed him on the cheek, and told him how happy she was to see him again. After a quick and dismissive glance in Isabel’s direction, she turned her attention back to the judge.

The woman was tall, thin, and very attractive. She had looked right through Isabel. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with. Isabel was embarrassed, though she wasn’t sure why.

Being a gentleman, the judge listened to her chat about the evening’s festivities for a minute and then, gently removing her hand from his arm, he brought Isabel forward and said, “Isabel, I’d like you to meet Amanda Foley. She’s a friend of Michael’s.”

“Oh, more than a friend,” Amanda replied with a sugary-sweet smile.

“Amanda,” the judge continued, “this is Isabel MacKenna. She’s Kate’s sister.”

Amanda finally gave Isabel her full attention. “Isabel MacKenna. Aren’t you the singer? I heard some people outside talking about you.” With that, she gave Isabel a cool once-over.

So this was the infamous Amanda. Isabel couldn’t blame Michael for being attracted to her. She was beautiful.

Isabel’s response was polite but brief. “I guess I am.” She wasn’t going to lie and say that it was a pleasure to meet Amanda, so she gave a curt nod and turned to go outside.

Kate intercepted her just as she was about to open the door. She took Isabel’s hand and pulled her into the sunroom to meet more Buchanan relatives. They were eager to talk to her, for they had heard that she had performed with XO—Kate had told them—and they had all sorts of questions besides the usual What was he like? Isabel patiently answered them, and finally, after discussing Xavier for a good twenty minutes, was able to excuse herself and go look for Michael. She knew the only way she could get rid of her anxiety was to talk to him, and God help him if he didn’t have a good reason for his rudeness.

Walking from the sunroom to the front porch turned out to be quite a challenge. She kept getting stopped by friends and Buchanan relatives who had heard about XO. By the time she stepped outside, she wanted to put a gag in Kate’s mouth to keep her from boasting to anyone else about the concert. Isabel knew Kate was proud of her, but she wished her sister would be a little less exuberant about it tonight.

Tags: Julie Garwood Buchanan-Renard Romance
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