Michael looked like he was going to explain, but thankfully, Judge Buchanan saved her from mortification.
“Dinner’s ready. Come sit down,” he ordered, pulling a chair out next to him.
There was no getting out of it now. Tonight Isabel was a member of the family.
THIRTEEN
ISABEL WAS A NERVOUS WRECK. BY THE TIME SHE HAD FINISHED DRESSING TO MEET XAVIER, she was shaking in her flats. He’d told her to wear comfortable clothes, and she took him at his word.
She put on her favorite pair of skinny jeans and one of her new blouses. The color was jade green and quite flattering, according to Regan, who picked it out. After she brushed her hair, Isabel added a touch of makeup, lip gloss, and a dab of her favorite perfume.
Panic was trying to grab hold. Her mind conjured up all sorts of horrible scenarios. She pictured herself walking onto the stage and her throat closing, making it impossible to sing. Or she would walk onto the stage, smile at the audience, and throw up. Wouldn’t that be lovely? Crazy thoughts were tripping over each other. What if they hated her voice and booed her? What if she fainted? Worse, what if she slipped and went flying into the audience?
Kate and her sisters-in-law took Isabel’s mind off her fears. Xavier’s car wouldn’t be there to pick her up for another forty-five minutes, so Isabel went into the kitchen to get something cold to drink. Laurant, Regan, and Kate were all sitting at the table. All three of them had makeup on and were wearing pretty sundresses.
“Are you all going out to dinner somewhere?” Isabel asked.
“No, we’re just hanging out,” Laurant answered casually.
Isabel was slow to catch on. “But you’re all dressed up.”
“We’re a little bored,” Regan told her. “And we thought it might be fun to go with you. You know . . . keep you company while you rehearse with Xavier.”
Isabel started laughing. Then Michelle walked in. She also had makeup on and was wearing a lovely sundress and strappy heels. “That sounds like a great idea.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but no,” Isabel said.
“Why should the men have all the fun?” Regan asked dejectedly.
Laurant nodded. “I’m the one who loves XO’s voice, and yet Nick gets to go with you.”
“And Michael,” Regan reminded. “I could take his place.”
“They are not going,” Isabel said.
“They think they are,” Kate told her.
Isabel wasn’t laughing now. “Where are they?”
“In the sunroom,” Kate said. “We just want to meet XO . . .”
“Friday night I’ll introduce you. I promise,” she said, adding the stipulation, “If he still wants me to sing with him.”
They continued to plead their case, and she had to tell them no four or five times before they believed her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a talk with the men.”
With effort, she was able to keep her temper under control. “They are not going with me,” she muttered. She marched into the sunroom and all but shouted, “Sit down and listen up.”
Nick was sitting at the desk, going over some papers, and Michael was slouched on the sofa with his legs stretched out, one ankle crossed over the other, his arms folded across his chest, looking half-asleep.
“We are sitting down,” Nick pointed out.
“Yeah, we kinda are,” Michael agreed.
“I thought I made myself clear earlier when I told both of you that I was going by myself to rehearse with Xavier.”
“We thought we should go with you,” Michael said.
“You thought wrong,” she snapped. She paused a second to gather her composure and then lowered her voice. “Michael, when I needed a lawyer, you were there for me, and I appreciated your help. I know you like being in charge, especially in charge of me for some reason. I think you enjoy telling me what I can and cannot do, and I’ve tried to be accommodating. But that stops now. I’m going to make my own decisions. Got that?”
“Of course you can make your own decisions,” Michael said. “But . . .”
“But what?”
“You don’t know what you’re walking into.”
“You probably should have some backup,” Nick suggested, and Michael nodded agreement.
They weren’t kidding. If they didn’t look so sincere, she would have laughed. “I’m not going to a brawl. Xavier’s staff isn’t going to attack me.”
“No need to get upset, Isabel,” Michael said. Leaning forward with his elbows propped on his knees, he looked very serious when he added, “You haven’t seen what men are capable of. I have.”
His patronizing tone irritated her. “I’ll make a deal with you, Michael. If this rehearsal turns out to be an ambush, I’ll be sure to call you.”
“Okay, you’re on your own,” Michael warned. “But if you get into trouble, you damn well better call me.”
She didn’t dare roll her eyes. “Yes, I will,” she promised, wondering how many times she was going to have to say it.
“Don’t get distracted. Focus on the task at hand while you’re there. When you don’t pay attention, you become vulnerable.”
For the love of . . . Did he think she would space out and write a song in her head while meeting Xavier? It was pointless to argue with him, she decided, because it wouldn’t matter. Besides, the two men were giving each other a knowing look, and it made her wonder. Did she get distracted so often that even they noticed?
“Do you have pepper spray in your bag?” he asked.
“Do I . . . You want me to carry pepper spray to the rehearsal?”
“Yes, I do.”
“You should always carry it,” Nick told her.
“Should I hold it in my hand when I meet Xavier in case he tries anything funny?”
Laurant interrupted. “Isabel, your car is here. He’s early, isn’t he?”
Nick and Michael stood. Isabel put her hand up. “Stay,” she demanded.
“We just want to meet the driver,” Nick said.
“And show him your gun and badge?” Isabel asked.
Nick shrugged. “He’ll probably notice it.”
They both started for the door again. “Stay,” she ordered, louder this time. She felt as though she were training dogs.
Nick’s attention was diverted when Laurant appeared in the doorway. Staring at his wife inquisitively, he said, “You’re all dressed up. Are you supposed to go somewhere?”
The question lightened Isabel’s mood, and she was laughing as she ran outside.
She came to a quick stop. Noah was draped over the driver’s open door, talking to him. Noah’s gun was very noticeable. He opened the door for her with a devilish grin. She couldn’t imagine what he’d been telling the driver.
She wasn’t left guessing for long. The driver told her his name was Jax and then said, “I understand you have a federal judge, three FBI agents, a lawyer who works for the Justice Department, and a chief of police in your family. Did I get that right? Or was Agent Clayborne joking?”
She laughed. Talk about intimidation tactics. “No, he was telling the truth.” She started to say
“They’re a,” then stopped herself. “We’re a law-abiding family.”
“Should Xavier be worried about any of them?”