She wasn’t dim-witted.
He didn’t particularly like her, either. He never said so, yet it was obvious all the same. She knew she was being judgmental, but she couldn’t seem to care. As long as she kept her unkind opinion of Michael to herself, she didn’t think she was committing a sin, at least not a big one. True, she had spent only one weekend with him, when he and the rest of the Buchanans came to Silver Springs for Dylan and Kate’s wedding. That was over four years ago, but it was long enough to form a strong opinion of the man. He had seemed pleasant at first. She had assumed he had good manners and was as charming as his brothers. Big mistake. He didn’t have a charming bone in his body.
Kate had paired her with Michael for the wedding ceremony, which meant she had to walk down the aisle to him. Since Kiera was the maid of honor, she was paired with Dylan’s best man, his brother Alec. Isabel begged Kate to let her trade Michael for one of the other brothers, but her sister wouldn’t let her. She insisted Michael had a great sense of humor and was fun to be around.
After only a few hours with him she wondered if maybe he showed his good side to others. Most of the time he seemed oblivious to her. It was a fact, she wasn’t used to being ignored by men, but in his eyes she simply didn’t exist. The man looked right through her.
During that monthlong weekend, every time Michael saw her, he had to be reminded what her name was. He couldn’t be bothered to remember it. If she didn’t immediately respond to his question,
“What’s your name again?” he called out, “Hey, you there.” And if she continued to ignore him, he shouted, “Hey, kid.” Oh yes, he was real fun to be around.
The insults didn’t stop there. At the wedding dinner there was assigned seating, and she was forced to sit beside Michael. Once again he snubbed her by spending the entire meal with his back to her, talking to an older woman wearing way too much makeup and sporting such big breasts Isabel
was amazed she could stand upright. The woman couldn’t keep her hands off Michael, and he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the attention.
Then there was the whopper of insults. When it was announced that all the bridesmaids and groomsmen were to take the floor for a dance, Michael grabbed the wrong bridesmaid and swept her onto the dance floor, leaving Isabel to stand alone. She quickly scanned the room for another groomsman without a partner, but there weren’t any nearby. She couldn’t tell if the blood rushing to her face was from anger or embarrassment.
Trying to appear unfazed by the slight, she nonchalantly turned and headed toward the open French doors to go outside on the terrace for some fresh air. She had just made her way through the first row of tables when she was intercepted by Dylan’s friend Noah.
“May I?” he asked as he held out his hand.
Assuming he was taking pity on her, she hesitated. But when Noah said, “Please? This is my favorite song and I don’t want to waste it,” she took his hand and let him lead her to join the rest of the wedding party on the dance floor. In no time at all Noah had her smiling and enjoying herself.
Every time Michael and his partner glided past them, however, her smile vanished and her eyes shot daggers of disdain.
Isabel would never forget dancing with Noah. The fact that he was a gorgeous, sexy man might have something to do with that. She had a terrific crush on him for a while, but that wore off shortly after the wedding when she learned that Noah and Dylan’s sister Jordan had fallen in love and were getting married. Now Noah and Jordan were two of Isabel’s favorites in the Buchanan clan, and she couldn’t wait to see them again. She certainly wasn’t looking forward to seeing Michael, though. She hadn’t forgiven him and imagined he was still a rude boor. If luck was on her side, he wouldn’t be at Nathan’s Bay. He was a Navy SEAL, and surely they never got time off. Besides, he lived in San Diego or somewhere in Virginia, didn’t he? And hadn’t he been deployed? Or was he already back from that stint? Isabel couldn’t ask Dylan about his brother because he might want to know why she was interested.
Since she wasn’t in the mood to put up with Michael’s rudeness, the Hamilton was the answer.
She quickly texted Kate and told her she didn’t want to put anyone out, and so she was going to take one of the rooms Kate had reserved.
She immediately perked up. She absolutely adored the Hamilton hotels. They were a chain of luxury hotels owned by the family of Kate’s sister-in-law. When Isabel was in high school, she had stayed at the Chicago Hamilton while she checked out a couple of universities in the area, and she’d also stayed one night with Kate at the Hamilton in Boston. They were five-star hotels with their own unique personalities. No matter the location, you knew you were in the Hamilton the second you walked through the doors. Everything about them was aesthetically pleasing. If any hotel was suited for a special occasion, it was the Hamilton. The beds were fabulous, the staff catered to their guests’
every need, and the food was outstanding. So were the fitness center and spa. Tomorrow she would go up and check out all the machines. Not today, though. She was determined to go outside and take a long walk to get in sync with the city she so loved. Boston was expensive, but if she had the money, she would move there in a heartbeat.
Okay, time to focus on the here and now. Be in the moment. That’s what her sisters were constantly telling her to do. She hurried to baggage claim, retrieved her checked luggage, spotted her driver holding up a sign with her name on it, and headed in his direction, all but dragging her backpack behind her.
The driver introduced himself and collected her luggage. His name was Woodson, and on the way to the limo she chatted with him, or rather listened as he launched into his concerns about his new girlfriend flirting with other men. Isabel wasn’t the least surprised or caught off guard to hear the man’s personal problems. The truth was, she expected it. Strangers unloaded their worries on her all the time, usually within five minutes of meeting her. Being a sounding board was a peculiar trait, she supposed. At least that’s what she had often been told by family and friends, but she was used to strangers pouring their hearts out and sharing intimate details of their lives with her. She never offered advice and they never asked for any. She took it all in stride, figuring they simply needed someone to listen to them.