Kate didn’t downplay or make light of Isabel’s worries. “I’d be in a panic, too, I think, walking on the stage with thousands of people watching. Maybe you can figure out a way to block them and concentrate on your song. I wish I could come up with something better,” she admitted. “And even though I know you won’t believe me, I think you’re going to be phenomenal. Mom would be so proud of you.”
“I’m not so sure of that.”
Before Kate could argue, she told her about the promise their mother had asked Isabel to make just before she died.
Kate became teary-eyed. “Oh, Isabel, why didn’t you tell Kiera and me? You sang all the time, and I never could understand why you let it go when you went off to college. Now I realize what you sacrificed. I’m so sorry. Mother shouldn’t have asked you to give up what you love. Music is part of who you are.”
“Mother was worried I wouldn’t be able to support myself. I don’t think she had a lot of faith in me. I know she didn’t want me in what she called a cutthroat business. Toward the end she was afraid, and I would have agreed to anything to give her peace.” She took a breath and said, “It’s been over five years and I still miss her.”
“I miss her, too,” Kate said.
The two sisters spent several minutes reminiscing about some of the happier times they’d had with their mother.
“We never could pull anything over on her,” Kate said, a note of pride in her voice.
They were laughing over one particular plan Isabel had hatched, when Regan came out to join them. Her reaction to Isabel’s news about Xavier was as enthusiastic as Kate’s had been, and she agreed they needed to go back to the clothing boutique tomorrow for Isabel.
“Where’s Laurant?” Kate asked. “She’ll freak when she hears.”
“She and Nick went home to be with the kids. They’ll be back tomorrow with Samantha and Tommy for the family dinner.”
Isabel sat quietly while the two women discussed what she should wear to rehearse with XO and what she should wear onstage. Every time Xavier’s name came up Isabel could feel her stomach tighten. She wasn’t sure if it was due to excitement or anxiety. When she wasn’t worrying about XO, she was thinking about Michael. He’d been crowding her thoughts since she’d arrived in Boston. What was he doing now? she wondered, barely stopping herself before asking her sister. She really needed to get a grip.
Scotland was looking better and better. If she could, she’d leave tonight.
•••
Later that evening Michael waited until Isabel had left the living room to talk to the others about safety concerns, and it was decided that Nick would accompany her to the rehearsal with Xavier. Noah would let Nick know their plan as soon as he called to check in. It was up to Michael to let Isabel know what was decided.
She was out in the sunroom, curled up on the sofa with her pen and notepad in hand. He stood just inside the doorway, watching her. He noticed every little thing about her. Her legs were a bit sunburned and so were her arms and her face. Her hair had white-blond streaks in it now, and he remembered how silky it felt.
Hell, he was at it again.
“Isabel.” He said her name as he walked over to the sofa and sat down next to her.
She moved her feet out of the way in the nick of time. “There are other places to sit in this room.”
“I like sitting here.”
She refused to get into an argument over such a silly thing. “Did you want something?”
“Yes,” he answered. “Nick is going to go with you to the rehearsal, and if I can move a couple of appointments, I’m going to tag along.”
“Why?”
“We want to meet him.”
“What’s the real reason?”
“We decided that Nick would go with you because he carries a badge and a gun.”
“Why is that important?” She was looking at him as though she thought he had lost his mind.
“We don’t know anything about Xavier and his crew.”
“His staff,” she corrected.
“Okay, staff,” he patiently repeated. “Better safe than sorry.”