Pushing those thoughts aside, she grabbed one of Michael’s T-shirts and put it on, then sorted through her suitcase looking for something to wear today. She ended up choosing a pink V-neck T-shirt, khaki pants, and flats.
While she was in the bathroom, Michael dressed, packed, and made two phone calls. The woman was taking forever to get ready. As he was waiting, he had time to think. And Isabel was first on his
mind. He loved being with her, but, once again, he couldn’t avoid the reality of how ill-suited they were for each other.
He was fast and methodical in everything he did. He never took his eye off the target, and he always sought perfection. Ironically, he took his time only when he was making love to Isabel.
Everything Isabel did was slow and haphazard, and yet she seemed to find order in her chaos.
Dylan told him she left old flash drives and notebooks all over the house. Writing songs was an important part of who she was, and yet it could be dangerous. When she had a song on her mind, she became distracted and wasn’t aware of what was around her. She became so distracted in Boston, she got hopelessly lost and nearly got herself killed.
Once he focused on a goal, he went after it with a vengeance. Failure wasn’t an option. He was disciplined and methodical, which was why the law appealed to him. He liked order. Until Isabel came along, he wouldn’t let anything divert his attention.
Isabel did have other, what he considered endearing, strengths. For one, she had tremendous empathy for others. She took time to listen to strangers.
Those same strangers were suspicious and nervous around him. Isabel claimed it was because he was such an imposing figure and he never smiled. He could hold a grudge, even when he couldn’t do anything about it. Revenge made sense to him. His only excuse was that he was a Buchanan male, and it was in his DNA.
She was an optimist.
He was a cynic.
She saw the good in people.
He looked for the bad and usually found it.
He had to admit she was a hell of a lot more fun than he was, and he was happy and content when he was with her, even when she was driving him nuts.
She had her flaws. She was stubborn, unreasonable at times, had a fierce temper, and was a maniac behind the wheel.
Simply put—they were all wrong for each other. He would make her miserable, and she would drive him crazy.
Isabel stood by the foot of the bed watching Michael. He had his hands in his pockets, his stance was rigid, and he was staring out the window with the most intense look on his face. She couldn’t imagine what he was thinking.
It was drizzling outside. She put on her rain jacket and was ready to take on the day. She called his name twice before she got his attention.
“I’m ready to go.”
“Do you have everything packed?”
“Yes,” she replied. “I double-checked.”
He looked around the room. “Do you have your phone?”
“Yes,” she answered, trying not to be irritated. He was the one who left his things behind—like the shaving kit he left in her hotel room—not her. “I have my phone.”
“No, you don’t. It’s on the floor next to the table.”
Damn it. Now she felt like the bonehead. Without a word she picked up her phone and stuffed it into her bag with her charger.
Fifteen minutes later they had checked out of the hotel and were on their way. Michael backtracked a couple of times to make sure they weren’t being followed. It seemed to Isabel that there was a roundabout every other mile. She thought the circles were dangerous because she had had several near misses when she’d driven her rented car around them. Sometimes there were as many as six entrances into the circle. Michael wasn’t having any trouble, though.
“I heard you ask the manager at the front desk for directions to the Edinburgh airport,” she said.
“That’s right.”
“We’re going north, not south.”
“Right again.”
“I’m assuming you wanted him to think we were going to the airport.
“Yes.”
“You thought he recognized me, didn’t you? That’s why you lied. I thought he recognized me, too.”
“No, I didn’t think that,” he countered. “I lied because I don’t want anyone to know where we’re headed. We’ve been lucky so far, but that isn’t going to last.”
“I do think that manager knew who I was. He kept staring at me.”
“He’s a man, and you’re a beautiful woman. Of course he stared.”
Did Michael just give her a compliment? She wasn’t about to ask. He’d probably say something to ruin it.