“Why the Hamilton?”
“Xavier didn’t want me to stay on the island. It’s too far away from The Garden. He suggested I stay at his hotel, but I’d rather stay at the Hamilton.”
“The traffic around The Garden is going to be horrible,” Jax said. “Fans like to get there early even though there is assigned seating, and there will be a long line at least three deep wrapped around the parking lot and the building by five o’clock. You need to understand what I call ‘Xavier talk.’
Picking you up at four means I’ll be there at three.”
“Okay, I’ll be ready.”
“Will you be bringing anyone with you?”
“I’ll have some friends and relatives at the concert, but I wasn’t planning on bringing guards with me. Do you think I should?”
“A few extra guards wouldn’t be a bad idea. Tomorrow night’s going to be chaotic.” Then he laughed. “That’s an understatement.”
He insisted on opening the door for her. She thanked him and started up the drive.
“Don’t worry about anything, Isabel,” Jax called. “Xavier will take good care of you.”
Dylan was rounding the corner of the house and was holding his tackle box and fishing pole. He propped both on the side of the steps and shouted to Isabel, “Hold up.” He waited until she reached him and then said, “You look shell-shocked.”
“That’s how I feel,” she admitted. “I need to talk to you, but I don’t want the whole family there.
Where is everyone?”
“Dad’s in his office working,” he said. “Theo and Michelle are upstairs. They said they wanted to call and check on the twins. Now that they’ve caught up on their sleep, I think Theo and Michelle are a little homesick. Everyone else is in the city. I’ve been fishing.”
“Did you catch anything?”
He shook his head. “It’s too hot. Fish weren’t biting. When do you want to talk?”
“Let’s meet in your father’s office in an hour. He told me to interrupt him when I got back, but I’ve got to get this makeup off and change.”
“You need a whole hour to do that?”
“I need time to decompress,” she admitted.
“Are you okay?” he asked, worried now.
“I will be.”
He took her at her word. “Okay. See you in an hour.”
Isabel planned to take a few minutes to clear her mind and put her feet up, but that didn’t happen.
Because it was so beastly hot, she ended up getting in the shower, then changing into comfortable shorts, a sleeveless top, and tennis shoes. She thought she looked like a slob, but she was finally comfortable. She still couldn’t unwind, though, not until she had tomorrow’s schedule completely organized.
She went downstairs, knocked on the library door, and went in. Dylan was already there, sitting in a leather chair, talking to his father. Isabel told them about the rehearsal but didn’t go into much detail until she got to the harrowing walk back to the car.
“There was this crowd . . . they acted crazy, screaming at me and pushing. I kept my head down, but I did see some of them. They weren’t just teenage girls. There were also a lot of grown men and women. I can’t imagine what it will be like tomorrow. There will be security, but it was suggested by Jax, the driver, that I bring someone with me. Xavier’s guards are armed,” she added. “And I’m sure he’ll see to my protection . . .”
“You’ll have guards with you,” Dylan said.
The judge nodded agreement. “We have enough men in this family who can go with you.”
“As long as it’s not . . .” She stopped in time before she said Michael’s name.
“As long as it’s not what?” the judge asked.
“Too much of an inconvenience. Dylan, you’re good at pushing back when someone pushes you, and I know Noah would do it.”
“I’m good at pushing?” He laughed.
A commotion in the kitchen interrupted them.
“I guess everyone’s back,” Dylan said. “We’ll figure out the details and go over it with you later.
Don’t worry about anything.”
“That’s exactly what Xavier said to me. Telling me won’t change anything. I’m still going to worry.”
She thought she sounded belligerent and apologized. Voices were getting closer, and she knew what was coming. Kate and the others would want to hear all about Xavier.