“Thanks for dropping these off, Sean.”
She stopped midstep. Sean was here.
She wasn’t sure if she was ready to see him. Their lovemaking had become so intense. At times she didn’t even recognize herself. It scared her that she could be that out of control, though she trusted that Sean would take care of her.
“And how is it going with Isabel?” Keith asked.
She almost doubled over with shock as her heart banged against her ribs. Had Sean told her father about their fling? No, that couldn’t be right. Sean was discreet. Private. He was determined to be a gentleman and he wouldn’t kiss and tell.
“You don’t have anything to worry about with her.”
“I disagree. That reporter and that Dawson girl are trouble.”
Isabel crept closer to the study. What did Sydney and Laura have to do with this?
“The book club is not the catalyst for the changes in Isabel.”
“You came to that conclusion after one meeting?” Keith asked.
“I know it’s true because I know Isabel. She’s not interested in creating public displays.”
“See that she doesn’t.”
“Sir...”
“Sean, I asked you to join the book club to find out why Isabel is acting out. I wanted you to nip her destructive behavior in the bud. She seems to listen to you. All I’m asking is for you to rein her in and get her back on track. I said to do whatever was necessary and I meant it.”
Isabel froze as words and images crowded her mind. The look in Sean’s eyes when he’d said their one-night stand was a mistake. The sexual hunger pulling at his harsh features when he’d insisted he wanted her to go wild for his eyes only. The tenderness in his touch as he’d offered to guide her through her rebellious phase.
She clapped her hand over her mouth. That was why he kept insisting that she was perfect the way she was. He didn’t mean it. She squeezed her eyes shut as the pain, the betrayal, rolled through her.
He wasn’t interested in guiding her through a sensual journey. She flinched as she faced the truth. He wanted to stop her transformation.
This wasn’t a fling to Sean. This was his project.
Now she knew why he had changed his mind after saying their one-night stand had been a mistake. He was simply following orders.
5
ISABEL STARED AT the piece of blackberry pie on her fork as Sean and her father’s voices buzzed around her. She usually adored the housekeeper’s cooking but tonight she had to force the fork to her mouth. She reluctantly raised the morsel to her mouth and choked it down.
The Sunday night dinner was excruciating. Her stomach was churning and her spine was so rigid it felt as though it was going to snap. Her head ached from holding down the anger that swirled inside her.
This was going to be her last dinner at her father’s house, Isabel decided. She wished she could have skipped this obligatory meal, too. She couldn’t sit in the same room with Sean. She couldn’t talk to him or even look at him. It took all of her strength to refrain from lashing out.
As good as it would feel to tell him just how much he’d hurt her, the only way to protect herself was to retreat behind a mask of disinterest. If she revealed the pain she was in, she’d also reveal how much this fling had meant to her. And Sean would realize that she had fallen in love with him.
She had too much pride for that. So she would suffer through tonight and conceal how she really felt. She was good at it. It was her superpower.
Tonight she was in full prim and proper mode but no one seemed to have noticed. Isabel twisted her mouth and glanced at her outfit. She wore a white dress with short sleeves, kitten heels and pearls. The thick headband on her head felt too tight and she had refrained from putting on heavy makeup to hide the shadows under her eyes. The only thing that was missing were the white gloves.
“You’re quiet tonight, Isabel,” her father remarked.
Isabel froze. She felt Sean’s curious gaze on her and she kept her head down as she shoveled in another bite of the blackberry pie. “There’s a lot going on at work.”
“At the library?”
She didn’t appreciate her father’s comment. Ordinarily she would defend the important role of the library in the community but that was a distraction she couldn’t afford tonight. “Yes, I have to put together all the programs and events for the remainder of the year. It looks like this will be my last Sunday night dinner for a while.”
“The library is giving you more responsibilities.” Keith leaned back in his chair and gave a satisfied nod. “This is good. It means they trust you again after you were reprimanded.”
Isabel dipped her head and gritted her teeth. The complaint her father was so concerned about had not been official. She didn’t see it as important since she had proven herself time and time again to her superiors.