4. Chapter 4
Chapter four
When Isla and Mitch pulled up to the garage, a huge Hummer was pulling in front of the house. Four of the biggest men she’d ever seen climbed out of it. They all stood over six feet and had muscles on top of their muscles.
“Yeah, Mitch, good to see you. It’s been a while,” a broad man with long wavy brown hair said as they clapped each other into a bro hug. “Who’s this?”
“Jax, this is Molly. Molly, these are some friends of mine,” Mitch said. Isla was still getting used to being called Molly. Being introduced as Molly was even more bizarre.
“We’ve got the stuff you wanted,” Jax said, smiling in Isla’s direction. “Stella added a few more things to your list she thought you’d like.”
Isla took the bag from his massive hands. “Please thank her for me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” Though Jax was as big as a grizzly bear, the smile he flashed told Isla he was a teddy bear.
Another man stepped forward. “I’m Kip Norton,” he said, extending a hand.
“Let’s go inside. We figured you could update us on things, so we’ll be prepared if you need us.
We don’t want to have to come in blind if we don’t have to.
We’d also like to meet the rest of your team, so we don’t get ourselves killed if we’re called into action. ”
“Come on in. I’m sure my team knows you’re here,” Mitch said. “If they don’t, there’ll be hell to pay.”
“Calm down, boss. We knew they were coming. We let them in the gate.” Lara breezed down the stairs. Her green eyes sparkled as she gave a flirty smile to Kip. “Hi, big boy,” she said as she sauntered up to Kip. “Where have you been hiding?”
“Cut it out, Lara!” Kip laughed as he pulled her into a hug. “How the hell you been? It’s been two years since we last crossed paths. What have you been doing with yourself?”
“I’ve been traipsing around the country with this guy,” she said, pushing Mitch playfully. “We haven’t had a chance to breathe in the last two years. He never stops!”
Kip grinned. “Well, when you’re the best, that’s going to happen. You’re in demand. Let’s catch up while you’re here.”
“Okay you two, let’s get inside,” Mitch said. “Molly offered to make lunch for everyone. Can you guys stay?”
“Sure can, we never pass up a home-cooked meal,” said Kip, still looking at Lara.
Isla smiled. “Well then, I’d better get a move on it.”
Isla pulled out what she needed to make chili for lunch.
She defrosted beef in the microwave and chopped any vegetables she could find.
Then she found the spice rack and got to work.
While the chili simmered on the stove, she pulled a couple boxes of cornbread mix from another cupboard.
Isla hadn’t used her culinary skills in a long time.
It was only her, and the kitchen in her studio apartment left much to be desired.
She lived off cafeteria food from the hospital.
She hadn’t had anyone to cook for in years.
Within the hour, she had everyone sitting out on the deck with bowls of chili in hand and warm cornbread to enjoy.
The day couldn’t have been finer. The sun shone through the trees.
The breeze scattered colorful leaves along the ground as more leaves swirled in the sky.
The air had just the touch of crispness she loved.
“Molly, this is delicious!” said Nick, one of Mitch’s friends. “The best I’ve ever had! Will you marry me?”
That made Isla laugh. “Well, they do say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, Nick. I’ll tell you what—when this is all over, come find me and we’ll talk.”
“That’s a deal! You heard her guys, I have a chance,” Nick chuckled.
“Give her ten minutes with you, Nick, and she’ll be kicking your ass to the curb,” teased Sledge, another of Curt’s men.
“Hey! I resent that. Don’t listen to them Molly, I’m a good catch.”
“Molly, we’ll talk!” Kip chuckled.
Isla sat with the agents and their friends, joking and laughing all afternoon. For a moment, she could forget why she was there—and what was at stake.
Later, Isla headed out to the deck with her new sketchbook in hand.
She’d have to send Stella a thank you for her kindness.
She pulled a chair to the edge of the deck and looked across the wide valley.
The autumn colors were brilliant, and they nearly took her breath away.
In two weeks or so the landscape would change once again and the starkness of a winter scape would replace this one.
Isla’s pencil flew over the paper. It’d been so long since she’d done any artwork—before nursing school. But her muscle memory took over as she captured the scene in front of her. She felt warm breath on her neck and turned to find Mitch looking over her shoulder. She dropped her pencil, startled.
Mitch said, “Sorry to interrupt you, Molly. You’re good! You should sell your paintings if they’re all as good as this one. I’d buy this one and you haven’t even painted it yet.”
Isla felt her face grow warm. “Thanks, I haven’t had the time to just sit and paint for a long time. If anything, I’m a master doodler—that’s the extent of my talent lately. If you saw my folks’ house, you’d see a gallery of my earlier works.” She chuckled.
“Well, I’m impressed. This is beautiful! I can’t wait to see it completed.”
“I’ll tell you what—when I finish it, it’s all yours. Consider it a thank you.”
“Thank you,” said Mitch with a genuine smile. “I’ll put it right on my wall at home.”
Isla felt bold. She asked, “Won’t your wife have something to say about that?”
“Nope, I don’t have a wife, so it’s my wall—all mine.”
Well then…thought Isla with pleasure.
Suddenly, Mitch was serious. “I don’t want to have to bring this up to you, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t…You can’t be out here alone. The next time you want to come out, please let one of us know so we can come out with you.”
“Seriously?” Isla said. “I thought we were safe here. You said the property was wired.”
“It is. But we can’t take any chances. You never know if someone’s breached the perimeter even if the equipment is top-notch. We just want to keep you safe.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next time. Anything else I should know?”
“Keep all the doors locked even if we’re here. But that’s not the only reason I came out here. Stella bought hair dye along with your art supplies and Lara would like to cut and dye your hair after dinner. Are you okay with that?”
Isla nodded. “Will I have to wear the contacts every day?”
“We’d like you to,” he said.
After dinner, Lara whisked her away to the master bathroom to preform her transformation.
“Have no fear,” said Lara. “I took cosmetology before I became an agent. I actually know what I’m doing.
I was really good at it, but it wasn’t exciting enough for me.
Let’s get it dyed first and then we’ll cut it. ”
“How short are we going? I don’t know how I feel about short hair. I’ve never had it short before.”
"We’ll take it to just below your shoulders and I’ll cut it so it frames your face. Do you like the color Stella picked out?”
“I do, but I’ll look like a skunk when it starts growing out. What then?”
“She bought two boxes. So if it starts to grow out, we’ll just dye it again. I dye my hair all the time. It’s really easy, you’ll see,” Lara said as she read the directions on the box.
“So, Lara, can I be nosey and ask you something?”
“Sure, what do you want to know?”
“What’s with you and Kip? The two of you looked like you have history.”
“Yeah, we got together one night when I came down here for a barbeque with the guys. Mitch has a cabin in the area, and he invited us. While I was here Mitch introduced me to Curt and the guys and things just happened with Kip and me. We hit it off and ended up in bed together at his place. I never had a one-night stand before, but Kip was different. I’ve never felt that way with anybody I’ve ever been with.
But he lives here, and I live in Philadelphia even though I’m never there because this job takes me all over the place.
I live out of a suitcase. How can I have a relationship with anybody, let alone Kip? ”
Isla didn’t know what to say to that. Who was she to give relationship advice?
She had only one relationship in her life, and it had ended in divorce.
She felt sorry for Lara and Kip, two people who felt they couldn’t build on what they had found.
Life wasn’t always fair. “I hear you,” she said. “That sucks.”
Lara nodded and then said, “Now let’s get this done. We need to wait twenty minutes and then we wash it out. Then I’ll cut it and it’ll be an all-new you.”
Isla was hit with sadness. “I don’t want to be an all-new me. I want me back.”
“Molly, you’ll get through this,” said Lara.
“I’m starting to hate that name,” said Isla.
“I hear you,” said Lara. “It sucks.”
By the time the dye was washed out of her hair and Lara had done her magic, Isla couldn’t believe what she saw in the mirror. “Oh my God, once the contacts are in, I won’t know who I’m looking at. You’re good, really good. Do you have any makeup? Let’s see how far we can go with this.”
Lara’s eyes brightened at the suggestion. “Give me a sec, I’ll be right back.” She was back in seconds and went to work with the makeup. “Now for the contacts.”
Isla put the lenses in and took a closer look in the mirror. Wow, she would have never thought hair and eye color could make such a difference.
“Let’s go downstairs and show the guys. They’re going to be floored!”
She walked behind Lara, who blocked everyone’s view.
“Are you ready!?” She jumped aside.
“That’s not our Molly,” Max said, wide-eyed.
“Wow, what a difference,” said Dirk. “Not that you weren’t gorgeous before…but wow!”
Colt chuckled, “I think I’m rethinking my love for blondes.”
Isla waved the compliments away with her hand. “Thanks, guys. It was all Lara’s doing. I don’t think anybody would know who I was. My parents would walk right past me.”
Mitch walked in. “Where’s the party and who’s the beautiful brunette sitting at the table?”