Page 8 of Isla by Any Other Name

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.