Page 14 of Isla by Any Other Name

“Mitch, for the short amount of time I’ve known you, I can say with confidence that you’re always starving,” Isla laughed.

“True, I’m not going to deny that, but it could be because I’m a lonely old bachelor who lives by himself when he’s not working and who lives on frozen dinners and fast-food takeout. You can’t blame me for taking full advantage of your culinary masterpieces. I’m only human.” He chuckled.

“Okay, human, eat. Who am I to deny you such an exquisite feast?” She motioned to the sandwiches, muffins, and fruit they’d packed together.

They dug in, eating in comfortable silence. After a while, Mitch turned to her and said, “I’m really going to be sad when this assignment is over and you go back to your life, Molly.”

Isla felt her face warm. “Me too,” she said.

Isla and Mitch spent the next couple of hours just enjoying each other’s company. They joked about Lara and Kip. About Colt’s bad track record with women. About the bad food at boot camp.

Then Isla asked, “Why’d you become an agent anyway?”

Mitch looked out over the creek for a long moment. His eyes clouded. “When I was sixteen, my best friend Pete went missing. We’d spent the afternoon together playing basketball in my driveway. Just before my mom called me in to dinner, Pete left for home on his bike, like he’d done hundreds of times before. But he never made it home.

“The local police were called. Two days later, they found Pete in the woods behind our housing complex. He’d been tortured, sexually assaulted. Local law enforcement were at a loss. We were a small community. We had two squad cars and four officers. Their biggest cases were the occasional domestic dispute, shoplifting, and maybe a break-in once every five years. They weren’t prepared or experienced enough to handle the case. They’d hit dead end after dead end and had not gotten one lead. So the FBI was called in to take over the investigation.

“Of course, since I was the last person to see Pete alive, they interrogated me. The lead agent’s name was Mike O’Donnell. He and his team were able to find enough evidence to find the men who had killed Pete. Those bastards are now behind bars with life sentences. Mike and his team’s dedication to finding Pete’s killers was what made me want to work for the FBI. They were determined to get justice for Pete and his family and they didn’t stop till they found that justice. Mike O’Donnell risked his own life to make that happen.

“There was a confrontation when Mike and his team went to apprehend the bastards and Mike was shot. He nearly died. I had the pleasure of meeting up with him again at the trial and the opportunity to ask him why he risked his life for strangers. He said he’d be damned if he’d let evil get away with evil. That day I decided I wanted to be that person who fought against the evil in this world.”

Isla didn’t know what to say. She could tell it had taken a lot for Mitch to tell her this. She put her hand on his arm. “Thank you for telling me,” she said softly.

Mitch turned to her. “Now it’s your turn. Why did you want to become a nurse?”

Isla normally didn’t like this question. The real answer was too vulnerable. But this was Mitch. “When I was six, my mom—my birth mom—died in a car accident. I was with her. I don’t remember much, but I remember thinking, if only I knew how to save you, Mom…” Mitch touched her face, looked in her eyes. “I’ve never told anyone that before.”

“Your story is safe with me,” Mitch said.

Isla leaned into his hand. If she was telling this story, she’d tell all of it. “I got married young, right out of high school. At the time, being married was all I wanted. I wanted my own family, maybe because it’d taken so long for me to find a family of my own. I couldn’t wait to have babies and live the dream. Life was good, for a while anyway. I got pregnant within the first year of our marriage but had a miscarriage in my first trimester.

“We decided to wait to try again because my ex wanted to build our home first. His family owned a construction company, so he wanted to build it himself. It took him four years to build the house and in that time, we’d become strangers. When we finally moved into the house he built, we couldn’t bridge the gap that had grown over the years. I came home one day from my job and found him in bed with my friend. Probably why I don’t have friends these days!”

Isla attempted a laugh. “So, I left. Worked full-time in catering and took on a full course load and became an RN. Then I went on further and became a nurse practitioner. It took six long years, but I did it. I love my job and feel like I’m making a difference. I’m good at what I do, it anchors me,” Isla said. She shook her head, remembering again that she didn’t have a job anymore. That wasn’t her life anymore. “For the third time in my life, I feel like I’m about to lose everything.”

Isla’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. She would not cry. She refused to be weak. She’d get through this—she had to.

Mitch pulled her into his arms and gave her the hug she needed. His strong arms felt like a cocoon around her. “You’ll get through this, Molly. You will,” he said. Then he leaned down and kissed the top of her head, comforting her as if she were a child. “You’ve been through so much already.”

Isla looked up at him and pulled his head down and took his lips to hers. At first, she could feel the resistance in him. His body tightened beneath hers. Then she swept the tip of her tongue along the seam of his lips, asking for a way in. Finally, he parted his lips for her. She drank him in, filling the void she’d felt for so long. Maybe she was being selfish taking what she needed from him, but he wasn’t pushing her away. He was giving her what he knew she needed. She needed to feel whole again, alive. Her life was in limbo, and maybe whatever this was wouldn’t amount to anything. Just two people giving of themselves just for a moment. But she needed this, she needed him.

“Molly, we can’t. This isn’t right,” Mitch said as he gently pushed her away. “I’m here to protect you, not take advantage of you. You don’t know what you’re doing. Now come on, let’s pull ourselves together.”

Isla sighed. “Mitch, you’re not taking advantage of me. I’m the one who kissed you first.”

“But I’m the one who hugged you. It was my actions that started this. My job is to keep you safe, not to confuse you even more. Please forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive. I wanted this. I feel alive for the first time in a long time. Maybe it’s the beautiful day you’ve given me. Or the fact that you seem to be able to sense when I’m at my wit’s end. I can never thank you enough for all you’ve done. But it’s not gratitude that made me want to kiss you. I’m attracted to you. Since I’ve met you, I’ve wanted to know you. But I won’t put you in an uncomfortable situation again.”

Mitch shook his head. “Isla, I’m not uncomfortable. If I’m being honest with myself, I do feel an attraction to you too. But I can’t let myself get distracted. My job is to keep you safe. My feelings can’t come into play here. When this is over if you still think you feel that attraction, I’d like to pursue a relationship with you. Right now I can’t go there with you. I hope you understand.”

Isla smiled. “Just the fact that you’ve called me Isla means more than you know.” Then she stood and started packing up the backpack. Mitch stood and took it from her and they walked back to the ATV. As they rode back to the compound, reality hit. But Isla knew it was a day she’d always remember.

Chapter eight

The weather was cold and gloomy the next few days. Any outdoor activities were put on the back burner. Mitch was busy so Isla worked out with Lara in the gym. She prepared every meal. She finished the painting she wanted to give Mitch, and had finished one for Stella and Lara as well. She just wanted to keep busy to try to forget about the hearing.

She was sitting at the kitchen table sketching a picture for Colt when Mitch came into the room.