All Bottled Up by Christine D'Abo Page B

look you want. Okay?” Viola closed her eyes and prayed. “Okay.”
    The scissors squeaked in her ear as they pruned her head. Lisa chatted away, occasionally needing Viola to respond, but mostly proceeded to fill her in on the sights around the island. When Lisa began to apply highlights, their talk turned to some of the older resorts around the island.
    “Oh, most of the places get upgraded to better spots. This place was like that about ten years ago. Some others get torn down and the land is reclaimed.” Lisa smiled as she slopped another glop of the color on Viola’s hair. “There’s one spot though, that’s been converted into a bit of a shelter. Nice spot, but the building is falling apart.”
    “Be nice to have a pile of cash to be able to give away enough to help people like that. Not that I have any myself.” Some days, it would be nice if she could save the world.
    “Well, it will take more than money, from what I’ve heard. But I’ve never been there myself.” Lisa paused snipping for a second. “Can I ask you something?”
    “Sure.”
    “Don’t take this wrong, but you said you have a crush on your boss, right?”
    “Yes,” Viola said slowly. She didn’t like where this was going.
    “So can I ask about the man who brought you here?” Her immediate reaction was to defend her feelings for Bill. God, she’d only known Jerod for a day, it’s not like she had any feelings for him. But if she was completely honest with herself, that wasn’t entirely true.

    49

    “I just met Jerod today. He’s more of a friend than anything.”
    “Well, I’m just being nosy,” Lisa said, offering a sly smile. “I’ve seen a lot of vacation romances over the past few years, and you two look like you fit the bill. All I’m saying.”
    Viola mentally chewed that over while Lisa proceeded to wash the dye out of her hair and blow-dry her to perfection. She couldn’t have any sort of relationship with Jerod, could she?
    The switch from the dryer clicked off, leaving Viola’s ears ringing. She’d kept her eyes shut the entire time, not wanting to be freaked out by the process. Hopefully the end result would be worth it. She heard Lisa sigh when she spun her around.
    “Are you ready?”
    No! “Hit me.”
    “Open them.”
    Viola’s heart began to pound as she first opened one eye then the other. Her hair, once reaching her elbows, now rested gently on her shoulders. Lisa had cut layers that gave it some bounce. The blonde and red highlights brought color to her face and somehow made her hazel eyes shine.
    “Wow.”
    Lisa chuckled. “I told you. Only needed a little polish.”
    “Wow.”
    Viola leaned forward and touched a strand that hugged her chin. The soft strands slid between her fingers with ease. Her whole head felt ten pounds lighter and she looked ten years younger, which was surprising, considering she wasn’t even thirty yet.
    “I’ll never be able to make it look like this again.” But Lisa was ready for that. She spent the next fifteen minutes showing Viola every trick she needed to reproduce the look. She even showed her a blow-drying technique that would save her time. Viola couldn’t believe it, but she felt ready to take on the world.
    Or at the very least, ready to take on Jerod.
    “Ready for more?” Lisa smiled at her in the mirror.
    50

     
    “How can there be more?” Viola laughed. “You’ve done so much already.
    “Oh no, there’s a lot more. Now, it’s time for makeup.” They walked over to the next room and Viola was introduced to several other women. They spent forty-five minutes choosing the right shades and types to suit her face. They wrote everything down so she’d never forget.
    When she got out of the makeup chair, Lisa was waiting for her, and in her arms was a long mauve box.
    “This just arrived for you.”
    She handed it over to Viola, along with a note. Viola’s fingers shook as she opened it.
    For our next lesson.
    Jerod
    Viola flipped the lid of