Love by Design

“Saw what?”

“It wasn’t just surprise at seeing a long-lost friend. There was more—and it had nothing to do with friendship.”

She sat forward. “Suzy, I love you…you know that, but I don’t want to talk about it. Besides, I’ve got important news. Our new client is Belle Resorts.”

“Wow. Their resorts are so beautiful. It’s a fitting name.”

“It is. Logan’s mom visited the area while on vacation and—”

Susan’s mouth dropped open. “Wait a minute…are you telling me that your friend’s family owns them?”

“Yes. It’s a family business, and Logan is the new CEO.”

“Seriously? I know about the one in Jamaica, but how many are there?”

Dakota studied her desk. “Not many.”

“Dakota,” Susan pressed.

“There’s only…three.”

Susan choked on her coffee. “Three? Are you kidding? We don’t have the manpower to—”

“I know, but we’ll start with the one in Jamaica first, and if that goes well, One Eighty will tackle the rest, one at a time.” Dakota leaned across her desk. “This is a great opportunity,” she said excitedly.

“I know, but are you sure you can handle it?”

“Of course we can.”

“Not we,” Susan corrected. “You.”

“Yes. We’ve been talking about expanding, right?”

“I’m not completely sold on this idea. It’s obvious that you and Mr. CEO have a few…issues to work out.”

“Yes, we do, but we can tackle those later. Logan assured me that he had no problems taking direction from me, and I made it clear that if we do this, I want complete autonomy. No exceptions.”

“And he agreed to that.”

“Yes. I gave him a contract, and Logan will have it couriered over when it’s ready.”

“If you think you can handle it, I’m in one hundred percent.”

Dakota jumped up and went to hug her friend. “Thanks, and don’t worry. I’ve got this. Everything will run as smooth as kookoon silk, trust me.”

She returned the hug. “I know it will. Speaking of which—” She handed Dakota a piece of paper.

“What’s this?”

“The most recent message that Norma Jean Anderson has left today. You’d better stop stalling and call Ms. Jeannie back before she comes looking for you.”

“Too late,” Norma Jean said from the doorway.

“This is getting to be a habit,” Susan joked before greeting the older woman and leaving.

Norma Jean got straight to the point. “I know you’ve gotten my messages.”

“Ms. Jeannie, I promise that I’m not avoiding you. I just got an unexpected new client, and I’m trying to work a few things out.”

“Well, there’s a development that I think you should know about,” Norma Jean began.

“No need. Logan stopped by to see me yesterday.”

“He did?” she said, astonished. “Good. I know you two don’t have the best history, but I hope you were able to clear the air.”

“Not really, but I can handle it,” Dakota assured her.

“I know things don’t always go according to plan, honey,” Norma Jean said. “There’s no denying that he messed up really bad, but I know he’s here to make things right between you. You were so close once. I’m hoping that you and my nephew can get that back.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Have you told him what happened years ago?”

A frown creased Dakota’s forehead. “No. Did you?”

“It’s not my place. It’s your life, and if you choose not to tell him what happened after he left, I won’t be the one enlightening him. I guess you’ll fill Logan in in your own good time.”

“I…I’m not sure, Ms. Jeannie. I’ve been mad at him for so long, I honestly don’t know if things will ever be right between us, but we’ve called a temporary cease-fire for now. I won’t lie, a part of me wants to leave well enough alone, and never see him again, but he’s making me a business offer that I would be foolish to turn down. Besides, I don’t have time for a bruised heart.”

Norma Jean shook her head with displeasure. “It’s more than bruised, Dakota. You experienced a devastating event in your life. It’s completely understandable how it would alter how you view things, but you defer your personal life too much if you ask me. You need to get your house in order.”

* * *

Dakota was still mulling over Norma Jean’s words on the drive home. Norma Jean was a wonderful woman, but when she got a notion in her head, nothing was going to deter her from her goal. As far as Dakota was concerned, she had given love a shot, and got kicked in the teeth. She was happy, and then everything got stripped away. Dakota accepted that sometimes as much as you want something, there’s no guarantee that it’s meant to be.

It was late by the time she left work, so she stopped at one of her favorite Mediterranean restaurants to pick up dinner. Dakota lived less than twenty miles from Chicago in the suburban village of Glenview. When she got home, she took a quick shower and changed into loungewear. She ate dinner while searching Belle Resort’s company website. Jotting down notes on a pad as she went, Dakota focused on first impressions and action items that she would organize later.

She clicked another link and discovered a travel magazine article on Logan’s taking over the resorts. It was a good article, but the writer pondered whether Logan had enough experience working in the hospitality industry and if it would ultimately hurt the family’s resort chain. Apparently, bookings had dropped when the transition was announced, but had slowly edged their way back. She stared at Logan’s picture. He was wearing a navy blue suit with a bold red-striped silk tie. There was a slight tan to his golden-brown skin, and he had a smile that made him appear confident and capable. He also looked as though he held a secret.

He also looked incredibly good.

Dakota stared at her laptop screen. There was no denying that Logan was good-looking. He had classic features, and at six-foot-two, he was well-built and muscular. Inheriting his mother’s sable-brown eyes, he also had her knack for winning people over. When he smiled, his whole face lit up, which only served to make him much more irresistible. What bothered Dakota is why her conscience had just reminded her of that fact.

There were no disillusions at having to work with Logan. It would be a huge test of her patience and fortitude because she still wanted to wring his neck sometimes, but violent thoughts notwithstanding, Dakota was excited to be working on a new project, especially one with the potential for add-on work later.

Her phone rang, interrupting her musings.

“Hey, Koty.”

She frowned. “Having second thoughts?”

“About you?” He chuckled. “Never. I believe you’re the perfect woman for the job,” Logan assured her.

She relaxed. “Why?”

“Your company has received a great deal of accolades in the short time you’ve been in business. You know your stuff, and your vision to date has never been wrong.”

Unable to help herself, she felt her chest swell with pride. “How do you know?”

“I read and asked around.”

That did not surprise her, and yet it did.

“I didn’t need validation that you’re good, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

A smile crept up her face. “I was thinking no such thing.”

“Liar. I’ve got decisive plans for Belle Cove. I need you to transform my vision into something tangible…that will seduce our guests. What I need to know is can you do that, Koty?”

Could she do that? Heck yeah, she could.

“I’m confident that I can give you exactly what your company needs.”

“Great, then how about we meet tomorrow to discuss it further?”

Dakota agreed, and then hung up. She went back to her spot at the table and resumed her work on finding everything she could get her hands on pertaining to Belle Resorts…and Logan.

* * *

It was still dark outside when Dakota arrived early to work the next morning. She had gotten hardly any sleep, but that was of little consequence. The preliminary ideas rolling around in her head were now down on paper. She felt good about them, but would need to garner input from Logan. She would also need to schedule an on-site inspection as soon as possible so that she could spend some time evaluating their business practices and operations from the ground up. That was when Dakota really got in and rolled up her sleeves. Her presence unnerved people at times, but it was imperative to her job.

Logan had arrived at nine, and stayed over two hours while he presented his briefing to Dakota. When he was done, she had a better understanding of where he wanted to lead the company.

“So, how soon can you make yourself available to go down and check things out?”

“Immediately,” she replied.

“Great. How about Friday?”

Dakota nodded. “That’s fine.”

“How long do you think you’ll need for your evaluation?”

“Normally it takes a few days to conduct interviews, do an inspection and tour the facility on my own. I’d like to interact with the guests, as well. You know, ask some questions and get their impressions. From there I’ll put together a design briefing on the proposed changes.”

They finalized arrangements before Logan stood up to leave.

“I’ll have my travel agent contact you immediately.”

“That’ll be fine.”

“Great. I’ll see you Friday. I’m looking forward to your visit.”

“Me, too.”

No sooner had Logan left than Susan came into Dakota’s office.

“That went well.”

“It sure did,” Dakota said with a smile.

“I stand corrected. Apparently, you will be able to handle working with Logan.”

“Told you. By the way, I’ll be going to Jamaica on Friday.”

Susan sighed. “Warm breezes, breathtaking views, sun and pristine sand. Oh, I wish I were going. It’s about time I had another island fling.”

“Another?” Dakota laughed. “You mean the first one, don’t you?”

Susan leaned back in her chair. “A girl can dream, can’t she? Jamaica is a wonderful place to kindle a romance.” Her gaze rested on Dakota. “Or rekindle one.”

Dakota blushed. “I wouldn’t know. Logan and I only kissed once. We never had a romance, so there’s no fire to stoke.”

Her friend’s gaze missed nothing. “But you wanted one.”

* * *

Adrian dug his hand into the bowl of Hunter Mix. He chewed softly and then washed it down with a swig of his beer. “So, how’s your Win Dakota Back plan going?”

Logan put his feet up on his coffee table and regarded his cousin. “It’s a bit early for status updates, isn’t it?”

Adrian shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Things could be progressing at an alarming pace for all I know.”

“Nope, but then I knew that going in. I’m not putting time limits on anything. Dakota and I have a lot of ground to cover.”

“Don’t I know it,” Adrian said with a wry smile. “You should’ve seen how long it took Milán and me to declare a truce, but when we did…”

Logan held up a hand. “Spare me the details.”

“It’s not what you think. We were friends quite a while before anything turned serious.”

“Yeah, well, Dakota and I aren’t even that. She is amicable toward me, but that’s strictly for work purposes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I am. She’s only tolerating being in the same room with me because of the resort. Trust me, I’m under no illusions on that score.”

“I’m no stranger to work being the only tie that binds, believe me. I’m not going to lie, you do have your work cut out for you, but she’ll come around.”

Logan grabbed a handful of nuts. “Hope springs eternal.”

“Speaking of eternal, has my mother been pressing you to wade out into the dating pool?”

“Constantly, but I remain immune.”

Adrian shook his head. “I love my mother dearly, but sometimes her idea of boundaries is comical.”

“I’m seeing that, but don’t worry about me. I’ll be in Jamaica with Dakota for the next few days, so I’ll be off the radar.”

“Logan, you could be in the Antarctic, and you’d still be on Norma Jean’s radar.”

He laughed at that. “True.” He was silent for a few moments but then had to ask, “So, has Dakota been dating anyone?”

“Not that I know of. Why else would my mother be trying so hard to fix her up?”

That bit of news did not sit well with Logan. Up until that point, he had assumed that the only love life Norma Jean was interested in was his. “Has she been successful?”

“About as successful as she’s been getting you to go on a date.”

Dakota being romantically involved with another man was not on the list of things he enjoyed thinking about. A few times over the years, he had returned to find her in a relationship. Logan had been cordial, but it bothered him. Considering that he was the one who bolted, he knew it was hypocritical to be troubled by it, but his heart did not always agree with his head—especially where she was concerned.

Adrian waved his hand in front of his cousin’s face a few times. “Dude, how long are you going to sit here daydreaming about her?”

“What? Sorry, didn’t hear you,” Logan replied, but what he wanted to say was, as long as it takes.

Chapter 4

What am I going to do about Logan?

By Thursday, Dakota was exhausted for two reasons. The first was that she had worked late every night on her St. Charles project. There was still no luck finding the sought-after Rothschild sheets, and so far Susan’s sources yielded no results. She had tried to steer Nancy’s tastes in another direction, but her client wasn’t having it.

“Darling, did you hear? Bootsie Ellerby has a set of Rothschilds!”

This was not what Dakota wanted to hear. “Really?”

“Yes! It’s true! I saw them for myself. My manicurist knows her manicurist, and she told me that Bootsie actually went to Rothschild’s home and refused to leave until he agreed to sell her a set. Can you believe it?” Nancy exclaimed. “Apparently, he’s loaded. Comes from old, old money. Why he’s designing sheets is anyone’s guess. Maybe it’s some type of hobby. I don’t care what it is, I just want those sheets. Bootsie’s set was gorgeous. Much nicer than the one I saw at Roger’s store. I hope you weren’t planning on getting them from him. I think you’d do better going to the source, don’t you?

“Wouldn’t you know, Bootsie had the gall to refuse to give me his address? She just wants to lord them over me, but we’ll show her, won’t we, Dakota? I’m sure with your contacts, you’ve got him on speed dial.”

I wish. Relieved that Nancy had come up for air, she wrote down what information she could gather from her client’s monologue so that Susan could pursue the lead. Dakota reasoned that Bootsie loved to talk as much as Nancy did, and if that was the case, it was time to get a manicure.

After seeing her client to the door, Dakota left a note for Susan to stop in when she returned from lunch. Needing a break from sheets and Bootsie Ellerby, she focused on Belle Cove—and Logan.

It was not her intention to pique her friend’s interest to know more about the past, but as far as Dakota was concerned, their history was ancient.

Still, things had progressed better than she expected. Their last meeting had gone very well. Pictures were great, but Dakota was looking forward to seeing the resort firsthand. She had received a call from his travel agent with instructions for their trip. A car was coming to pick her up and take her to the airport. From there, she would fly to Ocho Rios on the Montagues’ company jet. Dakota could not contain the thrill she felt. It would be her first time on a private plane, and she looked forward to the experience.

Dakota’s doorbell chimed. Susan. Her friend had agreed to help her pack for her trip. When she opened the door, she greeted her bag-laden office manager with a smile.

“You’re late. I’m just about finished with the packing.”

“Sorry, but now we have more time to socialize.”

Dakota shook her head, but stood aside to let Susan enter. “What’s all this?”

“I’m sorry I’m late, but I figured with all the packing and worrying you’d be doing, you wouldn’t have time to make yourself dinner, so I brought it with me.”

She followed Susan to the kitchen and helped her unload the cartons of Chinese food.

“I’m not worrying.”

“Uh-huh.” Susan moved around Dakota’s kitchen with ease. She retrieved two wineglasses and a corkscrew out of the cabinet while Dakota set the table.

“Thanks for this,” she said after Susan poured the wine.

“You’re welcome.”

“So, are you ready to begin this project?”

Dakota was thoughtful while she chewed. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Who knew after all these years that I’d see Logan again, much less have him for a client.”

“I’ll admit, the timing is…interesting,” Susan replied.

Dakota let out an unladylike snort. “Don’t read too much into it. I wrote him off once before…and after this is over, I’ll do it again.”

“You think it’ll be that easy this time?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Why not? Dakota, it’s obvious that the two of you have unfinished business. I’ll hand it to you, up until this point, you’ve done a very good job of acting like he doesn’t exist. The fact that I didn’t know about him, or how deep the history runs between you two, is proof enough.”

There was a light hint of censure in Susan’s voice that Dakota did not miss.

“I know. I’m sorry, Suzy. I just… It was hard enough living through that time in my life without having to relay what happened to anyone else.”

“What did happen, Dakota?”

She sighed and sat back in her chair, absentmindedly swirling the wine in her glass. “It all started with an argument. From the moment I began spending summers at my grandparents’ house, the neighborhood kids made fun of me for being the outsider. I was getting teased badly by a group of girls one day, when Logan Montague walked past and heard them. He stood up for me. He was my champion that day. Eventually, we became inseparable, and I spent every summer in Chicago. My parents thought it was better for me to branch out and get to know more kids, but I didn’t want to. We played together, spent long hours reading our favorite books, talking about the future, or being knee-deep in some adventure. Logan was my best friend for five years. One day he betrayed me by ruining my relationship with Michael. Not to mention leaving, and breaking my heart—after we kissed, of course.”

Susan sat back and crossed her legs to get comfortable. “Whoa, wait. Who’s Michael?”

“He was my first boyfriend. Logan didn’t like him from the start, and always razzed me about him. He never missed an opportunity to point out how Michael was lacking in some way. I was livid at his interference in my love life, but I was torn because he was my best friend. In the end, I thought him very high-handed to assume Michael wasn’t right for me.”

“Well, did you talk to him about it?”

“Constantly, but it always ended in arguments, so I ignored his remarks about Michael. I thought I was in love. And pow, just like that, it was over. He broke up with me. I was devastated. Later…I found out the extent of Logan’s dislike for him.”

“How?”

“Michael admitted that he’d been talked into breaking it off with me—by Logan.”

Susan gasped. “No way!”

Dakota nodded. “He’d scored courtside seats for a Bulls game, but that didn’t stop him from telling me all about Logan’s machinations to bust us up. I’m sure Logan didn’t factor that into the deal. Sadly, that incident made me realize that in order for Logan’s attempts to be successful, it meant Michael wasn’t as committed to me as he’d claimed. Years later, I considered myself lucky that it ended.”

“Lucky why?”

“By seeing how the love of my life turned out. Michael is as big a jerk now as when we were teenagers. Why I didn’t see it then is beyond me. Regardless of how angry I was at Logan, I have to admit that his butting in where he didn’t belong saved me a lot of heartache later.”

Too bad he didn’t stay around to find that out. At first, she missed Logan so bad, Dakota thought she would never recover. It was during that time she realized that her attachment ran deeper than mere friendship.

“Hello?”

Dakota snapped out of her reverie. “Sorry. You know, it took me a while to get over it, but after retracing the events in my head, I convinced myself that Logan acted out of jealousy. I suspected that deep down, he loved me.”

“And did you feel the same?”

She nodded. “Especially after that kiss. It felt like we had shared such a connection when it happened. That hope prompted me to go see him at college. He’d written me several times, but I didn’t respond. Months passed before I realized I had to tell him how I felt, but that idea blew up in my face.”

“Why?”

“Long story short, I went to see him and he was…he was with another woman. With her,” Dakota stressed.

“Oh,” Susan said sympathetically. She reached across the table and squeezed her friend’s hand. “I’m so sorry, Dakota. I know what a rough time that was for you. I can’t imagine having to face everything alone, and then to decide and declare your love just to have it—”

“Blow up in my face?”

“Not work out,” Susan finished. “I know it must’ve been hard.”

“You have no idea. Anyway, I returned home disillusioned, embarrassed and just plain numb. And that’s the end of the story. I was stupid to think that Logan felt that way about me. I’d lashed out at him after learning the truth about Michael, and it was the worst argument we’d ever had. I told him to stay out of my personal life. We made up weeks later, and then out of the blue, he left. Each time he returned, it was tense between us. In retrospect, how can I fault him now for doing exactly what I’d asked?”

“Still, you should’ve told him about your visit and how you felt—among other things.”

“What good would that’ve done? It wouldn’t have changed anything I was struggling with at the time. No, it was better he didn’t know I was there.”

“But you’d have had the support you needed. A shoulder to cry on. You were heartbroken, Dakota. I’m convinced having Logan by your side would’ve helped you cope. Now there’s a huge what if cloud hanging over the two of you.”

“Oh, no, it’s not.” Dakota got up and began clearing the table. “There’s nothing hanging between us, Suzy. Me and relationships don’t work out. It’s been a painful lesson, but one I’ve learned in spades.”

“I disagree. I think you two should’ve cleared the air years ago. If for no other reason, it would ease the tension between you now.”

“There’s no tension.”

Susan tilted her head to the side. “Were you not in the same room I was?”

Dakota placed the remainder of the Chinese food in the refrigerator while Susan wiped off the table.

“Look, there’s nothing between us but a very lucrative contract, and I plan on upholding my end of it.”

“If you say so.” Susan walked over and hugged Dakota. “I’d better head home now.” She grabbed her purse. “Have a safe trip, and call me the moment you land, and be sure to take plenty of pictures.”

Dakota returned the hug. “I will.”

She walked Susan to the door and watched as she got into her car and drove off.

Back in her bedroom, Dakota went over their conversation. She meant what she said. She had tried to mend her heart and find love again, but after a string of bad relationships, Dakota had decided that enough was enough. She would never give another person the power to devastate her again, and so far that plan was working.

Having to recount the details to Susan had been harder than she expected. It had left her a bit apprehensive about being in such close proximity with Logan again. Susan was right; they did have unfinished business that would need to be addressed at some point. How long could she put it off? They had never had a conversation about what went wrong between them. Each time Dakota got up her nerve, Logan was not around, or he had a girlfriend. The timing had never seemed right.