Love by Design

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.”