Love by Design

“Adrian,” Milán said impatiently.

“What? I’m just asking.”

“Not now. Can’t you see Dakota’s upset?”

“He said I told him some things last night that honestly, I can’t remember. Whatever I said, it was about what happened years ago.”

“Great, more lady baggage,” Adrian muttered.

Susan glanced at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know, if women would just speak up and say what’s on their mind—when it actually occurs, and not weeks, months or even years later—you could save yourselves, and men, a lot of trouble.”

“But I’ve told him everything,” Dakota said. “I told him how I felt after he left, about my parents dying and the guilt I felt—how much I blamed him for my pain. He and I talked about it months ago. We cleared the air. There’s nothing left.”

“Not necessarily.”

Dakota turned to Susan. “What do you mean?”

“You didn’t mention…you know.”

“Know what? There isn’t anything that…” Dakota’s voice dropped off. She glanced at Susan. “His dorm.”

Adrian and Milán glanced between the two. “What happened there?” he asked.

“I went to see Logan. It was a surprise. He wasn’t alone.”

“Oh,” Adrian replied. After a moment, his expression changed. “Oh.”

“So that’s what you told him last night?” Susan shook her head. “In an alcohol-induced confession? That wasn’t a good idea.”

“I’ve got to go.”

They watched Dakota run into the resort.

Milán turned to Adrian. “Do you think they’ll work it out?”

“I don’t know, baby, but I’m glad I’m not single anymore.”

“Hey,” Susan said indignantly.

“Miranda,” Dakota said breathlessly. “Do you know where I can find Logan?”

“He went to Montego Bay, Miss Dakota. He has friends living there.”

“Did he say when he’d be back?”

She shook her head. “Why? Is everything irie?”

“No, Dakota said worriedly. “Me naw irie.”

Miranda asked another woman to cover her for a moment and then stepped around the desk. She motioned for Dakota to follow her.

They went outside and sat on the bench swing.

“What’s happen that has you in such distress?”

“It’s a long story, and I’ve got to find Logan and talk to him.”

“We got time for di short version. Spill dem beans.”

Dakota told her the gist of her troubled past with Logan. Miranda knew some things, but she was shocked to hear that Logan had left without telling Dakota where he went, or when he’d be back.

“And he’s not answering his phone?”

“No, I’ve called several times. It’s off.”

“That’s not like him. Me say we gotta give him space right now. He going through something, and he gotta work it out for himself, but don’t you worry your head, now. He be back. He loves you. Me see it in his eyes. He’ll set things right. And when he does, you knock him on his backside for worrying you dis much.”

Dakota hugged the sage woman. Not content just sitting around, though, she stood up and said, “How do I get to Montego Bay?”

Chapter 16

“Logan, honey, can I get you anything else?”

“No thanks, Natalie. I’m good.”

Logan sat back in his chair overlooking the water. For the first time that day, he felt calm and relaxed. She sat down next to him. Her smooth, dark brown skin had minimal lines, despite her age. Her colorful, flowing dress billowed around her legs at the breeze picking up.

“Thanks for letting me stop in—especially on such short notice.”

“Nonsense, we’re happy to see you no matter what kind of notice,” she assured him.

He closed his eyes and listened to the birdsong all around him. He loved Jamaica. It was like no other place he had traveled to. It called to him in a way he had never experienced before. When he was here, he felt at peace. Relaxed and happy. That was a completely different feeling from when he sat back after hearing the words that slipped from Dakota’s mouth the night before. Logan could not believe his ears. She had visited him one of the brief times that he returned to Chicago. She was there, and she had not said one word to him or his parents about it. Even when he had accused her of not caring enough about him to come visit. Not once had she corrected his assumptions—or confessed what she had seen. And to find out last night…after so much time had passed, and not even by a fully coherent Dakota…it felt like he had been sucker-punched in his gut.