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“Great. Thanks.”
Krista waved as she stepped out of the school to head to her car and a waiting Luke.
“Hey, Krista?” Leah leaned against the doorway.
The other woman turned to face her. “Yeah?”
“You wouldn’t happen to want to go to New Zealand to see Noah, would you now?”
Krista’s cheeks instantly pinked and she huffed as she jammed her hands into her coat pockets, took them out, then jammed them in again. “No. He’s insufferable. My only regret in accompanying you is that I have to see that knucklehead.”
“Knucklehead. Right.” Leah grinned and Krista’s blush deepened. “My mistake.”
Krista mumbled something Leah couldn’t quite hear as she stomped off toward her vehicle. Something told Leah that Krista was into knuckleheads.
“I’m going to New Zealand.” Saying it out loud made it real, right? “I’m going to New Zealand,” she said a little louder.
“New Zealand? What for?” Heidi strode over to the pick-up door. “I thought you didn’t like to travel. What in the world is in New Zealand?”
“Dakota.”
Heidi’s eyebrows rose. “So you’re going to go for it? You’re going to confess you’re undying love to the man?”
Leah nodded, a crazy energy coursing through her body. This would be the most reckless thing she’d ever done in her life, but it felt like the right thing to do.
As necessary as taking air into her lungs.
“Well, holy shit.” Heidi grabbed her and danced around the kindergarten room.
Within moments, the two of them were laughing their asses off. When Heidi stopped abruptly, Leah nearly tripped over her friend’s feet.
“Why are we not still dancing?” Dancing felt good. It gave her the power to follow this nutty plan through to the end.
“I was thinking about what you need to wear when you see Dakota and tell him you love him.” She tugged on Leah’s arm. “C’mon. We’re going shopping.”
“I don’t have time for shopping, Heidi.”
“Leah, Leah, Leah…” Heidi shook her head. “There’s always time for shopping.”
****
Dakota had been in New Zealand for three days. The dolphin swim and kayaking tour of the Bay of Islands, the Auckland Bridge Climb with its 360-degree views, and the White Island helicopter tour over a volcano had been extraordinary.
But…
Thoughts of Leah consumed him. What was she doing right now? Was she making it through her school days without thinking of him? Did she have any regrets about ending their relationship? Had she heard that he and Noah had flown off to New Zealand? What did she think about that if she had? Did it further confirm in her mind that she’d made the right decision in leaving him?
Noah had to convince Dakota to go on this trip which was beyond odd. Dakota had spent the better half of their adult lives trying to persuade Noah to travel to New Zealand with him. Now they were there and he couldn’t truly enjoy it. He’d left a vital organ back in Maplehaven.
His heart.
Without it, even the breathtaking landscapes around him couldn’t get him out of his funk. At least his damn arm didn’t bother him too much. The air cast was a pain, but he’d been able to do all the stuff they’d scheduled.
“Okay, Friday, day four,” Noah said as he set a coffee in front of Dakota before taking a seat across from him at the small corner café they’d frequented each morning so far. “Do you think today is the day you’ll actually realize you’re here in New Zealand?”
Dakota met his friend’s gaze. “Dude, I’m sorry. I suck.”
“You do suck,” Noah sipped his coffee, “but not because of this. Maybe I was wrong to push you into going. Perhaps it was the wrong time. I just thought it would help you get over her.”
