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Dakota laughed. “Thank you for the invite. I’ll definitely be there.”
Logan smiled with satisfaction. “Great.” He stood up and then reached his hands out to pull her to her feet. “It’s time I headed out. You need some rest.”
“Logan, I—”
“I know, I know. You’re fine.”
She walked him to the door. “Thanks for the wonderful dinner, dessert and company. I had a great evening.”
“Me, too.” He hugged her tightly. “For the record, I don’t believe you,” he whispered in her ear, “but I won’t pressure you into confiding in me, Koty.” He kissed her on the cheek and then released her.
“Good night, Logan.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow—it was great seeing you, by the way. Hopefully the next time will be before Thanksgiving.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” She watched him get into his car. She waved a final time before closing the door and leaning against it.
It was obvious he hadn’t lost his knack for seeing right through her. When they were younger, Logan used to be able to spot Dakota in a lie instantly, and he always seemed to know when things weren’t copacetic. It must only work in close proximity, because things were one hundred times worse than copacetic over the years, and he had not sought her out once.
Stop dwelling on the past. Focus on the present, and look forward to the future. It was nice spending time with him. Dakota went over to the couch and lay down on her side. She called Logan from her cell phone and waited.
“Having second thoughts about me leaving?” he said as soon as he answered.
“Ha. No,” she teased. “I just wanted to thank you again for the care package. I really appreciated it—and your company tonight.”
“My pleasure, Koty. Maybe if you aren’t avoiding me tomorrow, you’d join me for the afternoon. It’s been a while since I’ve actually gone out to do something fun. I suspect it’s the same for you, as well.”
“Now that’s true.”
“Great. How about it?”
“Yes, Logan Montague. I’ll hang out with you tomorrow. Should I meet you somewhere?”
“No, I’ll come get you. See you at…three?”
“Okay.”
She hung up, and was unable to hold the smile on her face at bay. It would be nice to get out and not have to end the day eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because she had thrown dinner on someone’s head. She hummed a lively tune as she turned out the lights and went to bed.
* * *
The next day, Dakota did not get up until after eight o’clock. It felt good to sleep in, and she was happy that she did not dream at all. No nightmares of any kind. Granted, she did not feel like she was completely rejuvenated, but it was a start.
After breakfast, she cleaned up her house and went grocery shopping. She was putting away her purchases when her phone rang.
“Hey Suzy, what’s up?”
“We got it,” she exclaimed. “We’ve got an email for Rothschild, and an address…sort of.”
“That’s fantastic,” Dakota said. “What’s sort of mean?”
“We have the town he lives in. It’s Kennebunkport, Maine.”
“Kenne-what? Well, how many Amadeus Rothschilds do you think there’d be in town? We should be able to track him down with no problem.”
“Finding him, yes. Getting him to be our designer sheet connection, maybe.”
“Hey, everyone has a price. There has to be something that Mr. Rothschild wants.”
“Dakota, he’s a mega-millionaire. What could he possibly not have that we can get him?”
“Who knows, but we’ve got to try. I’ve never had an unsatisfied customer, and I’m not about to start now.”
By the time she got off with Susan, she had to scramble in order to be ready by the time Logan arrived. It was clear out, but chilly, so Dakota picked a pair of jeans, a tweed jacket and turtleneck. She decided that her “wild child” selection for the day would be the turtle bracelet she picked up in Jamaica, and decorative zebra socks. She was putting on her boots when the doorbell rang.
“Hey,” Logan said when she let him in.
“Hi. I’m ready. I just need to grab my purse and coat.”
When she returned, Logan helped her into her down parka.
“Hey, I recognize these two.” He motioned to her wrist. “These are very popular at the store. It looks great on you.”
“I got it because it had two turtles, and it reminded me of my parents.”
“Oh.” Logan squeezed her hand. “I think it’s a wonderful symbol.”
