The Sweet Road to Love

by Jacki Kelly

  “Mom.”

  “What happened now?” He put the car in park and waited.

  “I literally begged her to come for a visit during the holidays. She flat-out refuses. I can’t believe her,” she croaked.

  “I asked you to give her some time, Adanna. She won’t stay mad at you forever. I’ll give her a call in a few weeks. Maybe I can convince her.”

  “I told her that Dennis and I would come see her and she pooh-poohed that idea too. If you ask her, I bet she’d jump on a plane and be here within a day.”

  “Calm down before you get DJ upset. I’ll talk to her.” He rubbed his sister’s arm, hoping to placate her.

  She wrapped her arms around her waist. Her breathing was loud and labored. Adanna held on to emotions like a baby with a bottle.

  “I called you all weekend. So what bimbo were you with this time? Jill? Becka?”

  “That’s none of your business. And she was not a bimbo.” He put the car in drive. As long as she was railing against him, at least she wasn’t crying over their mother.

  “I think your behavior is disgusting.” She huffed.

  She didn’t have any objections.”

  “I guess not. What did you buy her?”

  “Chinese food.”

  She glared at him. “Dad was lucky Mom stuck around while he acted like a fool. Don’t think you’ll find a good woman willing to put up with that kind of nonsense.”

  “Thanks for your unsolicited advice.” He chuckled at his sister’s insistence. They remained silent for the rest of the drive.

  Together they walked into the store. “You go ahead and shop. I’ll hold my nephew.” He lifted the sleeping baby from his sister’s arms. DJ rested his head on Bishop’s chest.

  He strolled behind his sister as she threw items in the shopping cart.

  “Are you mad at me or Mom? And who’s paying for all that stuff?” He nodded to the half-full cart.

  “I’m mad at Mom. I’m always mad at her. And you’re paying. Dennis doesn’t get paid until Friday. Can you help me out?” Her large brown eyes cut right to her heart.

  “What makes you any different from the other women that keep trying to get in my wallet?”

  “I’m your sister.” She shoved his arm and the tears she tried to hold back spilled down her face. He draped his free arm around her shoulder.

  “Everything is going to be okay, sis. Please don’t get too upset. You know how Mom can be. I promise she’ll see DJ soon, even if I have to charter a plane and fly us all out to La Jolla, California.” He tightened his arms around her. He hated when women cried. Especially women he loved.

  Chapter Ten

  Dakota parked her car and jumped out. She ran to the door of the Whole Foods Market while pulling her coat around her neck. She only needed a few items to replace everything she and Bishop had munched over the weekend to keep their strength up.

  In the dairy, she looked for the expiration date on the bottom of the container of hummus. Without finding the information she threw the plastic container into the basket swinging from her arm and headed to the coffee aisle. Every trip to the store encouraged her to buy something more.

  Her buoyant disposition felt good after a year of living a cloistered life. In one wild ride over a reckless weekend, she’d blown away the cobwebs collecting on her life. Next she’d call Sunny and Tora to see what her girlfriends were up to.

  Getting Brian’s tape back from Simeon needled her. But what would she do with the darn thing? Play the message from time to time and think about the mistake she’d almost made? Or would she take it to some teenage group home and tell the girls to stay away from men who could break their hearts? The signs were always there. One shouldn’t have ignored them.

  Maybe next week she’d call Simeon and ask for the tape after all. Nobody would ever believe that something so dramatic could happen to her, so she might need the tape as proof.

  Dakota rounded the corner, heading to the registers, resisting the urge to whistle. From the corner of her eye, she spotted someone who should have been familiar, but something was off. At the end of the aisle, she watched Bishop rub the back of a sleeping baby while hugging an attractive young woman with long straight hair. She watched as the woman closed in on Bishop and kissed the sleeping baby.

  Her heart thumped against her ribs at almost the same time her knees decided not to work. The sound of rushing water flooded her ears and for what seemed like minutes, but was only moments she couldn’t draw a single thought that made sense. The urge to walk over to him and slap his bearded face surged through her veins. Why had he asked her out if he was seeing someone? She struggled for a breath and spun away from the touching scene in the middle of the store.

  “Damn it, Dakota,” she uttered as shame claimed her.

  At least she hadn’t fallen in love. She’d only stuck her toe in the pool of Bishop. Just like all the other women before her. It felt good for the half second it lasted. But he’d only screwed her good and proper then invited her to a concert, not to be the love of his life. She shook her head, pushing away the icy reality that swept over her.

  To think she would move from one disastrous relationship to the perfect union was ridiculous. Being out of the dating market for a while, she’d forgotten how cruel men could be. Memories of her girlfriends crying and distraught about dating deceptions came rushing back.

  She sucked her tongue as she dropped her basket at her feet. Getting out of the store before Bishop saw her was the only thing that mattered.

  “Sir.” She signaled a clerk walking by. “I think I’m going to be sick, can you please put these items back on the shelf for me?” Without waiting for a reply, she darted to the nearest exit.

  In the car, she put all the windows down and gulped crisp fresh air. This was silly. She shouldn’t be upset. But he hadn’t told the truth. If he could lie so easily for a romp with a woman he’d just met, what was he willing to do when there was more at stake? She never envisioned him as untrustworthy, but the touching scene in the market told her everything she needed to know.

  She backed out of the space without checking her rearview mirror. The chances that she’d get dumped and run into Mr. Perfect were higher than her chances of winning the lottery. She might as well slow down and enjoy what came her way without thinking every hello or concert invitation was a love connection.

  In front of her house, Dakota turned off the car and ran up the stairs. Her appetite had faded. She marched up to the bedroom and fell backwards on the bed. With her arms folded behind her head, she kicked off her shoes.

  “What were you thinking, silly goose?” she said. “Of course he has a girlfriend. Maybe several.” She slapped her leg. Being out of commission had dulled her dating senses. The next time around, she vowed to be more astute before accepting a date. No matter how good looking or smooth talking he appeared on the outside, she’d ask the standard twenty questions. Starting with, are you married? Are you dating? Are you a father?

  The phone rang. She hesitated for moment before picking up the receiver.

  “Dakota, I’ll be in Delaware in a few weeks. I hope to be there for the opening of the community center.” Melissa never said hello. She assumed everyone knew her voice and was glad to hear from her.

  “Great.” Dakota continued to stare at the ceiling.

  “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you want me to come?” Melissa’s tone was sharp.

  “Of course I do. I haven’t seen you since Fashion Week. I’m just bummed about my love life falling apart and sounding chipper is hard”

  “What happened?”

  She relayed the Brian story and the Whole Foods story to her sister without shedding a tear.

  “I’m sorry, Dakota.” Melissa’s sincerity was more than Dakota expected.

  “Don’t be. I’m fine. The timing stinks. Brian and I were history months ago, we just made it official. And I just accepted a date with Bishop today. I don’t love him or anything, but I should have fol
lowed my instincts when I originally said no.” She took a breath. “Anyway, I’ll cancel tomorrow. No harm, no foul.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, Darius is being a royal jerk. That’s another reason why I’ve decided to get out of town for a while. Maybe if I give him a chance to miss me, he’ll appreciate me more.”

  “Come as soon as you can, we can sit around together and trade war stories. I bet mine will top yours any day.”

  §§§

  Donuts would have been a nice touch for such a gloomy day, but the last thing Dakota needed was to feel cheery. There was some comfort in wallowing in the doldrums. At least this way she had no expectations and nothing was a surprise. She would scrounge up the courage to cancel the date with Bishop. Maybe she’d even include a recommendation that he take the stunning beauty he was hugging in the grocery store to the concert.

  She unlocked the doors of the bookstore and flipped on the lights. In her office, she secured her knapsack to the back of the chair before pulling open the desk drawers. She found the cheesecloth filled with sage. After checking that the end was secure with twine she lit the bundle.

  The earthy smell penetrated her nostrils as she waved the rags throughout out the space. With all the disappointment she’d experienced, she wanted to cleanse the bookstore, chase away the bad spirits, and invite happier ones in.

  Through the large plate glass window, she saw Bishop approach the door. As usual, his swagger was confident and today he wore a custom-fit gray suit that matched the color of the fall sky. With his tablet tucked under his arm, he popped open the front door.

  Too bad he was taken, because even now he made her mouth water. But neglecting to tell her he was in a relationship spoke to his character. Why he chose to conceal his relationship chomped at her sense of fair play. How could he be a playboy? If his relationships were built on lies and deception, he wouldn’t make it very far. She shrugged, better to know now, before wasting any time.

  He saw Dakota and waved. “Sure smells good in here. Like…” He sniffed. “Like…”

  “This is sage,” Dakota said without looking up. She refused to gush. As far as she was concerned, he was just another good-looking man. She’d have many of them cross her path, no need to get wobbly kneed every time.

  “I like the scent. But what does it do?” He stood on the opposite side of the counter.

  “The aura in the bookstore is in a bad place. I’m chasing away the bad karma. I did my house this morning. Now, I’m doing the bookstore.” She continued to wave the rag.

  “Do you think this works?” He scratched his chin.

  “Time will tell.” She blew on the tip of the rag to extinguish the flame.

  He opened his tablet. “I’m not too early, am I?”

  “Not at all. Let me see what you’ve got.” She propped her elbows on the counter and placed her chin in her palm. “Stick to business,” she mumbled so he wouldn’t hear.

  “Do you want to come around to this side? You’ll be able to see better.”

  “No, this is fine.” The more distance between them the better.

  He scrolled through several designs explaining each one in great detail. Dakota was only half listening. She wanted to scream at him for lying to her. Instead she nodded throughout his presentation and pretended everything was normal.

  “I like this one the best.” She pointed to the second design with several small reading sections and lots of pot ceiling lights. The dark wood floor added warmth to the space.

  “That’s the one I would have chosen too.” He gave her one of his electrifying smiles.

  She sat back and eyed him. Maybe that wasn’t the best one for her. Obviously he didn’t have good judgment. “Then maybe I need to take a little more time and think about all three designs.” There was an edge in her voice that she hadn’t expected.

  “Is something wrong, Dakota? You seem distracted today. If this is not a good time we can do this another day.”

  She shifted her position to get a better look at his face. He seemed to be very calm. Either he was a professional prevaricator or he didn’t care.

  Confronting him was not her style. Melissa used to tease her, calling her a wuss because she’d come home crying instead of facing down a problem.

  She squared her shoulders. “Look, I can’t do this.”

  “You don’t like any of these designs?”

  “No. I can’t work with you. I’ll have a talk with Simeon about finding someone else for me to work with.” She shoved his tablet towards him.

  “The designs can’t be that bad,” He scratched his chin. “Let me know what you don’t like and I’ll work up something new.”

  “Look, I know we aren’t a couple or anything.” She tried to swallow the knot in her throat. “So you had no reason to lie to me. After this weekend I had no expectations other than the truth. I know you’re a womanizer, but I thought you only had one woman at a time. That, I could deal with. But your life is a circus.”

  He looked over his shoulder at the door. “Circus? What are you talking about?”

  She released a dismissive sigh. “I saw you last night in Whole Foods.”

  “Ah, you should have come over to me. I could have introduced you to my sister. She’s only been in town a few months and doesn’t know many people.”

  “Your sister?” Her cheeks grew warm.

  His eyes widened. “You thought that was a girlfriend, didn’t you?” His laughter filled the store.

  “It’s not that funny.”

  “Yes it is.” He continued to laugh, holding his hand to his mouth. “You’re funny. You should see yourself. You’re pouting like a kid who doesn’t want to take a nap. What did you think—I asked you out, then went home to my other woman? I’m not trying to hurt anyone or get hurt. I told you that.”

  “I’ve been told a lot of things.” She crossed her arms to channel her indignation.

  “Not by me.” His smiled disappeared, replaced by a more serious expression. “So that’s what this is all about.” He pointed to the distance between them. “You haven’t gotten near me all morning.”

  “How was I supposed to know?”

  “You’re supposed to trust me.”

  She swallowed while trying to keep the emotion from showing in her face. When did she become that woman who suspected the worst in everything and everyone? “I trusted before and look what happened.”

  “I don’t know what happened in your last relationship, but I’m not your ex.”

  She nodded her concession. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  “Did you just apologize? I don’t think I’ve ever heard a woman do that before.”

  “Well, I’m different, too. I do a lot of things other women don’t.”

  “Well, I don’t do a lot of things other men do.” His voice was softer as he mocked her. He walked around the counter. For a moment, he looked down at her before kissing her forehead, then her mouth with the same blistering desire that blazed in his eyes.

  After a minute, he released her. She ran her tongue over her lips. His proclamation captured her heart. She grabbed the wooden counter to keep from swooning. Everything was moving so fast. She had little time to sort it out.

  “The baby is your nephew?”

  He nodded. “DJ.”

  “DJ? What does that stand for?”

  “Dennis Jr. He’s named after his father. I’d like to introduce you to Adanna and her family.”

  When had her instincts become so bad? She used to pride herself on the ability to read people or see bad news coming long before it arrived. At least she hadn’t made a complete fool of herself by approaching him in the store. She hoped Bishop didn’t think she was one of those women spewing accusations with little knowledge.

  “Sure, I’d love to meet your sister.” She tried to sound normal, as if she had fully recovered from the whole episode. “Let me think about the designs. I should know which one I want in a few days.”

  “I understa
nd. There’s no rush.” He gave her an odd look as if she might be one of those fickle women who never knew what they wanted.

  “I’m sure I can make a decision. How hard can choosing be? I just need a little time to digest this information.”

  “What information? The bookstore, or me?” He crossed his ankles and leaned against the counter.

  “Both.” She barely heard her own voice.

  “Come here.” He pulled her into his arms. “I won’t hurt you. It’s not possible.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Bishop pushed away from the computer. The week had dragged out like a long boring movie, but tonight was the night. The last time he was this excited about a date was back when he was still in college. Something interesting was happening between him and Dakota. It felt right and wrong all at once, like playing golf in the rain with his church clothes on. His goal was to remain unattached and uninvolved, but every time Dakota came within inches of him, she made his declaration harder to keep.

  He glanced at his watch. If he didn’t leave soon, he would be late picking up Dakota for the concert. He checked his pocket, making sure the concert tickets were in place.

  Simeon’s words echoed in his head about her needing time and going slow. If that’s what she needed, he was willing to do whatever was necessary. Dakota didn’t seem to notice her understated charm and seduction. That’s what made her so attractive. All the smooth moves that worked so easily on other women weren’t effective on her. He grabbed his car keys and headed out the door. She only lived a few blocks from Harper Enterprise. He’d never even noticed the bookstore before he met her. How he could have missed Dakota still boggled him.

  She stood on the top step in front of her townhouse. Her jacket collar was pulled up against a tomato-red scarf. The matching mittens made her look younger. As soon as he pulled up, she charged down the stairs and hopped into the passenger seat. Her hair was curled tighter than normal and her luscious lips were a muted shade of red.“