Chapter 18

Dani

He'd finally left. Not that I wanted him gone, I just needed some time alone to process the fact that, in the last two hours, I'd said more sentences than I'd manage to accomplish in the past year.

Deep breaths. That's what my therapist always said. "And when that fails, try counting to ten while envisioning yourself walking along the beach and watching the waves."

Sometimes it felt like psychobabble crap.

But right now? I needed something - anything - to center me. I quickly glanced out the window and started counting the waves as the tide rolled in, my hand clenching my cell phone.

I felt guilty that the first time I'd talked was with a Hollywood actor who was basically paying me to get his coffee, while I couldn't say one thing around my sister or brother-in-law, or even my best friends.

My brain hurt from trying to figure it out.

Was this just a special one-time thing? Or was I suddenly going to be completely fine? Was it the whale? Lincoln? The kissing?

Maybe that w