Following Bliss (The Quest series) Read online

  Not being able to find her number was definitely making him think maybe Shelby had been an angel—only sent to him for that brief moment in time.

  “If angels really exist, that is,” Daniel mumbled under his breath.

  Although he had been exploring the Law of Attraction in greater detail, even reading The Law of Attraction by Michael Losier, Daniel wasn’t sure what he believed when it came to deeper spiritual topics like angels and the spirit world.

  I’ve got to find her number. I’m starting to lose it speculating that she isn’t even a real person!

  The trouble was, Daniel didn’t even have Shelby’s last name. Daniel sat down on his couch, feeling defeated. He put his head in his hands; how could he have been so careless with her card? The excitement of meeting her and then going directly into his pitch meeting with Kaley had somehow caused him to lose the card. He had been careless and overzealous.

  Daniel took a deep breath. He began a tapping technique called Cortices that one of his BodyTalk healing practitioners had given him. It helped balance the left and right sides of the brain, allowing him to calm down and think clearly. BodyTalk was a form of energy medicine that Daniel had used occasionally over the past few years whenever health issues came up in his life or whenever he felt stuck in some way. The healing always felt so good to him, but he often found himself unable to commit to a continued practice—it was as if some part of him enjoyed being stuck. He hadn’t tapped in several months, and it felt good to do something other than freak out over the loss of Shelby’s card. He took another deep breath and began tapping Cortices again.

  Suddenly, he knew what he needed to do. He needed to meditate.

  Daniel hadn’t meditated in at least a year, as his primary focus for the past year had been writing his novel and becoming a successful writer. He didn’t know how or when his meditation practice had stopped, but it had slipped away and, for some reason, in this moment he knew that’s exactly what he needed to do. Several years prior, he had attended a Vipassana meditation retreat—and for 10 days he had not uttered a word, instead engaging in roughly 10 hours of meditation a day. After that he had maintained a solid meditation practice, sitting for 45 minutes to an hour almost daily.

  Doing so had served him well. His life flowed with so much ease, making it possible for him to save up all the money he felt he needed before embarking on his journey of being a full-time writer. But, once the fear of not being successful gripped him, he had done nothing more than work tirelessly to force the writing and the subsequent success to come to him. This was yet another reason why he had been drawn to the Law of Attraction. His forcing and will-powering habits hadn’t worked, although yesterday’s events certainly seemed to indicate that things were beginning to shift.

  Daniel arranged a blanket and pillows on the floor, and assumed his meditation position. He sat like that for 45 minutes. When he opened his eyes, he knew what he had to do next.

  # # #

  He revved the engine of his Subaru Outback, asking Daphne (he named his car this several years ago after dating a woman who followed the path of Hoʻoponopono, which believed everything was living and deserved respect. Daniel had to agree and loved the practice of naming everything—from his apartment to hotel rooms to his laptop—he found it created a sense of connection and warmth.) to get him to northwest Portland as quickly as possible. For some reason, he was feeling an intense urgency.

  Winding through the streets of Portland, Daniel felt lighter. He was surprised how easily he was able to drop back into a meditative space. He didn’t have to fight with his mind as much as he anticipated he would. Instead, he was able to reach that sweet place of surrender and bliss relatively easily. Even though going into the meditation he felt distressed about losing Shelby’s phone number, he now felt that somehow it would all be okay.

  And that’s why he decided to follow the intense urge he had to go to his favorite coffee shop in northwest Portland. Despite not knowing exactly why he needed to be there.

  That meditation must have really put me in the flow, Daniel thought as a parking spot right in front of CoffeeTime became available as he pulled up. His parallel parking skills were somehow much better than usual, as he skillfully guided Daphne into the spot. He jumped out of the car eager with anticipation; he couldn’t wait to see what awaited him next.

  The coffee shop was filled with the usual suspects—Portland hipsters and single girls with dogs, preferably pugs. Daniel loved CoffeeTime because it had open windows and doors that made for great people-watching and fresh air, especially during Portland’s Indian summer months of September and October. He found it stimulated his creative juices, and often wrote poetry during his visits.

  Today, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he figured he would let the Universe show him the way.

  Daniel walked into the coffee shop and looked around. The smell of roasted coffee beans wafted in while the sounds of the espresso machine tinged with indie rock filled the air. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until he went up to the counter to order his usual decaf coffee. He casually turned to the right and saw a mass of blonde hair leaning over a piece of paper scribbling furiously.

  It was Shelby.

  # # #

  Daniel stood frozen for several minutes.

  “Excuse me, sir, would you like to order something?”

  Daniel put his hand up and shook his head. He realized then that he was speechless. His mind was not able to process the series of events as quickly as they were occurring. It didn’t make any sense. He had frequented this coffee shop at least weekly for a year. And never, never before had he seen that beautiful head of hair. Because Daniel’s mind wasn’t working at 100 percent, he walked right over to Shelby and stood there, still unable to speak.

  Slowly, her frantic writing simmered as she looked up to see who was standing before her. When she got to Daniel’s face, she smiled so big that she thought her cheeks might burst. Meanwhile, her mind tried to come up with all the ways and possibilities that he could have known she was at CoffeeTime (it didn’t have much success, as the possibility was completely illogical). Then, her mind jumped in to remind her of the woman’s voice, the dream and the message she was supposed to give Daniel. Because all of this was happening, she couldn’t speak, there was too much to process.

  So, they stood there looking at one another like that for what seemed like hours, but in truth was only a couple of minutes.

  “Shelby. I am so glad to see you,” Daniel finally sputtered.

  “Daniel, I’m so glad to see you. How did you know I was here?”

  “I didn’t! That’s what is so crazy. Can I sit down?”

  “Oh, yes, of course! I’m sorry. Go ahead,” Shelby scooted over so Daniel could join her in the booth. She turned to face him. “So, what got you here?”

  “Well, I meditated for like the first time in forever, because I was freaking out that I had lost your number. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I mean, I tore my entire car apart. I almost ripped those khaki pants I was wearing apart too. But, you know, I held back—they were really good khaki pants.”

  Shelby sat nodding and smiling, her mind attempting to understand the words he was saying. A meditation led him to the coffee shop she was at. Not finding her card had led him to meditate. She had been told to tell him to meditate. Shelby’s inner dialogue screamed at her to say to him: SOME WOMAN CAME TO ME IN MY SLEEP LAST NIGHT AND TOLD ME TO TELL YOU TO MEDITATE AND THAT YOU NEEDED TO OPEN YOUR HEART. Instead, she said:

  “They were really great khakis. I’m so grateful you didn’t kill them over my number. But you lost my card?? How??”

  It just seemed like a more sane response than what was screaming through her. And if Daniel noticed that there was more happening within her, he didn’t show it. Probably because what he really wanted to say to Shelby was: I’M GOING TO GET A BOOK DEAL BECAUSE OF YOU AND I REALLY WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AND GOD, YOU LOOK GORGEOUS. But, inst
ead he said:

  “I have no clue how I managed to lose your card—it’s so bizarre. But I meditated for 45 minutes and when I came out of it, I felt peaceful and like everything was going to be okay. And then I had this super strong urge to come here and I had no idea why, but knew that something was at play, so I followed it. And now look. You’re here and I’m here. It’s freakin’ magic.”

  Shelby was totally stunned. It was magic. What were the odds? And did she even dare tell him about her dream last night?

  “Wow, Daniel. That is magical. I’m sorry I’m not saying more. I literally feel speechless.”

  “I know, me too. And since we’re here, can I buy you a cup of coffee or tea or a pastry—or do you want to go for a walk?”

  “Actually, you know what?” Shelby said, grinning. “I’m up for all of the above.”

  Chapter 3

  The coffee turned into a walk and the walk turned into lunch. Daniel found himself having the best non-date date of his life.

  By the time their lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup came around at The Huckleberry Pub on Northwest Kearney, Shelby decided she had to tell Daniel about her dream. Just looking at him made energy move in her body that she had never felt before—and he didn’t even have to say anything. Throughout the day, she would look over at him and feel joy, simply from his presence. When he talked about his writing in such a passionate way, staring directly into her eyes, she melted. She wanted to tell him everything, about everything. She didn’t care how crazy it sounded.

  Daniel must have noticed her thoughts drifting as he paused, took a sip of his soup and asked, “Am I coming on too strong? Is this too intense?”

  She found his slight bit of insecurity endearing. And she totally understood it. There had been many times in her life where she felt like she was too intense in relationships. No one could match her passion—not until now anyway. Daniel seemed to share that same trait with her and it gave her a tremendous amount of comfort.

  “No! Not at all. In fact, I was admiring you as you spoke.”

  Daniel smiled, shaking his head. “You are something else Shelby. I don’t know what is happening between us, but it is pretty incredible. I feel so grateful.”

  “I feel the same way Daniel. Very grateful. And you know, there is something I want to share with you that is also pretty incredible. It might sound kind of crazy, especially since we just met, but the timing of it all has me really curious. You up for it?”

  Daniel’s hazel eyes grew wide with anticipation. He looked like a cross between intrigued and freaked out. Shelby saw and felt his reaction immediately. She reached out and put her hand on his arm.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not about to reveal some deep, dark secret—not yet anyway. I had a very vivid dream last night and I’m wondering if you might be able to help me figure it out.”

  Shelby went on to share the details with Daniel, every last one, even the woman saying that Shelby was the one that could help him. Daniel watched Shelby carefully as she spoke. This made her slightly nervous, but she continued on, hoping that some part of him understood the message.

  “So…I’m really curious who this woman might be and why she is telling me to connect with you. The fact that you meditated this very morning for the first time in a long time tells me that something magical is going on here, as that was part of her message to you. Do you have any thoughts about this?”

  Shelby noticed that Daniels eyes were filling with tears.

  “My mom died when I was 27,” he blurted out. “Breast cancer. And when she was sick, I took it seriously, but not seriously enough. I didn’t do enough to help her. Since she passed, I’ve been discovering all sorts of healing modalities that can help folks heal cancer and it kills me that I didn’t do that work while she was still here—maybe some of it would have saved her life.”

  Shelby squeezed Daniel’s arm and nodded. Goosebumps ran up her arms and legs. She knew it had to be his mother that was communicating with her.

  “I loved her so much and I didn’t show her enough. Ever since she passed, it’s been so difficult for me to open myself up. I’ve spent so much time berating myself for not being a better son. I can’t help but think that the woman and little boy you saw was me and my mom. I don’t know why she’s reaching out to you, though. I’ve never even had one dream with her in it in the past 11 years since she’s been gone.”

  “I don’t know either Daniel, but there is clearly a message that she is trying to send you. Are you open to regular meditation to see how that might shifts things for you?”

  “Yes, definitely. It’s so wild that I haven’t meditated in so long and then felt the inspiration to do so and it brought me to you.”

  Daniel looked lovingly into Shelby’s eyes.

  “I didn’t know what I was going to do if I couldn’t find your number. But, I didn’t need to. The Universe—and apparently my mom—was leading me to you the whole time.”

  This time Daniel took Shelby’s hand, gently moving it up to his mouth and kissing it, never once taking his eyes off of her.

  Shelby could barely restrain herself, she wanted to reach across the table—allowing grilled cheese and tomato soup to land where it may—and kiss Daniel passionately. The electricity passing between them was powerful. Suddenly Shelby felt a soft breeze blow around her. She looked around but didn’t see any windows open in the restaurant, and it was one of those Indian summer days with no clouds and no wind.

  “You felt that too?”

  Daniel was looking at her rather intently.

  “You mean the breeze?”

  “Yep. Where could that have come from?”

  “I have no idea,” Shelby said, continuing to look around as though a gust of wind through an open window or fan might suddenly appear to explain everything.

  Goosebumps rose along her arms and legs again. She lifted her arm to show Daniel. “Something is going on.”

  “I’m feeling a chill all around me right now,” Daniel said, sounding a bit concerned.

  Shelby was curious, but not afraid. She wondered if his mom was around them now.

  Tell him.

  The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck rose.

  Tell him, Shelby.

  Shelby had no idea what more she needed to tell him. And she was still having trouble making sense of the fact that Daniel’s deceased mother was communicating with her.

  Tell him I’m proud of him. Tell him, Shelby.

  Something must have changed in her face during this because Daniel became concerned, holding her hand tighter.

  “Shelby, what’s going on? Your eyes just drifted off, you looked like you went somewhere else far away.”

  He’s definitely going to think I’m insane if I tell him this, Shelby thought. I’ll tell him later, like I did with the dream, she decided.

  “Oh nothing, just tripping out about the dream, the breeze, the chills and everything. I’ve never really experienced anything like this before.”

  Daniel stood up.

  “I know! Me either. But honestly, I’m so glad you’re here. I would be spooked if I was left to experience this on my own with no one to share the play-by-play with. Do you want to get out of here?”

  Tell him Shelby, he needs to know this.

  Shelby flipped her hair hoping his mom would get the hint that it wasn’t going to happen right now.

  “Sure! Where to next?”

  Shelby stood up and turned to grab her purse. She felt a bit off kilter and stumbled forward. She felt Daniel as he put his hands on her waist.

  “You okay?” he said, pulling her in closer to him.

  Shelby turned around to face him.

  “Well, I’m much better now.”

  Daniel looked down at her (she was 5’4 to his 5’11) and smiled.

  “You are incredibly beautiful, you know that, don’t you?”

  She wanted him to kiss her so badly she could barely breathe.

  Tell him Shelby. He
has to hear this and it has to come from you.

  His mother was beginning to get on her nerves. Couldn’t she see they were getting intimate right now? Shelby wrapped her arms around Daniel more closely and hugged him tightly. He responded, his arms extending over her hips, the side of his face pressed into hers. He smelled like vanilla with spices mixed in. She felt Daniel’s face tilt towards her and she slowly leaned her head back. Their noses were touching and he smiled softly.

  “May I kiss you, Shelby?”

  “Right here in this restaurant?”

  “Right here, right now.”

  Shelby pushed her body closer in to Daniel’s, whispering, “Yes.”

  His lips touched hers lightly at first and then began pressing into her more firmly. He pushed his body into hers and the two of them were standing so close not even a breeze could have moved between them. Shelby responded with a soft moan. He tasted like vanilla and mint and…and….she wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, it was delicious. His tongue flicked inside her mouth and Shelby felt her panties get wet. She wanted him right there, right now. His erection pushed into her more firmly as their lips stayed intertwined. She could have stood there like that (with maybe a few less clothes on) forever.

  Except that damn voice kept coming in.

  Shelby, tell him I’m proud of him. Do it now.

  Shelby pulled back, looked into Daniel’s eyes and said, “Thank you.” Then she wrapped her arms around him more tightly.

  Shelby. If you don’t tell him now—

  “Okay! Fine! Jesus Christ, just leave me alone.”

  Daniel pulled back with a start.

  “What? What did you say?”

  Shelby was now 50 different shades of red.