Following Bliss (The Quest series) (14 page)

Kaley raised one
eyebrow, shaking Shelby’s hand as well.

“Well, I had no
idea you had a girlfriend Daniel.”

“That’s because
our relationship is strictly professional, Kaley,” Daniel replied. He heard
Jonathan chuckle and give a nod to Richard— both of whom were seated a foot or
so away.

“Hey Daniel,”
Jonathan called out. “Why don’t you and your lady join us for a cocktail?
Richard was just getting ready to pull out the big guns and make us some
margaritas.”

Daniel looked
over at Shelby. She nodded and he squeezed her hand. They casually walked past
Kaley and over to where Richard and Jonathan sat.

“Sounds great
guys, let’s do this.”

Kaley Hamilton
glared in their direction and headed back to her condo.

# # #

An hour later,
Shelby and Daniel were engaged in a riveting conversation with Jonathan, while
the others were seated at the picnic table snacking and chatting. Kaley
rejoined the group (apparently she had only gone back to her condo to get a
light silver pashmina), and while she looked casually over in their direction a
few times, she seemed to be less focused on Daniel since Shelby’s arrival. This
left room for Daniel to connect more with Jonathan in an authentic way. As it
turned out, Jonathan was wildly passionate about the Law of Attraction and they
were all discussing how to work with the law in daily life.

“I’m telling
you, I believe this law is for real, but when I receive shitty service at a restaurant,
or someone cuts me off in traffic, I get really frustrated. I know that the
Universe is showing me, “me,” on some level—especially if it triggers me—but
you know sometimes I wish the Universe would give me a break. Can’t I be in a
crappy mood and not have it come right back to me?” Jonathan asked.

Daniel and
Shelby laughed. Although Jonathan’s comment caused Daniel to pause briefly to
reflect on Kaley’s behavior. If the Universe was always showing him, “him,”
what was Kaley showing him? Where in his life was he not being 100 percent
truthful? Where was he pretending he wanted one thing, but really wanted
another? He was going to have to do some further reflecting on it. Nothing was
random, he knew that, so there was some investigating that needed to take
place.

Shelby chimed
in, “Oh, Jonathan, I know all about that. My boss is a complete ass. He never
gets back to me in a timely fashion, he hands out orders, and he never checks
in with others before making important decisions. I can’t figure out how I
attracted him into my life…” Shelby took a long pause.

“Something
coming to mind?” Jonathan inquired.

“Actually, yes.
Talking about this out loud is bringing something up. I acted a bit like that
with my  younger sisters growing up. I was bossy and didn’t listen to them—and
thought I was always right. And actually, even though it’s not exactly the same
manifestation, I still carry some of that within me when it comes to my
sisters. I don’t boss them like I used to, but I still think I am right. Shit.
I think I’m starting to realize how my boss was able to come into my experience.
He’s showing me that part of myself that still needs to be healed!”

“Nice work
Shelb!” Daniel said, fist-bumping her. They both cracked up. Fist-bumping was
so ridiculous, it always made them laugh.

“So, now,”
Jonathan said, leaning in. “Now, you get to the fun part. Just by observing
this inside of you, it will begin to shift. You’ll notice more when you act
that way with your sisters and you’ll be able to adjust. And then, you get to
choose what healing method you want to use to release that old story and vibration.
Do you have good healers you can lean on?”

“Hmm…good
question. Daniel has raved about BodyTalk and I have an intuitive healer I see
every six months or so. Maybe I should schedule a session to clear out this old
vibration.”

“I highly recommend
it,” Jonathan said. “It definitely allows you to more quickly shed that old
story and then manifest more of what you do want. Like maybe a nicer boss.”

“Or no boss at
all,” Shelby laughed as she looked over at Daniel.

Just then,
Jonathan’s wife, Emily, came over. “I thought I heard you guys talking about
the Law of Attraction. You do not want to get Jonathan started. He can talk
endlessly about this topic,” she said laughing.

“Too late!”
Daniel and Shelby said in unison, bursting into laughter.

“I don’t know
why I was hanging out over there,” Emily said, ”The party is obviously here.
Daniel, how do you know Kaley again?”

“Well, I don’t
actually,” said Daniel. “We met at the Willamette Writers Conference, the same
day I met Shelby. I met Shelby right before my scheduled pitch with Kaley and
our conversation completely relaxed and invigorated me. By the time I went in
to meet Kaley, I no longer felt nervous. Somehow that worked for me and she was
interested. Then, the next thing I knew, she invited me to Maui to “network,”
Daniel used air quotes, “with others in the industry. But once I got here, I
got the impression that you all weren’t exactly here to talk business.”

Jonathan and
Emily exchanged looks, looks that only couples who had been together for some
time could exchange. Jonathan chuckled and then said, “Kaley means well, but
sometimes she gets a little ahead of herself.” He reached into his back pocket,
pulling out a gold-embossed business card. “But honestly, Daniel, I really like
your energy and passion. Send me your manuscript and I’ll see if it has
potential at our publishing house. If not, I can definitely make a recommendation
on where it may be a fit.”

Daniel smiled,
glancing over at Shelby. “Jonathan, thank you. I will definitely send you my
manuscript and if it’s a fit, great—if not, that’s okay too. But I appreciate
the opportunity all the same.”

“It’s a sign,
either way, right?” Jonathan said.

“Absolutely.”
The two men raised their glasses in unison.

It was in that
moment that the trip to Maui came into even clearer perspective for both Daniel
and Shelby.

# # #

“I’m going to
miss you,” Shelby said as she packed her suitcase.

Daniel came up
behind her, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling into her ear. “I’m going
to miss you, too,” he said, squeezing her tightly.

Unfortunately,
he hadn’t been able to get them out of Maui on the same flight on the same day,
so now they would be journeying back on separate Hawaiian Air flights. Shelby
later that afternoon and he late the next day. They hadn’t discussed how things
might change in Portland. Daniel had briefly given thought to what he would do
with his studio since his lease was expiring soon. And now that being a writer
was no longer something he had to painstakingly try to make happen he no longer
needed a bachelor pad writing studio. He had a solid outline and start on his
second novel in Maui, and felt inspired to self-publish
Shannon Town
regardless of whether Jonathan found a home for it at his publishing house.

Life was opening
up for him in ways he hadn’t seen coming and Kaley, Maui, Shelby, Jonathan, and
his mom were all important pieces of the puzzle that had led him to this place.
He knew he was ready to expand and as far as he was concerned going back to
life as it was prior to Shelby was no longer an option. And while he had never
lived with a woman before, it did occur to him that perhaps that was next for
him and Shelby. As much as he was going to miss her over the next 24 hours, he
also knew it was a good opportunity for him to connect with his deeper wisdom
to get more clear about what the future held.

Shelby leaned
her head back into Daniel and sighed. “I think I’m all set to go. Will you
drive me?”

Daniel turned
her around, “Of course I will. I am determined to get every last possible
second with you that I can.”

She smiled,
standing on her tip toes kiss Daniel.

“And how will
you spend the next 24 hours Mr. Tillman?”

“Oh well, that’s
a big secret. But it does involve sitting on the beach and thinking about you.
And possibly some additional ‘thinking,’ about you in the evening and in the
morning.”

Shelby giggled.
“Tease. Although I’ll probably be in the same boat. Flying, reading Paulo
Coelho, and ‘thinking’ about you. Yep, sounds about right.”

As they walked
out to Daniel’s car, Shelby’s bag in tow, they both looked up at the clear blue
sky, smiling.

“Who knew all
this was in store for us when you arrived last week, eh?”

“Well, your mom
kind of did.”

“Touché,” said
Daniel, grabbing Shelby and kissing her deeply. The Universe had seen this
coming all along. He couldn’t help but wonder how things might have been
different over the past 11 years if he had known that his mom was with him the
whole time.

# # #

Looking out the
airplane window, Shelby couldn’t help but feel a mixture of sadness, joy, love,
and hope. She had no idea what was next for her and Daniel, but she could feel
that big changes were on the way. Being with Daniel provided her with so much
inspiration that she was unbelievably clear that working as an assistant at
Hello
Portland
was no longer serving her highest good. She needed to be creating,
and jewelry was her passion. She had woken up early one morning in Maui, filled
with inspiration to form a partnership with a local women’s shelter and have a small
portion of sales go to support the women. Having been raised in an abusive
home, Shelby knew all too well the devastation that was possible. Being able to
support women who, like her mom, desperately needed outside help, filled her
with hope and joy.

Now, she had to
figure out how to make it all happen. She had some money in savings, but nowhere
near the suggested nine months of expenses that all financial gurus claim one
must have before stepping into their own business. Shelby knew there had to be
a way to bring her dream into reality. The pull inside of her was strong, and
it was saying that it was time to step into living her passion. Having Daniel
in her life was one part of this, and now she felt she wouldn’t be complete
until all of her was living in a state of passion. She hadn’t discussed this with
Daniel, as there were too many other delicious activities taking place, but as
the plane took off and Maui faded into the distance, Shelby knew returning to
Portland would mean embarking on a more expanded life journey.

Although her relationship
with Daniel was super-new, Shelby couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps living
together might be part of that expansion. She instantly felt compelled to dial
up Kathryn to get her perspective. Flying nixed that. And Kathryn was probably
neck-deep in the commitment ceremony planning process, Shelby mused.

She and Scott
were holding a ceremony in a few weeks on November 11. And while it had
originally started out as a simple affair, it had quickly grown into quite the
event. Shelby had heard that 111 people would be attending the partially indoor
and outdoor event at McMenamins Grand Lodge. Kathryn had asked Shelby to stand
up with her, along with her friend Jess and sister Audrey. Their friendship had
immediately felt like a deep spiritual, sisterly bond that both she and Kathryn
valued. Shelby was touched that she was included in Kathryn’s commitment
ceremony, even though they had only been friends for a little less than a year.

“Excuse me
miss,” Shelby’s thoughts were interrupted by the woman sitting next to her.
“Sorry to bother you, but I couldn’t help but notice the book you’re reading.
Is it by Paulo Coelho?” the woman asked.

“Yes! This is
one of my favorites, I’m reading it over again,” Shelby said as she picked up
Eleven
Minutes
, turning it over and then smoothing the cover. Kathryn had turned
her on to Paulo’s inspiring work. “Are you a Coelho fan?”

The woman,
slightly demure, with light ash blonde hair, glasses, and wearing a long jean
skirt and floral button-up blouse, nodded eagerly. “I am. I feel so connected
when I read his work.”

“I know, me too!
And this one is so sexy. I’ve recently fallen in love and it’s been fun reading
this book while it’s all happening.”

“Oh, congrats.
Your whole face lit up when you mentioned falling in love. Is this guy the one
you want to spend your life with?”

Shelby paused.
Did she even believe in spending her life with one person? Her parents’
estranged marriage that ended in divorce always made Shelby leery of marriage,
even though she always figured it would happen “someday.” But now faced with a
serious prospect in Daniel she had to re-evaluate. And if she did believe in
one person for a lifetime, would it be Daniel? She knew she was meant to be in
his life and he in hers. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that they had a
deep and meaningful connection. She even thought of them living together. But
forever? This would definitely be a Kathryn conversation.

In the meantime,
she simply said, “Maybe,” smiled weakly at the woman and turned her head to
once again look out the airplane window.

# # #

Daniel sipped a
glass of lemonade while staring out into the ocean from the courtyard of the
condo property. He had dropped Shelby off an hour ago and immediately felt a
slight emptiness with her gone. Kaley and the others had flown over to Kauai
for an extended excursion, so Daniel had some time to reflect on his experience
over the past 11 days.

“Mom,” Daniel
said quietly. He felt like he needed to connect with her, and while he wasn’t
sure if simply calling her name would do the trick, he figured it was worth a
try.

Wind rustled the
palm trees around him and he felt cold chills cover his torso and down his
spine.  “Mom is that you?” The breeze blew through again, this time with more of
a gust. “Okay, I’m going to take that as a yes.”