Page 108 of The Rules of Dating My One-Night Stand

It was an old, familiar but most unwelcome friend.Panic.I hadn’t had a panic attack in years—until now. And there was no safe place to pull over. That only made the panic worse. I felt trapped.

After several excruciating minutes, I finally got off at an exit somewhere in Connecticut.

Pulling into a church parking lot, I put the car in park and tried to breathe. Afraid I wasn’t going to be able to get back on the road, I needed to talk to someone to calm myself down. I immediately dialed Owen, who picked up on the second ring.

“Hey, Devyn. What’s—”

“I need you to stay on the phone with me.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I just had a panic attack on the highway.”

“Are you hurt?” His voice shook.

“No, no, no. I’m fine. I got off the freeway and am sitting in a church parking lot.”

“You left the city? What were you doing on the highway?”

“I’m headed to Boston.”

“What? Why?”

Resting my head back on the seat, I sighed. “It’s Vera. She called me from jail there. She wants me to bail her out.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“You have back-to-back showings all day. I didn’t want to bother you. But when I panicked, you were the only voice I needed to hear.”

“Where are you right now?”

“Connecticut.”

“I need you to be more specific.”

I squinted to see the sign. “St. Andrew’s Church? White with a big steeple. Probably about thirty miles outside the City.”

“Let me look it up.” He paused. “Okay. That’s in Greenwich.” I heard some things moving around as he said, “I’m headed over there now.”

I sat up suddenly. “Owen, you can’t leave your commitments. I only called to talk so I can calm down enough to get back on the road.”

“Already in my car, Devyn.” The fasten-seatbelt warning beeped. “The last couple of showings can wait.”

“I really didn’t call so you’d come. I feel bad.”

“Don’t. I’d much rather see you than work anyway. Besides, you shouldn’t be driving if you’re anxious. Not only that, you shouldn’t have to do this alone.”

His words made my heart want to burst. “I’ve handled everything alone most of my life, Owen.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s right.” He paused. “You don’t need to anymore. Okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Not to mention, now’s not a good time for you to be stressed. Especially after what happened the night of Holden’s wedding.”

He has a point.“I thought I could handle this alone. But the panic caught up to me at the most inopportune time.”

“Are you okay waiting in that spot until I get there?”

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