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missed about being with Stephan. I could talk to him. He made me talk to him. Even though I didn’t like it, I trusted him. I knew I could tell him anything, and he would always be honest with me.
    As much as I appreciated Cal and Jade’s friendship, there were times I knew they weren’t telling me the whole truth. I didn’t think they were trying to withhold information from me. It was more that they were trying to protect me. Cal would sometimes push, but only about Stephan. He never pressed me to talk about how I was feeling or what I’d gone through with Ian. Jade would ask me if there was anything I wanted to talk about . . . that or she would just come into my room and lie down beside me.
    I knew this was the main reason why they wanted me to see Dr. Perkins. They wanted me to talk, but they didn’t know how to get me to open up to them. I understood. They cared about me and didn’t like seeing my breakdowns. I didn’t blame them. My panic attacks were scary. Even to me.
    Curling into a ball, I reached for Stephan’s collar and pulled tight, feeling the bite of it as it pressed into the skin of my neck. I would go and talk to Dr. Perkins, and Cal would help Stephan. That was all that mattered.

Chapter 7
    Stephan
    “I still can’t believe you didn’t own a coffeemaker. How do you function in the mornings?” Sarah stood leaning against the kitchen counter sipping a cup of coffee as I walked toward her. She’d been living with me for over two weeks, and it was almost like old times. Almost.
    “Easy.” I went to the refrigerator and removed the cream cheese before putting a bagel in the toaster.
    “You’re strange.”
    I glanced over my shoulder at her. She was wearing a huge grin. “Maybe you don’t need that coffee as much as you think you do. You’re awfully chipper this morning.”
    “That has nothing to do with the coffee.”
    My bagel popped out of the toaster, but before I could grab it, Sarah leaned around me and stole it, cursing at the heat burning her fingers.
    I stared at her, raising my eyebrow.
    “What? I was hungry. I’m eating for two now, remember?”
    Shaking my head, I took another bagel and started again. Part of me wanted to give her a hard time about what she’d done and the coffee she was downing in large gulps, but I couldn’t seem to muster the energy. I wasn’t in the mood to fight with her or anyone else. It had been another rough night for me, and all I wanted to do was go through the motions.
    Once my breakfast was ready, I took a seat beside Sarah at the island. She’d finished her bagel and coffee and was now sipping on some juice as she eyed the coffeepot with longing.
    “Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m so energized this morning?”
    It appeared she wasn’t going to allow me to eat in peace—not that she had since she’d arrived—but she usually allowed me a few hours in the morning to put on my game face. “Why are you so perky this morning?”
    She frowned at my less than heartfelt question. “Well, if you really want to know . . . I got a job.”
    I paused, turning to look at her. Sarah was a certified public accountant. She loved crunching numbers. It was a game to her. The only reason I hadn’t considered her when I was looking for a new CFO was that she preferred to work with small businesses. The size of the foundation’s books made the job undesirable to her.
    “Where?” I asked, going back to my breakfast.
    “I was talking to Daren the other day. He has a friend who got in over his head and needs some help getting his business finances in order. I said I’d help.”
    “What about your other clients?” I knew she worked while I was at the office. Most of her client work could be done on the computer, which allowed her to travel—that and Sarah having a business partner who didn’t mind manning the office while she was gone. After she’d told me about Clint, I doubted his accommodating demeanor was of a purely platonic nature.