Yes, she was. Because—in a weak moment—she’d sent that damn text to Harper and she’d gotten no reply. She should have just let it go. She knew that. But…she missed her. A lot. Apparently Harper wasn’t feeling the same.

Was she surprised? No, not really. Harper was still living with Jan’s ghost. She imagined that once she’d left, Harper’s guilt had returned in full force. And Harper would deal with it alone.

“I am a million miles away. Sorry.” She walked over to where her purse was and took out the locket. “I’m going to have cut this short, Shelly. I’ve got an appointment with a jeweler.”

“It broke again? I can take it, if you’d like.”

“No. I’d rather do it.” She folded the locket protectively in her palm. “Thank you, though.”

“Should I come by tomorrow?”

Dani shook her head. “There’s no need. I’m having lunch with Pamela on Friday. Why don’t you join us?”

“Okay. She already mentioned it to me. She said you had initiated it. That’s rare for you.”

Dani smiled. “I have some things to discuss with you both.”

Shelly seemed surprised by that statement, but she didn’t question it. “Okay. See you then.”

When she was finally left alone again, she plopped down on the sofa with a sigh. She was in a funk, and she couldn’t seem to pull herself out of it. She had no interest whatsoever in what Shelly or Pamela had lined up for her. It would be a miracle if she could make it through the filming without throwing her hands up and running away. The only glimmer of hope she held onto was that maybe…just maybe she’d run into Harper while she was there. But that was still months away. In the meantime, she would most likely turn into a crazy, eccentric recluse that Pamela and Shelly wouldn’t know how to deal with. Of course, once she broke the news to them that she was leaving—leaving LA, leaving the business—they might not care.

Then what would she have? No one. Absolutely no one. She had distanced herself from everyone in this town, so much so that being called aloof was now a compliment. It beat the other words she’d heard: snooty and unapproachable. Unapproachable? Yes. But snooty? No, not in the least. On set, she was as friendly as anyone, with cast and crew alike. She was Danielle Stevens, star of the show. But when the camera was off, she retreated, back into her own private world…a world where she let no one enter.

Not until she met Harper Jeremiah.

Chapter Fifty-Two