for at least nine months.
And that Friday night, he walked into the Hawthorne Hotel with her hand linked through his like they were making an entrance.
I was sitting near the fireplace with Michael.
We had been laughing about childhood summers at Buckeye Lake.
He had just reminded me about the time I fell off a dock because I was showing off, and I was laughing hard enough to wipe tears from my eyes.
That was the exact moment Daniel saw me.
I noticed Rachel first.
Camel-colored coat.
Dark jeans.
Small black suitcase.
Daniel beside her in a navy jacket.
Their hands were linked.
Not casually.
Displayed.
His thumb moved deliberately across the back of hers.
Rachel said something.
Daniel laughed.
Then his eyes found me.
His smile disappeared.
Not faded.
Disappeared.
His gaze moved from my face to Michael.
Then to Michael’s hand resting on the back of
