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reach. It rang, and he picked the phone up and answered it, grateful for the distraction. And while he supposed he should have been surprised to hear Trevor’s voice on the other end, he wasn’t.

FIVE
    Amber knew She shouldn’t have a second glass of merlot, not with the meds she was on. She told herself she’d just sip this one slowly and make it last.
    The hotel bar was upscale for Ash Creek: chrome, glass, and black-lacquer décor, lighting pitched at just the right level, not so dim as to be depressing but not so bright as to be garish. A banner hung behind the bar, “Welcome Back, Ash Creek Grads!” written in red letters that looked a little too much like blood for her taste. Nineties pop music played in the background, programmed for the reunion crowd by the hotel staff, she guessed. “The Sweetest Taboo” by Sade was on now, the song the aural equivalent of a syringe full of Thorazine, but the effect was lost on her. As nervous as she was, she doubted the real thing could have calmed her down.
    She’d chosen a corner table and sat with her back to the wall. She liked having something solid behind her, liked being able to see the entrance.
Less chance of someone sneaking up on you frombehind this way, and easier to make a fast escape if you need to
, she thought. She knew it was only partially a joke, and not a very funny one, but she forced a smile and took a sip of her wine.
    She managed two more sips before deciding that the alcohol was, if anything, only increasing her anxiety level, and she was about to get up and leave when Drew walked into the bar.
    Although she hadn’t seen him in fifteen years, she recognized him instantly. He hadn’t changed much. A few more pounds, the skin beneath his eyes a bit puffy and discolored, as if he hadn’t been getting enough rest. But the changes in Drew’s appearance were minor. All in all, he looked as handsome as she remembered. More so, because he carried himself with a casual confidence that she not only found attractive but also envied. It had taken all of the courage she could muster to force herself to leave her room after she’d checked in.
    Drew stopped inside the entranceway and looked around. He wore a white polo shirt, dark jeans, and running shoes. He looked more like a grocery-store clerk than a psychologist, but then Drew had never cared what other people thought about him. Another quality he possessed that made her envious.
    The bar was about three-quarters full of people drinking, talking, and laughing, and Amber half hoped that Drew wouldn’t notice her among the crowd. After all, it
had
been fifteen years,and those years hadn’t been kind to her. She was afraid of what Drew would think when he saw her, and she regretted letting Greg talk her into coming here. But then Drew saw her and smiled with such warmth that her regrets melted away. As he approached her table, she rose to meet him.
    “Hello, Drew.” She held her hand out for him to shake, but she wasn’t surprised when he ignored it and gathered her in for a hug. He’d always been a touchy-feely kind of guy but in a genuinely affectionate, noncreepy way. She felt so fragile in his embrace, as if she were made of paper skin and brittle twig bones, but he held her gently, and for the first time in she couldn’t remember how long, she felt safe and protected. But then he let go and stepped back, and she was surprised to feel a pang of sadness as the contact ended.
    “It’s great to see you, Amber.” He sounded sincere, but there was a flicker of concern in his gaze, and she guessed that he’d noted her sallow complexion and too-thin body. She’d done her best to disguise her condition with a liberal application of makeup and an oversized black sweater to hide how skinny she was, but it wasn’t enough to fool Drew’s trained eye. She felt a wave of shame and once again regretted coming here. But then, as if sensing her emotion, he reached out to clasp her hand and said,