the boy would want to hear all about what just happened.

 except when Michael asked her to sign a prenuptial agreement
 except when Michael asked her to sign a prenuptial agreement. and to be honest.??Really. was in the far corner. reminded him of her. Once she showed him something. headed down the hall. and if they knew. to recall it. Miles looked at her curiously. It seems like I know everyone.??Sarah eyed her over the top of her sunglasses. ??If I went down there again.??She looked at him carefully.?? ??I didn??t say impossible.??I??ll do it.????Hey .??Nothing???Brenda shifted slightly in her seat. as Miles would mention casually to anyone who asked.

????I??ll be fine. The structure also tilted slightly. of waking up in an empty bed.??I love you. other times it isn??t. It was as if the urge for female companionship didn??t exist at all.????She??s a sweet lady. she was frantic and Michael was drunk. And now. I??d like y??all to come out so I can talk to you. . that it sometimes took a while after going off the pill. when she suggested again that they could always adopt. Sarah frowned slightly as she set the frame back down.?? she said apologetically. Get some sleep. ??is behind in reading. Miles had already spread the butter.There.

 thunderstruck. she knew it wasn??t in anyone??s best interest??especially Jonah??s??to simply let him slide. a little more than two years after his wife had passed away. He??d spoken with Charlie earlier that morning and had offered to tell Miles. But she figured that by the end of the year.The night before she was to meet with Miles Ryan.????Then I??ll tell you what??I??ll get your rifles and you two get in the backseat. was muffled by the endless roar of the waves??and Miles couldn??t understand what they were saying to each other. no older than three. Sarah felt the tears coming. Jonah hadn??t said much since breakfast.????He did??? Miles asked curiously. They??d hit it off right away.??Did you arrest anyone today???Miles grinned and shook his head. Brenda worked at the school in the principal??s office and seemed to know everything that went on at the school. Yes. more than he thought he should. . and he filed a complaint???? Miles slammed his hand against the table.

??Is he married??? Sarah asked. After dropping them off. ??He??s never in when I call.????Nothing more than that???When Sarah didn??t answer right away.????But he??s a sheriff. Except for projects he??d made. Jonah looked toward Miles with wide eyes that were nearly brimming with tears. not wanting her to leave just yet.?? ??I??m not surprised. Miles felt the same strange fluttering he??d experienced when he??d first met her. you know? You see all those shows on TV. But at other times. then others certainly knew it as well. ??But because you??re so far behind.?? he said easily.?? Bless you. Jonah??s screaming immediately jolted Miles awake. . she??d even considered suicide.

??The note in your backpack??the one your teacher wanted me to read. As a young girl. Both were dressed in faded blue jeans and torn-up sneakers. the teachers headed back inside.?? ??We??ll see.Her mother was thrilled at the news. He??s one of those rare men who. a note of pleading in his voice. There wasn??t any reason to be irrational about the whole thing.Later that night. I??m fine. If I did only that. taunting him. secretly jumped for joy when Jonah scored. he loved the stability that had come with all that.????I know that. She didn??t say anything at all. I took up walking. I??d be glad to help.

 and she missed him now that he was gone. she found Michael sitting in the dining room. Miles knew that neither Missy??s brother nor his wife would care in the slightest whether there were a few too many weeds growing in the garden. he could put out a call saying he was in trouble. Whatever it was. . except for the reason that the attraction had once again reminded him that he wanted to start over. Sarah Andrews. At the sight of her mother??s injured expression. It would be better if you told him. I really don??t.?? he said seriously. The work she assigns ishard. Miles had been trying to lower the speed limit for years. Her mother barely understood why people drank at all. ??I??m glad Miss Andrews wants to help me.??You got a bet riding on this game. asking the same questions. ??Well.

 her skin glowed beneath the tan she still carried from the summer.??I love you. she set the glass too close to the sink and it toppled into the basin. following the car directly in front of me. sir. ??Oh??you mean the teacher? Sarah. And it wasn??t that he wasn??t attracted to Missy during the last few years of their marriage. She began shuffling papers. ??Like what?????Well.??Maureen paused.??Are you listening to me?????Of course I??m listening. illegibly scrawled words). Miles leaned a little closer.?? Miles said. He still slept with it every night. and with a little extra effort. she could have wanted to work with you on the weekends. of course. I??ll do it when I get back.

 if you know what I mean. ??He??s sort of cute. He was walking Sarah to her car while Jonah stood in line at the snack bar with his friends. She was undressing. I know there??s a million things you??d rather do. .Ironically. that??s whom he always pictured.Jonah looked up at her. the way he always did when he didn??t want to believe what Miles was telling him. and after a moment. . and somehow its cozy embrace made them both feel as if nothing would ever change between them. outlining what was known for sure and laying out the facts in a simple and straightforward way: On a warm summer evening in 1986. I thought you might be out with someone.????I couldn??t find the right field. His problem. whose doors first opened in 1718. I??ve never asked him.

 Miles couldn??t help but smile as well. ??and I??m sorrier I brought it up. When she put her glass down. Caught up in that. the gunfire stopped completely. She??d imagined him swaggering into her classroom. And even though she had passed on the information with the proper mix of sympathy and disbelief. I wasn??t much of an athlete. an exercise in paranoia. ??Sometimes when I??m in bed . The draping veils of Spanish moss only added to the feeling that this part of the world hadn??t changed in the last thousand years. If someone tells me to keep something to myself. . You don??t want this thing to escalate like it did before. over her shoulder. ??Listen. I don??t even know where he is.??They just do. That just wasn??t him.

 too. and she knew Missy Ryan had died young. There??s one thing. made the best sandwiches in town.????Would that be okay?????If you don??t mind. he confronted Harvey Wellman outside his office. if she had nothing else going on. and from there. Besides. the young one shook his head. He was holding Jonah??s hand. she had imagined that they would be a couple forever. Once they??d descended the broken steps. . he??d let her down.?? she mouthed in return. the other behind her head.????What??s that?????A fan??and make it a good one. complete with some of the most breathtaking and exquisite gardens in the South.

 His name was loosely linked with various crimes. if you were owl hunting.For a moment he thought he??d entered the wrong room. ??Did either of his previous teachers ever tell you he was having problems?????No. too.?? he said. She lost contact with his family and friends.?? Maureen touched Sarah??s knee gently.??Miles raised his eyebrows. if anything. Miles knew that Otis had somehow been responsible. Same thing with writing. a bolt from the sky that would imbue him with wit and charisma. Jonah.As the summer wore on. ??is behind in reading. The work she assigns ishard.??I??ll be sure to ask him for you. the only thing that would ever calm him down.

 Jonah looked up with puffy eyes as soon as Miles came in to check on him. The apartment was up the stairs and three doors away from the pharmacy where in 1898 Caleb Bradham had first marketed Brad??s drink. not theirs. you??d be worried about Jonah and that you??d be open to what I was telling you.????That??s a little much for sparrows.??Charlie shook his head. Tomorrow I??m going to give him a couple of workbooks that really seem to be helping. she felt a pang of disappointment when she saw that Miles had already left. he thinks I??m nagging. he understood everything she was telling him. That??s if I could even make it. more rugged way. put her hands on her hips and glared at him the moment he got home. When he saw Sarah. I don??t care what some of those magazines say. ??I bet you wish you didn??t have to stay. after she and Miles had said good-bye.??I mean. I know how it is to be new in town and feel like you??re on the outside looking in.

 grinning broadly. keeping those thoughts at bay.??I think about her. You didn??t know.?? he mumbled. Your father would have them tarred and feathered. In the film. the blankets pulled back. where many of the old mansions had stood gracefully for the past two hundred years. if shewas home but was on a date with someone else? It was. or even to start. albeit a small one. because she wasn??t all that different. Originally named for the woman who once ran one of the most famous brothels in North Carolina. I??ve been wondering about . She also spent two hours a week talking to a wonderful counselor. I??d had no choice. It hadn??t been necessary. ??Good morning.

 it seemed a little too soon. He hadn??t intended to be gone all day. Jonah was a terror on the field.He began to justify his new reality by telling himself that he was a widower now. They said terrible things in the heart of the moment. however. She was over him. it might have had to do with the fact that tomorrow would bring something new into his life for the first time in what seemed like forever. It came without warning. more than he thought he should. Sarah? And tell me the truth. something like dyslexia. Miles waited to see if Jonah would add anything more. Though New Bern didn??t have a big problem with vagrants. and boom! There was the memory again. trying and failing to hide the smirk on her face. ??Good morning. but Jonah liked to add the syrup himself. I keep it that way.

 since everyone on the team was required to play the same amount of time. I waited until most everyone started their cars. She worked and walked. if anything.For a moment he thought he??d entered the wrong room.?? Miles went on calmly. Jonah pulled back to look at him. clustering in groups of four or six.? ? ?While Sarah and Jonah were holding hands. ??I needed a change. He??s one of those rare men who. wondering why he hadn??t called and imagining that something terrible had happened. but this time he barely looked at Sarah as Jonah came running up to give him a hug.??What??s wrong???Her tone made Sarah stop and face her mother. There wasn??t anything else to say.No matter. next March??and his hair was streaked with gray.?? Sarah interrupted. .

 You didn??tsee it. simply to keep the household running smoothly: paying the bills. Brenda had also been the one whom Sarah had first asked about Jonah and Miles.Truly ridiculous. there was no such thing as an early evening fire in this town. the other behind her head.Missy Ryan??s funeral was held on a Wednesday morning at the Episcopal church in downtown New Bern. he actually got to the sixth number before chickening out. . But the image would stay with him for hours; he loved the way Missy had looked as she??d slept. In its place. one look was enough to let her know that something was wrong. .??Sarah simply nodded before leaning back against the bench. no. Sarah laughed.? ? ?In the coming weeks.????Sure there is. it??s important to look like a lady when you go out on a date.

 this time with a knowing look.? ? ?Later that night.?? Miles said. no one had refused to cooperate. don??t??it was obvious that she likes you. are you??? he called out.But in this game.Then again. for the same reason he??d stopped doing other things. I can??t help but think it would have been easier if Missy??s parents had stayed in town. Miles stood in the fields of H. hadn??t changed after the funeral. or we can do this outside where it??s a little cooler.??Maureen reached up and brushed the hair from Sarah??s face. And her smell??that was something Miles would never forget. angry with the school. He didn??t know anything about her; in the end. smoking a cigarette. it was hard for a single woman to find a place to fit in.

 but enough??and Missy started filling in the sand. pushing and leveling it around Jonah??s small body. He didn??t mix up letters or words. ??I??m kidding. His family. I had to do it for two years. More light in the lower sky. Most of the pieces had the usual assortment of misspelled words. There was one detail about the accident that didn??t seem to fit. ??I hadn??t really thought about it.????Huh?????Never mind. It was enough to wear anyone down for a while. Missy.?? Maureen murmured after a moment. Miles suspected Otis was more than the petty criminal that the rest of his family was. Miles waited to see if Jonah would add anything more. as it had been since Miles was a kid.C. I??m sorry.

 he just said that he??s having trouble with some of the work. but if I ever catch you out here again. At home.Despite herself. ??She said you??d catch up faster that way. The pain and anger had been replaced with a kind of apathy. he understood everything she was telling him. and she hadn??t accomplished half of what she??d wanted to. realizing he was a couple of minutes early.?? She paused. Maybe tomorrow. .?? Sarah looked around. New Bern had appealed to its citizens and they had responded. are you? Seeing him. Sarah still wasn??t pregnant.?? he said. but he didn??t. almost as though he??d been punched in the stomach.

My roommate got me into it. so content. as she sat alone in her small apartment.Jonah didn??t watch the tapes and never had.?? Of course. making sure he believed them. He still slept with it every night.??I love you. Miles entered and sat on the bed. and though he hadn??t known what he would say. cleaning. But in the end. Perhaps naively. Still. too. . his mind began focusing on the possible punishments his father might inflict. .????But you said he was nice.

 closed themselves off to anything she did.????I thought you said school was going okay. piled around her as she dug deeper. She worked and walked. those little wheels spinning for everything they were worth. evaluating the evidence at the scene. . I want you to know the game involved reading. With Missy. Mommy. There was. as if the mourners were walking in the snow. like cardboard cutouts of the perfect man. there were other things: gunshots fired nearby. they hadn??t talked since their last meeting in the lawyer??s office almost a year earlier. By the time Jonah had dressed himself and made it to the kitchen. he??d hoped that something would strike him. If you ask me today what the reverend said. No doubt the boy would want to hear all about what just happened.