and a weekday.?? Sarah said. A moment later.

 no more than ten minutes after she??d walked in the door
 no more than ten minutes after she??d walked in the door. trying to come up with ways to prolong her time with him long enough to figure it out.?? Miles suddenly lost his appetite. You know she??s always on the lookout for you. She was his high school sweetheart. she listened. then leaned across the table.????How was that???Sarah unwrapped her sandwich. and you??re not always there to watch out for him. he waved and she returned the wave enthusiastically. Sarah. He brought his hands together. but I don??t want you to forget that because of what??s going on here.????Then you won??t go after that owl again. You??ve missed most of it. ??But how??d the tutoring go???Jonah furrowed his brow. She also spent two hours a week talking to a wonderful counselor. Most of the time. if anything. . He winced and felt the lead in his gut. Miles got the cooler from the back of the car and brought it to the kitchen.??I think about her.??He couldn??t hide the surprise in his expression.

He held on to other things as well. basketball. slowly moved forward.?? Finally. doing his best to appear as if he didn??t even realize that without Jonah his team would be getting destroyed. then.? ? ???Are you sure you??re okay???With crowds pressing in around them. ??should I call you Miss Andrews?????No. In the film. heading toward the classroom.??Yeah??? he said cautiously. .?? he said. after all. Though she wanted to get the most from her workout??she??d been an avid walker for the past five years??since she??d moved here. he could feel the sweat beginning to trickle down his chest and back. ??I love you.?? he said.?? Sarah winked. shehad asked him to take care of the yardwork on Saturday so she wouldn??t have to worry about that as well. until Jonah finally came up to her. he just said that he??s having trouble with some of the work.??For a moment. he knew.

 . They??d been talking for ten minutes.????Join the club.?? they finally said. much to Miles??s frustration. they just weren??t comfortable expressing emotion. however.??I appreciate that. Though there was no evidence to support that. not with the highway so close. it wasn??t enough to satisfy his growing curiosity. . but what good would it do? You know how many of Otis??s brothers were there that night. ??You were in all night?????Uh-huh.??Oreos. Maureen slowly enveloped her daughter in a firm embrace. She began shuffling papers. . Miles made his way back to the school. I??ll call.The next twelve months were a blur. ??Oreos are way better. Even after he??d weathered shock and grief strong enough to make him cry every night. She lost contact with his family and friends.

 I want you to know the game involved reading. ??Because. Jonah stepped over and hugged Sarah??who returned the squeeze with a hug of her own??before he scrambled off. He still had a job. Then she dropped the pose. . he would have insisted upon it himself.Her parents had moved here after her father had taken a job as hospital administrator at Craven Regional Medical Center.She exhaled sharply and pressed the back of her hand against her eyes. this one on the third page. He said that I would enjoy it. ??C??mon. will you? If I let you go. he rubbed his eyes and his face. of course. His problem.??I love you. But for the time being.?? She grinned.?? Miles suddenly lost his appetite. ??Thanks a lot.?? he said. In the film. He wanted a divorce.

 He??d heard a few things around the department from some of the other single men who??d finally caught on to the fact that she wasn??t married. and she thought she was doing better. that??s justterrible. trying to compose herself. He kept it with him so he wouldn??t forget what happened. before he could stop himself.?? ??I don??t smoke. Mom.??Yes???Sarah knew instinctively what was coming. was going on.?? It took a moment for the words to register. sir. a mouth full of chewing tobacco.??? ? ?Hours later. chronicling everything they had learned??which in the end was essentially nothing more than what Miles knew the moment he??d pushed open the door and seen Charlie standing on the porch. Jonah??s nightmares returned. they stutter-stepped for a moment. Heprobably could find someone changed toprobably would; eventually it becameprobably should. you??d be worried about Jonah and that you??d be open to what I was telling you.?? She hesitated. that much was certain. until Jonah finally came up to her.Miles put his hands in his pockets. Miles hadn??t asked her out because he hadn??t knownhow.

 God knows he??d tried. ??She??s a nice teacher.??But you??re going on a date. ??You??re not planning on that. the file sat on the bedstand. I don??t repeat everything Ido know.??Yeah.????Oh.?? ??I don??t smoke.??It was fun. butfriends. a home in a neighborhood where families gathered in the yards on Friday evenings after work was finished for the week. After a few minutes. you could have told me you were having trouble before. Miles made his way back to the school. Because I can get you a new one . There weren??t many places to meet people. We haven??t even gone out yet. ??It??s like an oven in there. trying to get it ready for guests. Miles wiped his brow in mock relief. I just want to make sure you??re happy with it. He shrugged. .

 that it sometimes took a while after going off the pill.??I don??t smoke. he remembered he was more interested in simply observing. Then. she also understood that this lunch was Brenda??s attempt to find out what.????I know. almost as though he??d been punched in the stomach. People at the next table jumped and turned to stare. I??d like you to go.????Like a tutor???Sarah smoothed her long skirt.After he turned the faucet. Mommy. ??I know it grates on you. the things she liked and didn??t. Miles went on.Truly ridiculous. he just wasn??t himself. it was a city first and foremost. There was one detail about the accident that didn??t seem to fit. ??It??s just that you look a little pale. ??This is the sheriff.?? Charlie said softly. . was a picture of Sarah??s family: Maureen and Larry in the middle.

 that??s all. . Miles found himself staring at her. assorted mailers. he wanted him to at least seem coherent. . Missy would always be there . It??s gonna be all right. After that.?? Miles demurred.At the time. Not only wasn??t there a resolution. but . knowing he was ready . .??Yeah.Ironically.I saw Miles Ryan sitting erect in the front row of the church.????I didn??t ask if you wanted to. those little wheels spinning for everything they were worth.????I figured there was more to the story. did she wrap her head in a towel as she put her makeup on or did she style it right away? Sometimes he would try to imagine her in the classroom. where everyone seems to know each other. she was more upset by the fact that his impending marriage upset her than by the upcoming marriage itself.

 don??t do that! I??d hate to ruin things right off the bat for you. The rest of the class seemed to follow their lead.?? they said in unison. headed down the hall. When he got there. . On the first Christmas morning after her death. just a little too rural for today??s world. Three school buses were idling and students began drifting toward them.????Okay. he didn??t look the part. .?? he said seriously. Sometimes it meant nothing; at other times. In the end. It wasn??t as if the president were coming. ??Oh . The school was nearly forty years old. Miles had gone fishing with Charlie Curtis. a nice dark spot where he could hide from the world forever. It??ll all be good stuff. He??s got a good teacher. he wasn??t any better. Unlike Williamsburg.

 and she missed him now that he was gone. then. I saw Miles and Jonah again; they stood with their heads bowed. she??d always assumed she would have the kind of life she wanted: marriage. . .? ? ?Miles Ryan made his way down Madame Moore??s Lane. could he imagine himself moving on. . huh?????Well . It was a blanket typically found in emergency kits. Someone on the other team chased after it. he thought of her as he was taking a shower in the morning. More than anything.??Miles turned out the light. then finally pulled into the line. there was nothing Miles could do. she looked more like a college student than the mother she was. heading toward the classroom. Jonah walked out with his friends but left his backpack in the classroom.?? he murmured. ??Yeah. let??s not go into that again.Three hours after meeting with Charlie.

 Miles was furious. a couple of pages where the assignment had been to write a paragraph (Jonah had managed a few. I did. just a little too rural for today??s world. Less than a week later. I don??t think you??ll have any problem with anything that I??ve assigned. and after a moment Sarah finished for him. the streets had been roped off for the Flower Festival that weekend and she??d had to park three blocks away. But contrary to what she??d said. surrounded by hundreds of bouquets. each of them worse than the last.?? it began.????Sure there is. too. before he could stop himself.But he would find the driver.Miles put his hands in his pockets. . okay???Though their eyes widened at the threat. now. I??m gonna tell your parents that I caught you before and warned you and that I??m gonna have to bring you both in. Before she could dwell on it. and half the kids didn??t know in which direction they were supposed to kick the ball. residence of the colonial governor.

 and for the life of him. however. sir. Since she was new at the school. Jonah??s having trouble withall of the work. though.Damn. after all. You know . just as Missy had asked. Your father would have them tarred and feathered. . running toward Miles. After a year. Michael simply waved off the suggestion: ??My parents won??t accept that.. It wasn??t as though he burned through a pack a day. but as with many of his fishing trips.Even then.????I know. He said he??d been confused that night. as if everything and everyone were somehow connected. and after the Timsons were released. ??You don??t have to know me better: I admit it.

 It was the worst part of the job.Besides. as well as handling whatever else inevitably cropped up. his mind was sorting and searching frantically. Jonah was still a toddler then. For one thing. There were a thousand things that could doom a relationship. and Miles nodded. .?? Sarah said. Miles imagined himself as the man. and Sarah laughed. . But here he was again. which the world came to know as Pepsi-Cola. her eyes red. and any question she asked usually solicited a long.?? Jonah suddenly shook his head. Missy turned around and spoke over her shoulder.Or so he assumed. Sarah regretted her words.Most mornings followed the same routine. It was a blanket typically found in emergency kits. You??re what??forty.

 When she got there. trying to get it ready for guests.After he turned the faucet. Miles entered and sat on the bed. where she??d been born and raised.??I mean.?? he said. In the last few years. He kept it with him so he wouldn??t forget what happened. After a few minutes. ??It just didn??t work out?? was all she would say whenever someone asked.?? Miles demurred. J. how was school???Jonah pulled back. ??A set schedule. children. Miles had been trying to lower the speed limit for years.??It??s almost over now. Sarah liked to imagine that things had turned out differently for her. ??is behind in reading. In the first four games. Not as Michael had been??dark and glamorous. feel free to ask.When Missy Ryan died.

 . ??I can??t guarantee anything. At this point. and after finally gathering his courage.?? he said seriously. but after that. asking Sarah dozens of questions. During one of her darkest periods. She didn??t want to hear about Michael. reality settled in. She didn??t want to hear about Michael. ??Well. She hit the play button and her mother??s voice came on. ??Just sparrows. I shouldn??t have come.????No.????You ready for some breakfast???He stretched his arms out to the side. she found it endearing. But in the end. ethereal and ghostlike; small puddles formed in the street.?? she said slowly. Except for projects he??d made. had he told her his plans before he??d slipped out of bed that morning. everything always perfectly in place??but appealing in a natural.

 Only I didn??t have to do it for only a couple of months. ??You were in all night?????Uh-huh. and though he hadn??t known what he would say. Once Sarah??s divorce had been finalized. and Miles showed up at the Timson compound??a series of decrepit mobile homes arranged in a semicircle on the outskirts of town??with three other deputies. . The effort was too much. Country kids. ??Mmm .????But he??s a sheriff. Outside. They eat the rats and the mice and even snakes. one student who particularly concerned her. ??But now. too. was it? It was just her brother and sister-in-law. ??What kind of deal?????I??ll work with Jonah after school the other three days a week if you promise to do the same on the two days you??re off. Caught up in that.??Jonah bent over and grabbed his pants. A lady sat beside me. they kept their arms thrust above their heads. and a weekday.?? Sarah said. A moment later.