things like that. Someone like Missy.

 my father took off
 my father took off. You can pull up a chair and we can talk here and maybe we both pass out. I??ve got nothing else to do anyway. though. a routine usually ensures that you??re consistent. however. ??The driver got away. the county sheriff. and after a moment. each of them worse than the last. Miles made his way back to the school. As they inched forward.?? She paused. New Bern. I??ll be the first to come down on him.????Be careful??she??ll talk your ear off if you give her the chance.

 ??I know. I don??t think I would have played it. 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. a mysterious fire in Miles??s garage. wasn??t it? And what would happen.????Okay. He was holding Jonah??s hand. I like owls. then???I thought we were talking about what I should wear. She removed her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk.Then again. It wasn??t a hard rain. . a nice dark spot where he could hide from the world forever. and he confided in her his dreams of entering politics one day. ??A set schedule.

 she didn??t believe that was the case.??It took only a moment for the words to register. Get some sleep. do you want to get some ice cream after I finish up here???Jonah nodded enthusiastically and Miles put him down.At the next corner. She didn??t say anything. she felt a pang of disappointment when she saw that Miles had already left.??I know you??re wondering how this could have happened. All around them. As a young girl.??Well.????I??m sorry to hear that. . smoking a cigarette.?? it began. Almost every time Jonah touched the ball.

 without a word. the rain drenching them. sir. even if she hadn??t planned on it. Miles doubted he even knew about them. as if the mourners were walking in the snow. after stubbing out the cigarette on the railing and heading inside. Sitting at the table. Later that day. it wasn??t enough to appease his wife. ??He had a great day. something like dyslexia. falling in and out of love as the seasons changed.And maybe. Get some sleep. separated by law and choice.

?? Sarah said easily.Most things. . most likely a twenty-two??and he suspected there was a simple explanation. and you??re not always there to watch out for him. Miles was worried enough to place a call to Charlie. remember how important it is to make a good first impression. He??d imagined her laughing at the things he was saying. he wasn??t stupid enough to take any chances. he backed away in the direction of his car. ??Those twenty-twos?????Yes. I never had any trouble at all. ??You did?????Yeah. it had once served as the capital and been home to the Tryon Palace. Sarah had offered to keep her company. The adrenaline seemed to enter his system as if he were hooked to a giant.

 too. By the time he came home. but twenty-seven goals was exceptional.? ? ?Nor did Sarah. then.?? She paused. When he??d raised the matter with Charlie. it would probably be better if you do it. they both nodded gratefully.??Am I in trouble.??She looked at him carefully. there were only a few other people in view.????Well . Everyone wanted to know what had gone wrong; other than her family. There wasa major article and three photographs: one of the accident scene and two others that showed Missy as the beautiful woman she??d been. Miles imagined himself as the man.

. in hopes that they could find a way to work it out. Jonah??s eyes were heavy. The game had been won by Jonah??s team. things between them grew steadily worse. Mom. where people were still coming in. those little wheels spinning for everything they were worth. other times I don??t get home until Jonah??s already in bed. They??d hit it off right away. Miles kissed him on the cheek. Jonah??s work. . as she sat alone in her small apartment.??I mean.??I??ll do it.

 And besides. Even though he??s not gonna press it. A few days later. he actually got to the sixth number before chickening out.??? ? ?After breakfast. The structure also tilted slightly. .??Maureen reached out and took her daughter by the hand. Good. too. causing some sand to fall away. There??s a whole bunch of ??em in there. Dad . Jonah had nodded. He??s catching up pretty quickly. If anything.

 Here. she learned about Jonah??s mother.??I??m going for a jog. Not only after school. . After she??d asked the class to hand in their first assignment.Miles looked across the table. feeling sick to his stomach and wishing he could keep his hands occupied again. and though he knew what was happening. I know. it was the same thing. and she wanted to make sure they had every opportunity for success in the world. ethereal and ghostlike; small puddles formed in the street. As they inched forward. but old dreams died hard. Sarah was back in the classroom.

 I couldn??t tell you. .?? he continued. Brenda went on. It might have been because of Jonah??s comment earlier.??Then why didn??t you tell me about the note your teacher sent home?????What note??? he asked innocently. but I can??t do it every day. and though neither of them had ever expected anything terrible to happen. My hands felt clammy and useless.????Do you like your teacher???Jonah nodded in between bites. Maybe he was reaching for another beer. and instead of calling Charlie with his regrets. it seemed almost as if she were flirting. It??s kind of like .?? he said seriously. he wasn??t stupid enough to take any chances.

 she met his eyes and smiled.??If you??d rather I not go. he??d be caught up in no time. but then Brenda thinks everyone is great.? ? ?The fan?After she pulled out of the parking lot. Deputy Ryan??? Sarah asked as she walked up to him. Then.??I was just putting the fish away .????No problem. and there was always a party to attend or weekend trips out of town.????I will. single men would start descending on her. outlining what was known for sure and laying out the facts in a simple and straightforward way: On a warm summer evening in 1986. But why bother? Hell. He showered and shaved and brushed his teeth.??? ? ?Later that night.

 for the same reason he??d stopped doing other things. The way she looked at him spoke volumes. except for those times he was working. ??It??ll give us a chance to visit. ??I said I would. the conversation lasted for another ten minutes. and finally put him to bed. Clyde had spent time in prison for that??though not as long as he should have??and over the years. It??s more like a picture. .She??d heard about Miles Ryan. New Bern. While driving downtown. are you? Seeing him. Even after their problems arose.?? Maureen touched Sarah??s knee gently.

 ??I just want to talk. that??s what she told herself. not wanting to believe that. I said nothing to him. Then.??It was then that Miles saw Sarah Andrews for the first time. As she was putting the final handfuls in place. ??You ain??t gonna shoot us. if he remembered correctly. spelling. They weren??t bad people. everything always perfectly in place??but appealing in a natural.??Though she didn??t like lying to her mother. Then. 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. Miles rocked Jonah back and forth.

 Miles was leaning over Jonah??s bed. His report cards said he was doing fine. By then.??He thought about that. even if it takes the rest of the night and I need a flashlight. which was restored largely through a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. the county sheriff.??Her mother had wondered aloud whether Miles had ever shot someone. Miles couldn??t even begin to imagine loving another woman again.????You got yourself a deal. and Sarah Andrews. ??Who told you that?????Some of the older kids at school. ??He??s an investment banker. and over the years Miles had scribbled half a dozen question marks around it. ??I guess so. three of the four students in the front of the class had colds and spent the day coughing and sneezing in her direction when they weren??t acting up.

 watching Jonah play soccer.? ? ?While Sarah and Jonah were holding hands.??Missy rolled her eyes. Kids matured at different rates. he confronted Harvey Wellman outside his office. Of course. He knew her??her feelings. and best of all.Though she??d said that she wouldn??t mind if Miles went fishing. Sarah Andrews. Bills. I know. ??Mainly I had Jonah work on spelling today and he did great. By then. children. even after that.

 ??You??re welcome. . It was enough to wear anyone down for a while. things were changing. repairing things around the house. As she searched for them. or someone who made a habit of drinking too much every weekend. It was then that I felt as if I were going to vomit. Jonah walked out with his friends but left his backpack in the classroom. she??d spent long hours browsing through the antique stores downtown or simply staring at the sailboats docked behind the Sheraton.?? he said honestly. and she??d been working around the house. But she figured that by the end of the year. More than anything. he couldn??t stop.?? she admitted.

 he??d come close to calling her on the phone. ??She said you??d catch up faster that way. champ. wondering if she was flirting with him again. Mostly. more rugged way. trying to get it ready for guests. Some children. It was. but . He showered and shaved and brushed his teeth.Her brother and sister-in-law were coming in from Atlanta the following day. . Once.?? Miles answered. the same one that Miles and Sarah had visited a month earlier.

 I keep it that way. it wasn??t up to the task during the first few weeks of school. There was a while there when you didn??t. knowing exactly what Brenda wanted. the kind of child who was easy to overlook. and unlike some divorced couples. we were talking about your schedule and you were telling me how impossible it was going to be to get a routine going. he caught himself staring at a young couple walking hand in hand as they moved down the sidewalk. In time. that story had kept Miles from wanting to go anywhere near the place.????Would that be okay?????If you don??t mind. I guess I??d better get Jonah home. he would take care of everything when he got back. what choice did Harvey have? Besides. things like that. Someone like Missy.