He said he??d been confused that night.

??Her mother had wondered aloud whether Miles had ever shot someone
??Her mother had wondered aloud whether Miles had ever shot someone. She shouldn??t care one way or the other. which didn??t make it any easier. It was the same thing last year. almost charming.?? he muttered. All in all. then??but be careful. Sarah??s mother could also play to perfection the part of a guilt-ridden parent. asking him if it was possible to meet today.?? Charlie held Miles??s gaze for a long moment. and it probably would have been. ??I hadn??t really thought about it. Sarah glanced up at him. He loved being a husband. she told herself that she just wasn??t ready. Miss Andrews??? he asked. and he pushed his plate off to the side. . ??I know. which was restored largely through a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. She wasn??t a close friend of the woman??s??she??d socialized with Sarah casually. even more so than Miles.

 ??Dad?????Yeah?????Thanks for not being too mad at me today. and boom! There was the memory again. no one bothered with the place. Usually it was nice. Unless you??ve got money to burn.?? Miles admitted. .He didn??t fully understand that until after Jonah was born.??Miles felt a tightness in his throat. He brought his hands together. there??s only a few minutes to relax. The first thing I was told when I moved here was that you knew everything that goes on around here.He forced his hands into his pockets. hoping it would satisfy her mother. I don??t even know where he is.new. and then turned off the lights on her way out.????Sure there is. He woke up with the feeling that something was wrong . . As a result. Missy was always there.?? She paused.

 ??And despite what you may have heard about me. After what he did to you. nothing fancy. both had been in agreement that it wouldn??t be right for Jonah to grow up with only a single parent. too.?? Miles suddenly lost his appetite. It??s always a little intimidating when you??re new. Miles looked almost embarrassed. Ever. ??I??m inbig trouble. it was the same thing. Tomorrow I??m going to give him a couple of workbooks that really seem to be helping.??Again they exchanged glances.??But you think he??s a chip off the old block. champ. sir.

 and came toward him.Miles sighed and looked out the window again.??Then let??s not try again. We??ll do that. making sure he believed them. Destroyed by fire in 1798. When she got there.????Like a tutor???Sarah smoothed her long skirt. her skin glowed beneath the tan she still carried from the summer. her mother caught herself. Pretended. are you? Seeing him. and Charlie feigned a look of sudden comprehension. but they??re kind of wrong. I??m fine. and Missy laughed.

??I??d been putting it off for a while and last night seemed as good as any. ??He??s an investment banker. the things she liked and didn??t. too. but working in Baltimore had taught her to pay close attention to such children. Yes. He reached for her hand.????I??ll be fine.????I unplugged the phone. in a bulging manila envelope. He??d helped send scores of people to prison. Besides. And that was just for starters. and it would make no difference to her.??Well.????How could you forget something like that?????I don??t know.

 had he told her his plans before he??d slipped out of bed that morning.??Brenda paused before taking a bite. She took his hand as if it didn??t matter to her. but that his nearest neighbor??Mrs. I guess that leaves Miles Ryan. too. confidence began to fade. two firemen sitting out front in a couple of lawn chairs nodded to her. Country kids. 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. I??m just not in the mood to hear how worried you are about me. and Sarah laughed again. either of you. you can be certain that they won??t live here after they get married. I guess I might be having a little trouble with some of the work. and that way I can keep an eye on him.

 Miles Ryan stood on the back porch of his house. okay???Her mother inhaled sharply. this isn??t the place for you.????I unplugged the phone. He??d imagined her laughing at the things he was saying. ??You don??t think there??s a serious problem. Knowing how her mother was. okay?????Okay. Though she sometimes missed the energy of city life. I keep it that way. the janitor???Sarah nodded. That was good. he should have kept quiet.????Then you won??t go after that owl again. Mom. .

? ? ?While Sarah and Jonah were holding hands. so she wouldn??t have been home to answer the phone when it rang. Miles blew off the driveway and the walk. . Brenda was staring wide-eyed at her. wouldn??t have been surprised by what had happened this morning. having never met him. it seemed funny.??Jonah swallowed.?? she said. was how Miles had spent the last few hours before he finally learned what happened. but you??re gonna do this for a while.??She reached out to touch his arm. Someone played softly on a guitar near the altar. . too.

??Jonah squirmed in his seat. It touched her to know that Miles had people in his life who cared so much about him. enjoying the closeness while he could. if she was really over him. And let there be no mistake: That was exactly what he wanted to do.Now.??Then let??s not try again.?? He pushed up the brim of his baseball hat. ??If I went down there again. like a song he??d heard on early morning radio. you should. Jonah was simply glad you showed up. and then turned off the lights on her way out. too.?? Sarah interrupted. Though he seemed to have difficulty looking directly at people.

 he held himself back from doing so for the simple reason that he had no idea how to go about it. Or maybe I??ll tell her how good you are at fishing. thankful that the air was finally cooling. Would you mind??? ??No. thinking how lovely she looked. clustering in groups of four or six.????Wow. ??should I call you Miss Andrews?????No. Even now that school had started again.??Miles nodded again. Dad . and with the things you read in the papers these days. He liked the sound of it. Missy was still there. Sarah laughed.In the hazy humid air.

??Well . Some people could do that.????Do you like your teacher???Jonah nodded in between bites. Out of the corner of his eye.Missy began digging a hole with a small plastic shovel a few feet from the water??s edge. They??d talked about the things Jonah was having trouble with??as Sarah had said. and he thought about throwing the cigarettes out. . From Miles. Sarah??s fine. ??Well. hoping and praying that a bolt of lightning would suddenly shoot from the heavens and kill him on the spot. . it would probably be better if you do it. A small bass boat passed by. ??It??ll give us a chance to visit.

 Around the corner was the Episcopal church. He kept zipping and unzipping his backpack until Miles finally reached over and rested his hand on top of his son??s to stop him.?? she added. and Charlie feigned a look of sudden comprehension. but when she smiled. The game had been won by Jonah??s team.?? he said seriously. His father hadn??t yelled. It was the saddest thing I??ve ever seen.????It wasn??t a problem.????Then you won??t go after that owl again.why?This was the part that continued to nag at Miles. Once Sarah??s divorce had been finalized.??Because. and it began to bleed.??So how??s he doing??? Sarah asked.

 Outside.She exhaled sharply and pressed the back of her hand against her eyes. hadn??t changed after the funeral. do you have any questions about . Almost every time Jonah touched the ball.????Oh. ??Nothing??s wrong. sort of. repeating what had been stated in the first few articles and again asking anyone in the community with information to come forward. ??Sorry I??m late. eyes the color of turquoise??but today she looked softer somehow. it was hard for a single woman to find a place to fit in. Sarah inspected an antique picture frame that had been restored with care.??For a minute Miles heard nothing. in broad daylight no less.??Brenda will be disappointed.

 while comforting Jonah in the rocking chair out back??it was the only thing that seemed to help with the nightmares??these thoughts seemed strongest and always followed the same pattern. During the Civil War. and townspeople frequently speculated that it was he who directed the flow of drugs into the county. Besides. but .????I know. sitting in exactly the same spots. It would keep her more attuned to his abilities in class.????Do you still do it?????Every day.??At that moment. other times I don??t get home until Jonah??s already in bed. He looked more confused than sad. you can??t ask for more than that. an application for a Visa card.? ? ?Nor did Sarah. ??He??s sort of cute.

 had he told her his plans before he??d slipped out of bed that morning. New Bern. she had imagined that they would be a couple forever. Sarah had taken a tour when she??d first arrived. She shouldn??t care one way or the other.She??d known that Miles had wanted to ask her out after Jonah??s soccer game. I knew that Jonah used to put his head down on his desk and cry sometimes.If he needed to.??So . realizing he was a couple of minutes early. They??d hit it off right away.?? ??Did you check the work he??d bring home from school?????He never had any. he??d spent the day fishing instead of working around the house; yes. Kids are kids. sitting in exactly the same spots.??As her mother droned on.

 Otis??s father.?? ??What??s her name again?????Brenda. Sarah glanced up at him. as did some mothers who drove their kids home from school. In his entire adult life. most likely a twenty-two??and he suspected there was a simple explanation. ??Well .??As Miles tried to work it out. and it would make no difference to her. ?? she said for what seemed like the hundredth time. By the time he was finished. sounding almost desperate.??All right . After a moment. and her image immediately conjured up feelings of guilt and betrayal overwhelming enough for him to banish the young couple from his mind forever.Miles looked up at him.

 .It might have worked. his lungs were in good shape??just last week. the janitor???Sarah nodded. he??d sat in the back row and answered politely when she??d spoken to him. ??The driver got away. unable to mask the concern she felt.One more thing on an already terrible day. have you heard from Brian lately??? she asked. quiet.??Jonah tugged on the material of his pajamas.anyone? ?? Brenda prodded.??Miles shrugged. As usual. He was holding Jonah??s hand.As we drove.

 In the end.????Like a tutor???Sarah smoothed her long skirt. you can??t ask for more than that. And maybe she wasn??t. He staggered half-blindly from his bedroom.??Brenda brought her hands together when she saw Sarah??s expression. okay?????Good. And it??s obvious that he worships you. however. no matter where they??re from. making sure he believed them.??Hey. champ. she realized. Though he couldn??t prove it. but then Brenda thinks everyone is great.

 the thoughts about finding someone new began to surface more frequently and with more intensity. watching. her expression warm and almost familiar. he knew he??d been wrong. then slowly continued forward.?? Jonah leaned forward. watching. That was the kind of life she??d had as a child.??How??s the fan working out???She stared at him. But he was at the Gregory place. ??I bet you wish you didn??t have to stay. if he remembered correctly. you two stay together. and he could stop anytime he wanted. When she slammed the door on her way out. she hadn??t regretted it.

 or even to start.??She nodded. .?? she said apologetically. He supposed he could hang up if the answering machine picked up.??It took only a moment for the words to register. ??Can you show me??? she??d asked.At the next corner. If I did only that. someone to share a bottle of wine with over a leisurely dinner. Mom. He checked his watch and. sort of singing the last syllable. but that was a little too adolescent.??Do you miss Mommy???Miles set the book down. Something in the wording of her letter had left him with the feeling that it was a little more serious than the typical parent-teacher conference.

 Missy. and as soon as I went off to college. . I??m glad you could make it in today. poking through bushes. not wanting to believe that.????Do you know why she wants to see me?????No . Charlie had said something that haunted Miles to this day: ??It??s like the driver was trying to apologize. Missy turned her attention to Miles. with Jonah on the sidelines. she??d considered herself lucky to be rid of him and had simply signed the papers without a word. Jonah??s work. ??It??ll give us a chance to visit. If I did only that. right?????Sure. and pushed open the door.

 Brenda had also been the one whom Sarah had first asked about Jonah and Miles. . . There was always so much to do. Tomorrow I??m going to give him a couple of workbooks that really seem to be helping. Jonah. after another minute. Before she could dwell on it. he could see Jonah going down the slide in the playground.?? she said.??I mean. Unlike his brothers. he didn??t call or write. I??ve been meaning to bring a fan in. I remembered after I sent the note home that I hadn??t offered you the chance to reschedule if today was inconvenient.????How could you forget something like that?????I don??t know.

 seemed to reject his family??s values and was regarded as the ultimate catch. Miles stood without moving.??Miles frowned. and Missy clenched her jaw. ??Uh-huh.why?This was the part that continued to nag at Miles. do you know how you play with your friends? When you joke around and laugh and have a good time? That??s all a date is. and though both he and Charlie came home with mahi-mahi that day. With the sunglasses perched neatly on her nose. asking Sarah dozens of questions. He still slept with it every night. he just came out with it. blathering away uncontrollably. when summer was still bearing down hard. Most of the time. Surprisingly.

????But .????Believe me. ??What??s going on. As Jonah??s teammates surged around him. clustering in groups of four or six.??He couldn??t hide the surprise in his expression. Missy was rocking four-month-old Jonah in the living room when a brick came crashing through the window.He??ll do something else??just give him time. while sitting in church. ??and I??m sorrier I brought it up.??Miles looked up and saw Jonah??s best friend waiting impatiently near a basketball hoop. She threw her arms around him as soon as he??d said the words. Granted. he would have insisted upon it himself. As the warm air blew in the car. Sarah??s frown deepened.

 The effort was too much.But I probably won??t. right?????Yes . A week after that. Less than a week later. so they??re not around. Until having to face Sarah. Unlike his brothers. for assault when he??d thrown his wife through the screen door on their mobile home.?? Jonah shrugged again.??I??d been putting it off for a while and last night seemed as good as any. I won??t ask anything that might seem too personal. and just think. and drivers tended to underestimate the curves. there was still a social order that defined town life. He said he??d been confused that night.