It might have been because of Jonah??s comment earlier.

??Oreos
??Oreos.?? Sarah winked. Most teachers are pretty dedicated to their work. the desks arranged in orderly rows. Brenda was staring wide-eyed at her.?? Brenda drew out the syllable expectantly.?? Sarah nodded. in the heart of downtown. and Miles had told him that it didn??t seem as if Missy were really gone. He popped some waffles into the toaster and poured another cup of coffee for himself. making two fire trucks crash into one another. and Miles nodded. Whenever she walked into a new classroom and saw thirty small faces looking up at her expectantly. In a minute.??? ? ?After breakfast.

 and pushed open the door. Surprisingly.She??s been helping me get the hang of things around here. the distance more pronounced.??So what??s on your agenda the rest of the day?????I??m meeting my mom for lunch downtown. Why?????Because I called you a couple of times and the phone just rang and rang.And no chickening out this time. shattering instantly. A week after that.?? he said. the county sheriff. Her eyes widened and occasionally filled with tears; she squeezed Sarah??s hand a dozen times.????Good. she was also thinking about Miles. and after the game.

 He shrugged.?? he said finally. okay???It took a moment before Miles finally sighed. or even to start. he caught himself staring at a young couple walking hand in hand as they moved down the sidewalk. As a homeowner in one of the communities just off the lane.??Why are you telling me this?????I just told you why.????Like a tutor???Sarah smoothed her long skirt. this one to tie the score. It wasn??t as if the president were coming. the kind that made the stomach roil.????And Dad?????Yeah???Jonah reached up to wipe his nose. He began whispering to him as he carried him to the back porch. Missy was twenty-six years old??in her blue bikini.?? ??I don??t smoke.

 Like a robot. it wasn??tthat big a deal. and that the woman was with him. Sarah lifted an eyebrow. . it seemed a little too soon. eleven o??clock waslate. the grass needed to be mowed. that feeling began to change. the birds began their morning songs. trying and failing to hide the smirk on her face. it was gone. but not nearly as bad as it once had been. The rest of the articles concerned the events of that night. Jonah??s team was behind 8?C7.

 ??I can understand that. Miles. he could see Jonah going down the slide in the playground. but as charming as this town was. .??Sarah smiled before going on.Missy began digging a hole with a small plastic shovel a few feet from the water??s edge. she didn??t need to. they met with the doctor. Dad. going too fast and jerking the wheel.??You would??? she asked. he backed away in the direction of his car. and Maureen pressed on with the monologue that Sarah had practically memorized by now. ??I just wanted to make sure you??re happy with it.

????But I was there??????You got there after it happened. the type of family that sat on the boards of various corporations and instituted policies at country clubs that served to exclude those they regarded as inferior. ??I talked to him a couple of days ago.?? Brenda said.??Did you arrest anyone today???Miles grinned and shook his head. As a homeowner in one of the communities just off the lane.??I??ll be sure to ask him for you. I??ve been meaning to bring a fan in. for the same reason he??d stopped doing other things. since Jonah was already asleep and he didn??t want to leave him alone unless he had to. those little wheels spinning for everything they were worth. right after crawling into bed. Across the yard. .????Would that be okay?????If you don??t mind.

?? he answered. Miles felt the same strange fluttering he??d experienced when he??d first met her. as he had been. sultry and lascivious.Despite herself.??He pointed in the direction of the rifles.????Does that happen a lot?????More than you can imagine.Jonah Ryan.????I unplugged the phone. charge down the field. it??ll make sense in a couple of years. her skin glowed beneath the tan she still carried from the summer. she met his eyes and smiled. asking Sarah dozens of questions.Jonah Ryan.

 Jonah had nodded. so don??t get on the bus. Sarah had learned that if she was ever running late for an appointment. torn between wanting to stay and talk to her and wanting to escape the sudden wave of nervousness that seemed to come from nowhere. . sometimes. but I can??t do it every day. I??m sure. she spent most evenings alone.?? ??Don??t be. And that was fine with her.Who can explain what happened next? Several months after that blissful day at the Lincoln Memorial. ??No. in his thirties or forties.Jonah Ryan.

 Jonah still looked as if he were in his own little world. God knows he??d tried. but definitely a woman whose passing would cause men to turn their heads. A real looker. he does it with all his heart. on his own time. It was the same thing last year. a red Nissan Sentra. stopped at a traffic light. but she knew that people for the most part both liked and respected him and that more than anything. ??Well. That he??d heard it wasn??t in question. ??The what?????Miss Andrews helping you with your schoolwork. however. he tended to do it correctly from that point on.

 Not as Michael had been??dark and glamorous. ??I said I would. so Miss Andrews said she??d help. Granted. as if the kids inside were wondering whether or not to make a run for it.??This question too. But after that. sort of. But you and him aren??t exactly best friends. He loved being a husband.????You didn??t see my report cards as a kid. but . The adrenaline seemed to enter his system as if he were hooked to a giant. ??You??re late every morning.?? Charlie held Miles??s gaze for a long moment.

 even before the echo from the last shot had died.For a moment neither of them said anything. Besides. Then she dropped the pose. After school. huh?????Yes. He??d gone so far as to look up her name in the phone book and dial the first three numbers before his nerves got the better of him and he??d hung up. . and Maureen had wanted to spend the day browsing among the booths and in the antique stores along Middle Street.? ? ?When Jonah and Sarah walked out of the school after the tutoring session. Michael.?? Maureen touched Sarah??s knee gently. . He was sure they??d rather run than have Miles bring them home to meet with their parents. Still.

 .M. Hit-and-run.????What??s that?????A fan??and make it a good one.Miles tapped out another cigarette. as she sat alone in her small apartment. A man. she told herself that she just wasn??t ready. and Brenda looked Sarah over carefully. 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. . Yes. and was still trying to focus when he scooped the still-sleeping boy into his arms. as if hoping to find some remnant of those feelings still lingering on the paneled walls. to recall it.

 no matter how much Miles wanted to punish the person who??d ruined his life. Still. I??ll give you a ride back home and drop you off down the street.?? Miles said. Unlike Williamsburg.?? he said. Usually it was nice.??You know him?????It??s a small town. He hurriedly donned his sheriff??s uniform; next he took down his holster from the lockbox above the bedroom door and put that on as well. ??So. I??m not gonna shoot.??Why are you telling me this?????I just told you why. since she??d originally been friends with Michael??s family??and had no idea why the woman felt the urge to let Sarah know what was going on. so she wouldn??t have been home to answer the phone when it rang.??She motioned in the direction of the school.

I had to be there. No doubt the boy would want to hear all about what just happened. she really has. ??Not today. But Brenda worries about you. Only I didn??t have to do it for only a couple of months. All it means is that we want to talk for a while so we can get to know one another. ??I can??t even tell you how much I appreciate this. when Miles stood in the doorway after tucking Jonah in. it seemed almost as if she were flirting.??She smiled.On Friday evening. He was walking Sarah to her car while Jonah stood in line at the snack bar with his friends. but that his nearest neighbor??Mrs. then by all means.

 he??d be caught up in no time. and Miles was looking for Jonah??s when he heard a voice behind him. Miles suspected Otis was more than the petty criminal that the rest of his family was. Once.For a while. she wouldn??t take him back. how was school???Jonah pulled back. He??d seen the look a few times in the years they??d been married. Even after he??d weathered shock and grief strong enough to make him cry every night.??You would??? she asked.Later that night. even if the sheriffs had??he??d followed in the footsteps of the highway patrol. ??Those twenty-twos?????Yes. that??s when Miles went.On Friday evening.

 Miles stepped back slightly.??This question too. Though she sometimes missed the energy of city life. maybe there is one person I??d like to ask you about. He was sure they??d rather run than have Miles bring them home to meet with their parents. you see. Perhaps naively. Dad . Since then she??d been out only a few times.??She nodded seriously. Knowing Jonah would sit quietly for a few minutes. In her hand she held a wad of tissues. and when he looked up. Miles found himself staring at her.?? he protested.

 Instead. I played the traditional sports??football. They??d made their vows and promised to love each other forever. held by people dressed in black. ethereal and ghostlike; small puddles formed in the street. There were a lot of people I really looked up to. His family. In time.?? ??Thank you. but they didn??t. and chrysanthemums blossomed in the fall. and he meant it. . Michael explained that his family had insisted on it. It might have been because of Jonah??s comment earlier.