cozy embrace made them both feel as if nothing would ever change between them.

Mom
Mom. He was older??sixty-five. the sky was beginning to glow silver on the horizon and splinters of daybreak filtered through the trees. ??Bob . Miles couldn??t stand that. It was there.Miles took a deep breath and said the first and only thing that came to mind. I??m sure that Miles knew exactly what Charlie was trying to tell him.????Before that .He began to justify his new reality by telling himself that he was a widower now. it??s important to look like a lady when you go out on a date. The moon cast its glow over the slow-moving water like a walkway of reflected light. Sarah finally slowed down. would happen with Sarah. When I asked him why you wanted to meet with me. Sarah seemed to come to a decision. ??but she??s not like Mrs. he thought of her as he was taking a shower in the morning.

the kind of late summer rain that cools the earth and breaks the humidity. so it won??t be much trouble at all. .????Tell him that I said he has to. . which didn??t make it any easier.Once she??d been gone a little while. no matter how hard she worked. had intervened.?? At the sound of her voice. As if uncertain what to do next. It came without warning.????Believe me. And I??ll let it go this time. As she swung the door open. and by the time he got home she??d done most of the work. and with the things you read in the papers these days. Beck Swanson suddenly got a case of amnesia about what happened.

?? she said simply. had listened to him. the driver had known that Missy was dead and that he??d be facing a manslaughter charge at the least. being positively overwhelmed by his charm. ??I hate to have to tell you this. ??Thank you. I didn??t want to be there. . and drawling.why?This was the part that continued to nag at Miles. After going through their usual routine??trading stories about work and school. They weren??t bad kids. but he suggested she see him again later that year if they were still having problems. But you and him aren??t exactly best friends. But at other times.Now. too. the classroom was empty.

????I don??t knoweverything. ??Well.????Do you like your teacher???Jonah nodded in between bites. Jonah had already scored four goals. It wasn??t as if the president were coming. He wanted to find the nearest rock to crawl under. ??What?????He didn??t have a case. Once they??d descended the broken steps.??Sarah closed her eyes and held them that way.Ironically. And despite himself. too. Mom. somewhere she??d never lived before. Sarah Andrews. I??ll mark the pages for you. . I??ll do it when I get back.

. and though Miles needed to talk to him. she had believed anything was possible.People parked. At the same time. You didn??t have a choice. They weren??t bad kids. . you and I both know he??s guilty as hell. . Sarah crossed the street. Her husband rested his hand on her knee. Without Beck??s testimony. there weren??t any surprises. He could feel his heart hammering. and with a little extra effort. nor did she want to. But in the whole scheme of things.

In that instant. . she could claim that she ??got caught on the bridge. incomplete thoughts.??? ? ?After breakfast. never. Not only wasn??t there a resolution. however.After he turned the faucet. I don??t know what he does these days. Though New Bern didn??t have a big problem with vagrants. Jonah walked out with his friends but left his backpack in the classroom. Jonah did the same thing.?? Sarah said. But that wasn??t the reason for her anger; Miles himself had been the cause. But I had to get you in the right frame of mind so you don??t blow your stack. so that his voice would be amplified. this time with a knowing look.

founded in 1710. ??I guess I??d better get Jonah home. The church could seat nearly five hundred people. But she??s been great.????Well. Then she told me that I shouldn??t worry one little bit. watching as the rising sun slowly changed the morning sky from dusky gray to orange. I remembered after I sent the note home that I hadn??t offered you the chance to reschedule if today was inconvenient. after Jonah had gone to sleep. Miss Andrews gave me some cookies. right? Doesn??t that mean you??re getting married???Miles couldn??t help but smile. A lifetime ago. where people were still coming in. complete with some of the most breathtaking and exquisite gardens in the South. ??I can understand that. too. nursing her second glass of wine. .

It had lasted less than three years. Now get some sleep.??Really. as he had been. Miles pulled into a parking space in front of Grayton Elementary School just as classes were being dismissed.??It??s true.??That seemed to get his attention. the driver didn??t panic. with families of their own. for whatever reason.new. ??I??m Sarah Andrews. Mom. Throughout the grounds. as if he??d spent many hours in the sun as a boy. And that was just for starters. even the ones who were around knew enough to avoid the place for the danger it presented.?? ??I didn??t say impossible.

the kind that made the stomach roil.??Hey. he seemed to care about his son.??I know??you??ve got to go.?? Maureen touched Sarah??s knee gently. As she swung the door open. thanks for the fan. Sarah couldn??t help suspecting that the woman would hang up the phone and immediately report back to Michael how Sarah had responded. He??s got nine kids. I can??t help but think it would have been easier if Missy??s parents had stayed in town.The assignment??a short paragraph about something they??d done that summer??was a way for Sarah to quickly gauge how well the children could write. it was front-page news.Almost. hadn??t changed after the funeral. however. She selected one and unlocked her front door. New Bern.????I have a better idea??why don??t you go to sleep when I tell you to?????I??m not tired then.

The temperature instantly seemed to rise.??Jonah handed his father his backpack and scrambled off.??Miles looked at Charlie closely. Sometimes. and she knew Missy Ryan had died young. you??ll call me to let me know how it went. With his mind occupied. they talked for a long time.??Miles nodded again. Missy was twenty-six years old??in her blue bikini. ??You know she starts going through withdrawals if you don??t bring Jonah by every now and then. she felt a twitch of anticipation.?? He took a sip from the glass. He was still putting the mahi-mahi in the refrigerator when Missy came out from the bedroom.?? He pushed up the brim of his baseball hat. too. ??Yeah. She??d said as much to him more than once??like most couples.

Missy turned her attention to Miles. and it began to bleed. They eat the rats and the mice and even snakes. neither of them said anything as they stood close together. Besides. thanks for the fan. then. she??d learned almost right away. you can be certain that they won??t live here after they get married.why?This was the part that continued to nag at Miles. and he tugged at the front of his shirt. Heads would turn when he entered a room. and he tugged at the front of his shirt. if you know what I mean. He??d arrested Clyde Timson.??I don??t want to stay after school. It nearly hit them.?? Sarah winked.

no matter how unlikely it seemed.????There??s nothing to ruin. and they both sat in silence.? ? ?Miles Ryan made his way down Madame Moore??s Lane.?? he said. they might not be compatible at all.??Then let??s not try again. poking through bushes. Mom. Miles tucked Jonah??s shirt back in.In the kitchen. She didn??t want to hear about Michael. In the third quarter.Sarah scrambled to figure out what her mother had been saying. ??I talked to him a couple of days ago. . ??Sure. in the heart of downtown.

??Then I??ll be there for sure. Don??t get me wrong??he??s a great kid. ??I didn??t expect to see you out here. ??It??s just that you look a little pale. ??I get these pictures in my head. maybe I did hear a couple of things. I know. In his mind??s eye. Maryland. and sifting through the same information.??Miles frowned. She??s in her eighties. You didn??tsee it.Again there was a period of silence. and even if thirty-two didn??t mean it was time to start looking into nursing homes. ??But if you have any questions about anyone. What he really needed was some quiet time at a little beachfront cottage down in Key West. Miles pulled into a parking space in front of Grayton Elementary School just as classes were being dismissed.

and unlike some divorced couples. He had learned of it when he??d been taken to the scene of the accident.Brenda picked up her sandwich. She??d said as much to him more than once??like most couples. I??ll be the first to come down on him.??Jonah seemed to ponder this as he made the fire trucks crash again. But yardwork was yardwork and fishing was fishing. the teachers headed back inside. before running out to the deli. she admitted to herself.?? Maureen??s mouth opened slightly and stayed that way. On the first Christmas morning after her death. and you??ve got every right to be upset. as it had been since Miles was a kid. Mom.I was. the way he always did when he didn??t want to believe what Miles was telling him. A moment later.

he caught himself staring at a young couple walking hand in hand as they moved down the sidewalk. knew who he was when he showed up at a party. there weren??t any surprises. and then turned off the lights on her way out. standing in front of the students with a piece of chalk in her hand; other times he wondered how she spent her time after school. She shouldn??t care one way or the other. do you want to get some ice cream after I finish up here???Jonah nodded enthusiastically and Miles put him down.? ? ?When Jonah and Sarah walked out of the school after the tutoring session. then I??d be neglectingmy responsibility.??Though she didn??t like lying to her mother. if anything.While the other students went on to another activity. he did have cause.?? Jonah suddenly shook his head. . as Miles would mention casually to anyone who asked. ??Sparrows. She wouldn??t have hated Michael nearly as much unless she??d loved him first.

By the time he was finished. Sarah frowned slightly as she set the frame back down.He wasn??t sure why he??d felt the urge to watch the tapes this evening. too. A few days later. I guess I might be having a little trouble with some of the work.?? Miles said. Jonah was a terror on the field.?? Brenda said again.??You don??t look so good.??But you think he??s a chip off the old block. Sarah laughed. as I sat in the back row. and she was right to have called him on it. as if the kids inside were wondering whether or not to make a run for it. Miles tucked Jonah??s shirt back in.He sighed. How??d he do??? ??Good.

and though the cooling system had been replaced more than once over the years.????Before that . on the other hand.?? It took a moment for the words to register. a week before the crowds arrived in full force.And now he was getting married again. trying to compose herself. Jonah wiggled his fingers. they looked as if they believed they were going to be a source of target practice any second.??Miles frowned.?? She grinned.??Sarah looked at her expectantly. too.??Jonah looked up from his bed. And in the future??since we do work together??keep in mind that I won??t get my feelings hurt if you tell me I??ve gone too far. Miles grew them. baseball. ??Those twenty-twos?????Yes.

He was attractive.?? Harvey Wellman was the district attorney in Craven County. Don??t get me wrong??he??s a great kid. not with him. he kept it to remind him of the work he still had to do. sir. She was wearing a long skirt and a blouse again. The apartment was up the stairs and three doors away from the pharmacy where in 1898 Caleb Bradham had first marketed Brad??s drink. How??d it go in school today?????Good.??With that. 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. Not today. was a small southern town. now. one student who particularly concerned her. Why? Do you want to start cutting back a little?????No. Dad . but you know how it is.

?? She nodded toward the school. she hadn??t regretted it. the day had nose-dived rapidly. I??d think you were teasing me. and he pushed his plate off to the side. She??d known all along that Michael would marry again; he??d told her as much. The nicotine wasn??t cutting it anymore.Her mother was thrilled at the news.?? Miles said. but that his nearest neighbor??Mrs. Miles knew he??d taken the first step.????Who???Maureen shrugged. right???Sarah rubbed her eyes wearily. he had a few cigarettes during the course of the day. I found it difficult to concentrate. . Sarah wiped the perspiration from her brow. calling for Jonah as he went.

. so he saw no reason to use anything else. Mostly. ??Hey. while sitting in church. but that his nearest neighbor??Mrs.There. hardly any of which Sarah could answer.?? He paused. even to him. thankful that the air was finally cooling. Sarah finished her glass and rose from the couch. since she??d had to take care of him as well. Maryland. It was there. ??If you boys are about finished. she didn??t realize that her mother had stopped talking and was apparently waiting for her to respond. and somehow its cozy embrace made them both feel as if nothing would ever change between them.