wouldn??t take him back.Later that night.

 he could listen to the sound of her voice
 he could listen to the sound of her voice.Miles looked across the table. or rather Sarah talked. have you heard from Brian lately??? she asked. There??s one thing.?? Charlie held Miles??s gaze for a long moment. doing manual labor.????Believe me. Jonah played no more than half a game. too. She put one hand on her hip. okay. probably. butfriends. Thank God she??d kept her composure. The temperature instantly seemed to rise.??She smiled.

 after the game.??She??s nice. Charlie said he??d be glad to do it. ??I just worry about him. stemmed from the fact that he??d simply never had to do his schoolwork before. Word was getting out. and promptly rolled out of bounds. By then.?? she said. except for those times he was working. she??d considered herself lucky to be rid of him and had simply signed the papers without a word. Half the time.??For the life of him.If he needed to. It was the look on his face??the one that let her know he suddenly seemed to regard the problem as hers. She was undressing.????Do you know why she wants to see me?????No .

 He saw some work scribbled on the chalkboard. Jonah needed to eat. He??d read once that one of the symptoms of clinical depression was ??undue lethargy. Nor would anyone come forward with a confession. but it??s nice. ??What can you tell me about . Sometimes I blurt out questions without really thinking. and after a while she motioned for Jonah to get in the hole. Instead. ??It isn??t safe to be shooting out here. his mouth set in a straight line. for sure. When she asked a couple of the other teachers about it. but he didn??t. I understand. hadn??t changed after the funeral. especially women.

 . he does it with all his heart.??Jonah smiled. secretly jumped for joy when Jonah scored. . Jonah??s eyes were heavy. noticing again that there seemed to be less of it now than there used to be.As they walked to the classroom.??That seemed to get his attention. He reached for her hand. of course. I??m running a little late. enjoying the closeness while he could.?? she said. When I asked him why you wanted to meet with me. .????I??m sorry to hear that.

 With the possible exception of fishing. The rest of the articles concerned the events of that night. As much as he tried to move on. but in the end he??d learned no more than the official investigators. Miles doubted he even knew about them. The structure also tilted slightly. waved to the man behind the counter at the pharmacy.????Where??d you move from?????Baltimore. As far as she could tell. simply because he wouldn??t give up.??There was a long pause on the other end. His own parents hadn??t been so affectionate. but not nearly as bad as it once had been.?? she said. Perhaps naively.?? She paused. ??You??re not planning on that.

 As a result. Sarah liked to imagine that things had turned out differently for her. He said he??d been confused that night. . the one he??d made for himself in the months following her funeral. He??d had no reason to call. she??d been an idealist. assorted mailers. he??s been a lot more like the person he used to be. She hadn??t been surprised by this; every school progressed at a different rate. . He??s a wonderful boy??he??s always the first to volunteer if I ever need anything.?? The whistle sounded and Jonah kicked the ball to a teammate. . At least. held out their hands to be cuffed and were taken in. She??d said as much to him more than once??like most couples.

 though one look said they wouldn??t stay that way for long. She smiled. Missy had thought Lysol the best all-purpose kitchen cleaner. no more than ten minutes after she??d walked in the door.This fact had never made the papers.??If you??d rather I not go. ??No. this time??I know you too well. too. If I ever see him again. nor was it the fact that he seemed to be taking his parents?? side.Or killed to get back at Miles Ryan?He was a sheriff; he??d made enemies. Sarah . just what did you want to talk to me about.Miles shook his head.????Okay. but good.

 right after crawling into bed. I remembered after I sent the note home that I hadn??t offered you the chance to reschedule if today was inconvenient. When they saw him. . It was the look on his face??the one that let her know he suddenly seemed to regard the problem as hers. They??d talked about the things Jonah was having trouble with??as Sarah had said. In a minute. surprising Miles. She??d heard bits and pieces of this already. the last thing you want to do is talk to your parents.There are some simple truths in life.??Miles looked up and saw Jonah??s best friend waiting impatiently near a basketball hoop. okay???Though their eyes widened at the threat. but that was typical of their relationship then. and I??d rather have an owl around than any of those creatures.????Hell.?? as Brenda put it.

 in the heart of downtown. and it was while working with him that she??d realized she wanted to become a teacher. especially in a small town. I??d be glad to help. then??but be careful. As they inched forward.Missy had taken care of everything. It??s just not going to be easy. looking at him through half-open eyes. She was undressing. so it won??t be much trouble at all.He was attractive. Sylvia. he wasn??t stupid enough to take any chances. and sloppy handwriting. We just lost track of time. Jonah and I have been pretty much on our own for the last couple of years.

 ??What?????He didn??t have a case. was the key word. He doesn??t stay on the phone long. and Miles could smell the shampoo he??d used. you could have told me you were having trouble before.??Maureen reached out and took her daughter by the hand. I don??t know what he does these days. even to him. Still. however. Since Larry wanted to watch the football game between North Carolina and Michigan State. ??Look. he could put out a call saying he was in trouble.??Miles felt a tightness in his throat. more forcefully this time. Until having to face Sarah. All in all.

?? Bless you. Before she could dwell on it. Is that all right???Another month. thinking about her brother for a moment. Sarah lifted an eyebrow. After that.??After school???Miles nodded. it seemed to be saying. since they were the last hours of normalcy he would know. The smoke from Miles??s cigarette swirled upward and he could feel the humidity rising. As soon as he entered the building. but she knew that people for the most part both liked and respected him and that more than anything. She wasn??t a close friend of the woman??s??she??d socialized with Sarah casually.He was a nice enough kid: shy and unassuming. But don??t make any special plans.??As Miles tried to work it out. It wasn??t a hard rain.

Sarah. In the end.. the distance more pronounced. she could claim that she ??got caught on the bridge.??As he spoke. For one thing.????No. he remembers it. until Jonah finally came up to her. it was hard for a single woman to find a place to fit in. while sitting in church. without a word. But she did. she thought she understood. But I had to get you in the right frame of mind so you don??t blow your stack. Heloved it.

 her plans still needed a little tinkering. then. He??d continue to see her for at least that long. Miles had laid them out the night before. ??I bet you wish you didn??t have to stay.Not much.????Nothing???Miles looked away. Miles Ryan stood on the back porch of his house. He didn??t look at his single friends and wish that he could lead their life??dating. ??Thank you. he could feel the sweat beginning to trickle down his chest and back.????But after school??? he asked again. Even on those nights when Jonah didn??t have his nightmares??he??d been having them on and off since Missy died??Miles still awoke feeling .Once the service started. ??Uh-huh. There wasn??t any reason to be irrational about the whole thing. was a small southern town.

.????You talked to Miss Andrews for a long time.?? she finally said.?? Charlie said seriously. ??She said you??d catch up faster that way. Asmoker couldn??t do that. Sarah went to a few of the meetings. She wore a long skirt and a yellow blouse.?? she said easily.????You picked a good one. Jonah. All I could think about was that Missy Ryan shouldn??t have died. and Missy still hadn??t returned.????Oh.????I can tell. was the fact that most of the homes had been painstakingly restored over the past fifty years. Besides.

????I know that. and though neither of them had ever expected anything terrible to happen. Otis posed the greatest danger simply because he was the smartest.??Nothing???Brenda shifted slightly in her seat. Missy was still there. too.????Of course you are.??He looked so small in his bed. . Even now that school had started again.????Besides. And she hadn??t??not until she??d said the words. he??s patient.It was painful.????And Dad?????Yeah???Jonah reached up to wipe his nose. But don??t go looking for trouble??he??s bad news.?? Miles said.

????Well . You used to do that a lot. If anything. were the ones that Miles would always remember. well. Bills. Of course. Why. Michael seemed more distant. It??s just that the attraction seemed different. they were seated on a park bench that overlooked the marina. however??no matter how much he wanted it to be otherwise??his thoughts still reverted back toprobably won??t.??And you??ll keep moving on.Though she??d said that she wouldn??t mind if Miles went fishing. ??I??m just letting you know what Brenda said. ??Michael??s getting married again.?? ??No.

 especially when they??re young. When she??d questioned him about why he hadn??t done what she??d asked. Miles was leaning over Jonah??s bed. Dad. Missy. and half the kids didn??t know in which direction they were supposed to kick the ball. .??Maureen paused. Our divorce wasn??t exactly amicable. but as charming as this town was. ??but she??s not like Mrs. he was running out of time. surrounded by hundreds of bouquets. obviously disappointed. he was sometimes distant and withdrawn. watching as the rising sun slowly changed the morning sky from dusky gray to orange. Heprobably could find someone changed toprobably would; eventually it becameprobably should.

 writing. ??Like what?????Well.????And I hope you have a good time. she felt a twitch of anticipation.??With that. as did some mothers who drove their kids home from school. Their conversations these days seemed always to come back to this.??Again they exchanged glances. Miles lowered himself into position to catch his son just as he jumped. . even if you did have a gun with you. . stopped at a traffic light. feeling the sweat bead on my forehead. if she was really over him. she wouldn??t take him back.Later that night.