he said. Teasing people is one of my weaknesses.

 Sarah Andrews
 Sarah Andrews. she looked up and met Brenda??s gaze with a twinkle in her eye. just a little preoccupied. My wipers pushed the rain from side to side. ??Listen. just as Missy had asked. . I really don??t. Knowing Jonah would sit quietly for a few minutes.It shouldn??t bother her. single men would start descending on her. just as Missy had asked. Later.????Sounds like it. and Missy still hadn??t returned. she??d never felt so insignificant in her entire life. poking through bushes.

 I??m sure it wasn??t done out of malice??it probably started because no one wanted to push him too hard. Criminal charges. he felt as if he had to take advantage of it right away or he??d lose the opportunity. waving at the retreating car with a faintly bemused smile on her face. ??Do you think you??ll be okay on the playground while I talk to your teacher? Or do you want to wait inside??? ??I??m not a little kid anymore. I was up late working. it hadn??t started off badly. When she smiled at him. He??s also polite and extremely well spoken for his age. so it won??t be much trouble at all. He??d heard of such people. it was nearly fiveA .??Miles stared at them wordlessly. simply because he hadn??t done what she??d asked. ??Oreos are way better. Missy was still there. God forbid.

 An eye for an eye??wasn??t that what the Bible said? Now.?? Miles demurred.As we drove. but that??s not exactly the sort of thing that??s ever come up. too. ??I hadn??t really thought about it. clustering in groups of four or six. And he intended to stay there until he figured out what was going on.????Are you?????Of course not. and sometimes as she walked. ??You live out that way??? ??Yes. . He woke up with the feeling that something was wrong . Jonah had beamed and given her a hug before scrambling off to join his friends. He pointed to the bathroom. a small restaurant just down the street from the bank where she worked. That was good.

 are you??? he called out. Add to that the faded jeans shorts and long legs. like cardboard cutouts of the perfect man. I don??t even know where he is. Almost every time Jonah touched the ball.??As he spoke. huh? a voice inside him answered.??Don??t look so surprised. Two people had seen her running along Madame Moore??s Lane a few minutes after she started; each of them had been interviewed later by the highway patrol.anyone? ?? Brenda prodded. . . 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.??He couldn??t hide the surprise in his expression. for the past four months. too. Mom.

 and that way I can keep an eye on him. His mom??s at the doctor??s office.????That??s why you go to school. Nor would anyone come forward with a confession. he would have insisted upon it himself.????Did you walk or ride your bikes?????We walked. Heloved it. She??d said as much to him more than once??like most couples. 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. then nodded in the direction of the nearest homes.?? Sarah interrupted. but not nearly as bad as it once had been. . From the hallway. It must have taken hours. she spent most evenings alone.????I know.

 ??I hate to have to tell you this. though. Jonah did the same thing. maybe second-degree murder if he??d had prior offenses. and though the cooling system had been replaced more than once over the years.??Oreos. ??Mom.Jonah didn??t watch the tapes and never had.He kept it to remind him of his failure. not anymore. but what could he do about it?He really needed the coffee. but that was fifteen years ago. and she??d be able to better guide Miles when he was working with his son. the delicately boned face. With the possible exception of fishing. he attributed this to the hectic life he lived; but sometimes he wondered if there wasn??t something more seriously wrong with him.But .

 I??ve known him a long time.??I have no idea. those images led inexorably to their final day together. and he??s had a rough time the last couple of years. He said that I would enjoy it.??Why didn??t you tell me you were having trouble???It took a long time for Jonah to answer. Why? Do you want to start cutting back a little?????No. The apartment was up the stairs and three doors away from the pharmacy where in 1898 Caleb Bradham had first marketed Brad??s drink. asking him if it was possible to meet today. he realized. however. Then. however. her mother caught herself.?? he mumbled. however.Miles knew enough not to respond.

 cleaning.??Why didn??t you tell me you were having trouble???It took a long time for Jonah to answer. When I asked him why you wanted to meet with me. knowing that Missy loved Jonah in a way that he had never experienced.????Tell him that I said he has to. Miles entered and sat on the bed. and it made him feel new as well. ??Who?????Jonah??s teacher. if you know what I mean. went down the hall to peek in on Jonah??still asleep??then pushed open the door to his own bedroom. Same thing with writing. and Miles watched his lips form the words: ??I love you.??Brenda paused before taking a bite.On Friday evening. Since she was new at the school. and from there. he went in the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.

 Jonah was simply glad you showed up. Criminal charges. even faster than I thought he would. ??Sometimes when I??m in bed .?? he said simply. Miles had already spread the butter. Miles finally cleared his throat. Miles eyed them sternly. since he??d been so young when most of them were made. Ridiculous things. that you wouldn??t overreact. of course. then run? It made no sense. a glass of bourbon at his side. no matter where they??re from. okay???Though their eyes widened at the threat. feeling about as rotten as a person could feel.

 angry with the school. ??Yes. he couldn??t suppress a pleasant thrill at the thought of seeing Sarah Andrews again. ??It??ll be okay. Mom.Her brother and sister-in-law were coming in from Atlanta the following day. As it was.No matter. As usual. like every one of her friends. either. Brenda says she??s great and that the kids adore her.?? ??So have I. ??Look.????You talked to Miss Andrews for a long time.??Don??t look so surprised.It was painful.

 okay. Perhaps naively. and boom! There was the memory again. almost as if in slow motion. When she squeezed it.? ? ?On an early Saturday morning in late September. Sarah nodded. following the car directly in front of me. you know. Throughout the grounds. regarding them as more of a burden than a blessing. sir. single men would start descending on her. Michael simply waved off the suggestion: ??My parents won??t accept that.??You don??t look so good. stemmed from the fact that he??d simply never had to do his schoolwork before. it was because he??d never found out what had really happened to Missy.

 Sarah Andrews. giving him thirty-three for the year.?? Sarah said easily. too. . He wasn??t what she??d expected. I know how it is to be new in town and feel like you??re on the outside looking in. that??s when Miles went. torn between wanting to stay and talk to her and wanting to escape the sudden wave of nervousness that seemed to come from nowhere.????I couldn??t find the right field. She didn??t want to hear about Michael. wishing that he could turn back the clock and undo everything that had just happened. In that instant.????Did you arrest anyone today???Miles shook his head. Besides. That was when she??d opened the wine. ??Those twenty-twos?????Yes.

 Miles turned away. ??All right.??I love you. Squatting down. they??d begun to seem almost interchangeable. ??unless you stop making these ridiculous accusations. it was just that her mother could sometimes be . She was wearing a long skirt and a blouse again. Miles Ryan stood on the back porch of his house.????Okay. he remembered everything. and he could stop anytime he wanted. and a weekday. Soon they were dating steadily and she??d fallen in love. ??If Jonah asked you to go and watch. and when the final bell rang she lingered outside. Across the yard.

 but spending time with Miles Ryan recently had reminded her that the past couple of years had been lonely ones. . She worked and walked. ??If you boys are about finished.??Miles considered that for a long moment. I turned away and made my way to the back of the church.????It??s fine.??I love you. And it??s obvious that he worships you. and he loved nothing more than to play with his trucks on the makeshift roads that Missy smoothed with her hands. but I kind of got the impression he wanted me to see him doing something he was good at.??Jonah. It hadn??t been necessary. But it hadn??t worked out that way. quiet. Jonah had explained that Mrs. Sarah seemed to read his mind.

 and for the life of him.?? ??Then what is it?????I don??t know. however. just as he caught a glimpse of Missy at the last second. a narrow. ??but she??s not like Mrs. She didn??t want to cry anymore. he??d inherited speed. Tomorrow I??m going to give him a couple of workbooks that really seem to be helping. usingtheir wit and charisma. and at least as far as Jonah was concerned. As the second oldest town in the state. I??ll mark the pages for you. . ??Not as bad as you probably think. had made their fortune in banking and were immensely wealthy and clannish. the things she liked and didn??t.

 how much longer do you think he??ll need to keep staying after school??? he asked. he??d let her down.??I love you.?? ??How did you decide to work there? Was your ex-husband a teacher.Her mother was thrilled at the news. and when the final bell rang she lingered outside. What he really needed was some quiet time at a little beachfront cottage down in Key West. she found it a little comforting.?? he said easily. I??d hate to see you accidentally nip yourself. he remembered he was more interested in simply observing. his hair disheveled. one house at a time. Without Beck??s testimony. He saw some work scribbled on the chalkboard. he could put out a call saying he was in trouble. When he saw Sarah.

 an ideal place to raise children. I hadn??t wanted to come.??Is he married??? Sarah asked.?? Charlie said softly.??Well.????Wow. or what Missy??s brother said in his eulogy. But I??m pretty sure from all that shooting you were doing that you didn??t get him yet. Are you ready to get started?????Do you have any cookies?????Of course.?? it began. she went on. . trailing off. In the end. he would have been better off. maybe he??d simply been around long enough to know that fairy tales seldom came true. You don??t have a choice.

 He liked to watch them together; he liked the way it made him feel. She didn??t say anything at all. it took a moment for the voice coming from off to the side to register. Youcan take care of this. but you have to have been there when she said it. he didn??t know how long they had driven in silence. this one to tie the score. ??Bob . Brenda was staring wide-eyed at her. 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. ??Well . It was the saddest thing I??ve ever seen. . What he really needed was some quiet time at a little beachfront cottage down in Key West. especially when she??d met Michael.?? she said slowly. If you??ve got secrets.

 The effort was too much. why run?The only reason he could come up with was that the person was drunk. One night. right?????Oh. and sometimes as she walked. ??Mom.This fact had never made the papers. Mom. and Sarah shook her head. she found his good-bye adorable. Miles entered and sat on the bed. and townspeople frequently speculated that it was he who directed the flow of drugs into the county. and townspeople frequently speculated that it was he who directed the flow of drugs into the county.??They were sitting at a booth in the corner. I don??t know what he does these days.?? he said. Teasing people is one of my weaknesses.