“Are you saying this so I’ll trust you?”

“Of course,” she said. She glanced around, then leaned across the table. “Now dish up.”

Sarah grinned and Brenda waved a hand as she went on. “I’m kidding, of course. 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. Sometimes I blurt out questions without really thinking, but I don’t do it to hurt people. I really don’t.” “Fair enough,” Sarah said, satisfied.

Brenda picked up her sandwich. “And since you’re new in town and we don’t know each other that well, I won’t ask anything that might seem too personal.” “I appreciate that.”

“Besides, it’s not really my business anyway.”

“Right.”

Brenda paused before taking a bite. “But if you have any questions about anyone, feel free to ask.”

“Okay,” Sarah said easily.

“I mean, I know how it is to be new in town and feel like you’re on the outside looking in.”

“I’m sure you do.”

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

“So…” Brenda drew out the syllable expectantly.

“So…” Sarah said in response, knowing exactly what Brenda wanted.

Again there was a period of silence.

“So… do you have any questions about…anyone? ” Brenda prodded. “Mmm…,” Sarah said, appearing to think it over. Then, shaking her head, she answered: “Not really.”

“Oh,” Brenda said, unable to hide her disappointment.

Sarah smiled at Brenda’s attempt at subtlety.

“Well, maybe there is one person I’d like to ask you about,” she offered. Brenda’s face lit up. “Now we’re talking,” she said quickly. “What would you like to know?”

“Well, I’ve been wondering about…” She paused, trailing off, and Brenda looked at her like a child unwrapping a Christmas gift.

“Yes?” she whispered, sounding almost desperate.

“Well…” Sarah looked around. “What can you tell me about… Bob Bostrum?”

Brenda’s jaw dropped. “Bob… the janitor?”

Sarah nodded. “He’s sort of cute.”

“He’s seventy-four years old,” Brenda said, thunderstruck.

“Is he married?” Sarah asked.

“He’s been married for fifty years. He’s got nine kids.” “Oh, that’s a shame,” Sarah said. Brenda was staring wide-eyed at her, and Sarah shook her head. After a moment, she looked up and met Brenda’s gaze with a twinkle in her eye. “Well, I guess that leaves Miles Ryan, then. What can you tell me about him?”

It took a moment for the words to sink in, and Brenda looked Sarah over carefully. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were teasing me.” Sarah winked. “You don’t have to know me better: I admit it. Teasing people is one of my weaknesses.”

“And you’re good at it.” Brenda paused for a moment before smiling. “But now, while we’re on the subject of Miles Ryan… I hear that you two have been seeing quite a bit of each other. Not only after school, but on the weekend, too.”

“You know I’ve been working with Jonah, and he asked me to come out to watch him play soccer.”

“Nothing more than that?”

When Sarah didn’t answer right away, Brenda went on, this time with a knowing look.

“All right… about Miles. He lost his wife a couple of years back in a car accident. Hit-and-run. It was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen. He really loved her, and for a long time afterwards, he just wasn’t himself. She was his high school sweetheart.” Brenda paused and set her sandwich off to the side. “The driver got away.”

Sarah nodded. She’d heard bits and pieces of this already.

“It really hit him hard. As a sheriff especially. He took it as his own failure. Not only wasn’t there a resolution, but he blamed himself for it. He kind of shut himself off from the world after that.”

Brenda brought her hands together when she saw Sarah’s expression. “I know it sounds awful, and it was. But lately, he’s been a lot more like the person he used to be, like he’s coming out of his shell again, and I can’t tell you how happy I’ve been to see that. He’s really a wonderful man. He’s kind, he’s patient, he’ll go to the ends of the world for his friends. And best of all, he loves his son.” She hesitated.

“But?” Sarah finally asked.

Brenda shrugged. “There are no buts, not with him. He’s a good guy and I’m not saying that just because I like him. I’ve known him a long time. He’s one of those rare men who, when he loves, he does it with all his heart.” Sarah nodded. “That’s rare,” she said seriously.

“It’s true. And try to remember all this if you and Miles ever get close.”

“Why?”

Brenda looked away. “Because,” she said simply, “I’d hate to see him get hurt again.”

Later that day, Sarah found herself thinking about Miles. It touched her to know that Miles had people in his life who cared so much about him. Not family, butfriends.

She’d known that Miles had wanted to ask her out after Jonah’s soccer game. The way he’d flirted and kept moving closer made his intention plain. But in the end, he hadn’t asked.

At the time, it seemed funny. She’d giggled about it, driving away-but she wasn’t laughing at Miles as much as she was laughing at how hard he’d made it seem. He’d tried, God knows he’d tried, but for some reason he couldn’t say the words. And now, after talking to Brenda, she thought she understood. Miles hadn’t asked her out because he hadn’t knownhow. In his entire adult life, he’d probably never had to ask a woman out-his wife had been his high school sweetheart. Sarah didn’t think she’d ever known someone like that in Baltimore, someone in his thirties who’d never once asked someone to dinner or to a movie. Oddly, she found it endearing.

And maybe, she admitted to herself, she found it a little comforting, because she wasn’t all that different.

She’d started going out with Michael when she was twenty-three; they’d divorced when she was twenty-seven. Since then she’d been out only a few times, the last time with a fellow who came on a little too strongly. After that, she told herself that she just wasn’t ready. And maybe she wasn’t, but spending time with Miles Ryan recently had reminded her that the past couple of years had been lonely ones.

In the classroom, it was usually easy to avoid such thoughts. Standing in front of the blackboard, she was able to focus completely on the students, those small faces that stared at her with wonder. She’d come to view them asher kids, and she wanted to make sure they had every opportunity for success in the world. Today, though, she found herself uncharacteristically distracted, and when the final bell rang she lingered outside, until Jonah finally came up to her. He reached for her hand.

“Are you okay, Miss Andrews?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she said absently.

“You don’t look so good.”

She smiled. “Have you been talking to my mother?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. Are you ready to get started?”

“Do you have any cookies?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s get going,” he said.

As they walked to the classroom, Sarah noticed that Jonah wouldn’t let go of her hand. When she squeezed it, he squeezed back, his small hand completely covered by hers.

It was almost enough to make her life seem worthwhile.

Almost.

When Jonah and Sarah walked out of the school after the tutoring session, Miles was leaning against his car as usual, but this time he barely looked at Sarah as Jonah came running up to give him a hug. After going through their usual routine-trading stories about work and school, and so on-Jonah climbed into the car without being asked. When Sarah approached him, Miles glanced away. “Thinking about ways to keep the citizens safe, Officer Ryan? You look like you’re trying to save the world,” she said easily.