Miles shook his head. “Probably not.”

“Then, what are you going to do?”

He set the rake aside, took off his hat, and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “Actually, I think I’ll probably see Miss Andrews tonight.” “Again?”

Miles wondered how much he should say right now. “We had a nice time last night.”

“What did you do?”

“We had dinner. Talked. Went for a walk.”

“That’s all?”

“Pretty much.”

“That sounds boring.”

“I guess you had to be there.”

Jonah thought about that for a moment. “Is this a date again?”

“Kind of.”

“Oh.” He nodded and then looked away. “I guess that means you like her, right?” Miles approached Jonah, lowering himself until they were eye level. “She and I are just friends right now, that’s all.”

Jonah seemed to consider it for a long moment. Miles took him in his arms and hugged him, squeezing him. “I love you, Jonah,” he said. “I love you too, Dad.”

“You’re a good kid.”

“I know.”

Miles laughed and stood, reaching for his rake again.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m getting kind of hungry.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Can we go to McDonald’s?”

“Sure. We haven’t gone there in a while.”

“Can I have a Happy Meal?”

“Don’t you think you’re getting a little old for that?”

“I’m only seven, Dad.”

“Oh, that’s right,” he said as if he’d forgotten. “C’mon, let’s go inside and wash up.”

They started toward the house, and Miles put his arm around Jonah. After a few steps, Jonah looked up.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?”

Jonah walked in silence for a few steps. “It’s okay if you like Miss Andrews.”

Miles looked down in surprise. “It is?”

“Yeah,” he said seriously. “Because I think she likes you.”

That feeling only grew stronger the more Miles and Sarah saw of each other. Throughout October they went on half a dozen dates, in addition to the times he saw her after school.

They talked for hours, he took her hand whenever they walked, and though their relationship hadn’t become physical yet, there was nonetheless a sensual undercurrent to their conversations that neither could deny. A few days before Halloween, after the final soccer game of the season, Miles asked Sarah if she would like to join him on the ghost walk that night. It was Mark’s birthday, and Jonah was staying over for the night. “What’s that?” she asked.

“You get to tour some of the historic homes and listen to ghost stories.”

“This is what people do in small towns?”

“We could either do that or go sit on my porch, chew some tobacco, and play banjos.”

She laughed. “I think I’ll take the first option.”

“I thought you might. Pick you up at seven?”

“I’ll be waiting with bated breath. Dinner at my place afterwards?” “Sounds great. But you know that if you keep making me dinners, I’m going to get spoiled.”

“That’s okay,” she said with a wink. “A little spoiling never hurt anyone.”

So tell me,” Miles said to Sarah as they left Sarah’s building later that night, “what do you miss most about the big city?”

“Galleries, the museums, concerts. Restaurants that are open past nine o’clock.”

Miles laughed. “But what do you miss the most?”

Sarah looped her arm through his. “I miss the bistros. You know-little cafés where I could sit and sip my tea while I read the Sunday paper. It was enjoyable to be able to do that in the middle of downtown. It was like a little oasis somehow, because everyone who passed you on the street always looked like they were rushing somewhere.”

They walked in silence for a few moments.

“You know, you can do that here, too,” Miles finally offered.

“Really?”

“Sure. There’s a place like that right over there on Broad Street.”

“I’ve never seen it.”

“Well, it’s not exactly a bistro.”

“What is it, then?”

He shrugged. “It’s a gas station, but it’s got a nice bench out front, and I’m sure if you brought in your own teabag, they’d be able to scrounge up a cup of hot water for you.”

She giggled. “Sounds enticing.”

As they crossed the street, they fell in behind a group of people who were obviously part of the festivities. Dressed in period clothing, they looked as if they’d just stepped out of the eighteenth century-thick, heavy skirts on the women, black pants and high boots for the men, high collars, wide-brimmed hats. At the corner they broke into two separate groups, heading in opposite directions. Miles and Sarah followed the smaller group. “You’ve always lived here, right?” Sarah asked.

“Except for the years I went to college.”

“Didn’t you ever want to move away? To experience something new?”

“Like bistros?”

She nudged him playfully with her elbow. “No, not just that. Cities have a vibrancy, a sense of excitement that you can’t find in a small town.” “I don’t doubt it. But to be honest, I’ve never been interested in things like that. I don’t need those things to make me happy. A nice quiet place to unwind at the end of the day, beautiful views, a few good friends. What else is there?” “What was it like growing up here?”

“Did you ever seeThe Andy Griffith Show? Mayberry?”

“Who hasn’t?”

“Well, it was kind of like that. New Bern wasn’t quite so small, of course, but it had that small-town feel, you know? Where things seemed safe? I remember that when I was little-seven or eight-and I used to head out with my friends to go fishing or exploring or just out to play and I’d be gone until supper. And my parents wouldn’t worry at all, because they didn’t have to. Other times, we’d camp out down by the river all night long and the thought that something bad might happen to us never entered our minds. It’s a wonderful way to grow up, and I’d like Jonah to have the chance to grow up that way, too.” “You’d let Jonah camp out by the river all night?”

“Not a chance,” he said. “Things have changed, even in little New Bern.” As they reached the corner, a car rolled to a stop beside them. Just down the street, clusters of people strolled up and down the walks of various homes. “We’re friends, right?” Miles asked.

“I’d like to think so.”

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“I guess it depends on the question.”

“What was your ex-husband like?”

She glanced toward him in surprise. “My ex-husband?” “I’ve been wondering about that. You’ve never mentioned him in all the time we’ve talked.”

Sarah said nothing, suddenly intent on the sidewalk in front of her. “If you’d rather not answer, you don’t have to,” Miles offered. “I’m sure it wouldn’t change my impression of him, anyway.”

“And what impression is that?”

“I don’t like him.”

Sarah laughed. “Why do you say that?”

“Because you don’t like him.”

“You’re pretty perceptive.”

“That’s why I’m in law enforcement.” He tapped his temple and winked at her. “I can spot clues that ordinary people overlook.”

She smiled, giving his arm an extra squeeze. “All right… my ex-husband. His name was Michael King and we met right after he finished his MBA. We were married for three years. He was rich, well educated, and good-looking…” She ticked those off, one right after the other, and when she paused, Miles nodded. “Mmm… I can see why you don’t like the guy.”

“You didn’t let me finish.”

“There’s more?”

“Do you want to hear this?”

“I’m sorry. Go on.”

She hesitated before finally going on.

“Well, for the first couple of years, we were happy. At least, I was. We had a beautiful apartment, we spent all of our free time together, and I thought I knew who he was. But I didn’t. Not really, anyway. In the end, we were arguing all the time, we hardly talked at all, and… and it just didn’t work out,” she finished quickly.