Or maybe I’ll tell her how good you are at fishing. And we’ll talk about how smart you are....”
Jonah suddenly shook his head, his brows knit together. “I’m not smart.”
“Of course you are. You’re very smart, and Miss Andrews thinks so, too.”
“But I’m the only one in my class who has to stay after school.”
“Yeah, well... that’s okay. I had to stay after school when I was a kid, too.”
That seemed to get his attention. “You did?”
“Yeah. Only I didn’t have to do it for only a couple of months, I had to do it for two years.”
“Two years?”
Miles nodded for emphasis. “Every day.”
“Wow,” he said, “you must really have been dumb if you had to stay for two years.”
That wasn’t my point, but I guess if it makes you feel better, I’ll take it.
“You’re a smart young man and don’t you ever forget it, okay?”
“Did Miss Andrews really say that I was smart?”
“She tells me every day.”
Jonah smiled. “She’s a nice teacher.”
“I think so, but I’m glad you think so, too.”
Jonah paused, and those fire trucks started coming together again.
“Do you think she’s pretty?” he asked innocently.
Oh my, where is all of this coming from?
“Well...”
“I think she’s pretty,” Jonah declared. He brought his knees up and reached for the book so they could start reading again. “She kind of makes me think about Mom, sometimes.”
For the life of him, Miles had no idea what to say.
Nor did Sarah, though in an entirely different context. She had to think for a moment before she finally found her voice.
“I have no idea, Mom. I’ve never asked him.”
“But he’s a sheriff, right?”
“Yes... but that’s not exactly the sort of thing that’s ever come up.”
Her mother had wondered aloud whether Miles had ever shot someone.
“Well, I was just curious, you know? You see all those shows on TV, and with the things you read in the papers these days, I wouldn’t be surprised. That’s a dangerous job.”
Sarah closed her eyes and held them that way. Ever since she’d casually mentioned the fact that she would be going out with Miles, her mother had been calling a couple of times a day, asking Sarah dozens of questions, hardly any of which Sarah could answer.
“I’ll be sure to ask him for you, okay?”
Her mother inhaled sharply. “Now, don’t do that! I’d hate to ruin things right off the bat for you.”
“There’s nothing to ruin, Mom. We haven’t even gone out yet.”
“But you said he was nice, right?”
Sarah rubbed her eyes wearily. “Yes, Mom. He’s nice.”
“Well, then, remember how important it is to make a good first impression.”
“I know, Mom.”
“And make sure you dress well. I don’t care what some of those magazines say, it’s important to look like a lady when you go out on a date. The things some women wear these days...”
As her mother droned on, Sarah imagined herself hanging up the phone, but instead she simply began sorting through the mail. Bills, assorted mailers, an application for a Visa card. Caught up in that, she didn’t realize that her mother had stopped talking and was apparently waiting for her to respond.
“Yes, Mom,” Sarah said automatically.
“Are you listening to me?”
“Of course I’m listening.”
“So you’ll be coming by the house, then?”
I thought we were talking about what I should wear.... Sarah scrambled to figure out what her mother had been saying.
“You mean bring him by?” she finally asked.
“I’m sure your father would like to meet him.”
“Well...I don’t know if we’ll have time.”
“But you just said that you weren’t even sure of what you were going to do yet.”
“We’ll see, Mom. But don’t make any special plans, because I can’t guarantee it.”
There was a long pause on the other end. “Oh,” she said. Then, trying another tack: “I was just thinking that I’d like to at least have a chance to say hello.”
Sarah began sorting through the mail again. “I can’t guarantee anything. Like you said, I’d hate to ruin anything he might have planned. You can understand that, right?”
“Oh, I suppose,” she said, obviously disappointed. “But even if you can’t make it, you’ll call me to let me know how it went, right?”
“Yes, Mom, I’ll call.”
“And I hope you have a good time.”
“I will.”
“But not too good a time—”
“I understand,” Sarah said cutting her off.
“I mean, it is your first date—”
“I understand, Mom,” Sarah said, more forcefully this time.
“Well... all right, then.” She sounded almost relieved. “I guess I’ll let you go, then. Unless there’s something else you’d like to talk about.”