A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks Read Free Book Online Page B

did she
say?”
    “She told me
not to worry, that you wouldn’t overreact. That first and foremost, you’d be
worried about Jonah and that you’d be open to what I was telling you.  Then she told me that I shouldn’t worry one
little bit, even if you did have a gun with you.”
    Miles looked
horrified. “She didn’t.”
    “She did, but you
have to have been there when she said it.”
    “I’m going to
have to talk to her.”
    “No, don’t—it was
obvious that she likes you. She told me that, too.”
    “Brenda likes
everyone.”
    At that moment,
Miles heard Jonah yelling for Mark to chase him. Despite the heat, the two boys
raced through the playground, whipping around some poles before spinning off in
another direction.
    “I can’t
believe how much energy they have,” Sarah marveled. “They did the same thing at
lunch today.”
    “Believe me, I
know. I can’t remember the last time I felt that way.”
    “Oh, come on,
you’re not that old. You’re what—forty, forty-five?”
    Miles looked
horrified again, and Sarah winked. “Just teasing,” she added.  Miles wiped his brow in mock relief,
surprised to find himself enjoying the conversation. For some reason, it seemed
almost as if she were flirting, and he liked that, more than he thought he
should.
    “Thanks—I think.”
    “No problem,” she
answered, trying and failing to hide the smirk on her face.
    “But now . . .”
She paused. “Where were we again?”
    “You were telling
me that I haven’t aged well.”
    “Before that . .
. Oh yeah, we were talking about your schedule and you were telling me how
impossible it was going to be to get a routine going.” “I didn’t say
impossible. It’s just not going to be easy.”
    “When are you off
in the afternoons?”
    “Usually on
Wednesdays and Fridays.”
    As Miles tried to
work it out, Sarah seemed to come to a decision.
    “Now, I don’t usually
do this, but I’ll make a deal with you,” she said slowly.
    “If it’s okay
with you, of course.”
    Miles raised his
eyebrows. “What kind of deal?”
    “I’ll work with
Jonah after school the other three days a week if you promise to do the same on
the two days you’re off.”
    He couldn’t
hide the surprise in his expression. “You’d do that?” “Not for every student,
no. But as I said, Jonah’s sweet, and he’s had a rough time the last couple of
years. I’d be glad to help.”
    “Really?”
    “Don’t look so
surprised. Most teachers are pretty dedicated to their work.  Besides, I’m usually here until four o’clock
anyway, so it won’t be much trouble at all.”
    When Miles
didn’t answer right away, Sarah fell silent.
    “I’m only going
to offer this once, so take it or leave it,” she finally said.  Miles looked almost embarrassed. “Thank
you,” he said seriously. “I can’t even tell you how much I appreciate this.”
    “My pleasure.
There’s one thing that I’m going to need, though, so I can do this right. Think
of it as my fee.”
    “What’s that?”
    “A fan—and make
it a good one.” She nodded toward the school. “It’s like an oven in there.”
    “You got
yourself a deal.”
    • • •
    Twenty minutes
later, after she and Miles had said good-bye, Sarah was back in the classroom.
As she was collecting her things, she found herself thinking about Jonah and
how best to help him. It was a good thing that she’d made the offer, she told
herself. It would keep her more attuned to his abilities in class, and she’d be
able to better guide Miles when he was working with his son.  True, it was a little extra work, but it was
the best thing for Jonah, even if she hadn’t planned on it. And she hadn’t—not
until she’d said the words.  She was
still trying to figure out why she’d done that.
    Despite
herself, she was also thinking about Miles. He wasn’t what she’d expected,
that’s for sure. When Brenda had told her that he was a sheriff, she’d
immediately pictured a caricature