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“Yeah, ‘course I did This ain’t my first rodeo, Maddox”

“Good, nohat about Sarah Jo?”

“Well, I went by the luht a new steel tape”

“Yeah?” I said

I took out the shredded cheddar, dumped it in a bowl and put the chopped onions in another serving bowl Jake put the tea He didn’t say anything

“I’m sure they have a thirty-day return policy if there’s a proble off the inevitable

I could sirl I felt like so about staying off my turf

“It’s not that The merchandise was fine, but it’s what’s behind the counter I want a closer look at,” he said

“The candy rack That’s what they keep behind the counter And assorted sizes of washers, all in one cardboard box you can dig through if you want an odd-size one,” I said stubbornly literal, trying not to de with him

“I irl,” he said “But I think you know that Why are you all weird about her? Do you have some sort of claim on her?”

“Nah,” I lied

“Really? So you don’t care if I ask her out?” Jake said

God help ain I just shook my head, cool as could be I wanted to screaonna put my hands on Sarah Jo, but I knew I needed to respect her wishes about not going public just yet “Nah, go ahead Shoot your shot”

“Well, she’s not ht?” he said, chuckling I thought his laugh made hierated cartoon laugh to ridicule hies to shove his face in a chili bowl or so board, scouring the pans

“Come on, uys I shook my head

“Not hungry This skillet’s gonna be nasty if I just let it sit and the grease hardens,” I said, turning away

Yeah, it bothered me I had to pretend it didn’t I missed Sarah Jo I had talked to her on the phone once since she came to my place We didn’t ht I wanted more time to just be with her, sit and talk, kiss her, take our time Not a five-minute phone conversation on the way from my house to the bar She deserved better than that I wanted to go to sleep with her in my arms and wake up that way, too I wanted to send her flowers, but there was no way to do that without everybody knoere together I couldn’t even go get a bouquet at the Piggly Wiggly without the checkout lady wanting to knoho they were for And if I lied and said they were for et asked if she liked her flowers, and I’d be in deep shit So I couldn’t do anything special like I wanted to, couldn’t even get her to sleep over Orenough waiting

Okay, sofor her and living like a priest or anything But I hadn’t gotten seriously involved with anyone since her She had been the one who got away Technically the one I kickedaway fro There’d never been another woman I kissed that I didn’t coether Usually that led to self-loathing and a fair a by

Just like I’d told Sarah Jo, it had felt wrong with anyone else I knew she could figure out the rest of it, the part I hadn’t said aloud I knew she was the right one Hell, I’d known since ere barelyfor us to find our way back to each other, it orth it As long as nothing rong And by nothing, I mean Ryan

I’d always been i for a rolefather ould’ve been bankrupt years ago if not for the foolish loyalty of theto live up to but that, he’d ot a big job with the bank and worked his way up in promotion after promotion He had a pretty wife Batshit crazy, but pretty, and he wasn’t exactly easygoing himself He was successful, productive, sometimes even mature