VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO these good friends: my wonderful editor, Shannon Ravenel; my invaluable agent, Liz Darhansoff; Louis D. Rubin, Jr., beloved teacher back when all the stories started; my publisher, Elisabeth Scharlatt; Craig Popelars, Michael Taeckens, Courtney Wilson, Christina Gates, and all the terrific people at Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill who have made this book possible; Mona Sinquefield, for her help in preparing this manuscript; and to the memory of Faith Sale, great spirit. I am indebted to Mike Troy and Annie Dillard for the jokes in “Toastmaster,” and to Cy Hogue for his legal expertise on embezzlement in “Big Girl.” Maggie Powell is still my best reader ever. Most thanks of all go to our children, Page Seay and Amity Crowther, who have put up with such a scribbling mother all these years.