“She may have had enough time to deal with things. What if she does come back? What will you do?" Grant asked me.What would I do?I'd beg.”

“But what does he do to qualify as a sonovabitch?” Jenny asked.“Make me”, I replied.“Beg pardon?”“Make me”, I repeated.Her eyes widened like saucers. “You mean like incest?” she asked.“Don’t give me your family problems, Jen. I have enough of my own.”“Like what, Oliver?” she asked, “like just what is it he makes you do?”“The ‘right things’”, I said. “What’s wrong with the ‘right things’?” she asked, delighting in the apparent paradox.”

“Sam Littleton was a beautiful woman who would try to play women's games. That meant that if he asked her if she was upset with him about something, she would do what women all do at such times: She would deny that anything was wrong, then continue acting as if something was wrong, in hopes that he would do what men always do at such times -beg for an explanation, agonise over the answer, ask for hints, and agonise a little more.”

“If you had your time all over again....? She was keen to know.You can't rewrite history. I have no idea what I'd do.”

“What are you doing?" she asked, trying to raise herself."First, I thought I'd show you what a pity it would be if they cut off my wicked tongue.”

“Ian " she said quietly "I'd rather die than go back to you." "Be careful what you ask for you may get what you want.”