“I turned up the inane sound effects and let them fill the room, setting up an atmosphere of mind-body pollution while Miss Chianti and I got better acquainted. A couple of glasses had me convinced that she’s a real sweetheart, though a protracted rendezvous was probably going to leave me regretting the entire encounter. It’s always the quiet ones that come back to bite you.”

“Perhaps I had never had a grip on myself to start with, living life on cruise-control while I waited for a home that would never be mine. It would be warm. Loving. Wonderfully chaotic, occasionally tempestuous, but full of good intentions and laughter. It would be all of the great things embodied by your run-of-the-mill greeting card, and it was still the last thing that I thought of each night as I let myself believe for a moment or two that such things were possible.”

“Sand castles just aren't made to last.”

“they like the illusion that there's enough security in a marriage to act like a fool without worrying about judgement”

“Nobody lends money to a corpse.”

“But also I wanted him to go away and leave me be. I was granted one weak grace. Back in the room where the green chair was still warm from his body, I blew that lonely, flickering candle out”

“He pushed me back up against the door, slamming me against the doorbell. I heard it ring out."Coming!" I heard Holly say as she clicked across the floor to the front door."Not quite, but she’s close." He chuckled, removing his hand and leaving me breathless and rosy cheeked.”