“He inclined his head at my dress. "What's the occasion?" "Homecoming," I said, twirling. "Like?""Last I heard, Homecoming requires a date.""About that," I hedged. "I'm sort of...going with Scott. We both figure a high-school dance is the last place Hank will be patrolling."Patch smiled, but it was tight. "I take that back. If Hank wants to shoot Scott, he has my blessing.”

“I take that back. If Hank wants to shoot Scott, he has my blessing.”

“Hank: As unbelievable as you may find this, Scott, we can do some things without your guidance.Warren: You're right, Hank! Why, did you know I went to the bathroom this morning-Hank: Not without Scott!Warren: Yes!”

“Try it on.""It's probably a little snug. Marcie tends to buy down when it comes to sizing." He merely smiled."It has a slit up the thigh." His smile depened."Zip it up?"Patch's eyes made a slow assessment of me, sharpening to vivid black. "I'm going to have a hard time sending you off with Scott in that dress. Just a heads-up, if you come home and the dress looks even slightly tampered with, I will track Scott down, and when I find him, it won't be pretty.”

“Scott gave my knee an affectionate squeeze. "You'll never hear me admit this again, so listen up. You look good, Grey. On a scale from one to ten, you're definitely in the top half.""Gee, thanks.""You're not the kind of girl I would have chased after when I was in Portland, but I'm not the same guy I was back then either. You're a little too good for me, and let's face it, a little too smart.""You've got street smarts," I pointed out."Stop interrupting. You're going to make me lose my place.""You've got this speech memorized?"A smirk. "I've got a lot of time on my hands. As I was saying--hell. I forgot where I was.""You were telling me I can rest assured that I'm better-looking than half the girls at my school.""That was a figure of speech. If you want to get technical, you're better-looking than ninety percent. Give or take."I laid a hand over my heart. "I'm speechless."Scott got down on his knee and clasped my hand dramatically. "Yes, Nora. Yes, I'll go to the homecoming dance with you.”

“I'm going to have a hard time sending you off with Scott in that dress. Just a heads-up: If you come home and the dress looks even slightly tampered with, I will track Scott down, and when I find him, it won't be pretty.”