“no, i don't, i told him. i'm not sure that it matters what you care about. maybe it's the caring itself that matters. ”

“i know they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. but sometimes, absence can also reveal the waning of once fond feelings. time passes and it's a surprise to realize that you haven't missed him, or her, or the place or the job that once felt like a match. ”

“listen, i appreciate the story. i get that he's a goody guy. but these audits are random. it's not personal. see, that's where you're wrong, the man said. everything you do in life is personal. ”

“you want to protect your children, she said. even when they're not children no longer, you still think you can, maybe, make things not hurt so bad. ”

“i think about those twists of fate, the strange run-ins that can alter everything in the blink of an eye, or the shift of a single season. ”

“you feel things real strong, leanne, even if you pretend you don't. you're my girl that way. ”

“i was thinking that i'd like to try kissing you, joshua reed said. ”