“Oh, I don't know. I might grow on you."She furrowed her pretty eyebrows. "Like a cancer?""Like a favorite vice.”

“I will kill him.”“Erra’s eyebrows rose. “You’d have to go through me first.”I shrugged. “I have to do something for a warm-up.”She laughed softly. “That’s the spirit. I do think you might be my favorite niece.”

“One look at Rebecca and Aunt B would have an instant apoplexy.Raphael’s eyebrows furrowed. “My mother’s approval isn’t necessary.”Aha. “Does she know that?”

“If you don't explain it all to me, I might strangle somebody." Of course, Raphael might like that...”

“I know it may come as a shock, but it's sort of considered polite to wait for the consent of the woman. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if you don't wait, you may have to deal with pesky criminal charges like kidnapping and rape.”

“Derek, you just don't say things like that to a woman. Keep going this way and you'll spend your life alone.""Don't change the subject. Andrea is cool. And she smells nice. It will be okay."Apparently I was supposed to sniff people to determine their competence. "How do you know?"He shrugged. "You just have to trust her.”

“How is it different?"He rolled his head back, sable hair falling down on his shoulders. "With Rose I knew what to say. I could take a step back and talk to her. I remembered all the crap from the magaznies. It was easy.""And with me, it's hard?" Why? Because she was a swamp girl? And how did the magazines fit into it?William looked away from her. "I don't like it when you're away. If I don't see you, I can't settle down. If I see you talking with another man, I want to claw his throat out. And none of the things you're supposed to say fit."Oh, this had to be good. "What sort of things?"He sighed. "The lines. Like, 'You're my everything,' or 'Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”