“She was setting out china cups in their saucers, her long pale hands almost the same color as the cream china. "How do you take yours?""Four creams, two sugars," Riley said, still mesmerized by her.She stopped with a small waxed carton in her hand. "Really?""He's very young," Gabe said. "I take mine black.""He's very boring," Riley said. "Is that real cream?”

“Does it ever occur to you not to sleep with women?""No," Riley said.”

“He picked up the biscuit box and said, "Come on, Marlene. Back into hiding in case somebody comes looking for you, although only God knows why anybody would.""Marlene?" Nell said."I'm not calling anything SugarPie," Riley said. "That's obscene.”

“Bet you ten bucks we make it."What are the odds? she thought, and realized with sudden, blinding clarity that she wouldn't take the other side of that bet, that only a loser would bet against them. This is really it, she thought, amazed. This is really forever. I believe in this."Min?" he said, and she kissed him, putting all her heart into it. "No bet," she said against his mouth. "Your odds are too good.""Our odds are too good”

“The measuring and mixing always smoothed out her thinking processes - nothing was as calming as creaming butter - and when the kitchen was warm from the oven overheating and the smell of baking chocolate, she took final stock of where she'd been and where she was going. Everything was fine.”

“Davy's kiss tasted like vodka and disaster, and even while she kissed him back, Tilda thought, I'm never going into a closet with this man again. He slipped his hand under her T-shirt, and she said, "You know," as his hand slid up to her breast, but the only thing left to say was, I'm not that kind of girl, and of course she was.”

“She pushed him onto the couch and straddled him...Min swallowed "the thing is, im going to spread. Hips, thighs-""Not till nine-thirty," Cal said trying not to picture her."-waist," Min said then stopped. "What? nine-thirty? Not till my forties, probably, i think i can fight it off that long, but then-""What?" Cal said."Im going to get fat," Min said, and he blinked. "Er. Im going to get fatter." she frowned at him. "what did you think i meant?""for future reference," he said starting to laugh. "if you're sitting half naked on my lap and you tell me you're going to spread-""No! I would never say that!" she said.”