“I worked hard to meet his eyes, even though they were the kind of pretty that’s hard to look at..”

“His were the kind of eyes that held secrets. The kind that lied without flinching. The kind that once you looked into them, it was hard to break away.”

“Her eyes were as hard and bright as stars. Not the pretty sort that poets mooned about, but the kind that made men's destinies. The Orchid Affair”

“But even if that were true, I was working hard. I didn’t know how not to.”

“He looked at her in complete devotion. “We made a little baby…”She smiled and giggled. “It wasn’t that hard either, was it?” “I don’t know about you but I was working pretty hard.”

“I know the M-word makes you nervous, but yeah. I'm talking about the big, permanent friendship. A little different from what Joe and Charles had, though. See, I want to be the kind of best friends who make love every night, who share all their darkest secrets and favorite jokes, and maybe even someday make babies together. I know that kind of friendship requires hard work, but you know, I'm pretty good at hard work.~ Tom Paoletti, "The Unsung Hero”