“But the absence of tears wasn't the same as an absence of feeling.”

“I had to let go of him. But I knew that as long as I lived, I would feel the phantompain of his absence.”

“I suppose now I'm obliged to wish you happiness in your new life. Although happiness in the absence of indoor plumbing is a debatable concept.”

“To be honest," I halfwhispered,"I don't feel as safe with him as Ido with you.""I know."A ghost of a smile touched my lips. "Howdo you know?""Think about what safety is, Ella.""Trust?""Yes, partly. But also an absence of risk."He unstuck a strand of hair from my dampcheek and tucked it back. "Maybe you needto take a risk. Maybe you need to be withsomeone who rattles you a little.”

“Beneath the conversations and silences and reconnecting intimacy, I tried to reconcile the adult Hardy had become with the boy I had known and longed for. It troubled me to realize they weren't the same...but of course I wasn't the same either.”

“He wasn't mine anywhere except in my heart.”

“It wasn't just coffee...it was an experience. Smooth, roasted, buttery notes gave away to a velvet finish.”