“Do you still love me, Janie?'Janie stares at him, incredulous. 'Yes, of course! I don't say it lightly.''Say it lightly in my ear,' he demands.She smiles, rests her soft cheek on his scratchy one, and whispers it. 'I love you, Cabe.”

“This phone," he says finally. "I want this phone."She laughs. "No. S'mine."Janie, I don't think you understand. I want it."Sorry."It's got photo caller ID; Internet; video, camera, and digital recorder?! Holy Hannah... It's making me warm all over."Oh yeah?" Janie says in a sexy voice. "Wanna play with my phone, baby?"Hell yes, I do.”

“He waits a moment. And then murmurs, 'I love you, Janie Hannagan. I can't get enough of you. I wake up in the morning and all I want to do is be with you.' He props himself up on his elbow. 'Do you have any idea how unusual, how important that is to me?”

“So, what are you doing tonight?"Me?" Janie laughs. "Homework, of course."You want company?" Carrie's looking wistful.Do you have homework to do?"Of course. Whether I do it or not is the real question.”

“I lurve you, circus freak," Cabel says. It almost hurts to hear him say that.I lurve you, too, you big lumpy monster man," Janie says.That hurts even more to say.”

“Captain looks at Janie closely. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," she says. "You're gonna have a heck of a shiner by the time the day's over. Did you black our?""I...uh..." Janie shrugs. "I really have no idea.""Yes, I think she did." Cabel cuts in. "I'm going to need to watch her all day. And probably all night, too," he adds. Very, very seriously.The captain throws a rubber eraser at him and sends him out for coffee.”

“Do you think Cabel knows?"Have you thought about asking him?"Janie glances up to read her face. Bites her quivering lip to still it. "We're not exactly on speaking terms right now."Captain sighs. "I gathered that." Carefully she says, "Cabel has his own demons and if he doesn't get on with killing them soon, I'm going to kick his ass...”