“Winslow bounced over on the balls of his feet, clearly not experiencing any sort of crash. 'Aren't your guys nervous? I'm nervous as all hell.''There's nothing to be nervous about,' Beck said, joining them. 'Nerves are only useful when they can spur you on to work harder, faster, better. Once the work is done, they become pointless.”

“ whatever," Winslow snorted. "The first team that got judged, from the Italian place on East Thrity-Sixth? They came back in here looking like whipped dogs. Come on, I Know i'm not the only one here about to wet myself." There was a short pause while they all looked at Win, and the way he was sort of dancing in place. "Dude," Danny finally said, "Maybe you just need to pee.”

“Are you talking about me?" Danny looked up from the pastry board, suspicion written clearly across his face."Just bemoaning your tragic heterosexuality," Win sighed, swinging his knives down on the prep station."Oh," Danny said, blinking. "Well. Sorry about that, but there's not much I can do about it."Win waved that away. "No big. I'm not that into workplace romance, myself.”

“Max rocked back on his heels, shoving his hands into his pockets, and said, 'So. Juliet Cavanaugh. I assume my parents have been talking your ear off for the last however many months, telling you how awesome I am, and filling your head full of stories of my impressive talents in the kitchen.''Um. Not so much,' Jules said, shooting a glance at Danny, who shook his head and went back to his prep work.'No? I should take this opportunity to set the record straight, then.' Max heaved a deep sigh. 'It's all true.''What?''Everything they should've told you about me,' Max explained. 'And I don't know why they didn't, because it's all true. No exaggeration or family bias plays into it at all--I am the best chef in the entire world.”

“Danny shook his head, amusement relaxing the tense line of his mouth. 'Is that all you think about?''No! Sometimes I think about food. And beer. The color cyan. I'm a complex and multilayered flower, Danny.”

“Somewhere along the way." Adam said, "I stopped cooking for anyone other than you. When you were gone, it was like all the flavor had drained out of the world. Without you, nothing tastes as sweet.”

“I need to pull away from this - She gestured between them languidly - "because When I'm with you, I lose my balance. I don't feel calm and happy.She leaned forward, and Kane swallowed down his immediate urge to leap across the table and crush her thin lips under his."When I am with you," Claire said, her accent rolling through the words like thunder, "I am a starving lion, raging at my captivity.”