“Now I escort the last of the customers out, close the store and go home to my bed, I’m beat.” I walked over to the door and flipped the sign.“Is that an invitation?”

“The silkiness of his voice was a torturous caress that I could have endured for the rest of my life.”

“it was like trying to see a shadow in the dark.”

“The patter of tentative footfalls reached my ears. I flipped on my side to face the door and saw Ansel wander by. I rolled onto my back, rubbing sleep from my eyes. I'd crashed on my bed as soons as I'd gotten back from school, collapsing under the weight of the day. The floorboards squeaked as Ansel passed by my door again. I caught his nervous glance in my direction before he hurried down the hall. 'Ansel, I'm not the sun; stop orbiting and get in here,' I called.”

“I was ready to sign over Frankie and my firstborn to get out of this particular hole.”

“Kissing Kate is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. And as much as I want to think I’m the good guy, as much as I’ve proclaimed that sleeping with an attached girl isn’t my style, I’m not walking away. I can’t. I have her now. She’s mine. And I’m not going anywhere.”

“I was going to walk right into the hallowed halls in my battered Chucks and eans, to sit among first-edition Trollopes-assuming they'd restored them. Walk right up to whatever heavily armed security troll was at the door and demand admittance.They wouldn't let me over the threshold.”