“Phillip look into Ray's eyes. He saw compassion and hope. And he saw himself mirrored back, bleeding in a dirty gutter on a street where life was worth less than a dime bag.Sick, tired, petrified, Phillip dropped his head into his hands."What's the point?""You're the point, son." Ray ran his hand over Phillip's hair. "You're the point.”

“Why did you fucking leave her, Phillipe?" Bringing his eyes back to mine, he swallows and simply replies,"I wanted to see if I could.”

“I pictured Phillip in the tree. How his arm stayed stretched out, his hand empty, long after my dad pulled me away.”

“Phillip muttered something under his breath."What did you say?" she asked."Nothing.""You said something."He gave her an impatient look. "If I'd meant for you to hear it, I would have said it out loud."She sucked in her breath. "Then you shouldn't have said it at all.""Some things," Phillip muttered, "are impossible to keep inside.""What did yousay?" she demanded.Phillip raked his hand through his hair. "Eloise—""Did you insult me?""Do you really want to know?""Since it appears we are to be wed," she bit off, "yes.""I don't recall my exact words," Phillip shot back, "but I believe I may have uttered the wordswomenandlack of sense inthe same breath.”

“Come on," Cole said. He looked back over his shoulder at Mr. Brisbane, who was looking at me with a complicated expression as I left. Cole pointed at him and said, "You're a son of a bitch. He belongs here more than you do.”

“Damen pushed himself up on an elbow, and propped his head on his hand, his fingers in his hair. He saw that Laurent was looking at him. Not watching him, as he did sometimes, but looking at him, as a man might look at a carving that has caught his attention.”