“Blank-slate friendships were thin and temperamental. She knew that. There was no history there to cement people together, for better or worse.”

“That, they knew, was true friendship. And they knew, if you're lucky enough to find it, you hold on to it.”

“Because he knew the best way to get what he wanted was to break down what made us strongest. And our friendships were what made us strong.”

“Sometimes people who had been together for a long time got to imagining that things used to be better, even when they weren't.”

“After awhile, all the men wanted his opinion, and all the girls were in love with him. He made certain of it. Because he knew the best way to get what he wanted was to break down what made us strongest. And our friendships were what made us strong. He changed all that.”

“Watching them, she realized they made so much sense together. Every look, every touch, was a reassurance, almost electric, as if they were shocking each other with every contact.”

“Coffee, she'd discovered, was tied to all sorts of memories, different for each person. Sunday mornings, friendly get-togethers, a favorite grandfather long since gone, the AA meeting that saved their life. Coffee meant something to people. Most found their lives were miserable without it. Coffee was a lot like love that way. And because Rachel believed in love, she believed in coffee, too.”