“Too late, buddy boy. I barked. a weird thought- something about me being too late as well- almost took shape in my mind and then vanished. I've got the kind of mind that's on my side.”

“Are you certain you'll be happy?" she asked.Eloise smiled ruefully. "It's a little late to wonder, don't you think?""It might be too late to do anything about it, but it's never too late to wonder.”

“Often, maybe even usually, Bernie ended up being the smartest human in the room. Tonight was different.”

“Lizzy, Will thought. Lizzy P. 'You n me gonna be buddies, darlin'. He stretched one hand to Elly's hair, and circled Donald Wade's rump with his free arm and touched Thomas's leg, on the far side of Elly. And he smiled at Lizzy P. and thought, Heaven's got nothin' on being the husband of Eleanor Dinsmore.”

“It's never too late to reinvent yourself.”

“I’d been the best leaper in K-9 class, which had led to all the trouble in a way I couldn’t remember exactly, although blood was involved.”

“Chet! What are you eating?”Nothing. It was true. The eating part was over.”