“You only have one chance to make a first impression.”

“Is there a chance if your Lola ?"" Only if the other person is Cricket”

“So do you believe in second chances?" I bite my lip."Second, third, fourth. Whatever it takes. However long it takes. If the person is right," he adds."If the person is... Lola?"This time, he holds my gaze. "Only if the other person is Cricket.”

“Being with Anna is easy. She's the one."The one. It stops my heart. I thought Max was the one, but... there's that other one.The first one."Do you believe in that?" I ask quietly. "In one person for everyone?"Something changes in St Clair's eyes. Maybe sadness. "I can't speak for anyone but myself," he says. "But, for me, yes. I have to be with Anna. But this is something you have to figure out on your own. I can't answer that for you, no one can.""Oh.""Lola." He rolls his chair over to my side. "I know things are shite right now. And in the name of friendship and full disclosure, I went through something similar last year. When I met Anna, I was with someone else. And it took a long time before I found the courage to do the hard thing. But you have to do the hard thing."I swallow. "And what's the hard thing?""You have to be honest with yourself.”

“Why aren't the two of you together?'The directness of her question throws me. 'I don't know. Sometimes I think there are only so many opportunities... to get together with someone. And we've both screwed up so many times - that we've missed our chance.”

“How did you know? That she wasn't the one for him?" Now he's staring at his hands, slowing rubbing them together. "They just didn't have that . . . natural magic. You know? It never seemed easy." My voice grows tiny. "Do you think things have to be easy? For it to work?" Cricket's head shoots up, his eyes bulging as they grasp my meaning. "NO. I mean, yes, but . . . sometimes there are ... extenuating circumstances. That prevent it from being easy. For a while. But then people overcome those ...circumstances . . . and . . .""So you believe in second chances?" I bite my lip. "Second, third, fourth. Whatever it takes. However long it takes. If the person is right," he adds.If the person is . . . Lola?"This time, he holds my gaze. "Only if the other person is Cricket."Chapter 27Pg 273”

“Sometimes I think there are only so many opportunities . . . to get together with someone. And we’ve both screwed up so many times”—my voice grows quiet—“that we’ve missed our chance.”