It was strange, really. A couple months ago, I had thought I couldn’t live without him. Apparently I could.

Daddy always said that an option that you know to have a bad outcome is only a fool's option, i.e., not an option at all. And I liked to think that Daddy hadn't raised a fool.

But I wondered if all this kissing was a bad habit with him and me. The thing we did with our mouths instead of talking.

We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works

I know you did, lass. You're the toughest girl I know." "'Lass'? Where did that come from?" "I don't know. I just felt the urge to call you that.

It was such a sweet, sad song with such sweet, sad lyrics. Old-fashioned a little, but also timeless.

If you are going to forgive a person, Liz decides, it is best to do it sooner rather than later. Later, Liz knows from experience, could be sooner than you thought.