"My small Southern hometown is beautiful in the haunting way an aging debutante is beautiful. The bones are exquisite, but the skin could use a lift" (Chapter 1, p. 1).

"His words sent a wave of relief through me. Not just what he said, but he way he said it, as if he wouldn't accept any other alternative" (Chapter 7, p. 56).

"Magnificent. I could already imagine trying to sleep knowing he was practically lying beside me" (Chapter 11, p. 76).

"Staring at Michael, I wondered which one of us was the nut job" (Chapter 14, p. 97).

"I looked into his eyes, wondering what he saw when he looked back at me." Chapter 22, pg. 150

"I had to hand it to my brother. Maybe he believed I'd experienced some sort of relapse and had somehow used my feminine wiles to rope Michael into my delusions. Maybe he was faking the calmness to keep me from going...