DezPierre glowered up at Olden but graciously bowed as he introduced himself.
"At your service, father of Sir Tarek. I am DezPierre of the Okbold clan. Head liason of Jolly Orchard and caretaker of Miss Alyra of Belluvita. If you cannot treat my mistress with the respect she deserves, you will deal with my swift vengeance.

If you're a customer of ours, we've already got that information. These callers are very aggressive.

I'm a football widow, I guess, except for nights like this.

I'm never at a loss for a gift to buy him on birthdays or holidays -- it's Ohio State, Ohio State, Ohio State.

Caro remembered how it was to lie so unself-consciously next to her best friends. Her aging body recalled the singular comfort of just being in bed next to Vivi's and Teensy's and Necie's bodies. It had been like no comfort she had ever taken from a man, not from her husband, or from the two lovers she'd had during her marriage. As she thought of her friends, she wished they could sprawl like that once more, their old-lady bodies touching, their varicosed legs thrown over one another's, toes touching, their scents mingling. The tribe, together again.

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out