Oh, I really am a sucker, Maggie thinks. She should not be soothed by the touch of a man who has spent the past year ignoring her, the past month and a half bickering with her, and the past three weeks haunting (yes, haunting) her dreams. But she is soothed. She likes it a lot when he runs his hand over her back. It makes her brain feel heavy and slow, like a big dumb animal.

She releases the pressure on her nose a little so that she can speak more clearly.

"Um, I would take a reading if she seemed legit. I would be able to tell. So, the middle one, I guess."

"What does that make me?"