Quotes From "The Boys Of Summer" By C.J. Duggan

If there is one thing worse than self-pity, it was other people's pity. C.J. Duggan

Can we get out of here?"" Your chariot awaits."" In the form of a blue Ford ute?" I curved my brow." But of course, " he said in an over-the-top French accent." Sacre blur, bad accent alert! "" Wow, " he said, "Le rude?"" Le sorry?"" Le hurt." Toby clutched his heart." What can I do to soothe your shattered ego?" Toby drummed his chin thoughtfully, pacing around me. He stopped just near enough to whisper in my ear." Le kiss? . C.J. Duggan

I may have been buzzed last night, but I remember everything. I can't promise you that I won't want to drive you home, or kiss you like crazy again. Because I will. I do. C.J. Duggan

That’s the thing. I’ve never met anyone like you, Tess. You think you’re a no one? You’re so wrong. So wrong. You stand in a room with all the Angelas, even the Ellies. None of them can compare to you. I remember when you started working at the Onslow, I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. You were so terrified. You weren’t full of yourself like other girls. Every time you walked into the bar, you were like a breath of fresh air. Even when Angela was a bitch to you, you rose above it. You made me see the difference in people. You’re not a nobody, Tess, you’re a somebody. . C.J. Duggan

So if I was to choose? Then I choose complicated, ” I said, with a nod of finality. I met his eyes again in a silent challenge.“ I choose you. C.J. Duggan

He looked at me now." Remember I said, 'what if I didn't want to fix your bike?'" I remembered. "Yes...""I didn't want to fix it, because I liked driving you places. C.J. Duggan

What do you know? This is where it all began, ” he said.“ Began?”“ This is exactly where I was when I wanted to kiss you, ” he whispered, his lips brushing along my neck causing me to melt under his touch. “So bad.”“ Except this time there’s no drunk netballer squawking at us, ” I teased.“ I wouldn’t care if the seven horseman of the Apocalypse charged through the garden right now, nothing’s gonna stop me from doing this.” He leaned down and captured my lips with tenderness, a completely perfect kiss, like it always was. C.J. Duggan

A 'T' for Tess, a 'T' for Toby. C.J. Duggan

Tess, there isn't a drunken, screaming netballer in the world that would have made me not want to ... continue. C.J. Duggan

Do you want some words of advice, Tess?”I glanced at Adam’s profile as he sipped.“ Don’t give your heart away too easily.” He turned to me. “Make him earn it. C.J. Duggan

He slid over to me and grabbed me closer to him. My smile fell from my face with the unexpectedness of it. His hands cupped my face, his lips hovering above mine.“ You seriously want to know, Tess?”He closed the space and claimed my mouth with an urgent, hot, delving kiss. He smiled. “You are sexy, in your own goofball way, you’re sweet and beautiful and smart and funny and, although you kiss to the point where I feel like I want to go back for seconds, you’re my best friend, and that’s why I don’t want to tap that. C.J. Duggan

Just be careful, hon, ” Rosanna said.“ Oh, are the plates hot?” I flinched back just before my hands made contact. Rosanna laughed. “No, but hot boys can burn you just as easily. C.J. Duggan

When you knock off work tonight, go looking for Toby, because, trust me, he will be looking for you. C.J. Duggan

Well, if they set you in the kissing booth, let me know, I am always willing to donate for a worthy cause. C.J. Duggan

Tess, will you marry me?" Toby laughed. C.J. Duggan

She is something else. C.J. Duggan

Boat.Toby.1pm.Shit! C.J. Duggan

Why do we remember the Boys of Summer? We remember because we were young when they were, of course. But more, we remember because we feel the ache of guilt and regret. While they were running, jumping, leaping, we were slouched behind typewriters, smoking and drinking, pretending to some mystic communion with men we didn't really know or like. Men from ghettos we didn't dare visit, or rural farms we passed at sixty miles an hour. Loving what they did on the field, we could forget how superior we felt towards them the rest of the time. By cheering them on we proved we had nothing to do with the injustices that kept their lives separate from ours. There's nothing sordid or false about the Boys of Summer. Only our memories smell like sweaty jockstraps. Roger Kahn

I love you, Tess McGee. I don’t do big funny or heartfelt speeches in front of people at birthday parties, but I’m excellent in private alcoves in beer gardens.” He paused. “Okay, that sounded really bad, what I mean is …”I kissed him into silence. I pressed my forehead against his with a sigh. “I love you, too, Toby. In fact, that’s what I was going to tell you before we walked into the beer garden. Right before the really bad singing started.” Toby chuckled. He let out a sigh of relief. “Ready to reminisce?” I whispered my final word before he closed the distance.“ Always. C.J. Duggan

I plastered on my best poker face, attempting to appear cool and casual even thought I had never been so eager to deliver two Chicken Parmagianas in my life." Just be careful, hon, " Rosanna said." Oh, are the plates hot?" I flinched back just before my hands made contact. Rosanna laughed. "No, but hot boys can burn just as easily. C.J. Duggan

You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat. Losing after great striving is the story of man, who was born to sorrow, whose sweetest songs tell of saddest thought, and who, if he is a hero, does nothing in life as becomingly as leaving it. Roger Kahn