The Guests On South Battery Quotes
"Because if we don’t show up, it will send the message that we’re deeply hurt. By being there, we show them that we don’t care. That we can rise above their pettiness and appear at a celebratory party for Marc and his book because we’re happy for him and his success. Because we’re better than that. We’re mature adults who can put bitterness behind us and move on without hard feelings."
"It probably is easier. But in my experience, the bad stuff isn’t like a mosquito bite—you know, leave it alone so it disappears instead of scratching it and making it worse. Usually the things you don’t want to deal with get worse the longer you wait."
"Yes, it is, isn’t it? And I trust you to use this information with the strictest discretion."
"Don’t! You. Don’t. Want. To. Know. The. Truth."
"I thought you went to the archives this morning."
"Whether she did so or not, she’s spent countless hours playing with them, taking them for walks, reading to them, singing to them, making them laugh. The sorts of things we do with them when we’re here. I’d rather my children be happy than organized."
"I’d say so. I mean, she had no problem keeping up with me and she looks pretty fit, so maybe she does do it regularly."
"Maybe I like you that way. Or are you suggesting we go upstairs and shower?"
"Not at all. The subject of our daughter needs to be discussed with serious consideration."
"You are free to organize your own things, and even the children’s until they can fight back. But you promised to leave my things alone."
"It’s hard enough without you pointing it out when I’m doing it."
"Realizing there really wasn’t anything else to say, I gave Rebecca a small smile and wave, then followed Jayne to the back of the store."
"Something about coincidence, and how Jack was a firm believer that there was no such thing."
"The truth was that I was going to do something I’d seen on the Internet—interval training, a mixture between running and walking."
"I also wanted to high-five him and ask where I could get a sticker."
"It’s not even that I think I might have met her before. There’s just something so . . . familiar."
"He’s nineteen years old, Mellie. I remember what being a nineteen-year-old boy is like. Very little brain matter and a lot of hormones."
"Let’s just say I prefer to keep an open mind."
"I will, and I know. Just please understand that you’re his daughter, and he’s being protective because he adores you."
"Just a feeling I have that we’re being watched over."
"Of course not, that sounds like so much fun! I’d be happy to watch the children so she could go golfing with my husband."
"But if she’s the very unhappy ghost we’ve sensed in the house, we need to find out why, and why she’s still here."
"There are times, like right now, when they’re as strong as ever, and then other times when I’m completely blocked out."
"Because you desperately need my fashion advice, and I like giving it."
"Because I think there are certain undertones in your life that you should be aware of."
"I don’t know if there’s anything significant in that collection, but I figured I’d go through it just in case."
"I’ve been dying to share this with you all day."
"I guess it’s pretty, in an all-American athletic kind of way."
"After all, how else do you think you got here?"
"Regardless of what was going on in that foyer, you owe it to yourself, your marriage, and your children to find out and deal with it."
"You are the most beautiful woman to me, just the way you are."
"Don’t worry. I love all of that, I do. I just... It’s like the whole creative side of my brain shuts down whenever I’m in the house."
"Every day on my to-do list, I write ‘Do something nice for somebody.’"
"They love to be sung to and they’re not too particular. Unless you’re Mellie—that usually makes them cry."
"But what kind of unfinished business could an eleven-year-old shut-in have?"
"Some people say on Sunday mornings, you can still hear the church bells ringing."
"It’s almost like they’re encased in snow globes with the roads, houses, shops, and churches still there, only unreachable unless you like to scuba."
"She definitely has an aura. It’s how you can tell someone has ‘the gift.’"
"You shouldn’t take my messages so literally."
"Nothing’s wrong with my sense of smell. Or my mother’s."
"Putting together a puzzle. Except sometimes a bunch of pieces are thrown in that don’t fit."
"It’s easy to pass off as ‘psychic powers,’ isn’t it? Sounds so much better than insider information."
"The architectural plans still exist, so it’s possible it could be rebuilt somewhere else if anybody is so inclined."
"Not to mention the door into the butler’s pantry—it’s pretty sophisticated the way it opens and closes so that it’s seamless."
"And the only answer I can come up with is that whoever put them in did so to keep their comings and goings a secret."
"I have no idea from what, but I definitely get that feeling."
"Please let me help you. You don’t have to be here anymore. Just let me help."
"It seems to me that she’s a lot more accepting of all the weird stuff that goes on around you than the average person."
"It’s like opening a window—you never know what might fly inside."
"She’s free to do what she wants. Besides, my mother helped her pick out the dress and I thought she did a great job."
"I never realized how much this ‘gift’ of ours could help our husbands in their writing careers."
"I was pretty sure they weren’t practicing their chip shots."
"Trust me, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with Jack’s male ego."
"I could straighten my hair and wear a Lily Pulitzer sundress. And heels."
"Sometimes you can be a little self-absorbed, Melanie."
"A really nice guy who cares about others and who also happens to be crazy in love with his wife."
"Despite it being nearly six o’clock and growing dark outside, I had yet to get anything accomplished at work even though I hadn’t left my desk all day."
"I thought briefly of the album lying in its plastic bag on the floor, then remembered Jack’s instructions to call him before I looked at it."
"There was definitely something in the atmosphere tonight. Something that had nothing to do with barometer readings or burned ions."
"Nothing we can do until we know more, so we might as well eat to keep up our strength. I have a feeling we’re going to need it."
"There is nothing she did that I needed to forgive."
"We can be there in ten minutes. Are you sure...?"
"We forgive you. We know the truth now, and there’s no reason to keep Hasell here. We forgive you, so you can move on, too. Move on, Anna. Move on from this house and let Jayne live here. It is her rightful home. Let her be."
"It’s a heck of a lot easier dealing with it up front than being run over by the consequences."
"We were both culpable, each of us holding back the truth for fear of rippling the waters. And in so doing, almost creating waves big enough to capsize the boat."