The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

by Ally Carter

“There’s no way, no universe, no reality in which you aren’t the brightest star in the whole damn sky, and . . .” His cheeks flushed. His hand shook, and he looked away like, suddenly, he was the one who was embarrassed. “That’s all I wanted to say.”

She needed to brush her teeth and put on fancy underwear and also go back in time and become the kind of person who owns fancy underwear.

“Is this the part where you say I should trust you?” Her voice broke, and Ethan shook his head. “No. It’s the part where I say you should trust yourself.”

He sounded like a man making a to-do list. Buy light bulbs. Gas up car. Slay your enemies and salt their fields.

But Ethan grew serious, thinking . . . remembering . . . deciding. “I thought you looked like forever.”

Maggie studied the book that lay between them with a focus that could only be described as unrelenting, and Ethan knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life losing board games to this woman.

The most romantic line I could imagine.

“You know, if mankind has one universal superpower, it’s gaslighting women into thinking they’re the problem.”