“This night sucks like a pierced straw—until my narrowed eyes land on one of the prettiest ladies I’ve seen in a long time. She’s a long, cool drink of iced coffee in the height of global warming; she has sorrel skin, her features elegantly elongated like evening shadows. Before I can take in the rest of her, I glimpse her autumn-brown eyes and my world slides off center. There’s an expression of knowi...