The next evening, Katelina held up a blouse and studied herself in the mirror. "How about this one?"

Without looking away from his book, Jorick muttered, "Fine."

She turned around, hands on her hips. "You didn't even look."

He sighed and made a show of studying her. "You're fine, little one. The last outfit was fine, and the one before it was fine. No. Fantastic. Beautiful. Breathtaking. Whatever it is you're looking to hear, imagine I said it."

With a ...