Six-point-eight, Win said. Round it up to a seven . Excuse me?Win raised his hand, palm down, tilted it back and forth. Your Ms. Wilder. If I'm being generous, I give her a seven . Gee, that means a lot. Coming from you and all . They moved back into the house and sat in the den. Win crossed his legs in that perfect-crease way of his. His expression was permanently set on haughty. He looked pampered and spoiled and soft in the face anyway. But the body told another story. He was all knotted, coiled muscle, not so much wiry as, if you will, barbed-wiry . Win steepled his fingers. Steepling looked right on Win. May I ask a question?No . Why are you with her?You're kidding, right?No. I want to know what precisely you see in Ms. Ali Wilder . Myron shook his head. I knew I shouldn't have invited you . A h, but you did. So let me elaborate . Please don't . During our years at Duke, well, there was the delectable Emily Downing. Then, of course, your soul mate for the next ten-plus years, the luscious Jessica Culver. There was the brief fling with BrendaSlaughter and alas, most recently, the passion of Terese Collins . I s there a point?There is. Win opened the steeple, closed it again. What do all these women, your past loves, have in common?You tell me, Myron said . I n a word: bodaciousness . That's a word?Smoking-hot honeys, Win continued with the snooty accent. Each and every one of them. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Emily a nine. That would be the lowest. Jessica would be a so-hot-shesinges-your-eyeballs eleven. Terese Collins and Brenda Slaughter, both near-tens . A nd in your expert opinion . . . A seven is being generous, Win finished for him . Myron just shook his head . So pray tell, Win said, what is the big attraction?Are you for real?I am indeed . Well, here's a news flash, Win. First off, while it's not really important, I disagree with your awarded score . Oh? So how would rate Ms. Wilder?I'm not getting into that with you. But for one thing, Ali has the kind of looks that grow on you. At first you think she's attractive enough, and then, as you get to know her Bah . Bah?Self-rationalization . Well, here's another news flash for you. It's not all about looks . Bah . A gain with the bah?Win re-steepled his fingers. Let's play a game. I'm going to say a word. You tell me the first thing that pops in your head . Myron closed his eyes. I don't know why I discuss matters of theheart with you. It's like talking about Mozart with a deaf man.