"Who?" she asks, purposely wide-eyed now, as if she's never thought of talking about anybody behind their backs in her life. Her own answer remains you, Byerly, let's talk about you, but that's a suggestion he might need to make himself. Say something too pointed and he backs away.

Of course, if you don't say anything, then he still gets to hold himself at arm's length. It's kind of a lose-lose situation.