“That’s none of your business, Knox. Nothing I do or don’t do is your business. In fact, my existence is none of your business. Now, kindly get out of my way.”

The hostile banter early on between Knox and Naomi is a romance genre trope. The reader understands already what the two characters will come to see: The hostile exchange masks the forbidding and uneasy feeling when a vulnerable and hungry heart is breached.

“I’m in a strange place in a stranger situation. And there’s a little girl in there who needs someone. Unfortunately that someone is me.”

The developing relationship between Waylay and Naomi underscores the emotional evolution of both characters. Waylay masks the trauma of her upbringing with a show of precocious panache, while Naomi pretends to be a competent guardian, a role for which she has no preparation or experience. They need each other to grow.

“You’ve spent a lot of time looking out for yourself, but that’s my job now. I am not about to leave you alone.”

Naomi here is being not-Tina, the cleaner of her sister’s messes. In this case, she pledges her allegiance to her niece and promises to be everything that her “evil” twin is not. Although the sentiment is admirable, Naomi is still defining herself by what her sister is not.