"Somewhere, Casey had gotten this idea that she could make a person want her as a friend. Not that she could attract just anyone — no, that wasn't it, exactly — but if someone gave her a little time, whether it was five minutes or an hour, basically anything more than a glance or a brief appraisal, Casey believed that she could draw a person to her. It was the simplest thing in the world for her because she did it by doing one thing perfectly: She paid attention, the kind of attention that almost didn't exist anymore. This was her gift. So few people did this for each other. Giving someone your attention — with the greatest amount of care she could muster in whatever allotted time period — was far more precious than any kind of commodity."