i felt for the bowl of sugar cubes and dumped four into my mug . i shook my head to clear it and returned to the task at hand . he was trying to act tough , but he could n't hide that cole had gotten to him . `` it seems i missed the heart of the action . '' she gently wiped my dirty face with her sleeve and pressed her lips against my cheek . some of the shops and food stands were beginning to sweep their floors and stack their chairs in preparation for closing . 