--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He works fast,\" Alan commented as he…" description: "\"“He works fast,\" Alan commented as he lifted his wine. \"David?\" Shelby sent him a puzzled look. \"Actually his fastest sped is crawl unless he's got a g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/nora-roberts-128_broken-hearts_he-works-fast-alan-commented-as-he-lifte_367850.jpg" --- # He works fast," Alan commented as he lifted his wine… ![“He works fast," Alan commented as he lifted his wine. "David?" Shelby sent him a puzzled look. "Actually his fastest sped is crawl unless he's got a guitar in his hands." "Really?" Alan's eyes met hers as he sipped, but she didn't understand the amusement in them. "You only stood him up tonight…” quote by Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/nora-roberts-128_broken-hearts_he-works-fast-alan-commented-as-he-lifte_367850.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/nora-roberts-128_broken-hearts_he-works-fast-alan-commented-as-he-lifte_367850.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/nora-roberts-128_broken-hearts_he-works-fast-alan-commented-as-he-lifte_367850.jpg) > ““He works fast," Alan commented as he lifted his wine. "David?" Shelby sent him a puzzled look. "Actually his fastest sped is crawl unless he's got a guitar in his hands." "Really?" Alan's eyes met hers as he sipped, but she didn't understand the amusement in them. "You only stood him up tonight, and already he's planning his wedding to someone else." "Stood him-" she began on a laugh, then remembered. "Oh." Torn between annoyance and her own sense of te ridiculous, Shelby toyed with the stem of her glass. "Men are fickle creatures," she decided. "Apparently." Reaching over, he lifted her chin with a fingertip. "You're holding up well." "I don't like to wear my heart on my sleeve" Exasperated, amused, she muffled a laugh. "Dammit, he would have to pick tonight to show up here." "Of all the gin joints in all the towns..." This time the laugh escaped fully. "Well done," Shelby told him. "I should've thought of that line myself; I heard the movie not long ago." "Heard it?" " Mmm-hmmm. Well..." She lifted her glass in a toast. "To broken hearts?" "Or foolish lies?" Alan countered. Shelby wrinkled her nose as she tapped her glass against his. "I usually tell very good ones. Besides, I did date David.Once.Tree years ago." She finished off her wine. "Maybe four.You can stop grinning in that smug, masculine way any time, Senator." "Was I?" Rising, he offered Shelby her damp jacket. "How rude of me." "It would've been more polite not to acknowledge that you'd caught me in a lie," she commented as they worked their way through the crowd and back into the rain. "Which you wouldn't have done if you hadn't made me so mad that I couldn't think of a handier name to give you in the first place." "If I work my way through the morass of that sentence it seems to be my fault." Alan slipped an arm around her shoulders in so casually friendly a manner she didn't protest. "Suppose I apologize for not giving you time to think of a lie that would hold up?" "It seems fair.”” [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A conversation reveals playful banter masking deeper insecurities about commitment and honesty, highlighting how people use humor to deflect vulnerability. **In simple terms:** People hide feelings with jokes, fearing rejection. Key Takeaway Acknowledge feelings directly instead of masking them. Themes relationships communication vulnerability humor trust Mood playful reflective hopeful Type dialogue conversational romantic When to use this quote - dating - social gatherings - conflict resolution - personal reflection Key Concepts self‑presentation deflection emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - What truth are you avoiding? - How can honesty improve this relationship? A Different Perspective Humor can obscure genuine concerns, leading to misunderstandings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Broken hearts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-hearts/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Gaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaze/) [Heart on my sleeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-on-my-sleeve/) [Lifted Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifted-wine-3362278/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Sentence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentence/) [Sentence Fault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentence-fault-3362276/) [Shelby Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelby-told-3362277/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Well done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-done/) [Wine Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine-maybe-1420735/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [“You sell your own wares,then.Are you clever at it?" Shelby lifted her wine. "I like to think so." Tossing her hangs out of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/you-sell-your-own-wares-then-are-you-clever-at-it-shelby-lifted-her/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [A good glass of red wine or maybe a little bit too much every now and then is just fine. Heavy boozing, not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floor-jansen/a-good-glass-of-red-wine-or-maybe-a-little-bit-too-much-every-now-and/) [Floor Jansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floor-jansen/) > [Broken hearts healed. Maybe the cracks were always there, like thin scars, but they healed. People lived and worked, laughed and ate, walked and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/broken-hearts-healed-maybe-the-cracks-were-always-there-like-thin/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Have known you for quite some time now You never cease to amaze me In everything you do and say I realize you at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/db/have-known-you-for-quite-some-time-now-you-never-cease-to-amaze-me-in/) [DB](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/db/) > [I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I am not naive. I know what it feels like to be completely broken and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-mott/i-wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve-but-i-am-not-naive-i-know-what-it-feels/) [Sam Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-mott/) > [“I'm not hiding. I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve. Everything anyone wants to know about me is right in front of their faces.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-mummert/i-m-not-hiding-i-m-wearing-my-heart-on-my-sleeve-everything-anyone/) [Teresa Mummert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-mummert/) > [I have a hard time not wearing my heart on my sleeve and answering people honestly. You know, my friends warn me that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-van-etten/i-have-a-hard-time-not-wearing-my-heart-on-my-sleeve-and-answering/) [Sharon Van Etten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-van-etten/) > [I want to play for England, I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I give it everything I can, not just for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steph-houghton/i-want-to-play-for-england-i-wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve-and-i-give-it/) [Steph Houghton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steph-houghton/) > [I wear my heart on my sleeve and tell you how it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/i-wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve-and-tell-you-how-it-is/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [I certainly wear my heart on my sleeve, and I think that comes out in the characters that I play. There's a yearning, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-perry/i-certainly-wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve-and-i-think-that-comes-out-in/) [Matthew Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-perry/) > [I am two different people. What you see on the court is just natural for me. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lleyton-hewitt/i-am-two-different-people-what-you-see-on-the-court-is-just-natural/) [Lleyton Hewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lleyton-hewitt/) > [I wear my heart on my sleeve, if I want to do something, I go ahead and do it. I think I learnt that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve-if-i-want-to-do-something-i-go-ahead-and/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [I wear my heart on my sleeve but all I have returned is the feeling of being taken for a mug and for granted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve-but-all-i-have-returned-is-the-feeling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being popular is the most important thing in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/being-popular-is-the-most-important-thing-in-the-world/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I'm a very patriotic England fan, actually. I always wore my heart on my sleeve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-kane/i-m-a-very-patriotic-england-fan-actually-i-always-wore-my-heart-on/) [Harry Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-kane/) ## More by Nora Roberts > [“Why stop now? Seduce me, Brian.I dare you." "I've always found it hard to turn aside a dare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/why-stop-now-seduce-me-brian-i-dare-you-i-ve-always-found-it-hard-to/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Flowers that had bloomed brilliant from spring through autumn blackened under the killing frost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/flowers-that-had-bloomed-brilliant-from-spring-through-autumn/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“He's back in Maine now.She did say he badgered her with questions. Of course, she didn't have the answer until she spoke to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/he-s-back-in-maine-now-she-did-say-he-badgered-her-with-questions-of/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Every professor worth his PhD should have a fireplace in his study.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/every-professor-worth-his-phd-should-have-a-fireplace-in-his-study/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Sorry, bad wing." When Theo kissed him, surprise and pleasure flustered him. He couldn't remember the last time this boy, this young man, had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/sorry-bad-wing-when-theo-kissed-him-surprise-and-pleasure-flustered/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Because it's hard not to matter, even to someone you dislike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/because-it-s-hard-not-to-matter-even-to-someone-you-dislike/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“No point in wishing for what you can't have. - Blair What's the point in wishing for what you can and do? - Larken”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/no-point-in-wishing-for-what-you-can-t-have-blair-what-s-the-point-in/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Grayson: Fiction is just a lie anyway. Brianna: But it's not - it's a different kind of truth - it would be your truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/grayson-fiction-is-just-a-lie-anyway-brianna-but-it-s-not-it-s-a/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“I was going to make a confession. Then I remembered I don't make them very well. We still need to see the monkeys." "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/i-was-going-to-make-a-confession-then-i-remembered-i-don-t-make-them/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [I've wanted to be with you when I didn't have the right to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/i-ve-wanted-to-be-with-you-when-i-didn-t-have-the-right-to/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [You can't write well what you don't read for pleasure. If it doesn't entertain you, it's not going to entertain anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/you-can-t-write-well-what-you-don-t-read-for-pleasure-if-it-doesn-t/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [You can't edit a blank page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/you-can-t-edit-a-blank-page/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“There was a boy down at the stables." She laughed suddenly with her back comfortably nestled against Grant's chest. "Oh,Lord,he was a bit like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/there-was-a-boy-down-at-the-stables-she-laughed-suddenly-with-her/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Some people refuse to take the next step. You could refuse to take what you wanted most, because you're afraid someday you might lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/some-people-refuse-to-take-the-next-step-you-could-refuse-to-take/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Oh, i'm going to kick his ass, and when i'm done, i'm going to squeeze his balls blue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/oh-i-m-going-to-kick-his-ass-and-when-i-m-done-i-m-going-to-squeeze/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) [Explore all 1,138 Nora Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) ## More Broken hearts quotes > [When the time comes for you to give your heart to someone, make sure that you select someone who will never break your heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-time-comes-for-you-to-give-your-heart-to-someone-make-sure/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I truly cared for left me with a broken heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keys/the-only-person-i-truly-cared-for-left-me-with-a-broken-heart/) [Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keys/) > [If only we can all be thankful for the blessed days that grant us life If only we can make new relationships Rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-only-we-can-all-be-thankful-for-the-blessed-days-that-grant-us/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving, hysterical, naked... who passed through universities with radiant cool eyes hallucinating Arkansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/i-saw-the-best-minds-of-my-generation-destroyed-by-madness-starving/) [Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/) > [Broken hearts are for assholes, are you an asshole?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/broken-hearts-are-for-assholes-are-you-an-asshole/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [ “…\[F\]or the Lovers the place of worship Is the arch of the Beloved’s eyebrows. O Morning breeze, if you perchance Should find where my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amir-khusrow-dehlavi/f-or-the-lovers-the-place-of-worship-is-the-arch-of-the-beloved-s/) [Amir Khusrow Dehlavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amir-khusrow-dehlavi/) > [“But when he died, I saw - nothing. There was nothing left to see. It happened and it was impossible and beautiful and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ockler/but-when-he-died-i-saw-nothing-there-was-nothing-left-to-see-it/) [Sarah Ockler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ockler/) > [“We sometimes see God better through out tears and broken hearts. What seems hopeless becomes blessing and miracles...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-robertson/we-sometimes-see-god-better-through-out-tears-and-broken-hearts-what/) [Dwight Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-robertson/) > [Sometimes I wish I was a little girl again because bruised knees heels faster then broken hearts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/sometimes-i-wish-i-was-a-little-girl-again-because-bruised-knees/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [“Sometimes I wish I was a little girl again because cuts heal faster then broken hearts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-johnson/sometimes-i-wish-i-was-a-little-girl-again-because-cuts-heal-faster/) [Angel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-johnson/) > [Sometimes I Wish I was A Little Kid Again ,... Skinned Knees Are Better than Broken Hearts :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karal/sometimes-i-wish-i-was-a-little-kid-again-skinned-knees-are-better/) [Karal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karal/) > [“I fix broken hearts for a living,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raven-rivers/i-fix-broken-hearts-for-a-living/) [Raven Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raven-rivers/) > [I really just wish I was a kid again...no bills, no worries, no broken hearts, happy life and always smiling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shafique-ahmed/i-really-just-wish-i-was-a-kid-again-no-bills-no-worries-no-broken/) [Shafique Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shafique-ahmed/) > [I'm not the only kid who grew up this way, surrounded by people who used to say that rhyme about sticks and stones, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-koyczan/i-m-not-the-only-kid-who-grew-up-this-way-surrounded-by-people-who/) [Shane Koyczan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-koyczan/) > [I had a nervous breakdown at 17 when my first love left me, and he was a typical bad boy, albeit a charismatic one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-leavitt/i-had-a-nervous-breakdown-at-17-when-my-first-love-left-me-and-he-was/) [Caroline Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-leavitt/) [Browse all 343 Broken hearts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-hearts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He works fast,\" Alan commented as he lifted his wine. \"David?\" Shelby sent him a puzzled look. \"Actually his fastest sped is crawl unless he's got a guitar in his hands.\" \"Really?\" Alan's eyes met hers as he sipped, but she didn't understand the amusement in them. \"You only stood him up tonight, and already he's planning his wedding to someone else.\" \"Stood him-\" she began on a laugh, then remembered. \"Oh.\" Torn between annoyance and her own sense of te ridiculous, Shelby toyed with the stem of her glass. \"Men are fickle creatures,\" she decided. \"Apparently.\" Reaching over, he lifted her chin with a fingertip. \"You're holding up well.\" \"I don't like to wear my heart on my sleeve\" Exasperated, amused, she muffled a laugh. \"Dammit, he would have to pick tonight to show up here.\" \"Of all the gin joints in all the towns...\" This time the laugh escaped fully. \"Well done,\" Shelby told him. \"I should've thought of that line myself; I heard the movie not long ago.\" \"Heard it?\" \" Mmm-hmmm. Well...\" She lifted her glass in a toast. \"To broken hearts?\" \"Or foolish lies?\" Alan countered. Shelby wrinkled her nose as she tapped her glass against his. \"I usually tell very good ones. Besides, I did date David.Once.Tree years ago.\" She finished off her wine. \"Maybe four.You can stop grinning in that smug, masculine way any time, Senator.\" \"Was I?\" Rising, he offered Shelby her damp jacket. \"How rude of me.\" \"It would've been more polite not to acknowledge that you'd caught me in a lie,\" she commented as they worked their way through the crowd and back into the rain. \"Which you wouldn't have done if you hadn't made me so mad that I couldn't think of a handier name to give you in the first place.\" \"If I work my way through the morass of that sentence it seems to be my fault.\" Alan slipped an arm around her shoulders in so casually friendly a manner she didn't protest. \"Suppose I apologize for not giving you time to think of a lie that would hold up?\" \"It seems fair.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nora Roberts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/he-works-fast-alan-commented-as-he-lifted-his-wine-david-shelby-sent/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Broken hearts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/he-works-fast-alan-commented-as-he-lifted-his-wine-david-shelby-sent/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/nora-roberts-128_broken-hearts_he-works-fast-alan-commented-as-he-lifte_367850.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/nora-roberts-128_broken-hearts_he-works-fast-alan-commented-as-he-lifte_367850.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/nora-roberts-128_broken-hearts_he-works-fast-alan-commented-as-he-lifte_367850.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He works fast,\" Alan commented as he lifted his wine. \"David?\" Shelby sent him a puzzled look. \"Actually his…” — Nora Roberts", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nora Roberts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He works fast,\" Alan commented as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/he-works-fast-alan-commented-as-he-lifted-his-wine-david-shelby-sent/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/he-works-fast-alan-commented-as-he-lifted-his-wine-david-shelby-sent/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```