Chapter 9
Jace
“Favorite color?”
“Black,” I responded between bites.
“Nuh-uh, no one’s favorite color is black.”
“Not how this works,” I reminded Caleb. “Favorite movie?”
He sent me a dirty look, then said, “Lord of the Rings. Favorite celebrity?”
“Martha Stewart.”
“No way!” Caleb practically yelled.
“Favorite holiday?” I asked.
“Nope, we’re going back to the Martha Stewart thing.” I nearly chuckled at his look of outrage. “Martha Stewart isnotyour favorite celebrity.”
“She is,” I said. “Scout’s honor.”
“Were you even a scout?”
“You answer my question first.”
“Halloween,” Caleb said. “Were you really a scout?”
“I was… most of my merit badges were the pity ones, but—”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Caleb said as he put his hands up in the universal time-out sign. “Time out. Martha Stewart?MarthaStewart? What… how…what?”
I felt my insides warm as I watched Caleb. He was so animated and… free. It was the first time in the six days since we’d been on the boat that he’d finally let his guard completely down and was just himself.
“Why Halloween?” I asked. Predictably, Caleb sent me an annoyed look.
“Because…”
When I arched my eyebrows at him, he sighed and said, “Because I got to go as my favorite character fromHarry Potter.”
I nodded. “Harry,” I said knowingly.
Caleb dropped his eyes and picked at his food.
“Ron?” I queried.
Color stained Caleb’s cheeks and I chuckled. “You did not go as Hermione Granger,” I said.
“Shut up, Martha-Stewart-lover.”
“Hermione?” I asked. “Really?”
“What? She was the smartest of the three of them!” Caleb declared. I smiled as he began spouting off all of Hermione’s many attributes.
I waited until he was finished to say, “Not buying it.”
Caleb frowned, then deflated. “Fine,” he bit out. “My brother used to go as Ron Weasley and his friend, Pete, went as Harry.”
