Chapter 54

We strolled together into my gadget-crammed kitchen, and I pulled two beers from the fridge. “I don’t know if these are twist-off or not,” I told Chris as I handed him an icy bottle.

“Well, you must have some kind of high-tech, as-seen-on-TV bottle opener around here somewhere,” he teased, using a corner of his shirt to test the resistance of the cap. Sure enough, it twisted right off, so I opened mine with my bare hands.

After a long, cold slug, I set my beer on the cluttered kitchen counter and walked the two steps into the living room to kick off my shoes. Opening the floor-to-ceiling doors out to the deck, I asked Chris, “What do you want on your pizza?”

He didn’t even hesitate, just blurted out, “Pepperoni and pineapple.”

“I don’t believe it,” I said.

“Oh, believe it, Buddy. Try it, you’ll like it.”