Chapter 54

Saturday

WHEN THEY WERE in the kitchen,Jake went to the refrigerator and selected a few items.“How hungry are you?”he said.

“Reasonably.”

“Will scrambled eggs,bacon,and toast hold you till it’s time for lunch?”

“Sure,”Josh said.“By the way,Caleb surprised the heck out of me just now.”

“You mean when he hugged you?”

“Yeah.It’s the first time he’s shown me any overt affection.”

“I agree.He hugged me just before we went to the caféfor breakfast,and he held my hand all the way there.”

“I guess he’s grateful.”

“In case you haven’t noticed,”Jake said,“that kid is very protective of his little brother.”

“Yeah,I’ve noticed.Have you ever wondered why the boys don’t talk about their life at home?”

“My best guess is that it was so bad that they prefer not to think about it,let alone discuss it.”

“I think you’re right,”Josh said.“I’m glad Daniel was able to give them a clean bill of health when he did that checkup.”