had gone certifiably crazy.
âThatâs it,â Caleb said. âPull it all out,Wayne. You got it. Make it happen.â
Wayne pointed, waved his hand once more in a final dramatic gesture, then dropped both arms as if worn out by this exhibition.
âGood job, man! You did it.â Caleb gave his driver a high five.
âVery nice,â Eric agreed, clapping. âIâm impressed.â
Terrell sneered and gave the three of them a vacant stare. âDo yâall think Iâm stupid? If I check to see if itâs gone, youâll just laugh at me for even lookinâ.â
âNo,â Caleb said. âThat cake is gone.â
âVery funny.â
âThink what you want, Terrell. If you donât believe, you canât see it. Câmon, guys,â Caleb said to the others. âLetâs get back to work.â He strolled out with Wayne and Eric on his heels. He slapped Wayne on the back. âWay to go, man.â
Terrell was still shaking his head.
Just through the door, Caleb paused. He glanced back and saw Terrell venturing a peek beneath the cake lid.
âNo,â Terrell gasped.âNo way.âHe checked along the counter, in the cupboard, searching everywhere for the missing baked goods.
Caleb and the others tried to control their snickers from the shadows in the other room, but Terrell caught them as he stomped by.
âWayne?â he said. âWhere is it?â
âI canât tell you, man. Youâre not a believer.â
âTell me,Wayne. I mean it. Whereâd it go?â
While the two faced off, Caleb gestured to Simmons, who was hidden around the corner. The lieutenant snuck back through the other doorway and returned the cake to its position beneath the lid.
âIt ainât funny,Wayne. Where is it?â
âYou want me to bring it back?â
âYes, I do.â
âOkay.âWayne rolled his hand and bowed. âAfter you.â
Terrell led the march back into the other room. As he reached for the lid, Wayne gave it a hard stare and snapped his fingers once.
âDone.â
âYou,â Terrell said, âare a fool.âHe lifted the lid and was stunned to find the cake staring up at him. âWhat? Howâd you do that?â
âA magician never reveals his tricks.â
âThatâs right. You just have to believe.â Caleb led his driver away again, leaving Terrell alone with the cake and a head full of questions.
âWayne!â Terrell yelled.
Wayne kept walking.
CHAPTER 16
C aleb sat at his bedside, his back against the wall, reading the next entry in The Love Dare . His shift was over, and he was back at the house. The clock read 8:20 a.m., and he could hear the shower running in the master bedroom. Catherine had always cared about looking good for work, but this morning she was really pushing her schedule to its limit.
The best thing to do? Ignore her mood and just get through this.
Day 2
It is difficult to demonstrate love when you feel little to no motivation. But love in its truest sense is not based on feelings, but a determination to show thoughtful actions, even when there seems to be no reward.
In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.
Caleb looked up into the early morning daylight and sighed. An act of kindness? What good would that do? As part of his job, he already protected lives and led men into life-threatening situations. What could one little gesture on the home front accomplish?
Well, best to get this over with.
He padded into the kitchen and filled the carafe. He was at least capable of making her morning brew. He poured water into the coffeemaker. Added a filter. Ground the beans and scooped them in. Pressed the button.
Easy enough.
A few minutes later, he heard Catherine rumbling around in the bedroom. He spread a cloth place mat on the counter, set out the sugar
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