Chapter 71: It's Genetics

"If he grows up half as charming as you, then all the girls in Pelican Bay are in trouble. Do you want me to get the plates?" I ask in a half-assed attempt to do something to avoid a conversation I made way too personal too soon.

"Well..." He laughs the word, but I sense Bennett is frustrated. Not something I've ever seen with him. "I forgot the plates."

The smile that hasn't left my face since the minute we stepped foot on the island grows. "You forgot the plates?"

"Hey, I remembered the fancy napkins." He flips his napkin around a few times.

It's enough to lighten the mood. "Well then, pass me a fork."

I grab the bowl of macaroni and cheese before he has a chance to stop me. We eat sitting on a black and white checkered blanket on a grassy section of a forgotten fort — Bennett and me together.

It takes a while, but eventually we've each had a sandwich and taken a turn eating macaroni from the bowl. The conversation is easy, revolving mostly around my future plans for the