"That depends," he quipped easily, and idly made another bite of food for her, but this time left her to decide what to do with it, since he didn't want to embarrass her, or pressure since screwing up her courage for even one might have been quite the struggle, "Is it Tuesday?"

He gave a wry grin. "Ace is very smart, but it's hard not to take it for granted sometimes. When he doesn't get something, it's impossible to help him see it. He has to find it out for himself, and usually in some bizarre way no one possibly could have expected."