Challenge Set Seven:
31. Iron
Kate Beckett positioned herself above the ball, some 120 feet from the tee. She had pulled a nine iron from her bag hoping that she wouldn't fall too short of the mark. Breaking her concentration only momentarily, she flicked her eyes to Castle who was leaning, arms folded, against their cart. He exuded calm cool confidence. She refocused, pulled back, and swung. The ball arced high and fell hard to the green, rolling within 5 feet of the flag.
"HA!" she exclaimed, sheathing her club like sword ala Chi Chi Rodriguez. "Fifty bucks, Castle. Call me a hacker again. Please."
32. Challenge
Beckett was not getting much sleep. And, by extension, neither was Castle. The case they were working on was familiar: A murdered wife and mother, a grieving husband, and preteen daughter abandoned to herself. He worried that she was taking it to heart; that despite her sometimes clinical detachment, these kinds of cases took her to a dark place. She became more driven. More closed off. More irritable. He didn't like seeing her this way. She had a tunnel vision which excluded most exterior input. It was a delicate line to walk. He wanted to be supportive without upsetting her.
33. Stadium
It was her first birthday after she and Castle had started seeing each other. She feared what the excitable writer would do. Would he throw an extravagant party? Not if he knew what was go for him. When the day arrived, she needn't have worried. He picked her up and delivered her to Yankee Stadium. Pulling two tickets from his jacket he offered her one.
"I believe it's called a nine inning lunch," he said, way too pleased with himself.
She kissed him lightly on the lips and said: "You did good, Castle. Now stop grinning. Security might get suspicious."
34. Chairman
"Who's the first person that comes to mind when I say the word 'cool'? Castle asked as the two shared lunch at the beach house.
"No question: The Fonz," Beckett replied.
Castle sat back, nodding his agreement. "A good answer. Maybe even definitive. But you forgot another possible contender."
"I doubt I forgot," she replied with a wry smile. "Who?"
"Sinatra."
She looked thoughtful for a moment. "No. Before my time, Castle."
"That doesn't make it any less true," he said, knitting his brow in consternation.
"I could have said George Clooney."
"No one else could have remade Ocean's Eleven."
35. Chef
Richard Castle was a man who liked to cook. But not all the time. Not on deadline. When the decision was made to take Gina to the Hamptons, Castle made sure that he retained a chef for the summer. He knew summer was a time for grilling, but also sandwiches and salads and such. For some inexplicable reason he was craving Hawaiian food. On a whim, he called the service for chefs and ordered one for the trip.
Apparently, Gina had also made plans for a chef. The first night, Castle and Gina enjoyed their own version of Top Chef.