"Look," Jack protested, although any genuine affront was nulled by the grin he was sporting. "I didn't start with the percentages thing. I would have been perfectly happy with fractions or decimals too."

He sidestepped in mock-fear of being swatted. "Bittersweet is good too! Nobody wants all sweet, all the time. It's boring and bad for your teeth. Trust me on this, I'm friends with the Tooth Fairy," he added sagely, as if he was conveying the fact to a stranger who might doubt him rather than someone who'd known him for years.