The two men had met in college and had been together ever since.
I really liked Steven.
I was pretty sure I'd really like Shawna, too.
"Are you okay with me reaching out to her?" I had to ask, because she was - for all intents and purposes - Mark's sister-in-law and Mark was my boss."Of course.
Don't worry.
It won't be weird."
"All right."
I smiled and hoped to add another girlfriend to my new life in New York.
"Thanks."
"Thank me with a cup of coffee," he said, pulling out a mug from the cupboard and handing it to me.
"You make it taste better than I do."
I shot him a look.
"My dad uses that line."
"Must be true, then."
"Must be a standard guy finagle," I shot back.
"How do you and Steven divvy up coffee making?" "We don't."
He grinned.
"There's a Starbucks on the corner by our place."
"I'm sure there's a way to call that cheating, but I haven't had enough caffeine to think of it yet."
I passed over his filled mug to him.
"Which probably means I shouldn't share the idea that just came to me."
"Go for it.
If it really sucks, I can hold it against you forever."
"Gee.
Thanks."
I held my mug between both hands.
"Would it work to market the blueberry coffee like tea instead? You know, the coffee in a chintz teacup and saucer with maybe a scone and some clotted cream in the background? Give it a high-end, midafternoon snack sort of treatment? Throw in a fabulously handsome Englishman to sip it with?" Mark's lips pursed as he thought about it.
"I think I like it.
Let's go run it by the creatives."
* * *