"Let it cool off," said Drew. "It's not like it's going anywhere."
"Uh-huh," I nodded, as I bit into a bagel to soothe my burning mouth. I glanced at Drew, who was fastidiously spooning some tea into his mouth.
"Since when did you start drinking tea?" I asked.
"I don't know...I just thought I needed a change. Coffee was making me nervous anyway," he shrugged. I noticed that his knee was pumping up and down like an engine piston in overdrive.
"Really," I said, putting my hand on his leg. "What's your excuse now?"
"Huh? Oh...yeah." Drew crossed his legs tightly. It stopped his leg from pumping, but it kick-started his fingers drumming on the table. I threw my hand over his, but he tapped his foot. I stepped on his foot, but he turned his ankle in circles. This was getting ridiculous.
"I give up," I said and let the man go. "Control yourself."
"Sorry," he mumbled. I sipped my lattˇ carefully.
"So are you gonna take this job?"
Drew shrugged. "I guess so."
"That sounds awfully non-committal," I said. "You're supposed to be jumping for joy, or something...aren't you?"
"Yes! I'm ecstatic! Fran, I've been totally wasting away at home! I feel like some fairy princess locked in a castle for forever."
"Drew, I think you're being a little over dramatic. First off, you're just a fairy. And you aren't locked up in a castle, you've been cuffed, gagged and hog-tied in your homestead. Wait, has Eric branded you yet? Lemme see your haunches!!!!"
"Fran, I'm being serious here! I feel like I haven't had a life of my own since I stopped working!
I giggled to myself, despite my guilt for making fun of Drew. He was always such an easy target to rag on.
"I'm sorry, Drew. Really. I'm sorry. " I took a sip, and scalded my tongue again. "Ow!"
"Mind your tongues children," said the mother Hugo, walking away with a coffee decanter in his hand. I looked down and realized he had re-filled my lattˇ with fresh, hot brew.
"Hey, Hugo," called Drew. "You see Mike today?" Hugo shook his head.
"Why are you looking for Mike?" I asked.
"Oh, well, I got him some work doing some catering at an Eclectic event. The manager really liked him, and wants to bring him on to waiter for another party."
"You got Mike a job?" I asked incredulously.
"Yeah. He asked me if I could just make an introduction."
I forgot about my coffee for just a moment. "You're talking about the Mike? Mike, the pill-popping roomie; Mike who punched out your ex-boyfriend..." I gulped my coffee.
"He's good. He's clean. He works hard."
"I reserve the right to disagree on all those counts," I said.
"Oh, Frannie," said Drew. "I give up on you! The guy's turning his life around. He asked for a little help. I gave it to him. You should think about it, too." And with that, Drew finally started drinking his tea rather than spooning it.
