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“It’s your turn.” Foggy was sure that it was.
“No. It’s your turn,” Matt said firmly.
“Hell no. I took it last time. You know, after that fender bender thing.”
“Foggy. That was last week. I did it yesterday.”
“Aw man. No way. Please Matty, I don’t think I can.”
“What kind of man are you? Oh yeah, a man without extremely sensitive taste buds.”
“You have no way of knowing how sensitive my taste buds are.” Matt did that thing where he tilted his chin down and ‘looked’ at Foggy over the rims of his glasses, and Foggy groaned in frustration. “The thing is, Matty-Man, I just don’t want to. I don’t want to have to-”
Matt lifted his hand and made a slicing motion across his own throat and Foggy paused, listening. Matt picked up a sheet of paper from the coffee table in their waiting area and started running his fingers over it, a moment before Karen opened the outer door and swept into the office, looking as gorgeous as ever. Foggy cursed internally.
“Morning, guys,” she said, leaving her handbag on a chair and hanging up her coat before making a beeline to the coffee maker.
Foggy smiled weakly and watched as Karen heaped several spoonfuls of coffee into the machine. He stole a look at Matt, who still had the same sheet of paper in his hand, and a look of dawning horror on his face. Turning back to Karen, he could see that she was still loading the machine with coffee. She put the spoon down and folded the top of the packet over, before filling the machine with water and turning it on. Then she turned around and seemed to notice for the first time that they were both studying her. “Everything okay?”
Foggy nodded, tucking his hair back behind his ear. Matt gave himself a small shake, and renewed contact between his fingertips and the paper that he held, hand moving quickly. Karen walked over to stand beside Matt, and looked down at the sheet of paper. “Matt?” she asked.
“Mmmm?” was all the noise Matt made in response.
“Reading something interesting?” Karen asked innocently.
Matt’s hand stopped moving, and he looked slightly stricken. “Ah,” he tried. Foggy looked properly for the first time, and saw that he was holding a printed piece of paper, that it was upside down, glossy, and advertising Christmas lights. Matt shrugged. “Maybe you could tell me?” he said, passing the leaflet to Karen. She took it, laughed and punched him lightly on the shoulder.
“What’s up with you two, today? Oh, has Mrs Flint been flirting with you again?” Mrs Flint was approximately 107 years old, and seemed very interested in getting to know Foggy better.
“Yes!” Foggy said. “That is definitely it. Charming old ladies… charming us.”
Matt pulled a face, swallowed and turned away. “Sorry,” he said, grimacing. “Had a late one last night.” He was already moving towards his office. “If you need me, I’ll just be…” The door closed firmly behind him. Karen gave the door a look.
“Traitor,” Foggy whispered.
“What’s going on?” Karen’s head whipped around, and Foggy died a little inside.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” Foggy waved her off, and she gave him a look of skepticism before walking back to the kitchen. In his pocket, Foggy’s phone buzzed. It was a text from Matt.
MAN UP FRANKLIN
“Fuck you, Matt.”
Karen was watching him from the kitchen, through slitted lids, one hand on her hip. The coffee machine bubbled ominously beside her. Foggy sighed, and hung his head. Then he looked up and smiled at Karen.
“You know I love you, right, K?”
“What did you do? What did Matt do?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Matt,” she called, but Matt’s door stayed shut.
Foggy walked over and reached for one of her hands, although she was reluctant to give it “Kare-Bear. Light of this office, cleverest of investigators, charmer of the masses.”
Matt’s door opened a crack. “She of the crack-shot,” Matt whispered loudly. The door shut again with a thump.
“Yes. Badass Karen, who we all fear.”
Her mouth twisted as she tried not to smile. “So much for the Man Without Fear.”
“Well yes, we know he sucks.” Foggy took a deep breath. “Wehateyourcoffeeandwecantdrinkitanymore.” He closed his mouth and clapped both hands over it, watching her face for a reaction.
Karen looked down at her suddenly-abandoned hand, then back up at him. “Huh?”
Foggy repeated his admission, this time muffled behind his hands. In response, Karen glowered at him.
“Matthew Murdock, stop hiding and get your ass out here.” They waited several seconds, but there was no response. “I’m waiting.”
Slowly, the door creaked open, and Matt sidled up beside Foggy, head down and hands behind his back. Karen glared at him, then at Foggy. She lifted her eyebrows in question, and he decided it was time to admit defeat.
Foggy rubbed his hands over his face, then dropped them and shrugged. “Matt and I, we’ve been sneaking out and getting coffee, behind your back. Taking turns.”
Matt turned towards him, mouth open to object, but Karen raised a quelling hand. “You’ve been cheating on me with Starbucks?”
“No, not Starbucks. Gloria’s. On the corner.”
“Gl--” She shook her head. “Why?”
“Because your coffee is a crime towards humanity,” Matt said. “What, are you going to contradict me, Foggy.”
“That might be taking it a little far, Matt,” Foggy said.
“It’s undrinkable.”
“Matt! ”
“Look, you don’t get it. I need coffee to function, but I also have some respect for myself and lately, Karen, your coffee has been unbearable. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to hurt you, but I can’t lie any longer. And I can’t suffer any longer. This has to end.”
“Well,” Karen said icily. “If you put it that way. Message received.” her gaze skipped between the two of them, then she turned off the coffee pot, scooped her handbag off the chair, and walked into her office, closing the door quietly behind her.
A heavy silence hung in the air.
“You’re a horrible person, Matt.”
“Me? You’re the one who told her!”
“I didn’t try to destroy her in the process!”
“You guys are always saying I need to be honest with you! So I was… being honest.” Matt had a sheepish look on his face
“Dude. Being honest means not hiding injuries and ninja wars from us. It doesn’t mean telling your friends you hate them.”
“I didn’t say I hated her.”
“No, just that she was committing human rights offences.”
“But was I wrong?”
“Look man, we agree on the coffee. But the delivery? You went way too far this time.” Matt’s head was turned towards Karen’s office. Foggy leaned closer and whispered, “Is she crying?”
Matt shook his head. “No, she’s just looking at her phone. She… she doesn’t even seem upset.” He took a step forward, tilting his head to the side and frowning slightly. “She actually seems happy. And… she smells like coffee.”
“Huh?” Matt faced Foggy for a moment, then the front door. There was a knock, and the door swung open to reveal a delivery man clutching a cardboard box to his chest.
“Nelson and Murdock?” he asked. Foggy lifted a hand, and the man thrust a clipboard at him. “Sign that. Where do you want this?”
“Just there’s fine. Thanks.” And the man was gone. Foggy looked at the box on the floor, then back at Matt. “It’s not going to explode, right?” Matt shook his head, not entirely confidently, so Foggy shrugged, picked the box up and carried it to the kitchen bench. He slit the tape on top and lifted the flaps, read the words on the box inside, and started laughing.
“Foggy? What is it?” Matt asked.
“Well played, Page. You can come out now,” Foggy called.
Karen appeared in her office doorway. “Did it arrive?”
“Yeah, it did,” Foggy said, still laughing. Karen skipped over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“What arrived?” Matt asked again, irritably.
“Oh Matty, this is going to make your year,” Foggy said. “Come and check it out.” He lifted the shiny espresso machine out of its cardboard and styrofoam packaging, and placed it on the bench. Matt touched it hesitantly, then more confidently, smiling as he recognised it. “It’s the same as your one at home, right?” Matt nodded, face split in a wide grin.
“Fill it with water, Foggy,” Karen ordered, heading back to her office and returning a moment later with coffee beans, which she handed to Matt. “Choose your grind. I wouldn’t want to risk getting it anything other than perfect”
“Karen,” Matt began.
“I know, you’re sorry. You can make it up to me by making me a flat white.”
“Yes ma’am,” Matt said, getting to work. His face was flaming.
Foggy patted him on the back. “Don’t sweat it. I mean, I know we were starting from a pretty low place, but I don’t think it’s accidental that Karen’s coffee has become progressively worse more recently. She set us up.”
“I admit nothing. But I think it’s a justifiable business expense,” Karen said, with a wink.