Dale was already at the corner table when Josh arrived, two coffees ordered, which meant Dale had gotten there early enough to have his own thinking done before Josh even sat down — a habit Josh recognized from twelve years of friendship as Dale's particular way of making sure he wasn't ambushed by his own emotions in the middle of a conversation that mattered.
"So," Dale said, sliding one coffee across the table without ceremony. "The thing."
"The thing." Josh sat, wrapped both hands around the cup without drinking from it, and made himself say the actual request instead of circling it the way he'd circled every hard conversation for months. "Zarina Immani's venture just got confirmed for major development-finance backing. There's a doctoral appointment coming, with her as project lead,
