Neil sighs and scrunches at Beau's ears a bit, which the dog tolerates gallantly, big face split in an easy, happy sort of bull dog smile. It eases Neil a little bit, and he finds himself a little more relaxed. He supposes all he really needed was someone else to know that he failed the paper. That means a lot, in the end, he thinks.

"Coffee," he says. Then, a bit sheepishly, "With some scotch in it, if you won't give me a lecture about that. I'm old enough to have it."