"Champagne is a god among men," Ari proclaimed grandly. "At least, so sayeth Audrey. And you are quite welcome, Drakey; we wanted to make sure your birthday was memorable, after all. I'd pass on the thanks, but I feel like you'll prefer thanking her yourself, in this case." She had already gotten an earful at the dinner she had bought him last night, though later, in a darkened alcove - she had promised - he seemed to have quite forgiven her.
Well, forgiveness was one thing, but it wouldn't be a truly good gift if he could forget all about it so easily.
She stepped away into the kitchen, returned with glasses and a spoon for the cherries, and busied herself with the bottles she had brought. "For one day only, I will indulge your desire for really appalling drinks," she told Drake. "Does anyone else want one? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm fairly sure I'd rather the beer, myself. I hope you're planning to share those, Ric."