Page 150 of The New Place

“And it’s winter,” he says.

“Dad got me one.”

“Did he really?”

“Please,” she says to Pat. When he glances at Abbot for approval, Abbot just shrugs.

She smiles. “And I’ll have the maple donut.”

“That’s what you’re having for breakfast?” Abbot asks. “Iced coffee and a donut?”

“You’re right,” she says. “I’ll have two.”

“Get ready for age thirteen,” Pat says, his tone like he’s making a mental list. “One iced coffee, one tea, two maple donuts, and my own existential crisis, coming right up.”

Abbot has to hold her coffee as they walk to the department building, his fingers growing increasingly cold against the plastic as she devours her first donut. His tea threatens to burn his other hand, and he’s stymied by the door, Liesl busy eating and Abbot unable to pull it open with his hands full.

“I got it,” he hears, and there’s Lee with a travel mug and a mittened hand extended.

She stops short of letting them inside to the warmth of the building, holding the door barely ajar and staring at him. At his hand, specifically.

He can’t exactly tuck it into his pocket like he so suddenly wants to.

“What. Is. That.”

“Iced coffee,” Abbot says. “And yes, we’re aware of how cold it is.”

“On your finger,” she says, her voice rising. “Did you—oh my God!”

“Ah,” he says. His face is cold. “Yes.”

“They got married on Friday,” Liesl says, apparently forgetting to be shy around both Pat and someone entirely new, if given the chance to dispense private information about his life.

“This is my colleague, Dr. Lee Nishimura, and this is my sister, Liesl,” Abbot says and is summarily ignored by both of them.

“You didn’t,” Lee says. “You did?”

“They did,” Liesl says.

Abbot says, “Would you mind opening⁠—”

“Holy shit!” Lee yells and hugs him.

Cold coffee drips onto his fingers. Behind him, Liesl says, “Don’t spill it.”

He’s trying not to, but Lee is still hugging him, and when she lets go, she flings the door open so abruptly he has to quickly sidestep.

“Does Chris know?” she asks and then calls up the stairwell, “Aliyah!”

“Chris was there,” Liesl says.

“You invited him and not me?” Lee half jogs up to the first landing. “Aliyah, you in yet? You didn’t even tell us you two got engaged, Henry!”

“It was rather impromptu,” he says.

“So you are leaving, then?” Lee asks. “Moving down to Boston?”

“They’re working at Newbury University, which isn’t as good as Henry could do, but it’s better than Callahan,” Liesl says and starts in on her second donut.