Page 2 of The New Place

He waves now as Abbot and Lee walk into the conference room. “Welcome, welcome,” he says, beaming around the room as Abbot joins the other faculty in finding a seat.

Abbot is as trepidatious as any of them tonight. Last semester, Chris sprang on them a challenge of who could contribute the most volunteer hours, and the previous spring he’d made them commit to hydration goals. Abbot had given his Callahan-branded water bottle to Peggy, and last he’d seen it, it had been filled with balled-up socks he was informed were soon-to-hatch dinosaur eggs. Today will be more of the same, he’s sure, but at least it will eat into his evening.

Aliyah holds the sweep of her long braids in one hand as she leans across the table to address Chris. “I have to be home in a half hour. This meeting was not on the calendar.”

“I’m so happy to see everyone,” Chris says. “We haven’t been together yet this semester.”

“Because it started today,” Aliyah says. “We’ve barely been back.”

Chris smiles around the room. “Hello to you all. How was winter break?”

The murmur of a dozen voices circles the room, and Chris cups his hand around his ear. “What was that?”

“It was great,” Lee says loudly. “We were so very much on vacation. Just really gone from here. Away from work. No meetings, you know?”

“I do know, because I missed you all,” Chris says. “Thank you so much for being here. What did we all get up to these last few weeks? Let’s share.”

“Sat down with the family to have dinner every night, on time,” Aliyah says. “New Year’s resolution is to keep that up.”

“What a great thing to commit to,” Chris says.

“It starts in twenty-nine minutes,” Aliyah says.

“And what else?” Chris asks. “Henry, how was your trip home? You get some good family time?”

Yes, Abbot had taken a job at this university all those years ago because of Chris Hausman, but it’s had drawbacks. He so wants to sidestep the attention turning toward him, because it’s one thing to make himself chat more often with his colleagues, and another to actually share anything with them. “Fine,” he says. “How was your break?”

“It was great,” Chris says, but he’s never been easily dissuaded. “How’s Liesl? When is she coming to visit us?”

“Soon,” Abbot says. Now would be her preference; he’d made a show of checking that she hadn’t climbed into his suitcase when he’d left for the airport.

Abbot’s preference would be for this conversation to end, but Chris asks, “And how’s your dad?”

Wanting to talk. Leaving Abbot feeling like he was being followed from room to room over the past month, his father constantly on the edge of conversation as Abbot counted the days until he could leave. But he won’t share that with Chris, or with the room at large. “He’s well.”

“Aaaaand,” Lee says. “How’s our Ned?”

Absent. So very missed. Not here in this room like he used to be. He used to sit right there and roll his chair back and forth and pretend to pay attention while checking his email.

Abbot had been as preoccupied with the thought of him then as he is now, fighting constantly against the automatic surge of attraction at his presence, and oh so careful to not let himself look. Not that much has changed; even at the mention of Ned, Abbot wants to check his phone for a new text from him. Or Abbot could text him again. Did he have time to pick up his dry cleaning between getting Peggy to school and his meeting this morning? Has he had word yet on his final class rosters? Which students is he excited to teach? Does he know when he’s free on Friday? Because perhaps Abbot could leave Portland earlier than planned, just to see him a few hours sooner⁠—

“Henry,” Lee says, her voice loud.

“Yes?” Oh. He hasn’t answered. And Lee is smirking at him.

Liesl had done the same this past month. Is that Ned on the phone? she’d taken to asking in a singsong voice, sometimes clutching her chest and flopping dramatically back on the couch.

No feet on the furniture, their father would’ve said if it was Abbot propping his ankles on the arm of the sofa. He did say that to Abbot when Abbot was Liesl’s age and she wasn’t even a conversation to be had yet.

Of course she wasn’t. When Abbot was thirteen, Mom had been… “Ned’s fine,” Abbot says more curtly than he’d intended. He’s tired, clearly, from the day of travel yesterday. The strain of a month in his father’s company. The lack of himself that he’s felt the last few weeks, like he’s floundering without Ned’s presence to anchor him.

Lee frowns, clearly put off by his tone. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Of course not,” Abbot says shortly and pulls out his laptop.

“Twenty-seven minutes,” Aliyah says.

“Well, I do want to hear about everyone’s vacations.” Chris glances at his watch, then the door. “But we have a special guest joining us in just a moment, and before that, I want to talk about something exciting happening this semester.”