Page 86 of The New Place

“Of course,” Abbot echoes.

“And you won’t have to touch a thing for renovations, as long as you like the finishes. Though a bit of paint always goes a long way toward matching your style. This is the first home you’re sharing? Nice to have everything in place then, rather than starting from a completely blank slate.”

Abbot nods, but is it? They’re apparently not sharing this house, if it’s up to Ned. He’s never seen Ned live in a place of his own. It was Pat’s furniture and taste in Portland, and now Ned’s parents’ house here in Boston. What does Ned even like? This sleek black metal banister and the light wood of the staircase arcing up into a tall foyer, framed by two-story plate-glass windows? No, if Abbot had to guess, but he doesn’t actually know.

“And it has everything you two want,” she says. “Extra bedrooms, a nice yard out back. Finished basement for the kids too, always nice to have a spot for them to play.”

Do they want that? Abbot doesn’t remember it being on the list, but he and Ned never did really talk about houses.

Or much at all, this past week. Ned’s been quiet, clearly worried about Adams and Newbury both, and Abbot hasn’t pushed.

Not wanting Ned to push back, he knows, and busies himself studying a closet.

When Ned joins them, it’s with a polite knock on the door and a gust of frigid air as Sandy points out the depth of the windowsills and how it echoes the height of the baseboards.

“Sorry,” Ned says, stamping snow from his feet. “Hit all red lights from Newbury. Hi, hon.”

He’s smiling and friendly, shaking Sandy’s hand, stuffing his gloves in his pockets. So this is fine. His talk must have gone well enough and he’s happy to be here. Even maybe genuinely interested in this house. Willing to entertain a conversation about it, at the very least.

“What do you think?” Abbot ventures.

Ned keeps smiling, even as he catches Abbot’s arm and turns to Sandy. “Do you mind if we take just a minute?”

The two of them? Alone? In the middle of this appointment?

That kindle of hope flickers and dies as Abbot pictures Ned on the sidewalk before he came up the steps, staring at the house and thinking a clear and decisive No.

“Of course,” Sandy says, hugging her folder and pointing toward the back of the house. “How about I meet you in the kitchen when you’ve had a chance to catch up?”

“Thank you. It’ll just be a second,” Ned says and laughs. “Long distance. You know how it is. We haven’t even said hi.”

“Take your time, absolutely,” Sandy says and then she’s gone.

Ned’s smile drops from his face. “So,” he says, and cranes to see down the hallway, apparently checking that they’re really alone.

“If this isn’t a property you’re interested in, we can always⁠—”

“I need to tell you something.”

Abbot reorients immediately. “Are you okay? Is Peggy?”

“What? Peggy? Yeah, she’s fine. Listen, alright? I wanted to get here early and catch you, but—oh hell. Abbot, this is a mess.”

Abbot steps closer. “What happened?” Is Ned really alright? Are they alright? They texted last night about Ned’s talk, and this morning too. In the midst of any nerves he had, Ned sent a picture of Baxter laying upside down, ears falling to the floor, lips giving in to the tug of gravity so it looked like he was smiling. That can’t be a bad sign, can it?

But Abbot has missed signs with every man he’s been with.

“My presentation?” Ned starts and glances down the hall again. “With Beverly? I don’t know what she said to Sandy, so we have to just go with this today, alright?”

“You said it went well.” He messaged that just as Abbot was driving into Boston. He hadn’t called, which was fine. He’s been so quiet all week, which Abbot had chalked up to nerves over the job, but now it feels more ominous entirely. “Ned⁠—”

“Beverly talked to Chris,” Ned says quickly. “And Chris is, apparently, very excited that we’re getting married.”

“Married?” This is not what he’s braced for. I need to take a step back from us, Abbot is suddenly on edge to hear. Maybe if we take a bit of time to think. And what had Louis said? A break will give us a chance to reassess. Reto hadn’t said anything at all, and it had taken Abbot far too long to understand the message in his silence.

But this…“I don’t understand.”

“Chris thinks we’re engaged,” Ned says.