Page 90 of The New Place

Sandy smiles at them.

“A house we’re looking at,” Abbot says.

“To move into? Where’s my room? I want to see it.”

“We’re in the kitchen,” Abbot says.

“Yeah, obviously. When are you going to tell me?”

“Tell you what?” About the house, does she mean?

She sounds piqued again, her enthusiasm in shouting for Ned turning to vexation with Abbot.

“Tell me,” she says, an emphasis on the words like he’s being particularly obtuse.

“Will you bring more Sprüngli chocolates tomorrow?” he asks. “And I told Ned you’d like to make caramelköpfli with Peggy while you’re here.”

“Here? In that house?”

“No, we’re just looking at this house,” Abbot says.

“To buy though, right?”

Ned backs away, examining the stove very closely.

“I’m hopefully moving to Boston,” Abbot says, which he was going to tell her in person. Is that what she was waiting for?

She doesn’t react with the surprise and delight he expected, just says, “Yeah, I know.”

“You do?”

“Yes, becaaaaauuuse…” She looks at him with a long pause.

“Because?” he finally has to ask.

“Come on.”

“The chocolates,” he says. “They’re for Pat.”

“But really.”

“Really what?”

“You’re getting married!” she yells.

He stares at her in his phone. She’s grinning. His ears ring with her shriek. Dimly, he feels Ned looking at him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she demands. “Dad talked to Chris, and Chris told him, and then Dad told me, and you didn’t even say anything.”

Ah. Something might be going wrong with Chris’s assumptions. Abbot realizes this like a fact that’s far away.

Hurtling closer though, via the volume of Liesl’s voice, too loud through the phone.

“Liesl…” he starts.

Ned looks at him, eyes wide. Minutely, he shakes his head.

Oh. Yes. Abbot can’t correct her. Not in front of Sandy, at least.