‘BECAUSE IT'S TRUE.’
‘Both of you,’ Tess said. ‘Neil is a guest.’
Beth looked at Neil. Then at Rory. Then back at Neil.
‘Are you Uncle Rory's boyfriend?’
The table went still. Rory's wine glass paused mid-lift. Tess closed her eyes. Patrick continued eating.
Beth’s expression was neutral. Curious. Data collection.
‘Yes,’ Neil said. ‘I am.’
Before the internal committee could convene. Before the protocols and the distance. Beth had asked a direct question and he'd given a direct answer.
Beth nodded. ‘Good. He's been really grumpy.’ She retrieved her drawing and disappeared upstairs.
Tess closed her eyes. ‘I'm going to start charging admission.’
Rory was staring at Neil across the table. The wine glass still halfway up. The face stripped of the half-smile and the banter.
The word was out. Spoken in front of five people and a collie, and the collie was a witness and the collie had lifted its head and put it back down, which was the dog equivalent of acceptance.
‘Did you just...’ Rory started.
‘Apparently.’
‘In front of...’
‘Apparently.’
‘You said boyfriend.’
‘Beth asked a direct question. I gave a direct answer. It's what I teach my students to do.’
‘You teach your students about boyfriends?’
‘I teach my students about clarity. Clarity requires honesty. Honesty requires nerve.’
‘And you just had nerve.’
‘I just had nerve.’
Tess reached across and squeezed Neil's arm. Brief. Firm.
Patrick looked up from his potatoes. A direct, measuring look that lasted two seconds. Then: ‘More wine?’
‘Please.’
The drive back was quiet. Different quiet. The silence had changed shape. Easier now. Rory drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting between them on the gearbox. The headlights carved a tunnel through the dark country roads.
‘They liked you,’ Rory said.
‘They liked that I took the bread seriously.’
‘Beth asked if you were my boyfriend and you said yes.’ He was quiet for a beat. The car moved through the dark. Hedgerows silver in the headlights. ‘You said yes, Neil.’
‘I know.’
