Neil stoppedby his desk when he finally got into the office.
“Welcome back,” he said to Kyle.
“Thanks. I think.” Kyle stared at his computer screen. “My email is jammed. Maybe I should have checked it last week.”
“Nonsense. You were on your honeymoon. I kept an eye on your clients, and I’m sure there’s nothing pressing in there,” Neil replied. “How was Hawthorne Bluff?”
“Really good,” Kyle said, trying to keep the excitement from his voice. No sense in telling Neil about the proposed move until they could properly talk about everything. “Do you have plans for lunch?”
“I don’t. How about Teaism? I’m in the mood for their D’Artagnan chicken bento box.”
“Sounds good. I’ll tell you all about our week at lunch.”
Kyle’s morning passed quickly, with clearing his email inbox, speaking with a couple of his clients, and attending a short meeting with Fred Jameson and the rest of his team.
Neil’s head popped into Kyle’s doorway. “Ready for lunch?” he asked.
Kyle jumped. “Jeez, you scared me. Is it that time already? Lemme just finished this email, then I’ll be ready to go.”
After the short walk to Teaism, once they were seated and had ordered their food, Neil looked at him and said, “So, tell me all about Hawthorne Bluff.”
“Okay, right to the point.” Kyle smiled. He realized his hands were sweating. But he could do this. Neil was his best friend; he had a right to know what was going on. “It was great. The town is amazing. Even better than my dad and Rob said it was.”
“Wow. That good, huh? Next you’re gonna tell me that you’re gonna move there.”
“Actually—” Kyle started.
“Seriously? I was kind of joking.” Neil’s face fell. “Are you really thinking of moving?”
“We’re discussing it,” Kyle said quietly. “There’s a lot to consider, but yeah. A few weeks before the wedding, Jon and I had talked about whether or not we wanted to raise Wyatt in DC. We both agreed we’d rather have him grow up in a smaller town, away from all the politics and shit that you can’t get away from here.”
“Okay, I can see that. I just can’t imagine not having you nearby,” Neil said, his shoulders dropping. “It won’t be the same around here.”
“I get it,” Kyle replied. “But it’s not gonna be right away. If we can make this happen, it’s gonna take a lot of planning. Jon’s already making lists and spreadsheets.” He smiled.
“Yup, that’s exactly what he does, right?” Neil chuckled.
“It is. And between selling his house in Arizona and the condo here, plus finding new jobs for both of us, it’s probably gonna be at least a year before we move.”
“I can see that.”
“And maybe …” Kyle paused, staring at his friend. “Maybe you and Matthew can talk a bit about your future. After all, what’s stopping you from moving closer to him? If we were all in Massachusetts, we’d still get to see each other regularly, right?”
“Hmmm.” Kyle could see the wheels turning in Neil’s brain. “That’s actually not a bad idea. Matthew and I have talked a little about our future. We do love each other, and it would be mucheasier for me to move there rather than have Matthew move here.” Neil’s face brightened. “I guess we need to talk about that some more.”
“Perfect. We’ll figure out a way to make this work.” Kyle’s voice was confident.
“I just had a thought,” Neil said. “Does Hawthorne Bluff need a new jewelry shop? Maybe Matthew needs to think about expanding.”
“That’s actually a very good idea!” Kyle’s voice bubbled with excitement.Maybe this will come together for all of us.
On the way home from work that evening, Kyle’s phone buzzed.
Jon
Mike is gonna pick up Aunt Ellen at our place, so I invited them to stay for dinner. Figured we could tell them about HB. Is there still lasagna in the freezer?
Kyle quickly typed a response.
