I understand that my wife and son find me brash—their dirty looks make this obvious—but Nick has mentioned his dead parents so many times. He was practically begging to be asked. Plus, I’m trying to make an effort here. Isn’t that what Jonah and Elizabeth want? They have a point, too. It’s weird to have seen his face for so long without knowing him.

“Well, I’m sorry you had to go through that, Nick,” I say. “I’m sorry you lost them so early.”

“Me too,” he says.

Elizabeth lets go of Nick’s hands and clasps her own. She gets a bright idea and asks, “What are you doing for the rest of the summer?”

“I’m not sure,” Nick tells her. “Bum around campus, I guess. Still need to find a job, but I bet Parks and Rec. will take me back.”

Elizabeth shakes her head. “Why don’t you stay here? Give yourself a break, hang with Jonah, enjoy yourself.”

I chew harder.

“Yeah,” Jonah echoes. “Why don’t you?”

All eyes are on Nick, who shakes his head in a sheepish I couldn’t possibly sort of way. He holds up a finger and swallows his food before saying, “Oh my God. Thank you, but I’m afraid you’d get sick of me so fast.”

Elizabeth is on a tear. “No, we really wouldn’t. You’d keep the guesthouse. We all get our own space. It’s ideal.”

Nick wrinkles his face.

Jonah says, “Dude, do it.”

After a moment of apprehension, Nick asks, “Really?”

“Of course,” Elizabeth answers. She can’t stop. “You’d be doing us a favor. Really. We need someone to keep the cobwebs away, don’t we, Robert?”

I’m speechless, truly, because for starters, we already have someone to keep the cobwebs away, and she comes every Tuesday. Moreover, however, I am aghast at her gall. Didn’t we just argue about the importance of running joint decisions by each other? Handing out alarm codes is one thing. Handing out long-term invitations is another altogether.

“Awesome, Dad,” Jonah deadpans. “Thanks for the vote.”

I find my voice. “I don’t want you to feel pressured, Nick. These two drive a hard bargain.”

Elizabeth glares through her wineglass as she throws back its last sip.

“I don’t feel pressured at all,” Nick says. “I’m overwhelmed in a good way, actually.”

To this, Elizabeth lifts her brow and tilts her head as silent code for, See, Bobby?

“You’ve all been so generous,” Nick says. “Like, from the start, you’ve gone above and beyond. I hope you know how much I appreciate everything.”

“Yeah, yeah,” says Jonah. “But are you staying?”

“If you really, really mean it, I would love to stay.”

Elizabeth grins. “We really do.”

Jonah says, “Right on.”