“Oh. Well. He has another year of school. Sure,” Iris says, trying not to think of what she’s agreeing to, trying to keep her voice steady, while another voice in her head, a screeching howl that is ugly and unkind, says, No, no, no, no. You cannot endure that.

“Well, so you offered?” Mike asks.

“Well, honestly, we hadn’t discussed it with Julia.”

“So I thought.” Mike clears his throat. “I am willing to be appointed his guardian until he’s eighteen. I don’t know how American law works on this front, though. And Gordon has to agree.”

“Gordon is his dad. I’m not sure any court is going to interfere with his rights as a father.”

Mike takes a long sip of coffee, his gaze steady on her. “Well, perhaps we can reason with Gordon. He is trying to do what he thinks is right.”

“Maybe he’s right.”

“Let’s be honest. Ned barely knows Gordon and has been to London only a few times.”

“That’s a lot of change, but kids are resilient.”

“Yes. Look at Grant, adjusting from Russia to Lakehaven. That must have seemed a million miles apart.”

“He doesn’t remember Russia,” she says.

They are quiet for a moment, Mike sipping coffee. Iris says: “The ugly truth is now this neighborhood will always be, for Ned, where his mother died. Not just died, but was killed. He might do better with a fresh start.”

“He is very concerned about leaving his friends.”

“And he’d miss out on in-state tuition for a public university if he leaves. I think he wants to go to UT or A&M.”

Mike lets ten seconds pass, studying his coffee. “I am not sure he has thought about his college career much in the past hours, Iris. And Gordon will want him to go to university in Britain now, I would think.”

“Oh.” She’s done it again, said something thoughtless when she didn’t mean to. “You’re right, of course. We’re so focused on Julia’s college applications for this year that I’m stuck in that mode. I’m sorry.” She is talking about college applications to a man whose girlfriend died yesterday. She wants to crawl under a table and stay there. “I don’t know what to say. I think we’re all in shock.”

“You never know. That issue about university is a good point and perhaps one that will sway Gordon,” Mike says diplomatically. “A banker understands costs.”

“I’ll talk to Kyle and see what we can do to convince Gordon.” She squeezes his hand again.

He puts his hand atop hers. “Thank you. I thought you might give the eulogy at the memorial service.”

Iris wants to say You did not just suggest that to me. Instead she keeps her expression blank.