The boy seemed to get a kick of confidence out of Peter saying hello, even though he couldn’t have sounded any less interested if he tried, so he took a seat on the other side of the desk and sat there beaming at him.

“And you’re Peter.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m the welcoming committee. Ta-da!”

Peter stared at the desk and said nothing.

“Because I chat.”

“OK.”

“I get real chatty.”

“I can see.”

“And people think I’m a card just because I like to wear fun shirts. But the truth is, I carry a bit of weight down there and nothing disguises it quite like a floral. Not even a Christmas sweater.”

“OK.”

“And Christmas sweaters are as busy as they come.”

Peter shrugged. “Are they?”

“Sure are. You get a lot of good coverage from reindeer antlers and wreaths and a big pile of presents, but nothing covers a belly quite like a Christmas pudding.”

Peter creased the corners of his mouth into a weary half-smile and nodded.

“But I get real sweaty in them.”

Peter sighed. “Do you?”

“Yeah. Especially if the sweater’s got a ton of viscose in it. Scratchy, too.”

Peter looked up. The boy was keener than a dog looking for treats. “I don’t think you carry too much weight.”

Teddy beamed. It was like no one had ever said anything nice about him before, and suddenly Peter felt bad that he hadn’t been friendlier.

“Tea,” said Teddy.

“What?”

Teddy pointed at the mug. “It’s a cup of tea. You probably haven’t seen one before.”

“Oh. I have, but only the home-made kind.”

“It’s OK. There’ll probably be a lot of things you haven’t tried and a lot of things you won’t know the name of and don’t know what to do with. It’s especially like that for us. People born after.”

Peter stared into the tumbling snow. “I guess.”

“But don’t worry. I can show you around if you like.”

“OK.”

“But only if you want me to.”

Peter nodded along. He could feel the gap Teddy left him, the one where he was supposed to jump in excitedly to take him up on the offer. But when he decided to ignore it, Teddy bolted forward in the chair and filled the silence for him.

“But only if you—”

“No.” Peter cleared his throat. That was a bit harsh. “No. It’s OK.”