"Thank you," she says, and it's for the tea, and the understanding, and the way he's holding her tight; all of it, all at once. He steps away to start the kettle, and she remains standing even without his arms around her to keep her up, even managing to lay Nick's clothes over the back of an armchair and prop up the poster in its frame just below. It shouldn't feel so monumental.

Going to the couch, she slips out of her shoes before curling up on the cushions to wait for Neil. Beau pads over a moment later to sit on the floor in front of her, his solid, spotty head coming to rest on her knee. "Good boy," she murmurs, petting the soft velvety fur of his ear. "You always know just what to do."